Motorola - MD681 5.8GHZ Cordless Phone Review

Bottom-Line: If you want a true 5.8GHz cordless phone that offers crystal clear sound, reliable performance, will not interfere with Wi-Fi, look no further then Motorola MD681 5.8GHZ Cordless Phone.  

My wife and I have owned no less the 11 different sets of phones (cored and cordless) since we got married just under eight years ago, in a seemingly fruitless search for the perfect cordless phone.  For a moment we thought our search had ended with the AT&T 5840 5.8/2.4GHz Cordless Phone; we were wrong!  And so the search continued until I ran across the Motorola MD681 5.8GHZ Cordless Phone with Answering Machine.     

A Tale of Wireless Phones & Wi-Fi...

We have had a 2.4GHz Wi-Fi network in our home since we had it built over three years ago, and this factor more then any other informs our phone buying decisions.  The AT&T 5840 5.8/2.4GHz Cordless Phone was bought to replace an aging and static prone Uniden 900MHz cordless setup downstairs in the master bedroom and living room, and a Sony 900MHz cordless upstairs in the loft that was getting increasingly hard to hear. 

It was important to me as I was looking for a replacement for the 900MHz phones, that the new phone not step on the same frequency as my 2.4GHz WI-Fi network, so I sought a 5.8GHz cordless phone that was expandable in order to add a total of three handsets.  I initially looked at the Panasonic KX-TG5100M, but the reviews on that phone were not promising.  Not promising as well were the reviews of the Uniden 5885-2, and it did not have all of the other features I was looking for in a cordless phone; i.e. voice caller ID, digital answering system, call waiting, and separate answering machine mail boxes. 

So I first settled on AT&T 5840 5.8/2.4GHz Cordless Phone and three AT&T 5800 Series handsets, which were on sale at my local BestBuy.   That did not work out too well; see my review of the AT&T 5840 5.8/2.4GHz Cordless Phone for the reasons why.  I eventually replaced the AT&T 5840 with the Motorola MD681 5.8GHZ Cordless Phone and two MD61 handsets.    

This is a pretty phone.  With its streamlined and stylish lines, brushed silver base, and blue accents (the ear piece illuminates blue when the phone rings and when someone is on an extension), the MD681 5.8GHZ Cordless Phone was clearly designed to appeal to those in the stainless steel crowd.       

The MD681 is a true 5.8GHz expandable cordless phone with digital answering machine system that includes three separate voicemail boxes, although the maximum incoming-message recording time is limited to 15 minutes.  New messages are represented via tiny dimly backlit flashing mailbox numbers instead of a large flashing LED to let you know there are messages waiting.  I don't have a problem with this however, I think the backlit numbers add to the allure of the phone, and there is large red number under the buttons to let you know how many message are waiting.  There is also an auditable indicator which beeps every thirty seconds when new message have been received; it can be turned on and off.

Unlike some cordless phone at or around the same price-point, which only allow for four extensions, with the MD681 5.8GHZ Cordless Phone you can add up to six.  The MD681 ships with a handset (MD61), and both the base and the handset have plenty of room to make the numeric keypads and the menu navigation buttons easy to identify and manipulate. 

My Viewpoint

The MD681 includes some features I find extremely useful.  For example, when a non- MD681 extension is in use, the base speaker flashes blue, and as I stated glows solid blue when a MD681 handset is in use.  I find this feature useful because at a glace I can tell whether or not the phone is being used. 

Like all phone is this class the MD681 features caller ID/call waiting, but unlike the AT&T 5840, it does not audibly announce the name of the caller.  This is the one thing about the AT&T 5840 my wife and I both miss.  The MD681 also has the ability to function as an intercom, and the handsets can be used as walkie-talkies.  And taking a page from the cell phone notebook, the MD681 features eight selectable ring tones, and Motorola's VibraCall vibrating alert feature.  

Sound quality though the ear piece or headphones on the MD681 is outstanding, and there is to date, no interference from our wireless network; YES!  And the sound quality via the speakerphone is outstanding as well; clear, crisp, and static free.  The same cannot be said of the digital answering machine; incoming messages are routinely distorted, and as a result, hard to understand.  And this varies from call to call, so it hard to pin-point the exact cause.

In researching this phone, I came across some reviews that complained of short battery life, but we have experience no such problems.  My spouse routinely speaks on the phone for prolonged periods of time, and has never lost a connection because of low battery power.  The MD681 handsets are equipped with nickel-metal-hydride rechargeable batteries, and we routinely return the phones to their cradles after use. 

Concluding Viewpoint

Not to offer a clique, but so far, so good; the MD681 5.8GHZ Cordless Phone is working as advertised and we couldn't be happier.  While my wife misses the audio voicemail, and I must admit I do too, over all we are very happy with the performance of the phones.  Of course all of this can change in the blink of an eye, but I am hopeful that it will remain this way for the foreseeable future.