Skypegear Roadtest: Belkin WiFi Phone for Skype

The first round of WiFi phones built for Skype has been out for a few months now. While they all have the same liberating functionality, each different phone tends to have some distinguishing feature that sets it apart. For example, the SMC WSKP100 WiFi phone can connect with FON hotspots, and the Linksys iPhone WIP320 has a great screen and automatically updates its firmware. I recently had the chance to put the Belkin WiFi Phone for Skype through its paces. What can it do that the other Skype WiFi phones can’t? Read on for my review.

First Impressions

It looks like a mobile phone; it’s definitely a handsome device. It’s black and has a really nice finish—it feels a little like leather. It has silver trim and the plastic buttons, while close together, are responsive and offer good feedback (and it’s shiny—it doesn’t photograph very well).

The screen is good and clear; you can adjust the brightness and contrast but I found it fine by default. The screen is big enough, but could be bigger—there’s a good amount of free space on the front of the phone into which Belkin could have put a larger screen.

In the box you get some documentation, an AC adapter, and a USB cable for charging and updating firmware—that’s it. It’s definitely a device meant to stand on its own.

Functionality

When you first turn the WiFi Phone on, after going through a disclaimer that you can’t use Skype for emergency dialing, the device is quick to look for available wireless networks. I had no problem connecting to my router using WPA encryption (entering the router password the first time took some tapping, but after that the Belkin remembered and logged on automatically). After tapping in my Skype name and password (which it could also save), I was signed in and ready to Skype.

The feature set on the Belkin WiFi Phone is similar to other WiFi phones we've seen. You can browse your contacts, see your call history, change your status, search for and add contacts, and check your SkypeOut credit all within a standard Skype interface that’s graphical and quite intuitive. You can’t conduct text chats, but the person sending you the message is informed you’re not receiving them and you’ll get them when you next sign on. You also can’t purchase more SkypeOut credit from within the phone.

Call quality was generally quite good. Nearly perfect when I was in close proximity of my router. If I went far away from my router (when the phone would indicate only one or two bars of signal strength), then both my Skype-to-Skype and SkypeOut calls did suffer a bit. The call would get a bit choppy or the person I was talking to would hear a bit of an echo. But it’s difficult to tell whether it’s the phone, the router, or the Skype network generally at that moment that’s causing the trouble. But for the most part my call quality was perfectly fine.

The phone’s firmware can be updated by connecting the phone to your computer via USB cable and installing an update. Skype 3.2 (which has a beta out) adds multi-device presense, which means that when you’re signed in to Skype on multiple devices, your most recent status is synced across them. It will take a firmware update—hopefully Belkin will issue one soon.

Oh, and what special feature makes the Belkin WiFi Phone for Skype different from the other Skype WiFi phones? One word: Boingo. Boingo Wireless operates over 60,000 wireless hotspots around the world, and they’ve struck a deal with Belkin to allow the WiFi Phone to work on the Boingo network. Access on Boingo isn’t free, but for travellers especially, being able to use the Belkin WiFi Phone in so many places is certainly compelling. Using a phone would be a lot more convenient than pulling out a laptop every time you wanted to make a quick call.

Conclusion

The Belkin WiFi Phone for Skype looks good and works well. The ability to hop on Boingo hotspots makes this Belkin a great choice for people who already use Boingo. However, it should be noted that Boingo is the only pay hotspot this phone is guaranteed to work with—it doesn’t have a browser so it can’t click agreements and get online in some cases. But it’s great as a way to use Skype away from the computer in any home or office setting. You can purchase the Belkin WiFi Phone for Skype for $179.99 at the US Skype Store or for £109.95 in the United Kingdom.

Tags: Belkin, WiFi+Phone, Skype

Comments

Hi, does this phone support UNICODE? I have many contacts in China and most of their names and other information are in Chinese, like this: 你這個電話支持汉字吗? Which can be done without any problem on my windows XP computer...

Attention : BELKIN WIFI ROUTER AND PHONE

You order in Euro, your invoice in BPD

You want to connect router and phone,
you first buy power adapters, if you're not UK based.

Router is minimalistic old WiFi standard, 56G, not G+, not G+Mimo, not N1 Mimo...., nothing to do with the foto displayed on skype.

Phone screen colors and resolution is pretty poor.

Anyway the thing works, that why they certified it...

Your choice to spent good money for that poor results.

Claudio Klemp, Italy

How does one get the firmware update to run on the Belkin Wifi phone

Firmware 1.1.0.22 STILL doesn't seem to solve the problem of needing to be able to enter ID&pswd to sign into public WiFi networks.

I can only use this device at home/work on my own wireless router, and on free public WiFi networks which usually are terrible.

We have city-wide minicipal WiFi here, and I can't use my Belkin Wi-Fi Phone for what I bought it for!

i is good when your in a city like japan with free wifi every where not in places where there is no wifi

The whole Boingo thing is a joke. I've tried repeatedly to use Boingo on this (I tried two different phones) and the system never connects, meanwhile everything runs perfectly on my home network. I've talked to Boingo tech a couple times, none of them knows anything about this phone - they keep telling me to open a web browser on it, impossible. Meanwhile the firmware is from 2006; you'd think Boingo would know how to operate this thing by now. Waste of money and time.

I purchased one of these phones and have moved around the US for the last week and found that it is totally useless.
The reception of the wireless has a very short range and even within range, has difficulty connecting and maintaining connection to WiFi networks.
When I do finally find an unsecured network, many times the internet is inactive or lost with even a simple body motion of turning 180 degrees.
When I find a "public free wifi" network, such as at your local library or other public location, they require a simple "terms of use" agreement that needs to be completed. Given that there is no internet browser installed on the phone, this simple command cannot be complete thus resulting in no service.
I have even tried locations such as McDonald's, Starbucks, Barns & Noble, etc. where the use of the internet can be paid for and once again, with no web browser there is no way to give payment thus yet again making the phone useless.

I have concluded that the only locations that this phone is useable is within my home or when I am at work. BOTH of these locations I have easy access to a computer AND the Skype program IMPLYING "Why would I need this phone?"

I would discourage anyone interested in purchasing this phone from doing so. Save you money and use Skype how you would regularly because this product gives you nothing extra.

The Beklin WiFi Phone is a waste of money. I am sending my back after calling Belkin three times in the US to get someone in India who had no product knowledge!

The phone drops, have an echo, and they freezes control when you try to end a drop call. The only thing that works is removing the battery and then powering it back-up.

I even upgrade to 4.0 and there was no improve with the issues. I reinstalled 3.8. I have had it! No tech support! You are on your own!

got this phone yesterday (feb, '09) and won't connect to my wifi. see's it ok but when i enter access code keep getting no ip address. wrong. ipod touch, pc laptop, macbook, and imac all connect just fine.

called belkin. they said i had to call the router company and reconfigure the router.

again, wrong. sending this back.

does this unit power adaptor has international voltage?

This phone is a total waste of money. I've had it for couple months now and was only able to make few phone calls. None of the calls were clear. When I tried to use it during my travel none of the receivers could hear me. I should have just stayed with a headset.

hey all - quick, easy question; what type of usb cable is needed to connect the belkin wifi phone to my computer (is it a "usb a to mini b" or something else?) please advise! thanks.