Reviews for Uniden TRU8885-2 Cordless Telephone

1 x Phone Lines - Silver - MPN: TRU88852

  • 5
  By member: robpower - Oct 13, 2004

Uniden TRU8885-2 Cordless Telephone

Strengths: Loads of features. Amazing sound clarity. Cool walkie-talkie feature.

Weakness: The only feature this is missing is a spare battery charger in the base that acts as a backup to power the base during an electrical outage.

I can't speak to the negative comments about the range when this phone is used in a house with a huge yard. But I'm in a 2 bedroom apartment, with the base at one end, and the handset has perfect sound quality at the other end (about 60 ft away, through 4 walls). That's all I need, so this phone is perfect for me. Also, since it uses the 5.8 GHz frequency for both the handset and base (most others transmit from the handset back to the base over 2.4 GHz to save battery), I can use this with my 2.4 GHz 802.11 b/g home wireless network.

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  • 5
  By member: rdanzini - Feb 2, 2005

Uniden TRU8885-2 Cordless Telephone

Strengths: Does not interfere with my wireless router. Great features, speakerphone, check VM from handset.

Weakness: None that I can think of.

I really like this phone. It works great and was very easy to set up. Range is not an issue for me, I just need it in my condo, and wanted a phone system that would not interfere with my other wireless connections.

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  • 3
  By member: epweinsteinmd - Dec 11, 2005

So close

Strengths: Menus, CID log dialing, construction

Weakness: small buttons, answering machine indiscretion, difficult to end calls

I am an obssessive shopper, I like to do the research and then try different alternatives. In order to replace our old Motorola system that is a few years old and not working as well as a primary system needs to work, I tried the Uniden TRU8885 as well as the AT&T E5826BC before comming back to Motorola. I won't bore you with the technical details, you can read them for yourself, I will, however, give a summary of overall pros and cons. The reception on the 5.8 gHz systems was noticably less than the Motorola 2.4 gHz and we have never had any interference from our wireless router. The ATT was nicely designed, including a charger for bachup batteries in the base. However, the icon menus were difficult to navigate and you had to select the Caller Id (CID) menu from either the handset or the base before you could see calls. Once you selected them, there was no way to have local calls listed without the area code, so you couldn't dial from the CID log as you could from the Uniden and the Motorola. The Uniden was set up better but because of the 5.8 gHz freq has less reception than the 2.4 gHz Motorola, I found the buttons a little small on the Uniden and ending calls was not always reliable as many times the phone rang after hanging up with the other party still connected. In addition, the Uniden answering machine picks up briefly every times the phone rings and is not answered even if the caller hangs up. I have found the Motorola's menu to be easy to navigate and very intuitive. ATT and Uniden make a big deal about ring-tones which I don't care about, and ATT sings the praises of their color display that allows you to assign an icon for people in your phonebook. again, I don't care, I think that the Motorola is much easier to use, the reception has always been good, and the product reliable. I would by the Moto in a heartbeat over the competition.

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  • 4
  By member: jackm2211 - Jul 13, 2004

Uniden TRU8885-2 Cordless Telephone

Strengths: Clearity; Speaker phone; transfer phonebook from one handset to the others; direct link between handset; work with 2.4 GHz wireless home network.

Weakness: In house use, the working distance is only about 100 ft from base. Signal is very easy to get distracted.

I bought it for its style and versatility. With in its working distance, the sound is very very extremely clear!!! The speaker phone function is very useful. You can use it when you wait for customer service and so on.

I have home wireless network which use 2.4 GHz frequency; therefore, it is not possible for me to use wireless phone with the same frequency.

In spite of its relatively short working distance, it is perfectly possible to use around a house with 2 floors and a basement house. The phone also work well in garden area (about 50-75 ft from base station with walls)

Not bad at all for this phone even though it is rather expensive.

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  • 5
  By member: jdtenuta - Aug 25, 2004

Uniden TRU8885-2 Cordless Telephone

Strengths: Good features, excellent sound quality

Weakness: Little expensive, cannot change ring tones on base

We've had this phone for a little over a month and it has been great.

We didn't realize how bad the quality was of our old phone, until we plugged in the new Uniden TRU8885-2. It is definitely worth getting a phone that you can expand the number of handsets. We have 2 right now, and we are already thinking of getting a third.

All the good comments we read in reviews and through Uniden hold up to the promise. The only bad point we can find, and it is a small one, is that we can't change the ring tone on the base. Since one handset is stored on the base, when you hear the phone ring, you get two different sounds.

