Xtreme Technologies Xlink BTTN Bluetooth Gateway-Black

After 30 years with our land line, and same phone number, we decided to go with a cell phone. But who wants to carry your cell phone in your pocket at home, or while you are out in your yard so that you don't miss an important call? My main concern was when I took my iPhone 5 that I recently bought through T-Mobile, and no land line, what would my husband do if he needed to make an emergency call. He does not like to figure out which buttons to push with our older pay as you go LG phone from T-Mobile and that is where this device comes in. Before buying this, I did my research as usual to see what was out on the market, I called the owner of Xtreme Technologies to ask him about his device and using with my new iPhone 5. He said that he uses it with his iPhone 5 and it works great. There are two models, both will program up to three cell phones with bluetooth, the price is about $15.00 more for the one that I bought with a land line port (BTTN), in case I ever wanted to have a land line again. I received it, and it took me under an hour to set it up. I still had my land line number and hooked it up to this device so that I could check it out before calling our carrier to stop our service. I found that when my iPhone 5, or my older LG phone rang, all of the cordless phones would ring and we could pick up any phone and answer the call. Out going calls from our cordless phone was easy to make, you just had to follow the instructions to select what cell phone you wanted to call out on. After hooking this up, again I was researching another device called the Obihai 100 along with their other models so that I could set up free Google Voice over the internet. I am glad that I got the BTTN with the land line port, because now I have the OBi 100 installed with Google Voice, and it works great, bought both at Amazon. In fact, the volume, and clarity with the OBi 100, and Google Voice is much better than my old land line carrier. Now when my husband wants to make a call out, he can pick up any cordless phone, dial out the ten digit number using Google Voice and the call goes through. It takes awhile to get used to the new way to make a call after so many years with the land line, but it is worth it. Now when I take my iPhone 5 with me, he has the option of Google Voice, or the older LG pay as you go phone that I will keep as a backup. With the Obi100, I have signed up for Anveo for our E911 emergency number and address for a fee of $12.00 a year for up to five 911 calls, after that you have to sign up again and pay another $12.00 for the year, but who makes more than five 911 calls in a year. The above combination works so well that I have been telling my friends, and family along with T-Mobile representatives that want the freedom to answer calls with a corded or cordless phone when at home.

I bought this because for nostalgia or whatever reason, I love old phones and phone equipment. I've long had an old black rotary Western Electric 500, but like most people these days, no land line to use it on. I researched different brands of 2-wire to bluetooth gizmos, but chose this one because it seemed to be the only one that supported pulse dialing, which for my needs is essential. And it works like a charm. A quick glance over the instructions, and it paired immediately with my Samsung Galaxy 4 running Android 4.3. Plug in the phone, pick up the receiver, get a dial tone. Dial the number, wait for ring. Somebody calls me, that great old physical bell rings like it was 1977. I also checked out the configuration software available from http://www.myxlink.com/xwizard.aspx, and was impressed with the number of configuration options. For example, I turned up the earpiece volume because it seemed a little low to me out of the box, and also set the ringtone to be the UK double-ring, just because I always thought that sounded cool. Other options include different dial tones, pulse dial timing (I wasn't able to dial successfully from an old pin-dial lineman's butt set, but I think tweaking these would make it work), and I think a way to get SMS messages to ring at the phone (though don't quote me on that, I didn't try it). There's many other settings I did not dig into, but this thing seems incredibly tweakable. The software worked fine in Windows 8.1 on the first try. A far as audio quality goes, my friends I've talked to say it sounds great, at least as good as my bluetooth headset, and one person said it had a classic timbre she hadn't heard in forever but immediately remembered. I haven't really tested the range, and that doesn't particularly matter to me. It will live near the chair I usually sit in, connected to a cool old phone, and if I'm nearby when I get a call on my cell that sucker will ring. That sounds pretty awesome to me. It's possible (and in theory, pretty easy) to hook this up to your house's phone wiring so that it will work with any phone you have plugged into a wall jack. I haven't tried this, because I need to keep a standard land line coming in for DSL, and it doesn't seem like it would work very well in practice. The Xlink unit needs to be fairly close to the cell phone to stay paired (it's just bluetooth, after all) so if you carry your cell phone from room to room like many people do, you'll break the link. I suppose you could set your cellphone down nearby the Xlink when you come home and then use your "land lines" as you move about the house, but that's not what I'm after at all. I've heard that cell carriers block fax signals somehow, but I'm definitely going to try this with a modem when I get the chance. Just for fun. Bottom line, I'm not sure just how well this gadget will work for wiring all phone lines in a home to a cell phone, but for my purposes (being able to use cool old phones) I couldn't be happier.

