What's in the Box
Telephone base with charger, remote dial pack, convertible headset, AC Adapter, warranty card, user guide

* portable - small belt unit is light, offers great battery life and includes all the features I need
* great headset - sound quality is equal to that of a handset (people do not know you are on a headset); comfortable with two fit options, Firefly function is nice bonus
* Caller-ID - included on belt unit, works as expected
* 2.4 Ghz - range is good, does not cause interference with my wireless network (previous phones from Panasonic and others have)

Only negative is that you cannot answer or otherwise use the phone while it is charging (must remove the belt unit from the charger). All in all, highly recommended.


Great new product!   August 6, 2003
 97 out of 101 found this review helpful

Big improvement over the predecessor model CT10 since Plantronics has added a caller ID feature and an in-use indicator light to this one. If you are looking for a single-line cordless telephone for your home or small office, and if you don't mind not having the option of a traditional cordless handset receiver to hold up to your ear, you will like this model. Be aware that you have to use the headset for every call (no handset), so if several members of a family use the same phone, get yourself some spare ear cushions for hygeine. The only negative is that the dial pad buttons are very, very small, so maybe I would not recommend this for some elderly users, visually impaired users or anyone who feels more comfortable with larger buttons to press.


Works OK, could use some improvement, but it's the only game in town   May 31, 2006
 50 out of 50 found this review helpful

I got this headset phone after using a Plantronics headset with my standard office phone for years. I didn't get it as a replacement, only as an option to allow me to move around while on tedious conference calls but without holding a brick up to my ear or carrying one on my belt.

In any case, the net-net is that this phone is the only game in town for an inexpensive, super-compact phone with decent range.

What follows are some comments after using the phone for a day or so...

Wireless Networks:
I believe I have found the secret code! At first, this phone knocked out my wireless network. I saw one review comment that indicated that it worked with that reviewers network and that reviewer also noted that their network was set to operate on channel 11. Since mine was on channel 6, I switched the channel on my network to 11, rebooted all of the computers that use the wireless network and then hit the "channel" button on the phone a couple of times. That did the trick, the phone is now completely compatible with my wireless network. If I had not been able to get this to work, I would have returned the phone immediately.

Audio Quality:
Both the incoming and outgoing (as heard on the other end of the phone line) are very good. In fact, my own tests found that the audio quality on the other end of the phone line is better than with my wired Plantronics headset (and, amazingly, with the handset for that phone). However, the volume on the incoming audio needs to be jacked up to maximum most of the time in order to be generally audible. This also amplifies my own voice as heard in the headset when I talk. The audio quality of my own voice in the headset is miserable (I'm curious if others have noticed this too). It sounds fuzzy and over-amplified (which I guess it is) and is distracting, though I'm hoping I get used to it. Fortunately, this fuzziness is not sent to the other end of the phone line.

Comfort:
I have to say that the earpiece that hooks onto your ear could be a *lot* more comfortable and easier to adjust. I have a Motorola HS810 earpiece that I use with my cell phone and it is reasonably comfortable for something that is hanging on your ear. The Plantronics earpiece needs some softening to make it more comfortable and a little reconfiguration to make it easier to slip on. The net-net is that I finally gave up on the hook-on-the-ear earpiece because it was so uncomfortable. Switching to the over the head configuration is great. The earpiece is comfortable and the audio is louder, so I don't have to crank the volume up to maximum.

In summary, I do like this phone because it is compact, has good range and provides good outgoing and incoming sound quality. I don't like the volume situation, how my own voice sounds to me or the comfort of the hook-on-the-ear earpiece. Would I buy again? Probably, since the pro/con mix hasn't inclined to return it for a refund, but I do wish the issues I mentioned could be fixed. If they were, this would be a 5-star phone.


Lot's of Wireless Networking issues   June 6, 2004
 34 out of 36 found this review helpful

I purchased this phone with high hopes of using it as my primary home office phone. The phone directly interferes around 50% of the time with my 802.11.B wireless network. Since the phone channel can not be fixed, the Plantronics CT12 will randomly knock me completely off the network. No amount of calls to Plantronics or fiddling with my wireless channels improves this problem. Thier answer is that the channels are choosen by the phone and there's nothing they can do. I've returned the phone for a refund.

The other problem is that the phone can not be used while it's in the charging base, so you'll need to have another office phone for when the battery runs low.

If it weren't for these two major issues, it's a nice phone with clear sound and the little red light on the mic boom is cute.


Product of the year!!   June 25, 2005
 24 out of 25 found this review helpful

All I can say is Wow!

I first found this headset telephone by going backwards. After having many cordless telephones, and getting a constant neck ache, I decided I wanted to get a telephone with a headset option. But every telephone I bought, it seemed like the headset was an afterthought. So I set out to learn who made the world's premier quality headset, and I was going to then try to find a telephone that would adapt to it. I had heard that Plantronics was the world leader in high-end headsets, so I thought I would see what they had that would fit a cordless phone.

To my surprise, after a quick search on amazon, I discovered they were making a headset with the cordless phone integrated, so I was very excited and quickly ordered it.

When it arrived, I was immediately impressed with the fit & finish, I charged up for 18 hours, then started making calls. It was the system I had be dreaming of, finally a cordless phone that was totally hands free, but with no sacrifice in voice quality!

I must have made 200 calls the first week, I could not believe how good this was and how little it cost.

BUT THE STORY GETS BETTER:

After 5 months, I was still ecstatic over how well this unit worked, and how tough it was, the first time I dropped it, I was scared to death I had broken the most wonderful thing I had bought in years, but it was fine, then I dropped it again not 2 hours later! (I'm very clumsy) and again, I must have dropped it over 100 times those first 5 months! This thing is built like a tank! It was still a perfect as the day it arrived.

then tragedy struck, I was walking through my home office too fast, and I tripped & fell, I caught the headset cord on a chair and ripped the wiring out of the headset (OK, I am reaalllly clumsy)

So, I called Plantronics, and told them "I ripped the wires out of this headset, I will need to order a new headset to replace the one I ruined, how much?"

They said, "it's covered under warranty for one year, just tell us the model number and we will send a new one out, in advance"

I said "No, you don't understand, I broke it myself via negligence, my fault"

they said "we cover the unit for 1 year, even if you abused it and broke it, we cover it no matter what"

I could not believe it, what a company! -- they sent a unit out via UPS next day air! - before I even sent the one I broke back!

I just ordered 3 more, I cannot believe such a great product, built like a tank, with fantastic ergonomics and voice quality is backed by a such an unbelievably customer driven company!

I did not think there was still an example of this in America. It is not only the best product I have ever bought at Amazon, it is the best company I have dealt with in many years!

Plantronics - you ROCK!