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  • 5
  By member: jpelrod - Aug 1, 2004

Uniden TRU8885-2 Cordless Telephone

Strengths: full featured, copy phonebook between handsets, ring tones, NiMH battery, nice LCD displays, handset speakerphone, up to 10 handsets

Weakness: base ringer, voice prompts/menus when dialing in for messages

I bought several phones with similar features and tested them for three weeks. The Uniden TRU8885 is the one I kept.

I know some people are complaining about the range of this and other 5.8GHz phone, but I guess my needs aren't as complicated. The phone signal and range work just fine throughout my house and back yard.

I really like the ring tones on this phone. It has a nice unobnoxious one, unlike many other models. It's pretty lame that you can't change the ring tone on the base, but you can turn the base ringer off and use the ringers on the handsets, which works just as good for me.

The voice prompts and menus on the answering machine when you dial in to get messages are unintuitive, but I've never found a home answering machine that was any better.

The base and handset LCD displays are large, easy to read, display information well, and the orange backlighting is nice.

I'm glad to see that it's finally possible to copy phonebooks between handsets so you don't have to enter the same thing twice or more.

One small thing that other phones did better was dialing from CallerID data. It does at least let you enter your local area code to avoid redial problems by stripping out the area code. But if redialing a CallerID number that is long distance, each time you have to press * to add the 1 before it. Some of the other phones remembered which area codes needed the 1 and stored this info, or handled remembering local/long distance dial patterns better.

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  • 4
  By member: bhangra5 - Jul 23, 2004

Uniden TRU8885-2 Cordless Telephone

Strengths: A tons of features such as linking handsets together, Record Conversation Capability, Intercom or Call Transfer Between Handsets . Any update that you do on the master can be transfered to the 2nd or third handset.

Weakness: None so far.

All the people complaining about the range should realize that higher the frequency, shorter the range that you are going to get. Example, AM radio stations can be heard miles away out of the town but FM frequency cannot. 5.8Ghz will not have a farther range then the 2.9 or the 900mhz. This is my 3rd Uniden phone system in the past 8 years. They last long and are easy to use. The orange backlight makes it easier to read numbers / caller id info.

Record Conversation Capability is great when a person cannot find a pen and paper to write things on.

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  • 4
  By member: ellark - Sep 26, 2004

Uniden TRU8885-2 Cordless Telephone

Strengths: Sleek & light weight with lot of functionalty

Weakness: Price

The product has lot of in built functions like quite mode selecttive ringer, caller ID, message indicator on the hadset etc. The integrisound feature is the added feature which no competitor can match with reagrds to the voice clarity.

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  • 5
  By member: dorinstancu - Feb 10, 2005

Uniden TRU8885-2 Cordless Telephone

Strengths: Clarity, ease of use, speakerphone on all handsets, do not disturb

Weakness: Cannot delete caller id info from all phones from one extension. A bit thicker than Siemens Gigaset

I had to replace my old Siemens gigaset 2400 because of severe interference with my 802.11 wireless network in the house and just old age ... I liked the modern shape, sleek design, no antenna look of my od phone, though ...

I was impressed by the new system (I bought a 8885-3 plus an additional extension) - clarity, the keypads are illuminated, additional dial pad on the answering system, transfer of phonebook from one phone to another, AND NO INTERFERENCE WITH THE WIRELESS NETWORK.

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  • 5
  By member: mathurac - Aug 11, 2004

Uniden TRU8885-2 Cordless Telephone

Strengths: Excellent signal & perfect sound quality

Weakness: None that I can see

Well made solid phone with excellent signal and sound quality. Great features including phone book that is transferrable to all 10 handsets. Universal settings like time/date and area code rules are quite helpful.

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  • 1
  By member: kamal55555 - Jul 18, 2004

Uniden TRU8885-2 Cordless Telephone

Strengths: Nice features

Weakness: Interferes with my wireless internet router. The whole point of buying the phone (5.8 GHZ) was to prevent interference

- but this phone (had the same experience with the AT&T phone) has a lot of disturbance in temrs of noise... returnign the phone and sticking to 900 Mhz - cheap and doesn;t interfere with the wireless router.

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Reply by member: shahnr
Mar 5, 2005

Which type of router are you using, and where are you placing it relative to the base? It shouldn't interfere (5.8GHz) and most people haven't had that problem.

Reply by member: ttiger23
Mar 30, 2006

Just want to let everyone know stay as far away from Uniden products as possible.

