...generally I will beat my head against the same brick wall until cracks starts to appear in either or both which drives those around me insane ... but more often than not the outcome is well worth the effort and frustration, and thankfully this was exactly the case during my persuit of a Linksys CIT310 Yahoo! Messenger phone which I am now a proud owner of

In my previous article, Goodbye Linksys hello Logitech and a big :P to Amazon, I complained long and loud about the lack of availability (in NZ) of the CIT310 phones and we did in fact end up purchasing the Logitech Cordless Handset (Skype) which is a great wee phone but my heart was still set on also getting my hands on a CIT310... so persist I did.

After a great deal of head banging I managed to find a supplier for the Linksys CIT310 phone that was happy to ship to NZ and within 10 days of ordering from the USA it was sitting on my desk

My expectation was that the Linksys CIT310 phone would work with Yahoo! Messenger but perhaps not with our existing landline which I was aok with me as $ for $ (less shipping) the Logitech Cordless Handset and the Linksys CIT 310 were almost identically priced... that is perhaps where the similarities end though. It would be unfair to compare the all the features of the Linksys CIT310 against the Logitech Cordless Handset as the CIT310 is a dual phone (landline and internet) and the Logitech is just a basic internet phone only, so while comparitively priced and very similar in looks and supporting software, the features are different so one needs to keep that mind....

The Logitech Cordless Handset is a brilliant wee phone, it was dead easy to install and setup it's also super reliable and even I can use it. The range (being cordless) is fantastic so we have no regrets and the phone is now well intergrated into our day to to day personal and professional lives.

The only real problem we have experienced with it is that when we've used all our bandwidth allowance and are reduced to a dialup connection speed, there is a substantial voice delay and clarity loss that makes it near impossible to hold a conversation with anyone either in NZ or overseas. I don't believe this is an an issue with the phone itself, it appears to be a network / service problem and while it's often stated (by Skype users) that you can happily run Skype voice calls on a dialup connection, my own personal experience is perhaps the opposite and with knowing what the quality is like on Broadband and then comparing that to dialup I wouldn't consider dialup as a viable option.

One other minor issue we have also noticed is that when calling mobile phones either in NZ or overseas the quality dramatically reduces but again this is perhaps more a service issue and ultimately we are happy wee Logitech Cordless Handset customers... but back to my new Linksys CIT310 phone...

First off, the packaging is dead smart and gives the impression of the phone being right up to date. It travelled well from the USA to NZ and arrived safely in tip top condition. Despite our being based in NZ there were no "conditions" for claiming the 100 free minutes... so claim we did and yack yack we did. Andy is still a fan of his Logitech Cordless Handset so he's sticking with his man phone... for me it's all Linksys CIT310... akin to his and her's bathrooms I suspect ;)

You don't really need the CIT310 (pdf) user guide user guide to get up and running as using the phone is pretty straight forward but should you run into basic questions there are 70 pages of everything you could ever need when you first get started. I don't know if it's a USA norm or not but some of the warnings made me smile...

• Do not place this product on an unstable table. The product may fall and be damaged.
• Do not use this product near water, laundry tub, in a wet basement, or near a swimming pool.
• The phone's handset produces a magnetic field that can attract small metallic objects such as pins and staples. In order to avoid the possibility of injury, do not place the handset near small metallic objects.

but perhaps the best is...

*cough*

After a few weeks of using the Linksys CIT310 phone I found myself referring to the manual for help and / or information only to find my questions remained unanswered. The documentation is extensive for basic features and setup but after that you're on your own. After comparing notes with others some of the lights did in fact start to come on in the old brain.

If you start gabbing on your Linksys, end up walking away from your desk and get distracted never fear about your online status being incorrect...
Menu > Base Settings > My Y! Status
will let you select from the preassigned defaults Available, Busy, Stepped Out, BRB, Not at my desk, On the Phone, Invisible

Menu > Phone Book, gives access to the pre-set Groups of VIP, Business, Family, Friends, School, Others, if the group titles don't suit, don't worry as these can be quickly changed (highlight the group, select Options, select Edit Name, enter the desired text, select OK).

The group settings and ringtones assigned to these groups, only apply to your LandLine contacts with caller ID listed in your Phone Book
Menu > Handset Settings > Ringer Type
Select the ringer type (10 are available) for Line, Y! Voice, Intercom, VIP, Business, Family, Friends, School, Others, Page

The CIT310 comes with 10 preinstalled ring tones, which are aok, but not brilliant, it would be nice if at some stage users could add / download additional tones and remove any they dislike or don't intent to use. Ring tones can't be assigned to individual ppl, they can on a per Group basis so make use of the ones provided if you need to add that personal touch to specific contacts.

