25.12.2014

Binatone Shield 6015 Call Blocker Twin Home TelephoneNOTE - if you already know the problems of cold calls , and have experienced the use of BT " blocking " phones - Ignore the background and go straight to the REVIEW section below.BACKGROUND - One of the greatest scourges of the modern telephone age is the cold call - which can come at any time of the day or night - often up to 12-15 calls (or more) per day causing irritation and distress - especially to older people. Cold calling to ones number when one is registered with the TPS is actually ILLEGAL , but that has not stopped this cancer of the communication system spreading as no-one is proactively financially penalising these parasites..Nominally the TPS (Telephone Preference service)protects your number from cold callers - it doesn't. The ICO (Information Commissioners Office) which is supposed to prosecute offenders is gutless - unless you have the number and proof of actual severe distress caused by these parasites.Most callers withhold the number; some are computer generated impersonal automated messages, often via international numbers to avoid detection. Government and telephone service providers do nothing - other than try to sell equipment and "call blocking services. Many callers now can bypass even sophisticated call blocking and still implant messages on your answering machinesWe already have used (for nearly a year) a twin set of BT 6500 phones (supposedly call blocking) with a subscription to call / blocking from BT - these are marginally effective so I was interested to see if these units would be any better...Currently we block all international calls (some still get through, silently, and leave messages on the answer phone), we block known pests in the UK (it wastes time having to put these in the memory though) we block all number withheld - this sometimes gives problems with surgeries and hospitals, and letall remaining calls go to answer phone and pick up any key friends and family where possible. We use the curfew (10pm to 9am) to block all calls except for emergency calls from friends and family numbers in a special memory.What NONE of the systems do is stop the phone ringing initially - but it does reduce the call time if unanswered.REVIEW - So, how well does the Binatone pair stack up linked into our current BT phone (NOTE - You HAVE to have a caller display subscription - payable - for the BT phone to block anything)?Out of the box the 2 units are neat, if a little lightweight - some might say a little "plasticky" .There is a good (if somewhat compressed) manual in the box - unlike the BT minimal notes in their supply box with the main manual only available online (90 pages).To be fair, the BT helpline is at least a Freephone (0800) number.First thing - insert the NiMH rechargeable batteries into the Binatone handsets (as per manual) and charge for at least 15h on the base stations.When fully charged, (done by time not indicator), set the time/ date on one handsets (the other is automatically set for all functions set on handset 1)).You can now connect the phone into the network (noting that if you have broadband you need to have ADSL filters in place to prevent sound interference - most people with broadband will already have this installed at set up)Call blocking - You can either use a subscribed service (like BT caller ID) OR you can set a generic block by caller type - e.g. International, number withheld, unavailable or payphone.With caller ID you have to programme in a list of numbers to block OR a "white "list of numbers to accept.You add persons and phone number to your phone list - be careful to select Wlist for favoured persons (Blist for blocked) and you can allocate an individual tone (out of the 8 or so) to favoured persons - otherwise use your generic call toneNote that you can set the phone to auto answer so that you can answer the phone by just picking it up - otherwise just press the accept button - if you want to. You will need to read the "manual "carefully to identify all of the buttons and what they do.There are several other functions (alarm, answer phone) which can be setSo, how well does the blocking work?a) With generic call blocking - initial tests over the Christmas period when, traditionally the cold calls are lower. Had no cold calls to date. Will update further results in the New Yearb) Caller ID - the display shows all of the incoming caller's numbers - where they are not withheld and also when a message has been left.How well does the phone behave" normally"We had one call which went to answer phone - message retrieved (and deleted) OK.(You can set your own message .You can turn it off and the phone will ring for 14 rings before an answer only message is relayed to the caller. You can set your own answer message in a variety of languages)STOP PRESS 9/1/2015We have just reverted temporarily to the BT 6500 phone during a family crisis as I was having difficulty hearing the ringtones ( turned down) and immediately the Cold Calls blasted through to the answering machine despite being blocked. With the Binatone this did not happen so I add a star for its blocking capabilities. NOTE You can adjust the ring tone levels on the Binatone.