This is the absolute worst phone I have ever owned. Hasn't worked right since the day I bought it. Spent hours on hold for customer service then they tell you to try numerous things which do nothing.

The few times this phone has actually worked in the 2 months, it has been the worst reception you can imagine. I'm talking 1985 cordless phone on an international call bad. There are actual times of "dead air" during conversations. Half the time I pick up the phone to talk you can't get a dial tone and forget about trying to click over for another call.

This is supposed to be a high end phone. IT IS A PIECE OF JUNK!
Now they want me to pay for shipping to ship this defective crap back to them so they can fix it. In the mean time I guess I'm supposed to go without a phone or go buy another one.

I have owned 3 Uniden phone systems in the past 8 years or so the first was very good my old 900mhz phone, the last 2 have gotten progressively worse. I will never buy another Uniden phone again. This phone was defective from the day I bought it and their customer service department (unhelpful, extremely bad attitudes) convinced me to keep the phone and try their suggestions. (5-6 calls over the first 2 months I owned the phone.) Being that I work for a living that is about as often as I can manage to stay on hold for 40 mins in order to talk to a customer service rep.

The most ridiculous thing which you won't find out until you get the phone home and have to call customer support. The phone is not supposed be put near any type of electrical device, especially a computer!!??!! Where in the hell do they think people are going to hook this up. The whole point of 5.8Ghz is supposed to be less interference and better reception. It made little difference even after hooking it up in the far end of a room that only contained a TV the phone was barely operational.

Pure garbage and they don't stand behind their product. Do not buy Uniden.

Reply by member: BoNa
Aug 21, 2006

Thank you for sharing your experience. I also purchased a brand new uniden phone. The same exact phone with 3 handsets. I was in love with the phone and it's features at first. However less than 6 months I was unable to make calls or receive. I would have to constantly unplug the phone wire from the jack box on wall in order to make and receives calls every time I had used the phone. It is rediculous and quite annoying. I contacted Uniden via internet and they gave me some instructions to reset... stated to hold the do not disturb while plugging in the main power source until it beeped. To NO AVAIL - this did NOT WORK!!!!! They stated I would have to send phone in for repair. Screw them - I should have trusted my gut after another uniden failed, but at least that one lasted almost a year. However, I was taken by the many features and three handsets. I purchased phone from COSTCO. I attempted to call Uniden SEVERAL times and each time I am on hold far too long. I decided to hold one last time. It took over 20 mins before a live rep answered. She asked my name and phone number. I found this unimportant and even more annoying after being on phone for over 20 mins. After explaining the problem, she stated the base is more than likely defective. I am very dissatisfied and, will WARN all friends, coworkers, internet community, etc NOT TO WASTE TIME or MONEY on UNIDEN PHONES!!!! Again, thank you for sharing.

  • 1
  By member: hansmaester - Jun 27, 2004

Uniden TRU8885-2 Cordless Telephone

Strengths: Great features, this is the smartest phone I have seen.

Weakness: Signal strength is pathetic. My old 900 MHz much more range

Aside for the range it is a nice phone system. However I cannot get past the fact that the phone can't even go 200 ft ouside my door. While my old 900 MHz phone (bases were placed next to each other) could easily reach 1000 ft. I guess I was expecting better range than the 900 MHz. For that I think the phone is unneceptable.

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Reply by member: navycwo4
Dec 12, 2004

I have read many good comments on this phone system. A lot have mentioned the range. You must understand that the higher the frequency the shorter the distance. I feel as long as the range works in my house and yard I'm good to go.

  • 1
  By member: Sipulacku - Jun 21, 2004

Uniden TRU8885-2 Cordless Telephone

Strengths: None

Weakness: It died after a month and a half.

Bought the phone less than two months ago and it's already broken. Called Uniden repair department and they gave me the runaround.
Be warned: the phone may look nice on the pictures but it's of very poor quality.

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  • 5
  By member: tonytrent - Jul 21, 2004

Uniden TRU8885-2 Cordless Telephone

Strengths: features sound quality

Weakness: price / needs a 2 min record time instead of one min .it jumps from 1 min to 4 mins

everythings works excelent ,very easy to use . the sound is very clear . the direct links works but sure how far it can be between the two units, my best feature is the call screening from the hand set

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  • 1
  By member: mmblitz1 - Feb 17, 2005

Uniden TRU8885-2 Cordless Telephone

Strengths: Looks great and had lots of good rings. Easy Interface.

Weakness: Static and lots of it

I bought this phone to replace the one that I had from Panasonic. When all was said and done, I ordered more of the panasonics and returned this one. I Had constant static. I think that this resulted from my wireless broadband router. Buyer beware!!

