Linksys CIT200 Cordless Internet Telephony Kit
posted Wednesday, August 30th, 2006 by Victoria Fung
Users of Skype, the global Internet telephony company owned by eBay, can finally cut the cord – that is, the USB cord to their computers.
A variety of wireless Skype phones are hitting the market and getting noticed, especially since eBay’s recent announcement that it has hired Google to sell advertising. That partnership will enable customers to contact sellers and advertisers using Skype and Google Talk. And it’s bound to drive demand for gear that makes talking over the Internet smoother and easier.
Some companies, like Radian Technologies, ECCB and Firebox offer corded USB phones for Internet telephony that plug directly into your computer. Now, firms like Logitech and Linksys are selling cordless handsets,mwhich means you don’t have to sit in front of your computer to make a call on Skype. A USB base station plugs into your PC and communicates wirelessly with the handset. The phone’s LCD screen displays Skype contacts, voicemail, caller ID and call waiting, and supports SkypeOut dialing and incoming SkypeIn calls.
Making computer-based phone calls is starting to feel like dialing your regular cordless phone – except for the delightful fact that calling anyone else on Skype worldwide is free.
Features. Testers at The Geek Beat tried out the Linksys CIT200 Cordless Internet Telephony Kit. It includes a color LCD handset, USB base station, two NiMH batteries, charger with power adapter and software.
To run the kit you need, at minimum, an Internet-connected PC with a 400 MHz processor, 128 MB of RAM, a USB port and CD-ROM drive. The PC needs to be running either Windows XP or 2000, with Skype software installed.The CIT200’s 4.23-oz. handset features a mute button, three ring tones, a built-in speakerphone, hold button, ringer on/off switch, an address book that will take up to 120 contacts and a headset jack. It uses DECT (Digital Enhanced Cordless Telecommunications), a wireless technology that won’t interfere with 2.4 GHz phones or devices.
The base station supports up to four DECT-based phones and has a handset locator button. The handset has an intercom button, allowing communications between multiple handsets. Linksys says the handset will remain powered for 120 hours in standby mode or for 10 hours of talk time.
The CIT200’s estimated street price is $129.99, though better prices can be had if you shop around.
Performance. Aside from some low-level, intermittent static, the signal is quite clear with the CIT200. Linksys advertises a distance range of 164 feet indoors and 984 feet outdoors. That has to be in open space without walls or other obstructions, because our signal became spotty after we walked down a hallway about 25 feet beyond The Geek Beat offices.
The sound on our end was consistently good, but a couple of people we called on landline phones said we cut out now and then during the conversation for just a fraction of a second.
After setting up the Linksys CIT200, the PC went silent, with no sound during IMing, playing videos or music. It turns out that we had to go into Control Panel>Sounds and Audio Devices>Audio, then designate the PC’s sound card the default audio playback device in order to restore sound to the computer. The Linksys handset still worked fine with these settings.
The Competition. Logitech’s Cordless Internet Handset offers similar features for $99.99. RTX America’s Dualphone is a cordless Skype phone and landline in one for $139.99. It can be connected to a regular phone socket and a USB port on a PC, giving the user the flexibility to make either type of call. A higher-end version of the Linksys phone – the CIT300 – also offers mixed analog and Skype phone connections.
Netgear and Belkin have Skype Wi-Fi mobile phones that enable you – without a PC – to make free Internet calls anywhere in the world to other Skypesters (we will be reviewing some of these phones in future update to The Geek Beat.) The phones come preloaded with Skype, allowing a user to move anywhere within the range of a wireless network. Users can also make calls to mobile phones and landline phones using SkypeOut.
Geek-to-Meter: The Linksys CIT200 Cordless Internet Telephony Kit is a very good way to free you from having to hang around your PC while making Skype calls. Use the included belt clip and add a headset, and you can move throughout the house or office on the phone, completely untethered.
Sound quality, though not stellar, is strong and quite clear for the most part. We expect most users will be pleasantly surprised and we’re giving it an “8″ on the Geek-o-Meter.
The Specs
Street Price: $129.99
Handset
- Frequency Bands: Europe: 1880-1900MHz, North America: 1920-1930MHz, South America: 1910-1930MHz
- Standards DECT (Digital Enhanced Cordless Telecommunication Standard),
- GAP (General Access Profile)
- Speech Coding 32kbps ADPCM
- Distance Range: 300 Meters Outdoor, 50 meters Indoor
- Number of Channels: 10 channels (Europe & SA), 5 channels (NA)
- Standby/Talk time 120 hours/10 hours
USB Base Station
- Interface: USB 1.1
- Button Handset Locator Button
- LEDs: Power, In Use
- Charger Power: 9V DC, 150mA
USB Base Station
- Dimensions 2.38″ x 3.38″ x 0.87″ (60.55 mm x 85.9 mm x 22 mm)
- Unit Weight 4.23 oz. (0.12 kg)
Handset
- Dimensions: 1.86″ x 5.20″ x 1.36″ (47.37 mm x 132 mm x 34.62 mm)
- Unit Weight: 4.59 oz. (0.13 kg)
Charger
- Dimensions: 2.99″ x 2.99″ x 2.48″ (76.04 mm x 75.88 mm x 62.92 mm)
- Unit Weight: 6.35 oz. (0.18 kg)
Package Contents
- Handset
- 2 NiMH Batteries
- Charger with Power Adapter
- USB Base Station with 5 foot USB Cable
- Quick Installation
- Setup Wizard CD with Skype Software
- Registration Information Card
Minimum Requirements
- Internet Connection (cable/DSL/other)
- PC with 400 MHz Processor
- 128 MB RAM
- One Available USB Connection
- 15 MB Hard Disk Space Available for Installation
- Windows XP, 2000
- Skype Application (Included) Installed on PC
- CD-ROM Drive