Pros: simple, does the job. Cons: may not work with all phones, sound quality is not 'landline equivalent' Like others, our plan is to cut the landline (scary, right?). After reviewing the options, I settled on the Xlink because it was the only product that could pair with 3 cell phones simultaneously and because it got good reviews. I was initially very frustrated because it paired well with my wife's LG Lotus and my work Blackberry, but it would drop the pairing with my Samsung Rant consistently every 1-2 minutes. Others have reported this same problem and I'm convinced it has to do with the particular phone you are using because I happened to replace the Rant with an LG Lotus Elite and, presto, no more pairing problems. It's unfortunate there isn't a listing of what phones work and which don't; on the other hand, I'm not convinced I was successful in downloading the updated software for the Xlink, so that might also solve some compatibility problems. In terms of performance, the home phones do ring when the paired cell phones are called; there is a slight delay between when the cell gets the call and when the home phone rings and this could cause problems with your voicemail (cell or landline). I suggest you experiment. The sound quality is a little 'in the barrel', but not excruciating. If the cell phones are set to 'accept pairing', they pair within moments of coming within range of the Xlink...just walk in the house, set the phone within a few feet of the device and forget about it. We purchased the version of Xlink that allows a landline...this service will soon be discontinued and we will use the device without a landline connection; it is connected to a basephone that communicates wirelessly with 2 other handsets (DECT 6.0). Be aware that the Xlink will only communicate with 'home phones' that are directly connected to the phone that is wired to the Xlink box...this means a set of wirelessly connected phones or phones that are somehow connected to each other by phone lines; however, some reviews suggest you can disconnect your landlines from the outside telephone line and plug the Xlink directly into the home phoneline system and it would work with all phones on the home line. I will try that once our landline service has been disconnected. Overall, if you want to drop your landline and rely on your cell phone, and if you're willing to tolerate less-than-ideal call quality, this is a reasonable approach. Be aware that 1) 911 service may not be able to find your house with this gadget, 2) 911 won't be accessible through your home phone if power goes out and 3) you cannot send faxes without a landline.

After reading the reviews, I decided to port my landline number to a cellphone and use this device. It works, but there are a few issues. I have had it for a couple weeks now. Likes: * It does forward CallerID very nicely, which I like, since my previous landline service did not have callerID, it's a nice service to have. * I have had some great conversations, forgetting I was using my cell phone line. * I love the fact that I can have phones all over the house (we have a base with 4 phones), and when it rings, I don't have to run to the kitchen, I can just get it on the floor where I am. * It is very easy to set up and sync your phones. Dislikes: * Frequently, after speaking for about a minute on the phone, the call gets disconnected. Once, I would assume it was random, but it seems to happen frequently. * Also, if I forget to bring my cell phone right to the device when I get in the door, it syncs, but the quality is 'unusable', where the static is very high, so that is frustrating. * Call waiting does work, and I was able to press "flash" to switch, but I could hear both lines at the same time... * However, if you unplug the device, I had to resync the cell phones for some reason, the lights kept flashing, even though it should have worked. * I get very confused how to handle a call if I answer it on my cell phone and the answering machine picks up, it actually hangs up the call, even though I have a connection with my cellphone... annoying. Hopefully the quality of the calls will improve. I have three bars for service, sometimes four, so I thought the quality would be great, but not quite where I'd like it to be. I do miss the solid quality of a land line, but for the amount of time I spend on the phone, I can deal.

