Review: Netgear SPH200W Wi Fi Phone with Skype

For a few weeks now I've been using the Skype with the Netgear SPH200W Wi Fi phone and my experience has been mixed. The phone retails for $150 and my purchase from Amazon was flawless (as usual).

My goal was to get a land line replacement (please note the phone does not support 911 dialing so it's not for emergency use) for use when my iPhone doesn't get reception (which is frequent in my home). I'm a previous Vonage customer so my quality expectation was the same as Vonage. Unfortunately quality is closer to poor cell phone reception. Seeing that I already have poor cell phone reception, this doesn't really add much value. In case your worndering I'm on Comcast high speed internet with an Airport Extreme Basestation. I also used the phone on Verizon FiOs with the same result.

The phone itself is pretty cool. Form factor is nice, menus are for the most part easy to navigate, and joining multiple wireless networks was easy. That's one of the best features of this system. The phone doesn't require a computer, only a wi fi network and a Skype account so if you travel you can take this phone with you, hop on a hot spot and make calls like you were at home.

With a Skype subscription you can make unlimited calls (fair use defines this as 10,000 minutes per month . . . if you're taking more than that you need a hobby) for $2.95 per month and for about another $5.00 per month you can get a phone number to associate with the account so everyone can give you a call. From a monthly charge perspective $10 / month is very competitive. The subscription to Skype also comes with voice mail.

I found it odd that the backlight on the phone stays dimmed when the phone is in the cradle. I would have thought the backlight would timeout to save on power (the phone is energy star compliant) and not look odd. When the phone is out of the charging base the backlight does time out.

All in all it's a cool concept, but quality of call is the show stopper. If call quality is important to you, look elsewhere.