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  • 4
  By member: Altova - Nov 18, 2005

looks great fills your normal needs

Strengths: strong fealing, and very sophisticated i can talk on it for hours

Weakness: omfg it broke... i think it may just be a mistake when they massed prodused these!

well i like it i feal realy big when i use it like a mac or a player but i am very ruff with just about every thing i touch so it didnt have a chance with me... what im trying to say is if you plan on droping it keeping it in restroom whele taking a shower... playing it realy loud stuff like this it wont last, very long i would give it 3 months lol my mom was ticked off...

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  • 1
  By member: bantelo - Mar 28, 2007

UNIDEN SUCKS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Strengths: good, when it works??

Weakness: Horrible customer service. Broke 3 months after purchasing it. Uniden needs help.

Broke 3 months after purchasing it. I've been getting the runaround from Uniden customer support. I emailed customer service and their president and still haven't been able to resolve. Uniden sucks!!

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  • 1
  By member: mrheid - Sep 17, 2006

Great phone, when it works!

Strengths: Solid feel, speakerphone, intercom

Weakness: Fails to work after 1 year, system reboots every minute with a welcome message.

The phone worked great for the first 9 months. After that I noticed the handset would not connect to the base or make a call 1 out of 10 times, which slowly increased to 9 out of 10 times over the next 3 months. That's when I noticed the base unit continually reseting itself. I called Uniden support and reset the base and handsets with no luck. The support desk blaming that power outages could have damaged the base unit. But after reading many posts on the web, I believe the failed unit is because of bad quality or electronic design.

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  • 1
  By member: zspira - Jun 21, 2006

why did i get this?

Strengths: we liked the 2 cordless phone idea.

Weakness: sound quality is not good. too much static or hollow air. we cannot access the machine remotely from ANY PHONE.

We want our money back from Uniden. The sound was bad and the remote access does not work no matter what kind of phone we call in from. We will probably just end up with VM from our local phone company or something like that. DO NOT PURCHASE!

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  • 1
  By member: ttiger23 - Mar 30, 2006

Worst Phone I have Ever Owned

Strengths: None

Weakness: Reception, customer service, just trying to get a dial tone.

Worst phone ever. Terrible customer service. Reception is terrible, actual "dead air". Interferes with other electrical devices you can't place the base anywhere near a computer especially.

I have purchased many phones from Uniden in the past and my experience was so bad overall with this system I will never buy another Uniden product.

One star rating is way too generous. I will have to trash this $150.00 phone system or pay to have it shipped back the manufacturer for repair and buy a temporary phone in the mean time.

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  • 4
  By member: mirceani - May 2, 2005

Uniden TRU8885-2 Cordless Telephone

Strengths: Nice, convenient and powerfull.

Weakness: none

Good voice quality, easy to use and setup, lots of features especially speed dial.
Each handset has it's own speed dial memory (10 positions).
One missing feature though - the automatic dial to your pager number when somebody leaves a message on the answering machine.

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Reply by member: Altova
Nov 18, 2005

ok what are you saying im smart but i make mistakes i may miss place one of my ten phones and hit worng speed dial omg i called the police lol ok not likely but some people put ambulance on speed dial and what do i do if i call the worng person at 12:30 at night danm her parents answerd haha i asked for newenema ceo of newgrounds. well i didnt use the speed dial but you get what im saying.

  • 4
  By member: kacee06 - Jan 23, 2005

Uniden TRU8885-2 Cordless Telephone

Strengths: little or no interference, lots of features

Weakness: price

we purchased another 5.8 ghz phone and returned it for this one due to high interference. we have had this one for about a month now and so far have experienced no intereference.

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  • 4
  By member: gredding - Dec 28, 2004

Uniden TRU8885-2 Cordless Telephone

Strengths: Small Size, visuals, answering machine, address book, clean sound vs old 900hz system

Weakness: Some interference in the house - may be more sensitive vs older 900hz systems

Overall - we like the unit, compared against others like Panasonic. Felt Uniden offered more features than the competition. Like everything except the occasional interference in the house.

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  • 2.0
  reviewgist.com - Dec 25, 2009

Best Usability Uniden Phone

Reception is Average according to 2 Phone experts. -- "loud, clear sound"-reviews.cnet.com -- "Callers voices are loud and clear with little of the typical echo"-reviews.cnet.com -- "longer range."-reviews.cnet.com Read more to find expert opinions on more features like Usability, etc.

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