Uniden UIP1869V Vonage phone review

Great review! Sounds like a really good phone. I look forward to future reveiws.

I purchased this phone in January 2006 and have been very pleased with it until lately.
For the past three-weeks I have been losing dial tone around 3:30 PM CST

Needless to say I moved the phone to the head of the network - thus enabling for the first time the built-in router. I like the router but I am now having problems connecting correctly to web sites. NOTE: The phone quality is a lot better with this configuration.

For example if I visit Google and search for UPnP and select a link - 50% of the time I will be transferred to the site and 50% of the time I will get a time-out message. I press REFRESH and sometimes this works and sometimes I have to press REFRESH several times for the page to be displayed.

I might add that this problem exists on all of my computers ever since I placed the UNIDEN phone first and began using its router. I contact Uniden and they told me to contact Tier 2 or 3 at Vonage and when I contacted them, they have not a clue.

Does anyone have any clue on what is going on? Let me add that my phone has not lost the dial tone since moving the device to the front of the network, but now I have the problem of properly connecting to web sites.

My Current Network Configuration:

RCA Cable Modem (InsightBB.com) >> UNIDEN UIP1869V >> CNET 16 Port Switch

From the CNET Switch is the following gear:

OKI C5150 Laser Printer
WAP54G Linksys Access Point - Patio
Workstation (Daughter’s Room)
Four CAT5 jacks in work shop
DI-524 D-Link Router/Access Point – Living Room (Note: Router disabled)
Motorola DCT 6412 iii (Living Room)

I then have one CAT5 line from the CNET to my office which connects the following:

Linksys 5-Port Switch (Office)
WAP54G Linksys Access Point (Office)
Desktop Workstation (Office)
Motorola DCT 6412 iii (Office)
Microsoft X-BOX (Office)

NOTE: It was a lot easier to run -1- line and connect another switch instead of -5- separate lines from the office to the CNET location. Also all of the Wi FI gear is set to the same SSID, Channel and security (WPA/TKIP).

My bet is your DHCP server is renewing your IP address causing a disconnect. Of course you've got multiple network routers, so it could be any one of them. Also your ISP could be renewing the IP address which is known to temporarily knock a VoIP service provider offline. usually a broadband ISP only renews your IP Address every 2 weeks though. not every night at 3:30pm.

Actually, if I read your post correctly, you are using the Uniden Vonage phone router in front, so it is the one receiving the external IP address from your ISPs DHCP server. Have you tried logging onto the web admin of the Vonage phone and checking all the settings?

Another thing to check is to make sure your other routers have DHCP DISABLED! You can be having a conflict. You can't have 2 DHCP servers on the same network. Well, you can, but tricky to configure. Normally, you don't want 2 DHCP servers.

Have you tried having JUST the Uniden phone and 1 PC connected and disconnecting all the rest of your network equipment?

Let me ask my sources at Uniden. Maybe there is a bug in the firmware. Of course, you did contact their tech support, so I'd assume they'd know if there is a problem with their firmware.

You may also want to run an online speed test (make sure tests U/L and D/L) to make sure you aren't having packet loss.

And if you know how to use a packet sniffer, maybe you can see if there is some sort of packet overload happening on your LAN. Viruses/trojans can suck up bandwidth.

I'm also interested in this phone for when I get vonage. I am moving out of state and will be working remotely from my computer for most of the day. Reading here about not getting calls or even worse, not getting to a site kind of scares me. If I buy this phone, what would be the correct way to get a stable phone and internet connection?

Thanks
ghost

As of today, I have removed the Uniden phone as a router and replaced it with the CompUSA generic router I had.

I also re-numbered the Uniden’s IP to a number within the DHCP settings of the CompUSA router and told the router to never renew the IP address.

My web sites now load correctly and so far the phone is working as well.

Personally in response to "Ghost" I would not hesitate to get this phone system but would not use it as a router.

This is the router I am using and it works well for the money.

CompUSA 4 Port 10/100 Cable/DSL Router with USB Print Server

- Product Number: 316833
- Mfr. Part #: 140615

And here is the URL for the router:
Compusa 10 100 Cable DSL Router

Hope this helps you "Ghost" and many thanks to Tom for his assistance as well.

Regards,

Matthew

What happens when you activate the "do not disturb", do all incoming calls go directly to the voicemail? I'm thinking of changing my current telephone service. Also can the phone be placed on silent?

I looked at either this phone or one similar to it (also Uniden vonage with one base and one wireless), which says that it can be connected to a computer to "Sync" with outlook. Did you try this and how well does it work? I hate having to put my phone numbers into every phone I have. The best thing about "smart phones" is this feature, now why can't home phones be the same?

Thanks

Shelly - The Do Not Disturb (DND) simply turns off all the ringers. The calls will route to VM after 3-4 rings as usual.

Brian - I have connected my handset to Outlook and it worked very well.

NP - For the both of you!

I am a vonage telephone user for about 2 years and have found that someone has a duplicate #
910-221-1850, my friend has had this # for about 2 years. I have been trying to call him from Korea and getting a lady in Jacksoville, could you please correct this problem.
Thank you
juohn compton

I am trying to figure out if it's possible for a handset to communicate with the base over the network. I have one floor that my regular uniden 5.8ghz system jsut can't reach. my wireless network doesn't either, so I have a powerline connection and an access point to get network up there. but the phone is an issue. I want the phone to be on the same base so it can intercom with other handsets.

any ideas?

thx

I just installed my 60 day trial of Vonage. I have an ATT Desktop 2 Line Wireless phone that has a lot of static (5.8). I need a Vonage based Two Line phone and this one sounds (Amazon.com) like it can handle 2 Vonage Lines? I have the Vonage adapter running on my test line (a third one) and would love to know if the UIP1869V actually can handle 2 lines to the Wireless and the Desktop phone?

Thanks

I love it when I find a REAL blog about a product. The PROS and CONS, not just someone tring to sell somthing with a bunch of praise. Always tell it like it is!!!!