Netgear SPH101 Skype WiFi Phone unboxing and hands-on!
By Peter Rojas 
posted Sep 18th 2006 2:25PM
posted Sep 18th 2006 2:25PM
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Bump. Pete, can it do web-based authentication?! If it can, I'm sold.
It does not have a browser so you wouldn't be able to use it for web-based authentication. I read this off of the Netgear site.
Goomba -
>> If its just for the home, you can buy home wireless WiFi phone also from Netgear. I bought mine for $80.
What's the model number for this wireless wifi phone? I couldn't spot it on Netgear's site. I'd like to find out more about it! Or a link to it?
Thanks
It looks awesome, hope its no goin to be too expensive...
amazon still has it for $250
Damn, this phone looks nice.
Nice re-design Engadget :)
how's the call quality and batery life? is that a plain ol' brick charger? no dock? or does it charge off USB? is the power plug propriatery or would a generic car DC->DC unit work?
Do people have that many people on skype that a handset like this would be useful. I guess I am just speaking for myself because I have only a few friends who use skype, and that is in part because we do a podcast over it.
Any of you guys use Skype as your main form of communication, over say a land line or a cell phone?
I use Skype a lot to call relatives overseas, specifically Europe and the Middle East.
Conversations that used to cost hundreds of dollars can now be free... It's great stuff.
Can't wait to try this phone out!!
It's 250 on amazon. I would consider getting one if it was cheaper.
does it support WPA/WPA2?
Do I see a Monopoly shortcut on that Treo? I absolutely love that game! Zanthia and Tarbrush never knew what hit them.
The number of subscribers to retail voice over IP (VoIP) services rose by 83% during 2005, from 10.3 million at the beginning of 2005 to over 18.7 million. More stats on VoIP at Metrics 2.0
i'm assuming it works with skypeout/skypein, which would make this a viable cell phone replacement (as long as calls to Canada/US remain free)
I know it does SkypeOut - it says so on their website:
http://www.netgear.com/Products/CommunicationsVoIP/Skype/SPH101.aspx
But I don't know if it does SkypeIn, which would be AWESOME. Any word guys?
Truz. One reason to have this is so you don't have to leave your PC on all the time. It saves on the energy bill. It also saves on the cell phone bill if you don't have land line service, or travel around to places with WiFi alot.
I don't have a lot of friends on skype, but it'd be nice to have one of these since my cell gets no reception at home, and I don't like using headsets and don't want to be tethered to the desk.
The battery question is a good one. I'd really like to know how long a charge lasts. (talk and standby)
I don't understand why a skype phone would be better off than a cell phone with a mobile-to-mobile plan or an "in" network. Those calls are also free, and don't use bandwidth, anyone wanna help me out here?
On Skype, to "buy" a phone number is $3.16 per month, then all calls to the US and Canada are free(for the time being). Since you'd always be on a wifi connection, you wouldn't need a "data plan". At the end of the year, I don't know how much they're gonna charge per minute but it'll probably be cheap... and the best part would be that you'd only "pay" for minutes that you actually use.
The problem that I have with this is that it's not as good as regular cellular service. On the train, we'll hit speeds of 80mph... have you ever seen one of these skype-handsets make a handoff at that speed? Then there's the issue of coverage... if you live in a metropolitan area, you're gonna be "that guy" that says "o yeah I can see 30 open networks right now" but in my city I'm not so fortunate.
So is it a cellphone-replacement? I don't think so. If a better alternative to wifi came around(better range, seamless handoffs), I think something like this could bring the end of the cellphone as we know it.
Skype is no replacement for a cell phone, that's for sure. However if you're into a transnational biz like me with frequent calls to several overseas locations, you start to appreciate your limit-free broadband plan saving you lots of bucks on those endless conversations. Ever wondered what a call from Russia to Australia might cost? - ehhhh, from a mobile-to-mobile?.. ;-)
Because even with SkypeIn it's still only $3 a month and there is no binding contract. I use Skype as my mainline at home because it's so cheap.
