Can you hear me now?

So, where was I before I was rudely interrupted by Ptech being bounced from the pages of the Boston Globe?

Oh, yes. I was reviewing the new Linksys Internet Telephony Kit, aka the CIT200.

Linksys has teamed up with Skype, the well-known Internet telephone-calling service provider to un-tether web callers from their computers. The Linksys/Skype kit, $129, includes a cordless handset and a base station that plugs into your computer via a USB port.

Making a call online usually works like this: You sit in front of a computer, strap on a headset with a microphone, fire up a program like Skype to make the call, then chat away for free or at greatly reduced rates over what you’d normally pay the land-line phone company.

The technology that drives this is called Voice Over IP (VoIP).

It’s cheap, but not always convenient because you have to be sitting at a computer to place or receive a call. The CIT200 handset communicates with your computer and Skype via the base station, so you can make calls from the living room couch, the kitchen or anyplace in the house where your computer doesn’t live.

Note: this does not work like a cell phone. You can’t take it on the road to call via Skype because the handset needs to be within range of the base station to work.

What’s in the box?

In addition to the handset and base station, you’ll find two rechargeable batteries, a cradle for charging the handset, an installationCD, a belt clip and skimpy quick install guide. You’ll have to charge the phone for at least 14 hours before first use and set up a Skype account if you don’t already have one.

It took just minutes to plug in the base station and run through the setup CD. Since I already had a Skype account up and running the only wait time was for the phone to charge.

At 4 oz., the “candy bar” style handset is extremely lightweight, and in fact takes some getting used to because it doesn’t feel like a “real” phone. However, it’s got features and functions on par with a real phone.
Those include: A color screen, call waiting, built-in speaker phone, caller ID, a headset jack, a call timer, mute button, support for 3 ring tones, and an address book that displays your Skype contacts.
The phone’s keypad, several rows of indented strips, is nicely designed. I found it easier to use than some cell phones, which often have very cramped keys. There’s also a 4-way button for navigating on-screen menus as well as buttons dedicated to the address book and a received/dialed/missed call menu.

In the nice touch department, the base station includes a handset locator button that forgetful types can use to hunt down a misplaced phone. Hit it and the phone plays a tune.


Base station

The phone display shows the time, a battery strengthindicator and your connection status to the base station, similarly to the way a cell phone shows whether you’re connected to your cell provider’s network.

Dialing calls is only slightly more complicated than using any other phone. Skype and the Linksys software installed during setup need to be running on your computer before you can connect.

The CIT200 will make free calls to other Skype users, but ringing up a landline or cell phone requires SkypeOut, a paid service. Skype also offers voicemail and SykpeIn (a real phone number that allows callers to dial you) for a fee. See the site for pricing details.

SkypeOut requires you to type a “+” sign and the number 1 before the area code and number when you dial. The button with the + is located on the “0” (that’s zero) button.

The trick is that you need to hold down the “0” button for a few seconds for the + symbol to appear. Once you’ve got it set up, you can certainly shave off time by dialing via the address book.

If you do happen to be sitting in front of your computer when you place a call, Skype’s window pops up, offering access to the program’s features and settings.Skype, by the way, was recently bought by eBay, to connect buyers and sellers who use the popular online auction site. Linksys is known for its networking products, such as wireless routers that home users use share an
Internet connection.

Call quality? Pretty good

Call quality on the CIT200 ranged from indistinguishable from a land-line phone to slight delay and echo. That would put it into the “good-to-good enough” range.

Problems, annoyances

I was surprised to find that there was no sound coming from my external speakers after setting up the CIT200. Apparently my audio settings had been hijacked by the CIT200 during installation. There’s no warning about this in the kit’s brief installation guide.

I found a clue in the troubleshooting section of the user manual on the setup CD which confirmed that audio gets re-routed to the handset. (Tip: it’s a pdf, buried under SetupWizard > Docs.) However, the fix (“check only use default devices”) seemed to be in error. The sound returned only when I un-checked that setting.

Bottom line: A ringing endorsement

The CIT200 gets a ringing endorsement. Current Skype users looking to be unchained from their PCs and newbies who need an easy entre into online dialing should find the CIT200’s a breeze to configure and use.

System requirements/Specs

Requires high-speed Internet connection, PC with 400 MHz Processor, 128 MB RAM, a free USB port , 15 MB free hard disk space, Windows XP,2000, Skype account.

Handset: 4.59 oz., 1.86 x 5.20 x 1.36 inches. Voice encryption for security, 120 hours standby/10 hours talk time. Base station supports up to four handsets. Frequency bands: 1920-1930MHz. Speakerphone, intercom (between handsets), 2 NIMH AA-size rechargeable batteries.