Netgear SPH200W WiFi Phone with Skype

Frys.com had this on sale at the end of November 2008 for $[...] off so I decided to finally abandon my Linksys CIT200 in favor of a Skype phone that would not require a PC.

First Impressions:
Very Light and nicely designed but it feels like a free phone you would get from a cell provider the CIT200 it replaces feels remarkably sturdy for a $[...] handset.
Simple setup within about 30 seconds of powering it on for the first time I had it connected to a WEP secured network and made my first call.
Keypad glows brightly as does the display and the interface feels very fast and responsive (compared to the CIT200).

Second Impressions (3 weeks later):
In the USB cradle the display 9 out of 10 times remains lit and every so often when placing it in the dock it will emit a keypad beeping sound which goes away with a wiggles.
Battery life seems to drain quickly but I have not had a call end becasue of low battery so it might be like an iPod where it gives a false readout until a few minutes after the call ends.
Call waiting has the annoying habit of turning on the speaker phone for a second when you don't pick up an incoming call.

Overall this is a major upgrade from the CIT200 as it seems much more reliable in reconnecting to the network when roaming in and out of range as well as when the modem is powered off and on. Aside from it feeling so light compared to the Linksys CIT200 this is a great option for those who don't want the commitment and cost of a LandLine and the freedom to make calls from anywhere with wireless internet access as well as being a standalone Skype Phone.

It was a good product because l don't have to have the computer on to make and receive calls. But it only work well with strong signals. Practically, you have to be within 6ft of a wireless access.

Pros : excellent b/g card, auto-connect works well.Battery capacity great.

Cons : Tech support is bad as bad can get from Netgear,(I love talking to India, don't you ?.).
Phone loves to reboot,hey netgear how about some better firmware ?

Overall : I give it 3 star's as this is the best WiFi phone to come out of production by anyone yet.I hope someone will produce an after market battery for this phone as I have yet to find one when oringinal dies.
Skype keep up the good work as these problems clearly are Netgear's.

I have this phone for a week now & I feel cheated.
Battery barely lasts more than 2 hrs standby time.
if the phone battery gets drained,and the phone dies, once you recharge the batteries and restart the phone, its completely reset!! you need to re configure it each time the battery dies out.
I am sad that netgear still continues to sell this device.Its a COMPLETE rip-off. I wish i had listened to reviews from previous buyers and stayed away from this phone.

I think a lot of any opinion depends on what you expect out of a product. I simply expect it to work and do exactly what is advertised. This phone does that... and does it well. You must keep in mind that since this is a WiFi phone, in order to get the best quality in performance and sound you absolutely MUST be within a solid wireless area and have a great signal. The lower the signal (obviously), the lower your quality. It does not operate like a cell phone. Cellular signals are compressed in such a way that even with a very low signal, you might still retain good quality calls. WiFi is very signal dependent.

That said... I think this phone is great. It feels a bit cheap, but most phones do these days. It also takes quite a while to turn the phone on, connect to an access point, and sign in to Skype but once you're in it's very responsive.

If I had to make any changes, they would be better quality materials in the physical phone, more features, and a quicker firmware.

Oh and as a side note... if you purchase more than one, or even different types of Skype phones... you can make simultaneous calls (outbound only I believe) from a single account! This worked perfectly when I called my brother with the SPH200W and my wife called a friend at the same time using the same Skype account. :) This is a bonus for families with teens! :)