FRITZFON C5 – REVIEW OF THE AVM DECT TELEPHONE

The landline telephone in our homes is becoming more and more obsolete and little used. Although the telephone companies are launching almost free offers for those interested in having it, users are losing the sense of this use. Trying to give new life to this type of technology we find AVM – whose products we have talked about on various occasions – with the series of telephones FRITZ! Fon . The company has decided to introduce technologies much closer to everyday smartphones to its landline phones, so as to create comfort for all its users. On many occasions the company has managed to create comfortable landlines that can help us throughout our days; let’s see if the FRITZfon C5manages to shine within this category of exclusive mobile devices.

Packaging

The package where the phone is contained is not much larger than the phone itself. The packaging style is very bold, with manufacturers having decided to use strong colors to present their product. On the front of the box we find the image of the device with the abbreviations of the languages available within the product, and in the back the technical specifications.

Inside the package we find the C5 phone , the charging base, the power supply and obviously the instruction booklet (for some a mysterious manuscript to be deciphered). Obviously we have found all the essentials to the functioning of the phone and nothing so wonderful or captivating, but on the other hand we are talking about the packaging of a modern telephone for your home.

Design

Once the package is opened, we are faced with the FRITZfon C5, apparently a normal cordless telephone, black in color with a screen a little higher than the norm. To the touch the materials used to create the device appear to be of good quality and the size of the cordless does not appear high, thus offering excellent handling: 150mm in height, 48 in width, a depth of 15mm and a weight of 111g. These numbers emphasize that the phone is long enough, but thin and light.

On the front we can see the large color screen , with the very wide and well-defined keyboard, where the function keys are also located. Just like a smartphone, on the right side of the phone we find the keys to adjust the volume of the speaker, in the upper part there is the headphone jack and obviously in the lower part there are the connectors for recharging.

As for the fixed part of the device, that is the base, we can tell you that it is very essential, it basically serves only to recharge the phone (the C5 is a voip phone).

Technical specifications

color display : 240 x 320 pixels, 262,000 colors, high resolution
phone calls and listening with headset,
Battery : Li-ion 750mAh, 3.7V
dimensions (W x H x D): about 150 x 48 x 15 mm
weight: about 111g
voltage : 230 volts / 50 hertz
3.5mm stereo headset jack connection

Performance

Being a VOIP phone, to make it work it is necessary to have an AVM Router with DECT function. Fortunately for us we tested it with the FRITZ! Box 7590 (which we have reviewed here for you) with which the phone connects automatically and without problems. As soon as you turn on the phone and connect it with the router at your disposal, the device will update automatically; in the case of box 7590, the language of the menu has also changed autonomously, adapting it to that of the Router.

According to the technical specifications, the cordless phone has a range of about 300 meters outdoors and 40 meters within the home. Honestly, we only tested inside our home and we can tell you that the 40 meters are more than respected. To use the phone surely you will have to get carried away a little, but the large keyboard comes to our rescue: we have the keys to call / hang up, the key to access the mail / RSS feed, a directional cross, the OK key, one to activate the speakerphone, one to access the menu and two to select. In short, we have a huge choice, maybe people of a certain age accustomed to fewer keys may find themselves disoriented, but as with all things you just need to use it to learn, and easily, the various features. FRITZ! Fon C5

The FRITZfon C5 probably has the best call quality of this kind of device. The volume emanating from the phone speakers is very high and the speakerphone appears to be of excellent quality. Testing it continuously, both for calls and for combing through every feature, we have seen that the phone has an excellent autonomy: about 10 hours in the street 8 days in standby without needing to recharge it. Really nice is the DECT ECO function , which will be activated once the C5it will be repositioned on the charging base: the device will enter energy saving mode, reducing the radiation emitted. The functions will only be reactivated in the event of an incoming call. Also interesting is the fact that thanks to the motion sensor, the display backlight turns off automatically but turns on again when you lift it, not only from the base, but also from any surface.

What can we still list about this latest generation cordless phone? We can tell you that the address book supports up to 300 entries , with quick search and the possibility of setting a photo of the contact. You can choose an answering machine, to be listened to directly from the FRITZfon C5, or even remotely or with forwarding via email. Of course we also find call waiting, call forwarding, call waiting, alternating call, call transfer and three-party conference. Just like a smartphone, you can manage your personal blacklist, or even decide to block all incoming calls from numbers not in your address book; as if that weren’t enough, you can set any mp3 song as a ringtone.

Fritz! App Fon

AVM has also developed the Fritz! App Fon for all its users . Thanks to this very interesting app, it is possible to use our Smartphone as a cordless phone, thus being able to manage calls via our landline line . The configuration appears easy and immediate, so that through the app it is possible to make calls using the phonebook on the C5, also being able to see the total calls received, made and lost.

Conclusions

If you are looking for a modern device, which is able to allow you to interact better with house calls, then the FritzFon C5 from AVM is for you. Technically flawless: perfect sound, high quality materials, sober, light and handy design, impressive and unrivaled autonomy.

There are also some problems, with the need to have an AVM modem / router that has the DECT function to represent the most exposed side, in fact representing a factor that will increase costs. But if you are faced with an imminent update of your devices, we advise you to think about this wonderful possibility.