The display is very clear and I can see it from a distance with the backlight on when the phone rings and when reviewing the call list.
It's great with the power supply and I only have a battery in for backup to save the memory if the power goes out. My previous one didn't have AC power and went through batteries way too often. I just noticed that the battery cover is pretty tight and I had to use a knife to pry it a bit to get it to open.
This is my second one. The first one is a few years old and still works just fine. I am ordering another one right after I get done with this review. Fans-Tel Type II Large Backlite Screen
Bought this for my 88 year old mother who answered every call because she could not easily read the caller ID display on her phone. The large display is perfect for her and the fact that it lights up when the phone rings is wonderful. The fact that it must be plugged in was not a problem for her. After searching stores locally and looking at the reviews for amazon products, this seemed the best choice and we are not disappointed. It is a basic unit, but highly recommended for those needing an "easy read".
I have always been fascinated by the lack of progressive technology in caller ID units. They seem to be 50 years behind the times. Not in the way they work, but in allowing you to actually see them work. While we have been able to send men to the moon and transplant hearts for quite some time now, it seemed for the longest time that a caller ID that was both big enough to read and well lit was still out of reach of the best minds in the world. Most caller IDs these days still look like an early prototype of something invented decades ago. Like the very first calculators that were so big they had to stand on the floor and had tiny, hard to read screens that were,...well,....like most caller IDs of today. There is no question that in most homes a caller ID of some sort is as much of a necessity as a microwave. Unless you have ample time to pick up every call and enjoy being hounded by charities and telemarketers, they have evolved into one of the most beloved possessions most of us can own.
Its still today hard to find a caller ID that is big enough and clear enough to see without sticking your face right into it. And, one that is actually back lit. (As well as dependable. Some of the other large display units on Amazon have some pretty poor reviews as far as durability). Once again it fascinates me that $3.00 digital watches can come back lit, but a basic caller ID just laughs at you when you look for any light to be found. This Fanstel Type II unit not only has a display that is large and generous enough for most anyone to see, but also has an automatic light that comes on quite brightly when the phone rings. No more squinting to see the little numbers, or rushing to turn on a light like we have all been forced to do with junk units. The contrast on this display is still not the best, (still got to get those brilliant minds working on that), but as good as I have ever seen, and I have no problem making it dark enough. The actual display itself is very big and easy to read, and the back light feature works extremely well, and, is also adjustable. I plan on buying more of these for every room I have a phone in. Even the ones that have their own caller ID built in for they all are all junk and hard to read anyway. This ID is reasonably priced here on Amazon, carries a fair shipping charge, and in my opinion a must buy for anyone that is still living in the "dark" ages of caller IDs. I've had mine for almost a year now and it still works flawlessly. Do yourself and your eyes a favor and buy one of these and see the light. And the number. Highly recommended...
I bought one of these in June, and it was defective. It worked fine until the caller id reached call #99. After that I couldn't scroll back to see the recent calls because the order of calls became completely mixed up. I returned it to the company and they sent a new one which worked fine. I liked it a lot so I ordered another one in Sept '09 and the same thing happened. I called the company and spoke to a supervisor. He said that they had a problem with a large batch of them, and they will be getting in a new shipment in 2 months. I can hold onto my defective one and send it back to them in 2 months to be exchanged. They will not pay for your shipping fees to ship from you to them even though it is a defective product.
This CID box works well for me. Its backlight comes on when the phone rings or when I scroll through the list of calls, and goes off several seconds afterward. The display is fairly clear, and while not perfect, it is easily readable. It works with AT&T's U-Verse service, displaying the full number correctly (three others I have do not). I have it on its own branch (no phone plugged into it) and it works fine there -- it is even able to dial numbers in its history. The user interface is reasonably simple.
It has some drawbacks (these turned out to be minor for me). It requires both AC line and phone line connections; it would have been nice to find one that draws power from the phone line (the AA cells for backup still make sense). The wall mount feels flimsy and yet requires such force to get the box to snap into place that I would be afraid of tearing up my wall by using just the included screws to mount it (it will just sit loosely if it is not snapped in properly). The contrast setting is odd, with the default on power-up only readable at a low angle from the bottom of the screen. The user interface assumes several defaults within seconds after you plug it in, and at least one of those defaults can only be edited by resetting the box (unplug for several seconds with no AA cells in place). The battery compartment practically requires tools to open.
The documentation that comes with it seems typical -- a general description of the device and its functions, followed by steps that need to be followed to make important adjustments (such as the contrast). It is well worth the minutes it should take to read the documentation first, before ever plugging the box in (and my advice is to insert the AA cells AFTER you have it plugged in and set up, to make initial resets easier). - Caller Id Display - Jumbo Display - Caller Id Unit - Large Caller Id Display'
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