Got this sucker working in minutes and then spent an hour running it through the paces. It has performed flawlessly. I was almost discouraged to buy this (or similar devices) as it was hard to tell exactly how they would interface with the home system. I thought I would add some notes on the tests I successfully ran (See below). All this was with one paired cell phone and a dect 6.0 cordless phone plugged in the back of xlink. Ultimately, I've made about 20 calls in and out and I find the technology on par with Apple's mission - easy to use, intuitive and will utlimately become ubiquitous to the user. I have to believe, like DVRs, about everyone will have this technology in their house someday. I'll report back if I downgrade this in the future due to any problems. Notes: Only phones plugged directly to xlink will interface with it. If you want to go whole house, use an expandable cordless system with base plugged into the xlink. We have an expandable for our downstairs and other random phones elsewhere. This works nicely, actually. If you are on a cell call using the expandable, then you can make a concurrent land line call from one of the other random phones (but not from any of the expandable handsets). To call out, you use your phone as normal. It defaults to land line or you can push 1 and flash to call out via cell instead. Caller id number it transmits will be aligned with your choice. If you are on landline and a call comes in via landline, you use call waiting as normal. If you are on landline and a call comes in via cell, you will hear a different beep and can flash over to that call. (Makes me wonder what happens if you started land line, went over to cell to get a call and another land line call starts to come it - will you hear it? Also, I realize I didn't test if you are on cell and another call via cell comes in can you flash over to it - but I imagine that will work too.) If you are on cell, someone can use landline via a different phone (as long as it's not part of an expandable system whose base plugged to xlink). If you are on landline on a phone not connected to xlink and someone wants to make a call out via cell on xlink, the x-link connected phone automatically defaults to landline (so people talking will hear someone pick up), then you quickly hit 1 and flash and you switch over to cell. So a minor irritation for someone already talking on land line. Our answering machine, which is a separate device, is plugged in ahead of xlink in the chain and will pick up for landline and has no confusion with cell - cell calls go to cell voice mail if not picked up. When you are receiving a call, you can tell what line it's coming in on. My cordless system doesn't support separate ring tones (and the instructions warn many won't), but if the cell is in hearing distance you will hear it ring too. Also, the xlink passes through caller id to the handset and if it's coming in via cell it displays the incoming number plus "xlink". If via land line, just the incoming number. If you are on cell via xlink and a landline call comes in, other phones in the house will ring that aren't connected to xlink. You could pick up via call waiting, allow the answering machine to get it or someone on a random phone not plugged to xlink could pick it up normally too.

Install I have a old 70s desktop rotary phone a WesterBell 500 I wanted to get to work again as sort of a retro piece. Installation was super simple unpacked the device plugged it into the wall and connected the RJ-45 connector from the Xlink to the old phone and hit the bluetooth sync button to connect. It was a breeze to get setup, connection worked super simple. Tested Features I am able to dial out from the "old phone" and do get the dial-tone Call waiting works where you flash the hang-up plunger buttons to get to the other line. You are able to receive calls the old phone rings as it normally would. If placing a call from your phone, you can select the old phone as a headset to use for the call. When leaving the house and coming back the Xlink automatically reconnects itself when your phone is within its bluetooth range. Bluetooth Range I have not done extensive testing of the bluetooth range but so far know it connects whenever I come back int the front door which is about 30ft way from the XLink, it may connect/work from a longer distance too I just have not tested the max range yet. Sound quality is good too. I am happy with the device but think its a bit pricy but maybe fair considering there may not be a mass market for it and it does function as advertised. I would recommend for people want a retro phone working again as a working decorative piece, or for people with Senior citizens who don't know how or get confused when working a cell phone.

