Product Review : UTstarcom F3000 WiFi VoIP Phone
Impulse buying is a bad thing, but I had no choice because no one has yet written an in depth review on this device and I really REALLY wanted it. I bought it from voipsupply because I have done a lot of business with them in the past and they always make me a happy camper.
The Phone
Remember, this is only my opinion…
So we will start with the Cons
- Horrible wireless range, 60 feet indoor max!
- Outdoor quality suffers greatly, I have yet to be able to terminate a clear enough connection outdoors to even check my voicemails.
- Battery life is puss, 4 hours maximum talk time, 60 hour standby (without roaming)
- Wireless roaming takes FOREVER and usually fails to connect to AP… in TORONTO!
- GUI looks like the first full colour Nokia back in 1988…
- Intermittent restart, maybe new firmware fix soon?
- No Radius (web authentication) support == no Cogeco WIFI, this is a bad thing!
Enough negative stuff, here are the Pros
- When you actually can connect to a solid AP, voice quality is PERFECT.
- Integrates beautifully with any asterisk powered appliance / server.
- Great call features support including three transfer modes and voicemail notification.
- Great PDF documentation and very easy to configure.
- Web interface for simplified configuration and TFTP provisioning!
- Decent Email and Asterisk command texting, emails are somewhat difficult to read on that little screen.
- Save $$$ monthly on telecommunications.
The Verdict
Great for any geek who is generally stationary for several hours at a time and doesn’t mind configuring a new AP everywhere he / she goes. Also OK in big cities where AP’s and Starbucks are a plenty. Also fun to show off to your friends when you call a California number from New York on your “cell phone”.
This device is not for the non-tech-savvy, it’s just not yet polished enough. Grandma wouldn’t know whether to bury it in the garden or feed it to the squirrels. But that doesn’t mean people can’t learn to use it, simply put : most people are just too lazy to learn something new.