Device Review: Savi W430-M “DECT Goes Mobile”

While most mobile devices are Bluetooth, I do have something of a thing for DECT devices. The Savi W430-M is a DECT 6.0 device that can easily go on the road with you. I have struggled with Bluetooth devices over the years and as such I do not use a wireless headset for my cell phone. I either use the speaker phone function or phone to the ear. The fact I am not a heavy user of the voice function on my cell means that this isn’t to much of a problem for me.



Not to say that I am not on the phone much because I am. It’s just that it is usually a Communicator call rather than a cell or deskphone based call. On average I only use my cell phone 40 minutes a month to make calls. So having a roaming headset device that can pair to my cell phone and my laptop is not a high priority to me, I would rather have a high quality wireless headset that I can take on the road. Not to say there isn’t high quality headsets on the market that use Bluetooth but I have always found pairing with dongles and everything else that goes along with them a pain.

So when I received the Plantronics Savi W430-M in the mail I was pleasantly surprised and very anxious to try it out. The first day in the office was going to be it. I don’t have a cube as such at the Microsoft office but a shared space that is first come first serve. So to me being in the office is as good as being on the road. I have only what I can carry. The first thing I noticed when I plugged in the W430 is the LED indicator around the edge of the dongle device to let me know that the dongle and headset are paired and when I am on a call. Now being DECT there was no need to manually pair the devices, which is fine by me and once the headset began to charge they paired immediately and the dongle turned from red to solid green. When on a call it flashes green.



Next was call quality. I have so far made about 10 calls with the device and the call quality has been excellent. I actually had several people comment on it with no prompting from me. I have not tried out the 300ft distance capability which is a one of the bonuses of DECT but I have no doubt that I will.

The web page shows the device in the stand for charging but I pretty much don’t use it. I stick with the USB cable charger that can come with me on the road and fits nicely with the dongle and headset in the carry case. Not to say that this is a delicate device but if I was spending $250+ on a wireless headset I would like to protect it a little. While it fits nicely into the bag for travel, it offers no protection or padding. A padded bag would have been nice to protect the device.



Overall this device is solid. The earpiece wears just like the rest of the Plantronics devices series that use the same form factor and is extremely comfortable. Overall this is a great road warrior device with great call quality and easy to use. I will forever be a fan of DECT 6.0.

Comments welcomed.

VoIPNorm