This is such a great idea... too bad they were unable to create a quality product. For the cost this thing should really perform but is suffers from a couple of problems: 1. I've paired 2 cell phones with it. Both are kept within 2 feet of the unit. When calls are received through these phones, there is so much static that you miss half of the information. Both of the phones have been used with bluetooth remote devices (ear buds) with no static at all. One is a Blackberry Curve and the other an LG Chocolate. I do have wireless internet in my home but it is on the far side from this unit on a different floor 2. When you call one of the cell phones, the regular handset plugged into the unit sometimes doesn't ring until the caller has heard 4 rings. This results in a lot of missed calls on the cells as they think no one will pick up. Also, the cells often go to their voice mail before my regular handset has made any sound at all. 3. Calls out from my normal handset though the BTTN are extremely quite to the listener at the other end and the sound quality suffers. This should just be a pass-though... why is the quality so bad? I've sent two emails to the company to get some kind of response on if this is to be expected or if I have a faulty unit. I've had no response in over 2 weeks. None at all. I'd expect a little better response from a company that produces this kind of a product. I really wanted to like this product but there are just too many big problems to make it worth while.

The concept and the features are just incredible, but it does not work with our computers (different Dell Windows XP SP3 computers). We got it and it linked/installed easily, but the call quality was poor. In troubleshooting instructions it was clear that we had to move unit away from interference by wi-fi, but it first recommended upgrading firmware. This is where it all went downhill - I tried to install software and link via USB but every time the driver installed it froze up my computer. After trying in every possible way (install/unistall/re-download with Firefox/Explorer, USB2 ports, USB1 ports, turn off all programs, turn off firewall, etc.) it was clear that it would not work on our main XP SP3 desktop so we tried our laptop (also XP SP3) and it did the same thing. It took two tries to get customer support (not bad to reach a live person!). This person knew about the problem and said that there is no solution. He said that it works on computers with XP SP3 sometimes, but not with others and suggested we borrow someone else's computer for the firmware upgrades. This would have probably worked, but it would have been a pain to have to always be finding a computer to upgrade and it would have meant giving up the Skype Link feature (not advertised on Amazon, but it is on the manufacturer's website) where you get Skype calls on your regular phones as long as the computer/internet/Skype are working. We sure hope they fix their problems as this product's features are the best that we have found (3 cell phones linked at the same time, land line and Skype as well - with the ability to switch between them). In the meantime, back to the drawing board for a product that will meet our needs and work.

Il y a longtemps que je cherchais ce produit. Attention aux normes, il est américain : prise secteur nécessite un adaptateur. Tension du courant d'appel incompatible avec certains équipements français, nécessite un artifice pour recevoir un appel dans ce cas. Une fois cela réglé, c'est parfait sauf le prix qui est presque doublé entre la France et les USA !!!

I got rid of the landline years ago and this just brought it right back in for free. Well technically just using my phone over Bluetooth, but same thing. Make landline phones great again! Easy to install and setup. Now I can use the landline phones. Caller ID shows based on how it is set on the Cellphone/Smartphone for incoming calls. For example if John Smith is the name of 000-555-1212 John Smith will show on the first line. 000-555-1212 will show on the digits line. Calls that come in that are not in the Contacts of your phone will show XLINK as the name with the number depending on the phone. Hiya (If used) may forward this information over Bluetooth to the gateway which will send it over as Caller ID. Depends on the phone. I chose to disable XLINK as the name in the software for the device and found a calling from a number not in contacts said: Unknown Name 000.555.1212 You can disable the default XLINK name if desired in the software. You can also configure it to your liking with different ring patterns based on the Bluetooth phone connected on any of the 3 spots. I at first liked it but I can't see it being necessary. Private Callers won't display any information. All mine said was incoming call. But I turned off that option in the settings on my phone so it declines them automatically because if it was really important you'd show your number. It's nice to control calls from the phone. I have AT&T call protect installed on my phone's and unlike landline service, they don't ring for "Your cars extended warranty" because that crap is blocked on the phone before any of them ring. This works flawlessly with my Samsung A50 Pickup and dial-away. It just works. Heck even my grandmother could use her old legacy phone and she wouldn't know the difference. I wouldn't have doubts the model 500 phones would work.