Menu > Extra
has Walkie Talkie, Weather and Y! Local available but as a 5 digit zip code is required for the latter 2, this option isn't available for us.

What is available to us in NZ though is full functionality of "Dual Mode" which is Internet (as mentioned above) and Landline. Our Landline service is provided by Telecom New Zealand, we also use their caller ID and answerphone service, I was thrilled to find that both of these are features are actually supported by the Linksys CIT310 phone. I wasn't expecting any of our NZ services to be available so when the CIT 310 started displaying (without configuration) all incoming Caller ID details along with (landline) voice mail waiting notification I was more than ecstatic.

Overall I am a happy Linksys CIT310 user :)

BTW: To get around the PSU issue (with the phone being from USA) Andy compiled the following article which addresses the basics for NZ users :)

Power Supply Unit (PSU)
One of the main issues to consider when buying electronic items from overseas is that the mains supply voltage is going to be compatible. There are two main things to consider here:

• Input voltage
  • This is most likely to be either 110v or 230v (frequency is usually 50hz or 60hz)
• Plug type
  • The many types of mains plugs can vary from country to country

WARNING! :: Check and double check that you can use a PSU in your country's mains supply! Even if the plug fits it may be incorrect voltage which could cause fires and equipment damage!

The plug type can often be the simplest to solve with multi travel adaptors readily available. If the item has a mains lead you can often get a replacement lead or cut off the old plug and replace with a new one. If the PSU is a built in plug type then you are restricted to the adaptor solution.

(When I moved from the UK to New Zealand I brought with me a UK 4 plug extension block with me, that let me fit a NZ plug to the cord giving me 4 UK mains sockets for anything that I can not readily replace the plug with a NZ one.)

Input voltage used to be a show stopper. If you lived in a country that uses 230v and you order something from the USA 110v then you would need to find an equivalent PSU replacement if possible or use a then expensive power converter unit that would change the voltage (cheap units would often only change the voltage and ignore the frequency requirements).

These days things are often a little simpler thanks to new technology and the way power supplies work. If you are unfortunate you will be supplied with the older type, you can identify this type by the weight and size. Old 'transformer' type PSU's are quite heavy for their size, they are a fixed input voltage so if you get one that is designed for 110v supply then plugging it in to a 230v supply will at best blow up your equipment (as the output voltage would change) or at worst cause a fire risk in the PSU itself!

New 'switch mode' PSU's are a different story, they are very light for their size, so much so that some phone chargers almost feel like an empty box! Switch mode PSU's are great thou, they will often allow a very wide range of input voltage and still supply the correct output. Most modern equipment will use this type of supply and it's great for anyone that travels as you can pretty much plug them in anywhere with the correct adaptor.

Linksys Phone PSU
Back to our phone... Unfortunately the PSU supplied with the phone is the old transformer type :( This was a big disappointment for new piece of equipment using outdated technology.

Linksys PSU 120v 60Hz input voltage / 7.5v 320mA output voltage

Here in New Zealand our mains voltage is 230v 50Hz so that rules out any chance of us using this PSU to power our new phone :( The important information to gather from the label is the output voltage details as we would need to find a replacement that would match these specifications.

• Output voltage 7.5v
  • This can be quite critical and I would not advise using a PSU with a different voltage. Most electronic equipment will work with a slightly higher voltage but you risk overheating.
• Output current 320mA (0.320A)
  • You should find a replacement PSU that is AT LEAST this current rating, you can use a PSU with a higher current rating. You can sometimes use a slightly lower rated supply (I would not go lower than 300mA) as you risk the PSU getting hot.
• Plug type and polarity
  • If I've found a PSU with the same output and voltage but the plug type is different I would simply cut the plug from the old PSU and replace it. If you are not able to do this then your best bet is to get a PSU supplied with multiple plug attachments. The diagram on our PSU indicates that the center is positive (+) and the outside is negative (-). This is actually the most common type but it's worth checking just to make sure!

DC output plug

It sounds more complex than it is :) if you are unsure what you are doing then the best bet is to take the PSU with you to your local electronics store and ask them for assistance (E.g. In New Zealand it's Dick Smith Electronics, In the UK it's Maplin, USA would be radio shack ? )

Mains plug built-in to PSU

The mains plug type of our PSU was incompatible with our mains sockets. If the PSU had been a modern switch mode type we could have used a travel adaptor to plug into our existing sockets.

 

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