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Is X-Link worth the trouble?

Started by Babybearjs, August 08, 2019, 07:22:13 PM

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Babybearjs

stumbled upon the X-link video today.... did some investigating and found that the units have a max range of ONLY 10 FEET! is it worth the trouble of having one in a home.... and if the cell phone is out of range.... so much for the land-line connection....
John

RotarDad

The purpose of the Xlink is to allow a landline phone system to be accessed by a Bluetooth-linked cellphone when the cell user is nearby.  The is also a version (with 1 RJ11 jack instead of 2) that doesn't allow connection to an existing land line system, which just allows a cell phone line to be accessed by an old POTS phone.  I have one of the latter versions and use it to test my rotary phones.  They work great paired with a cellphone: your old Rotary phone gets dial tone, rings on incoming calls and dials out perfectly.

I haven't tried the range so I don't know about that, but they are available used on EBay for pretty cheap and are a great pairing of old and new technology.  I'm a big fan of the Xlink and Panasonic 616  to keep the old phones working into the future...... :)
Paul

Jack Ryan

Quote from: Babybearjs on August 08, 2019, 07:22:13 PM
stumbled upon the X-link video today.... did some investigating and found that the units have a max range of ONLY 10 FEET!

As mentioned, the idea is to connect to the XLink when you are home so you can use your home phone(s). Usually the mobile would be on a charger near the XLink.

Quote
is it worth the trouble of having one in a home.... and if the cell phone is out of range.... so much for the land-line connection....

Not much point of having a long range. If you are at the supermarket and the phone rings you would have to return home to answer it.

The XLink works perfectly well for it's intended use allowing rotary phones to be used at home as they once were. In addition, they can be connected to a PABX with extensions around the house.

Jack

Babybearjs

the main reason I mentioned the range was because I was surprised at the footage! 10 feet isin't far! so if you had your cell phone in another room of the house it would be out of range of the x-link. I thought it was kind of weird.... the old cordless phones had a range of at least 50 feet! my system supports up to 4 phone lines... 3 active and a spare... I wonder if I could buy one of these and have it for a roommates cell phone... interfacing it with my 3rd line.... which is not being used right now....
John

Jack Ryan

Quote from: Babybearjs on August 09, 2019, 01:04:01 AM
the main reason I mentioned the range was because I was surprised at the footage! 10 feet isin't far! so if you had your cell phone in another room of the house it would be out of range of the x-link. I thought it was kind of weird.... the old cordless phones had a range of at least 50 feet!

That was a cordless phone - this is Bluetooth. Different technology, different purpose.

Long range Bluetooth is a pain - you walk into a shop and when the phone rings the car kit picks up.

Jack

Babybearjs

LOL! thanks jack! I am looking at all the options. T-Mobile offers something like the X-Link, except it uses a sims card.... so it looks like a cell adapter... anyway... wanted to hear what everyone had to say about it since the price has dropped! used to be around $100 now averaging about $70.00...
John

shadow67

The X link makes a good pulse to tone converter. I am currently using one so I can use a rotary phone on my U-Verse phone line, which does not support pulse natively. I do not use the bluetooth function much but it does work ok...good luck

280Parka

I think the 10 ft. is conservative on the manufacturer's part.  I use mine at the office connected to a WE 500 desk set to make calls on my cell line and I regularly get at least a 20 ft. and sometimes as much as about a 30 ft. range out of it even through walls.  I have it connected in parallel with a Cortelco Touch Tone for those times when I need the # and * keys.  The Cortelco has a warbler ringer which is the only one that "rings" when I receive a call.  Even with the Cortelco disconnected I can't get the the X-link to drive the 500's mechanical ringer however.  I don't know if that is just my unit because I have read others who seem to get a mechanical ringer to work.

shadow67


dsk

Quote from: Babybearjs on August 08, 2019, 07:22:13 PM
stumbled upon the X-link video today.... did some investigating and found that the units have a max range of ONLY 10 FEET! is it worth the trouble of having one in a home.... and if the cell phone is out of range.... so much for the land-line connection....

It is not a yes or no question, but Yes if you may install it in a suitable spot where you leave your cellphone close to for all the time you are at home (or wherever you want to use it) 

If that with a close too positioning of the cellphone is a bad option for you, the answer is No. 

dsk

Jack Aman

280 Parka,  my Xlink BTTN rings three 302's and one B1 and two D1's on subsets.  Rings them strongly.  And that's without the "extra ringing power" that you can set in the firmware.

280Parka

Quote from: Jack Aman on August 16, 2019, 09:55:42 AM
280 Parka,  my Xlink BTTN rings three 302's and one B1 and two D1's on subsets.  Rings them strongly.  And that's without the "extra ringing power" that you can set in the firmware.

That's interesting.  I was not aware that you could set it up with "extra ringing power" in the firmware.  I don't remember seeing that in my instructions.  How do you do that?

Babybearjs

I think the "extra Ringing power" is an option in the setup menu on the unit.
John

dsk

That was not an option on my 11 yrs old version, and it is to old to talk to the new pc software.

tallrick

I used a dock-n-talk when I had a cell phone. Never knew the X link was able to decode pulse dialing. My phones still use the channel bank/Asterisk system since 2005.