Radio Shack 4-Channel 900MHz Wireless Intercom with VOX Mode

"We needed a system that would allow us to hear if someone needed assistance in three separate bedrooms over night. We tried baby monitors and other intercom systems and there was a lot more interferance and static, plus we were not able to hear all three at once. We have the three in the bedrooms set to VOX mode with the volume turned all the way down. The volume on the one in our bedroom is up most of the way and can hear just fine if anyone needs anything over night. Because the volume on the other three is down, they do not interupt the others sleeping when asking for assistance. Having the intercoms just on LOCK mode does not work for us as that can only be used for one intercom at a time. We are so grateful that we found this product as we were becoming hopeless! Thanks Radio Shack!"

"Three years ago my wife and I moved into a three story house. I split my time between the kitchen on the first floor and my den on the third floor. My wife is always either in the bedroom or in her office, both on the second floor. We used to run up and down the stairs to communicate, but yesterday I put four of these intercoms in those four locations. Wow! What a difference! They worked right out of the box. No setup at all. I just plugged them all in to their included wall warts and they all played beautifully. They'll also run on batteries and even recharge if you desire, but we aren't doing that.



The greatest distance is between the kitchen and my den, and the quality is crystal clear. Now when I'm watching TV in my den and my wife is ready to go to brunch she can find me from her office wherever I am. I can also let her know when her lamb steaks are off the barby and in the kitchen without having to run up the stairs.



We've gone to a more efficient method of cooling the house by turning up the central air thermostat and running individual room air conditioners for wherever we are at the time, so all of the doors are closed in the house making yelling back and forth impossible. I'm a retired electronics engineer and my wife is a technically challenged person. Once she understood you have to hold the talk button down as long as you're talking and let it go when you want to hear, she got it in about a minute. Very, very easy to use, plenty of range in our three story house, and sounds good enough it's easy to understand for my hearing challenged wife. We're not using the VOX or monitor features, but they sure make life easier being able to instantly communicate.



I looked at a lot of these, and you have to beware the ones that use the AC wiring in your house. They won't work unless the units are all on the same breaker. You can also spend a lot more money and get about the same performance. Also be aware that these are not scrambled, and your conversations can be heard by someone with a scanner or a similar unit if they're in range. Since we're not discussing our investment accounts or social security numbers on the intercom I don't worry about this. The one other thing to be aware of is every unit hears whichever one is transmitting, so there is no provision for a private conversation between any two. That's fine for us. For a larger family with multiple units it may prove to be a little annoying, but for the purpose of "Honey, the phone's for you," or "I'm ready to go," these are perfect for us."

"Calling the kids while they were playing a video game or in the shower way too long used to require either A) going down to our finished basement or B) yelling down the basement stairwell over the TV or video game noise or C) opening the bathroom door and barking instructions. Now, a simple push of a button and a normal indoor voice at arms length is tranmitted clearly, without static to the other three stations (we bought two sets) throughout our home. The kids respond immediately. Less yelling and more responsiveness = win/win. I've owed them about a month, so I can't speak to them being long - lasting. But they are light weight and have several nice features (off/volume knob, sensitivity variations for hands - free use, audible and visual signal identifying when your intercom is transmitting and plug in or battery power). In my house, these intercoms have crystal clear clarity. Remember - although I've not experienced this, others CAN LISTEN or TRANSMIT on the same frequency you are on. Other items, such as neighbors with like wireless intercoms, baby monitors, cordless phones, etc. may affect your experience, keep your receipt! I hope this helps."

"Unit has five dip switches located in battery compartment. They are labled Sub Tone and CH. All were in down position on the four units I purchased. I expected to find information on the purpose of these dip switches and their settings in the User Guide. They are not mentioned, but a photo of them is included with the section on recharging batteries. In the photo the dip switches are located next to the battery recharge switch.



There is a decal inside the battery compartment cover which shows switches 1,2,3 are for setting eight possible subtones. The decal shows switches 4 & 5 are for selecting the channel, four combinations (four channels) are possible.



Haven't used the product yet. Was in the process of installing when I encountered this problem. Yes, I am probably one of the few who actually reads the used guides before installing. Unit is advertised as four channel, but no mention is made in User Guide or web site on how to select channels."

"I tried the FM versions first, but they were too noisy. Returned those and spent the extra money and loved the 900MHz versions. I have 6 units scattered around the house to monitor a senior citizen who can call for help when needed. Very low "buzz" is tolerable. All units came with AC adapters, but can also run on battery.

The only con is "lock" mode locks out any talk from other stations and turns it into a monitor only from the "locked" station."

"I bought a pair of these in 2001... they still work great, with no flaws whatsoever. I recommend the RadioShack 900mhz intercoms to many of my friends looking for an inexpensive, long-lasting, durable little wireless intercom. The only drawback is the new models aren't compatible w/ the old ones. This is it's only design flaw. Overall, I can't think of a single intercom system that would have given us as much service over the years, and for such an inexpensive price too. Anyone tired of the hissing and crackling of other intercoms should really try these out. Best intercom system around, bar none."

"We have had 4 units for 2 years now and are adding 2 more. We live in a 3900 sq. ft home and I am very impressed with the clarity in sound from one end of our home to the other. I actually prefer the convenience of these wireless intercoms as opposed to built-ins on the wall. I like having the flexibility to place the intercom next to the bed or anywhere else, rather than having to get up to use one on the wall. I would definitely recommend...you can't beat the value for the money!"

"We have 6 of the 900MHZ intercom systems purchased two years ago which work great. I recently purchased 2 of the new 900MHZ intercom systems. They look exactly the same (except for the VOX switch), and are set on the same channel and sub-channel, yet THEY DON'T WORK WITH THE OLD SYSTEMS! They talk to each other well, but the old systems don't pick up the signal. They seem to be on a different frequency as the old ones. I have tried all channels and subchannels and can't get it to work. Since you can't buy the old systems anymore, which are only two years old, I am very upset that I can not now expand my current system. It is distressing to spend all that money on a system, and suddenly it seems outdated."

"The sound quality is excellent. But be aware of some shortcomings: (1) Like most intercoms, these are not full duplex -- i.e., only one person can talk at a time. This may be obvious to some. It can be annoying. (2) When you push "Talk," a tone sounds for about 1/2 second before you can speak. Really annoying, and no apparent reason for it. I am seeking a better alternative."

"Bought to replace older intercom that stopped working. My dad who is bed-ridden uses it to call my mom in the kitchen if he wants a drink or something. Set it up in a minute. Works fine. Clear signal. No static. However, not crazy that every time you hit the talk button, it beeps. Otherwise a decent system for what we need."