Bluetooth gizmo that links cell phone(s) to existing landline phones/extensions

In My Humble Opinion
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Hey, Dopers, I’m hoping someone here has experience with these gizmos.

Casa Scarlett went all-cell-phone today. We ported the existing landline number (which has been associated with this household since the 1960s when it was first installed, and is on all my business cards, etc.) to my cell phone. Mr. S also has his own cell phone.

However, we are left with a four-extension phone system, which I liked very much but is now a collection of expensive bricks.

But . . . I see that there are several devices available that use Bluetooth to pair one or more cell phones to the existing landline phones, with or without landline service, so you can use your cell service on the house phones. Pick up an extension, get a dialtone, and call out using your cell minutes. Incoming calls have distinctive rings depending on which cell phone line they’re on.

Sounds great, and I’m reading reviews, which seem mixed. Here are some examples:

Siemens Gigaset Bluetooth Gateway - Black

Xtreme Technologies Xlink BT Bluetooth Gateway - Black

Cobra PhoneLynx Bluetooth Cell to Home Phone Connection System (BT 215)

I’m leaning toward the XLink, as the Gigaset appears to be just a deprecated XLink, and the Cobra is so much cheaper that I’m kind of thinking it’s probably not as . . . robust? We have only two cell phones to pair, and I don’t use my Bluetooth headset at home (much); for one user that was an issue as she uses her headset for interviews, but only one device can be paired with the phone at a time.

I haven’t been able to find any of these in a store (just the full phone systems with Bluetooth), and the in-store drones have no idea what I’m talking about (“Do you mean a Magic Jack?” :rolleyes:).

Opinions? Experiences? Warnings?

Muchas gracias.

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123 views and no comments? Huh. Here’s my one bump.

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I’ll bump again for you just because I’m interested in this kind of gadget!

4

I looked at these options last year and just decided not to do that. Really surprised at how poor the options are given that there’s gotta be a lot of people who want to do something like this.

Went with VoIP (voip.ms is the company in our case), an analog telephone adapter. I unplugged the PSTN at the outside box and connected the ATA to the internal lines with a crossover. Switched over the number, tada.

Really, really cheap “land line”. Downside: still relies on the cable company plus full power at my end thru their system. Pay-as-you go cell phone is my backup.

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ftg, I’m surprised too! They sell lots of phone systems with it built in (apparently), but it seems such a waste to trash the perfectly fine set I already have (and know how to use!).

No cable here; we’re extremely rural. You don’t want to know what I have to pay to get (apparently still mediocre) non-dialup Internet with sufficient bandwidth.

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I’m not familiar with the particular models you mention, but I had a Panasonic version a few years ago. I threw it away. It kept dropping calls.

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The only Panasonic models I’ve found are the phone system with Bluetooth integrated, not a separate box that you plug in to your existing phones. Which of these was what you had?

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I was going to suggest getting a cheap VoIP line and maybe forward your cell calls when you get home. But see that it may not be a good option for you.

But also I get the feeling that part of the reason you may want to keep your landline system is because you are not ready for the change to just a cell/smart phone, which appears to me as possibly holding on to the past even when the time to change is here, or some remorse of letting a good but old system go even though it is time. Just something to consider.

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Mine was a separate box. Looking at Panasonic’s web site, I don’t see anything like it. That model was probably given a well-deserved burial.

Hopefully the technology has improved. My only advice would be get it from someplace where you can return it if you’re not happy.

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Um, no, not really. (Seems to me that if I weren’t ready to change to cell-phone only, my landline would not already be dead dead dead.) We have a large house, and I often don’t hear the cell phone ringing from other parts of the house, especially when it is sitting in the most-used place in my office on one end. I prefer to retain the choice of picking up when it rings or letting it go to voicemail, and to be able to pick up if I do actually hear it by NOT having to break a leg rushing downstairs or running through the house. That’s why we got the extensions. It’s also my business number, so when it’s a client, I’ll want to pick up ASAP. And I don’t care to have to remember to carry the phone around the house with me wherever I go. I don’t always have pockets. Seems safer to just leave it in one place. When I’m out and about, sure, it’s on my person (or locked in the car) at all times. But not in my own house.

And even if these sentiments make me some sort of Luddite, why should that make a difference? I wish to have a certain type of functionality, keep a not-cheap device in use, and get rid of a not-cheap bill. Why assign emotions to that and imply that I’m wrong for wanting to do so? I’m asking only for technical advice here, not judgment on my motives.

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Well, the question has become moot. My brother-in-law (who has one of the Bluetooth-integrated phone systems) pointed out that for only a few bucks more, I can just buy a new phone system (with Bluetooth) and have much better overall clarity and functionality than my current phones, without the extra hassle of a separate box. I hadn’t considered that. So I guess I will be replacing my phones anyway. The Panasonic Link-to-Cell series seems to be the leader, and I’ve been happy with Panasonic phones before, so I think I’ll go that route.

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Just to answer this, understanding the motivation behind something will sometimes lead to a different and better solution.

Glad you found what you wanted.

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We have that system. We still have the land line, but my cell phone connects to the system when I am in the house. I notice no difference in voice quality.