Yes it does. Remember skypein is esentially just your skype user name. There is a clever bit of manipulating done to route your skypein number at the network switch, but thats invisible to you.
This is the ultimate skype solution until somebody brings out a skype phone with a ff camera for video calls.
Hey is that an Apple skin i see? Do they have themes like that for WM5 Treo 700?
I have about 35 people on my skype list and this would be great for people who travel out of the country and don;t have a world phone.
I use Skype and SkypeOut extensively, as I live abroad and travel a lot. I've been using an inexpensive Ipevo USB phone at home with great success. WiFi would be even better, especially to connect at hot spots around the world. Handset price needs to come down though...
Is it me or does it look like a dead ringer for the old SE T610?
Sweet, I just looked up this phone tonight. In Sweden I'm paying 400:-SEK a month (about $55) for regular phone service. And that's just local! Crazy Swedes. So I'm sumping my landline and going with Skype full time. I already use it for calling the USA and it rocks. Now that they added webcam support for Macs I'm using it even more.
Does anyone have any other tips for using Skype as a full time phone service? (Yes I know it won't call emergency services...we have cell phones)
I've used skype "full time" for quite a while now and I must say that I dont miss the local telephone company, =Telia=, that charges a fortune each month just to have the privilege of having a landline. I have a skypeout number and its worked out great for me! Furthermore you're now able to get Stockholm numbers (as well as other numbers throughout the country).
disciple83,
Taxes! Do you know how much taxes are tacked on to a cellphone bill? Most of which I'm sure you're not even sure what they are. Unless you live in Vegas, taxes, especially in NYC are murder. That would probably be one good thing about Skype. Now if Wifi were really ubiquitous and you had a critical mass of people using those portable skype phones then yea, they're worth it but as of right now they haven't reach that point.
For those asking about battery life, check out the specs on Netgear's website:
http://www.netgear.com/Products/CommunicationsVoIP/Skype/SPH101.aspx?detail=Specifications
In short, talk time is around 2hrs, standby is around 20hrs.
Looks very simple and almost apple-like actually. less is more.
OK, I feel like a dork for asking this, but where can I find that Apple skin in use on the Treo?
I thought Skype was getting sued and soon to be going under?
This phone won't connect to Wi-Fi hotspots that require browser-based authentication (the phone doesn't have a built-in browser).
Not sure how you're fixed for this in the States, but that rules out 99% of hostpots here in the UK, making this very much a house-phone replacement in the UK.
But possibly a pretty good one at that - I've been looking at SIP services.... any recommendations on which way to go?!?
It can't... I read it on their website. No browser based authentication! That stinks... I guess VPN is also out of the question.
Use your own cellphone and call internationally with http://www.rebtel.com instead.
I have a Linksys CIT 200 which works great but the one thing that was never mentioned in any of the reviews was that you can't read the numbers on the phonepad because the back lighting isn't strong enough.
Since SkypeOut is basically free now (or at least till the end of the year or whatever) does that mean you could buy this and make free SkypeOut calls to non-skype users?
Or is it different because this is an acutal skype phone and is not being used from a pc?
I am not sure what is so great about Skype that I would spend $250 (and I am assuming thats US$) on it. I find skype to be of awful quality and even worse reliability. I would probably wait until some new generation/upgrade of VoIP technology comes out before spending money on Gadgets. For now I will use my land line for all the calls that I need to make.
Although I must admit that when you are up at a cottage where there is no cell reception but you do have Internet, Skype is great.
Word.
Up.
That looks really sweet, I wonder what would happen in Starbucks though or somewhere where you need to pay for WiFi access?
RE: Web Based Authentication
Clone the wifi handset's MAC address and perform the authentication with your laptop. Declone and power up the phone. Should be as simple as that.
Ditto on "Where can I find that apple skin for the Treo?"
here's the smart move..... purchase a smartphone (with windows mobile as the OS) that has wi-fi capabilities (ie. the T-Mobile SDA) and install the pocket PC version of skype. Now you have a fully functional wi-fi phone and a quad-band cell phone. now THAT's a solution.
well... and did you think about the available processors for compressing voice at a skype level? I tried out with Qtek 9100, a complete disaster!