24.12.2014

Considering how many nuisance calls we get these days, this pair of phones with their call blocker functions ought to be useful, and since call blocking is the Binatone's USP, I'll tackle that first.It has its limitations, but is quite clever. You must have caller display, for a start. You can enter numbers you don't want to get calls from, or enter numbers you only want calls from and block all other calls. And you can block withheld calls, international calls, and calls from payphones. You can also decide to only block calls for a certain length of time too, which might be useful if you didn't want to be disturbed for one evening, let's say. If a blocked number phones, the phone doesn't ring,but the number does appear on the display. Disappointingly, if the answerphone is on, a blocked caller can still leave a message, and I would have liked to have been able to stop blocked callers leaving messages without turning the answer function off or to 'answer only'.So it's not perfect, but not bad, and although I doubt I would use it, you never know. If somebody was bothering you, it could be a killer function.The rest of the phone is fairly standard stuff for a phone in this price range.I think the design is quite attractive, and they are very slim and lightweight so you can put them in your pocket. They're neatly made but the design and feel reflects the price. The bases are really tiny and unobtrusive, even the larger base station. The power plugs are very small too, and for once the wires sprout from the side so you can use them in adapters close to the wall. I wish more were like this.You'll need to read the instructions properly because there are loads of functions and settings, but once I'd done that I found the phones easy to set up and use. The 'C' button acts like a back button and makes navigating menus less painful than on some phones. You can set the phone to do everything you'd expect, like assign different ring tones to different callers, use a standard outgoing message (in multiple languages if you fancy it) or record your own, and operate the answerphone remotely.As usual with these multi-pack phones, you can transfer calls between the two phones, or 'page' from the base station (that's the base station's only function), and of course whatever change you make on one phone (like adding a number) happens automatically on the other.Call quality was okay, but not the best. Voices sounded a bit tinny to me, and callers said I sounded a bit less clear than they were used to. But they're adequate in this sense. Messages recorded by the answerphone sound clear enough too, as long as you set the 'compression' to 'medium' or, better still, 'low'. Set to 'high' it's far too garbled. The trouble is, you only get 15 minutes total record time even on the garbled 'high' compression setting, while on 'medium' it's 10 minutes and 'low' a mere 7 minutes. Seems a bit mean to me.There are some other downsides. The display is the worst offender. It uses segments rather than dots and is pretty hard to read, even with the backlight on, especially at an angle. When the backlight's off, like when it's on the charger stand, you really can't read it at all without peering closely, so the time display is a bit useless.Unlike many phones, the keys are not backlit, so in a dark room you can't see them. Even in daylight, the stylised numbers and letters are remarkably hard to make out.And when you have a new message, the only indication of that is a tiny symbol on the display that flashes on and off. You can't see it from even a metre away. I wish they'd added an LED or just made the display backlight flash to let you know you had a new message waiting. This is poor.Also, the volume of ring tones and messages and the speakerphone is a bit low even at the maximum settings. Talking of the speakerphone, it would be more useful if the phones stood safely on end, but they don't.The bottom line is that this is a decent but (call blocking aside) unremarkable pair of phones. There are a few downsides but you could probably live with them if you were keen on the call blocking functions.

26.12.2014

My set came with four rechargeable batteries. You need to charge the phone for 15 hours and then charge again before you use it. You need to plug both stands into the mains. The buttons are comfortable to press. The menu is fairly intuitive to use although you will need to refer to the instructions. For example, some of the answerphone functions are activated using numeric keys and you won't be able to guess these, so don't lose the instructions.***You need to subscribe to the Caller ID service to use the call blocker facility. This is a paid for service. ***Simply add the nuisance numbers onto the' blacklist'. According to the instructions, each handset can store up to a total of 100 numbers in total.

24.12.2014

What I like about these phones is that you have ten different melodies, so can give various members of the family a different one, so you can tell as soon as the phone rings which ring tone is from who. Yes the dog will think he is going made hearing all various melodies I think.Good basic well 100 names/numbers it holds phone set that is DECT. Lightweight and easy to use, feel not too heavy or clumbersome when using either.Black and enough wire for where we wanted to use it. It has the ability to shield you from nuisance calls etc but you do need the system in place first with your phone provider to use this feature on the phone. Hopefully all those sales calls from wherever should stop using this system,

26.1.2015

I liked this twin phone combo from Binatone. Easy to setup (although a 15hr initial battery charge is needed), feels of reasonable quality, and worked just fine with nice clear audio and a reasonable range. The text on the LCD display isn't the easiest to read however, it's quite easy to confuse K's and H's, for example, and the menu system isn't very intuitive.The answering machine worked just fine, but would have preferred a one button replay, rather than hunting through menu's to listen to your message.The thing I really liked, and the benefits of this may be specific to me, is the ability to turn the ringer to silent. We don't give anyone our home phone number (as we always use our mobiles),

29.12.2014

I, like many other people, has had enough of nuisance calls in the form of unwanted sales calls and despite signing up the TPS service, they seem to continue to come through. Previously on my old phone handset, I saved the numbers as "Do not answer" or "Ignore", but with this set I can programme it to block the number, which hopefully will get the message through (sooner or later). My only issue is that there are only 10 settings for black listing, which seems rather few considering the number of cold caller numbers out there - still it will allow me to block the worst offenders quickly and easily!The handsets are smart, sleek black handsets with a blue lit up background and for the price,

