Linksys iPhone CIT300 Dual-Mode Skype Phone

Reviews: Electronics

Digital Cameras | PDAs | Communications

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Mark Korff
Kurtis
Linksys
Jan. 21, 2007

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Conclusion

As you can see, for the money, there is a lot to like about the CIT300 combined with Skype, and specifically SkypeOut. I was able to find the CIT300 available online for $80-$90 shipped, and even if you didn't sign up for SkypeOut before the price went up to $30 a year for the unlimited plan, you'd still be saving a lot of money compared to any other landline or VoIP service that I'm aware of. The one thing you're missing if you only have the SkypeOut service is the ability to receive calls from other non-PC/Skype based phones. If you require that functionality SkypeIn is another service you might be interested in that allows you to select an actual landline phone number of your choosing, which will act as a number for your Skype phone for $38 a year. SkypeIn includes free voicemail as well, so when combined with SkypeOut, it could act as a very capable replacement for almost every function of a typical landline phone, at a fraction of the cost.

As far as the CIT300 goes, I can't really find any major faults with it for what it's designed to do. It possesses all the features I'd expect out of a VoIP phone in its price category and during testing it maintained excellent voice quality throughout my home, even when I went into the basement and my computer and base station were on the second floor. It is worth mentioning that there are more robust VoIP phones on the market, but if you want the extra features they have to offer, you should be prepared to spend nearly twice as much. For example, if you want to eliminate the requirement of having your computer on every time you want to make a call, you could move up to the CIT400 which will allow that to happen, but it'll cost you $150.

The bottom line is that the CIT300 offers a lot of bang for your buck when combined with the Skype service. If your calling habits could make use of such a service and device, I highly recommend taking a look at what the CIT300 has to offer.

Pros

Excellent call quality
Good signal range
Well designed and easy to use handset

Cons

Requires your PC to be on to make and receive calls

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Page 1: Introduction
Page 2: First Impressions
Page 3: Testing
Page 4: Conclusion

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1 User Comment

1 - Posted by Kurtis on January 24, 2007 - 4:44 pm

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