Unfortunately, they "forgot" to equip the netgear with a powerful browser (like Nokia E series have, wonderful!) so that you can get into double protected (payed) wifi hotspots!
equipped that way, it would be unbeatable!
so for everyone who immediately thought where do i get that apple skin for my Treo... I found it it's an app called Skinner and it's at http://www.79bmedia.com/skinner650 the Skin is called osx-panther
It looks uncannily like a Sony Ericsson T630.
is a nice gadget but for $250 20 standby hours is tooo short, i mean my cell phone goes over 200 standby hours and is way much cheaper, anyway is exelent using Skype over WiFi, 'cause now is really easy to find hotspots arround and regular cordless phones are so much bulky.
A skype phone? No Thanks. I'll stick to my regular cell phone thank you very much.
I wish they'd integrate the Skype phone with current carrier phones on the market.
I don't feel like carrying around two phones... one's enough.
there are alot of peole that use skype as their main form of communication... it's great with skypeout and skype in.
I dont get why there is a picture of the Palm Sprint device...
Anybody's got an idea if it works thru WEP-enabled access points? And if the SSID is not being broadcasted for safety reasons? I'm asking 'cause I just bought an AE Internet Radio which is UNABLE to get connected to MOST of access points around me because of above reasons... At the moment I'm using the DU@Lphone for Skype calls which requires my notebook to be contstantly on and I would love to jump over to a PC-less Skype mobile like this one!
well looking at the specs there is a screen where it gives the option for skype out.......but how much is it a month to skype out?>
with regards to SkypeOut, you only pay for your calls, the details for each contry and tariff are on the Skype website.
I'd be well up for one o' thems, but not for $250 - even _with_ the savings I'd make over a regular phone.
Drop it to around $100, then we're talking.
I'd like to see a comparison between the Netgear, SMC, and Belkin phone for Skype. They all look very similar, but better price on the last two.
I know Belkin is making one too.
It is like $100 cheaper. Still, I don't know if SkpeIn is supported. Can somebody confirm this. ?
thanks
For roaming around the house while talking on Skype, a wireless headset with mic is really convenient. Currently, I'm using the Plantronics CS50-USB Wireless Headset for VoIP Softphones, and it works great throughout my house.
On the other hand, it is a pain to leave on a computer with the speaker volume turned up just to receive phone calls. When a call comes in, I have to run to the computer, turn on the monitor, plug in the headset, and click on the talk button in Skype. It would be much more convenient to have this Netgear WiFi phone in a central location, so that I could answer calls quickly and easily. It would be even better if I could have one WiFi phone upstairs and one downstairs, but I think it might cause problems if I'm logged into the same Skype account from two devices simultaneously. Has anyone tried this?
Hey guys... Seems to be a decent phone... Obviously this is the first of its kind (together with the ones from the "Accton-family": SMC Networks, Edgecore, Belkin). So for now it has all the features of a real Skype Client on your PC + the advantage that it can be used without a PC in all WLANs (also WEP, WPA/WPA2). I'm sure they will also add a kind of browser functionality to a later FW for Hotspot accessibility.
I think the Netgear device is nice, but I like the Accton design better (www.wifiphone24.com)...
Got the phone last Thursday. Works as described but still fees like a beta version. Had to restart it twice already to reconnect to a lost connection. And the design/engineering quality reminds me of the late 90's. It doesn't even come close to how an iPod is engineered. But as said, it does the job.
This phone has so many uses...Skype can call any regular or cell phone for just pennies, no PC needed. I am going on a cruise and I'll use this on their wifi instead of the $10 per minute phone charge. Natcherally if you have a lot of Skype friends this would be free and still very cool. the cellular/wi-fi dual use phones in development will be the ticket though...they better be Skype friendly...the only reason I have a land line is for emergency situations...ie power outages.
I have this phone, and I too have experienced 1 hours talk time. The whole point of skype is to talk to your friends for hours and hours for free or at least next to nothing. I feel this phone cannot do this.