31.12.2014

Binatone Shield 6015 Call Blocker Twin Home Telephones were easy to assemble and set up. The box contains 2 phones, a base unit a second charge unit and all the cables and batteries required to get you up and running.The phones feature 10 ringer melodies, 20 black and white list call facility for call blocking, although as other reviewers have indicated you need your phone service provider to operate a caller id service to access this facility, some charge for this service, others don't provide it in some areas. There is a 100 name and number phone book and the main base unit has speakerphone as well as 12-15 minute digital answering machine.Overall functionality is very good,

31.12.2014

This gets its stars for value for money rather than bring the best you can get. For the price they sound clear during calls but not as loud as others like Panasonic. The construction feels a bit on the cheap side but not enough for a star reduction. They are easy to install and set up and the instructions are clear enough, a good feature is you only have to program one handset. Base unit answer phone is again a little cheap but perfectly functional. The phone displays are backlit and clear. Out of the box you have to fit the included rechargeable AAA batteries and the covers to each handset then plug in the power and phone line.

4.1.2015

All functionalities built into this phone system is no doubt useful which includes all the basic features you would expect from a cordless digital phone. The two main selling points of this phone is the call blocker which allows for withheld numbers, unavailable number, international, pay phone and blacklisted (by you) to be blocked. And the caller display ID, a service which is usually paid for, but is free with some telephone providers. The phone blocker has been incredibly useful for screening those nuisance cold calls. The only negative I have to mention is that the screen is quite hard to read and the letters are quite close together and without any visible LED indicators on the base station you would have to scrutinise the screen to discern any missed calls or messages.

23.12.2014

Binatone Shield 6015 Call Blocker Twin Home Telephone these phones are in black which looks smart and sleek nicely slimline,the box comes with 2 bases and 2 phones,there are 4 rechargeable batteries 2 for each phone,the bases have leads and plugs to plug in to power each unit,when switched on the back lights are a pleasant blue.The phones are able to store up to 100 numbers and comes with an answer machine which can take up to 15 minutes of a message,the phones can take up to 100 hrs standby time and has 10 phone ringers to choose from,the phones show who is calling which can be handy,also the phone has phone blocker to stop nuisance calls which can be very useful as you do get un-wanted calls

28.12.2014

I recommend this phone to you if the most important thing to you is escaping from nuisance calls. It works and does the job. Callers hear a dialling tone and then can make a message if they wish ( this itself can be avoided). You hear nothing at all and only know that it has happened from a message " 1 new call " which will appear.Each call that you make will show the time elapsed if you wish to stay under an hour.Backlight dims when in cradle to be economic but will brighten if the phone is lifted.Menu is more complex than that for a mobile phone as there are a lot of options and pathways. The tables are good once one appreciates them.To activate all of this,

28.9.2016

Good phone at a reasonable price. This is an attractive phone which is not intrusive, it has all the functionality you would expect from a modern answer phone, but by far it's most useful feature is the call blocking option, which is common in the mobile phone world but not so common for household phones. The call blocking feature allows you to add numbers to a call block list to prevent them from recalling and bothering you. I've dropped a star as the ring unit is not particularly loud and because with the absence of an LCD indicator it is not obvious that someone had left you a message.Pros:A. PriceB. AttractiveC. Relatively small footprintD. Ease of useE. FunctionalityCons:A. Not particularly loud.B.

2.1.2015

I've always been a fan of the cordless phone and whilst I've liked a lot of the functions that they normally come with (built in answer phone etc) I've hated getting nuisance calls. They take up time I don't have and of course they also leave me fuming as if I wanted the product that they were selling I'd already have it.So finding a phone that had the ability to block them, I thought was well worth a shot. However before we go any further you have to remember that you need caller id from BT which is a seperate service. Having this already, I found the phones easy to use, had great reception on them and being able to block some of the numbers was relatively simple.

18.5.2016

This little phone does everything it should. The instructions are lengthy,; I chose to ignore most of it. It is fairly straightforward to set up the answer machine, although a little fiddly. Others have mentioned the low ring tone and I have to agree with those comments. As this phone was set up in a hallway I don't think I would have heard it with a door shut in between and perhaps a TV on. I solved this problem by putting another older phone with a loud ring tone in the sitting room, but if you are buying this as only phone beware as you could easily miss calls. This is the reason I have taken a star off.

18.5.2017

Bought to replace an older Binatone, chose this due to the call blocking option. Phone is easy to set up. The choice for blocking is great, needed to block international calls & I've not had one since setting this phone up. Other blocking options are withheld, unavailable & payphone. The other option that came in handy was putting the phone on silent with the touch of 1 button, working nights meant I had to unplug the old phone or spend 5 minutes going through the settings. The only issue I have is the lack of an LED to indicate a call missed or a message on the answerphone. A simple flashing light & I would give 5 stars but without it I can only give 4.

Binatone Shield 6015 - Reviews

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