Simple and Effective. Works well with my three Samsung phones. It doesn't have the greatest range, a little better than the range indicated on the box (3 meters) so I can't knock it. I found it will work in a 20 foot range fairly well. Hardly a deal breaker as I put the charger next to the device so a non-issue for me. I like the buttons on top as you can turn off the bluetooth if you want to use a bluetooth headset at home for example. Call quality is pretty good and all calls go the answering machine - I guess this is both good and bad. All in, considering how basic and simple set up is (can you press and hold the button on top?) and call quality, it gets two thumbs up.

I almost returned this unit the first week I was having so many little technical issues with it. But once I figured out the right settings and that some of the problems were being caused by my phone, the device worked amazingly well! Tech support is limited, but they did make an effort to help me out with one issue. Once i had this working i was quite pleased - when my cell phone rang, all the phones in my house would ring and i could answer it without running down to my home office. After a few months though, I notice the unit was interfering with the voicemail indicator on my landline and it would not show that I had a message. I'd have to listen for a stutter tone. As of the writing of this review, it is still not resolved, but this may not be a big issue for some.

English: I got one in March 2015 and it was working so great that I finally dropped my landline in April 2015. I was using 1 cell with it. But in July 2015, I moved from a house(living downstairs with a poor cell signal but was it working since the cell was not moving) to a new apartment(second floor with better cell signal). The Xlink BTTN gave me all sorts of problems (dropped calls, weird feedback sound, hearing people only....). Thinking it was the Xlink, I got a Panasonic full system(4 handset) that does the same as the Xlink but at 3 times the price. This did not work either on the first hour. I had to return it too. I even tried turning off my Wi-Fi, another cell from a friend, moved in each room, change powerbar (good ones), update firmware... .. I did try everything I could control and think of. I even contact the support(great) At the old place, I had about the same Wi-FI rooter around. Our conclusion is that while the Xlink and other similar device are great to have, you may have too many interference in your building to be able to use them. I got landline...again. 3/5 because were you live will determine if it works or not. Otherwise 4/5 when it was working. But try things. Français: J'en ai eu un en Mars 2015 et cela fonctionnait si bien que j'ai finalement laissé tomber mon téléphone fixe en Avril 2015. Je me servais d'un cell avec le Xlink. Mais en Juillet 2015, je suis passé d'une maison (sous-sol avec un signal cellulaire médiocre mais fonctionnait car le cell ne se bougait pas) dans un nouvel appartement (deuxième étage avec un meilleur signal de cellulaire). Le XLink BTTN m'a donné toutes sortes de problèmes (appels coupé, son de feedback bizarre, entendre les gens seulement ....). Pensant que c'était le XLink, je me suis procuré un système complet Panasonic (4 combiné) qui fait le même chose que le XLink mais à 3 fois le prix. Cela n'a pas fonctionné non plus à sa première heure. Je suis aller le retourner aussi. J'ai même essayé d'éteindre mon Wi-Fi, une autre cellulaire d'un ami, le déménagé dans chaque prièce, changer le powerBar (des bons), mise à jour firmware ... .. j'ai essayé ce que je pouvais contrôler et pensé. J'ai même contacter le support (bon), A l'ancien lieu, je devais avoir environ le même nombres de routers Wi-FI autour. Notre conclusion est que, bien que XLink et un autre dispositif similaire sont super d'avoir, vous pouvez avoir un trop grand nombre interférence dans votre bâtiment pour être en mesure de les utiliser. Je suis avec une ligne terrestre ... à nouveau. 3/5 étaient parce que où vous vivez permettra de déterminer si cela fonctionnera ou pas. Sinon 4/5 quand il fonctionne. Mais essayer des choses.