Motorola DECT 6.0 Enhanced Corded Base Phone with Cordless Handset and Digital Answering System L402C

Technical Details

• DECT 6.0 Cordless Telephone with Corded Base
• 15 Minute Digital Answering System on Base
• 9 Speed Dial Presets
• Handsfree Speakerphone on Base and Handset
• 60 Name and Number Phonebook
• 15 minutes answering machine record time with access to messages on corded base as well as cordless handset
• Adjustable ringer and earpiece volume
• Caller display stores information on the last 30 calls
• Corded and DECT 6.0 cordless combo telephone
• Hands-free speakerphone on corded and cordless handsets

I bought model L402V of this phone Dec 2009 from Sam's Club, for about $50. There are two phones: one a corded base with an answering machine, the other a cordless phone with charger. The packaging had an earth-friendly "green" notice, which I found appealing. The buttons on both phones are comfortable and easy to press.

I did have trouble changing the base to wall mount. The "quick start" guide omitted this issue, and the extended manual contains such tiny images that I had difficulty reading it. When I tried to reverse the clip that holds the phone on a wall-mounted base, it came loose and shot across the room. Luckily, I retrieved it before the cat got it.

Discouragingly, once wall mounted, the phone hangs crooked when the receiver is hung up. I fixed that problem by putting sticky tack behind it (the stretchy stuff you use to hang up posters). Although the manual said it would have to be charged for 24 hours before first use, the cordless phone had enough charge in the battery to try it out.

The phones are slim, stylish, and mainly intuitive to use. One not very intuitive feature is that in order to make a call from the base, you have to press the "speaker" button. With the exception of the intercom feature, they mostly work as if they are separate phones, and their differences can be confusing.

The cordless phone has great audio transmission without static or interference, even in distant parts of the house. We've had trouble inside our house with previous phones. I like that each entry in the phone book can be customized with one of ten ringtones, some of which are really cute. The ringtones apply separately to each phone, so the phones will ring at the same time, using separate melodies.

A disadvantage is that it's hard to see the location of the tiny microphone on the base, and you have to speak very close to the phone when recording a memo or the outgoing message. For this reason, the audio quality of the memos and outgoing messages can be poor. However, the audio quality of the actual phone conversations is very good, and the volume is easy to adjust.

The two separate phonebooks are also a bit annoying. There doesn't seem to be a way to link phonebooks so that each time you save a number it appears in the both the base and the cordless phone. 30 numbers can be saved on each phone. Confusingly, the base will not save an incoming caller's number if it's not in the phonebook, but the cordless will do so.

The font size on the LCD screen of the base makes it easy to see the numbers and names. The base lights up only when active, which (I hope) saves energy. The speakerphone and mute features work well. For those who don't mind figuring out the quirks, this phone combination is a good purchase.