Product Review: VTech DS6521-2 Connect-to-Cell Answering System

By Erick Royer

If you told me 5 years ago that I would no longer have a landline phone but would only have a cell phone, I might have laughed as the idea would seem farfetched.  I mean the telephone was the staple electronic device in homes for over 100 years.  To be told it would no longer exist as we know it and be replaced by a phone that you can take with you anywhere simply would not compute.  However, here we are in 2012 and over 25 percent of the US population has traded Ma Bell for the cell phone.

This revelation in the way we communicate is not without its frustrations.  Even today, cell service is not available everywhere and many places that have faint cell service lose it completely in certain spots of their homes.  Then you always have the issue of your phone battery dying and you need to make calls tethered to a short charge cord.   The folks at VTech have solved this problem with the new DS6521-2 Connect-to-Cell Answering system.

The VTech DS6521-2 will connect to your landline just as a typical phone would but you get the added feature of Connect-to-BLUETOOTH.   This feature allows you to make and receive cellular calls with the ease and comfort of a home phone system. Not only does it have DECT 6.0 Technology built into the phone, providing superior voice and sound quality while protecting against eavesdropping, but it also has lots of other great features as well.

With this system, you receive a base and an additional handset. I put the main base unit in my bedroom, which is where my cell phone charger/clock radio is, and I put the additional handset in my kitchen. The base also has a digital answering system which will take messages from your cell phone calls as well as any landline calls you receive. It has 14 minutes of recording time and you can set your own message, choose how many rings it answers on and customize it to suit your family’s needs.

The “Connect to Cell” feature is very cool. This allows you to have both your landline and your cell phone connected to one phone. No more running around the house looking for a lost cell phone when it rings or tethering yourself to a cell phone charge cord as the phone is about to die.  Setting up the cell phone to connect with the landline was also very easy. You simply go to the Bluetooth menu and follow the steps to sync your cell phone with the VTech phone.  You must have a Bluetooth enabled phone (which most cell phones are) for this feature to work. You can even connect up to two cell phones with this system. Once you have the cell phone connected and setup, when someone calls your cell phone, your home phone will ring. I love how you can even set up a specific ring tone for your landline and your cell phone so you will immediately know which kind of call you are receiving. Even if you don’t have a landline service at home, you can still use this phone system to make and receive calls through your cell phone.  I can leave my cell phone on the charger and it will automatically be connected to the VTech via Bluetooth.

If you have a landline as well as your cell phone connected, when you make a call you can choose which outgoing method you wish the call to be made on.  This is a great feature if you still have landline service where you get charged long-distance as most cell phones do not have long-distance charges.  It is also nice if you are calling someone who is on the same cell phone carrier as you.  You can simply pick up the VTech phone and make the call via cell and, since most carriers do not charge per-minute fees for cell to cell calls on their network, you can enjoy free calls to all of your friends and family.

The Connect to Cell system also has a very sleek design. The main base with answering system is very compact and doesn’t take up much space on the table. The extra handset base is equally slim. The handset itself is not bulky and is very easy to hold (even cradled on my shoulder as I wash dishes). This phone system is very functional and visually pleasing as well. Thanks to this phone system, I no longer have cell phone dead spots in my home.  I have been using the phone system for a couple weeks now, and I am not sure how I got along without it.  It keeps me connected any time I’m home.

VTech DS6521-2 Connect to Cell offers lots of other great features including:
– Use as an intercom system between headsets
– Stores 200 directories from up to 2 different cell phones
– Caller ID & Call Waiting (stores 50 calls)
– Expandable (up to 5 headsets using only one phone jack)
– Backlit keypad and display
– EcoMode power conserving technology
– Quiet Mode to silence ringer
– Last 10 number redial
– Trilingual prompts (English, Spanish or French)
– Wall-mount bracket included