BT Freestyle 2100

...that was faulty – a BT Décor 310, a corded telephone. It had a digital display that ran on a 9V battery, and so that was what I thought the problem was. Tried replacing the battery to no avail, and ended up going out and buying the cheapest digital phone that I could find, the BT Freestyle 2100, on offer in Argos at a stunning bargain price of just £19.75. Actually, it wasn’t the phone that was the problem but the BT line, so I ended up with a new ...
...~~~PACKAGING~~~

The BT Freestyle 2100 (hereinafter known as the BTF2100), comes packaged in the teensiest little box you can imagine and is incredibly lightweight. The box is probably of a similar size to that used for mobile phone packaging. The box is covered in pictures of the phone itself and a few of the key features are highlighted, although I must admit for the price, I didn’t expect a raft of additional features and would have ... more

~~~INTRODUCTION~~~

A few weeks ago I was struck by disaster when my landline phone stopped working. Initially, I thought it was the equipment that was faulty – a BT Décor 310, a corded telephone. It had a digital display that ran on a 9V battery, and so that was what I thought the problem was. Tried replacing the battery to no avail, and ended up going out and buying the cheapest digital phone that I could find, the BT Freestyle 2100, on offer in Argos at a stunning bargain price of just £19.75. Actually, it wasn’t the phone that was the problem but the BT line, so I ended up with a new phone unnecessarily, although I had been coveting a digital version for quite a while so no harm done, and I was delighted that I’d got a bargain!

~~~PACKAGING~~~

The BT Freestyle 2100 (hereinafter known as the BTF2100), comes packaged in the teensiest little box you can imagine and is incredibly lightweight. The box is probably of a similar size to that used for mobile phone packaging. The box is covered in pictures of the phone itself and a few of the key features are highlighted, although I must admit for the price, I didn’t expect a raft of additional features and would have been quite happy with a phone that undertook the straight forward functions of dial, speak, finish call!

The phone is packaged well without being over the top; it is well protected with tissue paper and segmented usefully in cardboard segments. My only gripe here, and it is a minor one, is that you have to unpack all of the contents before reaching the User Guide which is stored at the bottom. Personally, I’d have liked to open the box, and read the User Guide before having the contents strewn around the room. I’m fussy, I know!

~~~CONTENTS AT A GLANCE~~~

• Freestyle 2100 handset
• Freestyle 2100 base station
• Plug mounted 13 amp mains adaptor
• Telephone line cord
• 2 x AAA rechargeable handset batteries & battery cover
• Wall mounting screws and wall plugs

~~~SETTING UP~~~

Setting this unit up is very simple, and is clearly explained in the User Guide. You simply connect the power supply to the base station and plug it into the mains, install the batteries into the handset (obviously) and connect the telephone line cord to the base and plug into the wall socket. Place the handset in the base station which starts to charge the batteries.

For me the most frustrating element of setting up was that the handset needs to be charged for at least 16 hours prior to use to ensure that the batteries are fully charged.

~~~RANGE & PERFORMANCE~~~

The BTF2100 has a range of up to 300 metres outdoors and up to 50 metres indoors. I live in an old Georgian house with thick stone walls and have found that the reception is as clear as crystal whichever room I happen to be in. However, the User Guide does warn that the range can be reduced if there is no clear line of sight between the base station and the handset, and that thick stone walls can affect the range. Thankfully, I haven’t found this to be the case in my experience.

Performance on the whole is excellent in my opinion, although I have switched from an analogue to a digital experience, so hopefully it should be. On my analogue models, both corded and cordless, I frequently suffered from poor quality lines and poor sound levels, no matter which settings I used.

~~~FEATURES & USEAGE~~~

The actual handset itself is very clear, and the buttons are of a reasonable size. Additional keys are minimal, hence there’s not too much confusion. With the exception of the number, * and # keys which are standard on any telephone these days, the only additional buttons are:-

• A Quick dial key; self explanatory, the ability to quickly dial one of up to ten stored entries in the handset.
• A Calls key; when a call is not answered, the caller’s number will be stored here. The list holds up to 20 missed calls, and an envelope icon appears on the display. When the list is full, the oldest call is replaced, with the newest being displayed at the top of the list.
• A “Clr” button. This functions as a Clear/Delete button, so if you make a mistake whilst entering a number to dial or to store for example, pressing this button will move you back one digit. It also features if you want to delete from the calls list or the Quick dial menu. This key is also used during a call to implement a “secrecy” function; pressed once, your caller cannot hear what you say, and pressed again returns you to the caller.
• A Redial button. Again self explanatory – this redials the last dialled number.
• An “R” key. A Recall key which is used for switchboard and BT calling features. Personally, I don’t have any use for this.
• A “Prog” key. This is a programme key that is used to set the menu options, for example, to change the handset ringer volume or to set/change a “Babysitter number”.1

The phone is compatible with BT Caller Display, if you are a subscriber. Additional features that I like include the ability to use the star key to switch the ringer on and off, and that hash key can be used to lock the handset in a similar manner to that of a mobile.

1. The “Babysitter number” feature is a nice little feature that allows you to set the handset up so that only one number can be contacted. Cynical perhaps, but ensures that your phone isn’t abused whilst your out and having the kids looked after by a babysitter?

~~~MY CONCLUSION~~~

This is a great little digital phone for the price. I have been quite impressed with the range of features considering it was such a bargain. For example, I wasn’t specifically looking for something that supported BT Caller Display, was lockable or had a “Babysitter Number” feature. As a result, I’m more than happy with my purchase and extremely impressed by the clarity and ease of use.

The User Guide is excellent and provides a clear, easy to use, step by step list of instructions on how to utilise all the features of the phone. There are a number of graphical representations to support the text and ensure that the user knows exactly what they are doing.

My phone was purchase in Argos for £19.75 (I know I’ve said it twice now!), and comes with a one year guarantee. I’ve only had it a few weeks, so I know that it is possible that I may yet encounter problems, although clearly I hope not!

I’ve also seen this phone at £24.99 from BT, and £29.99 from Office World. This offer is still available at Argos, so if you’re interested I would go and buy one now!

Thanks for reading.

Cheers.

© Christina ;-) x

 

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