The Panasonic KX-TAW848 phone system is a wired/wireless system that can integrate Panasonic cordless system phones along with regular corded phones. Many people want the similarities and differences between the Panasonic KX-TAW848 and its “cousin,” the Panasonic KX-TA824 phone system. I will flush out the differences between the two to make decision-making a bit easier.
The Panasonic KX-TAW848 is about 20%-25% more expensive than the KX-TA824. Both Panasonic phone systems are compatible with the same phones:
- KX-T7700 (most popular are KX-T7730, KX-T7731, KX-T7736)
- KX-T7300 (discontinued. Replaced by KX-T7700 series phones)
- KX-T7000 (discontinued. Replaced by KX-T7700 series phones)
- KX-T7885 cordless(discontinued)
- KX-TD7895 cordless (discontinued)
- KX-TD7896 cordless (this cordless phone has replaced the KX-T7885 and KX-TD7895)
- As well as single line telephones (I will explain this in a bit)
However the Panasonic KX-TAW848 goes a bit further. Here lies the first difference between the KX-TAW848 and KX-TA824 phone systems. Both the KX-TAW848 and KX-TA824 phone systems are compatible with the KX-TD7896 cordless phone. The KX-TD7896 will work fine if you have a relatively small space and don’t need a large range for the phone to travel. The KX-TD7896 works in conjunction with both of these systems and functions basically as a corded system phone would. However, if you have a large space such as a big house (above 5,000 or 7,000 sq. feet) or a warehouse, multi-level offices, etc. then you would probably need the KX-TD7684 or KX-TD7694 which are only compatible with the KX-TAW848. These cordless phones work with a little cell station called the KX-T0151. Each cell station can be up to 1640 feet away from the KX-TAW848 control unit, and connects with one pair of wires. No electrical power is needed at the cell stations. Up to 28 wireless phones can be "registered" with the KX-TAW848 system, but only eight wireless phones can be in use in the system at one time. As you move throughout the coverage area, your phone's signal is handed off from one cell station to another without any call interruption. One cell station can support two simultaneous calls. Keep in mind that each cell station takes up an extension of the system. As the KX-TAW848 is initially configured as 4 lines and 4 extensions, you would probably need to expand the system to account for the cell stations. Also don’t forget that the voicemail system such as the KX-TVA50 or KX-TVA200 take up an extension. The Panasonic KX-TAW848 is capable to grow up to 8 incoming lines and 51 extensions (28 of those extensions can be KX-TD7684 or KX-TD7694 “multi-cell” cordless phones). Each KX-T0151 cell station can handle about 6 KX-TD7684 or KX-TD7694 cordless phones. Keep in mind that the KX-TD7684 and KX-TD7694 are significantly cheaper than the KX-TD7896, but the cell station will run you upwards of $215 so it would really be worth it to go with the KX-TD7684 or KX-TD7694 if you are planning to get a couple of cordless phones. Now the difference between the KX-TD7684 and KX-TD7694 is that the KX-TD7684 is a regular sized cordless phone and is cheaper than the KX-TD7694. However we have found that most people prefer the KX-TD7684 because the KX-TD7694 is small like a cell phone. In houses people usually prefer a bigger phone, but to each his/her own.
Just a bit more about cordless phones and the Panasonic KX-TAW848 and KX-TA824. We have spoken about the cordless system phones, but some people shun when they see the price of cordless system phones. The main advantages to having a system cordless phone as opposed to a single line cordless phone are reliability, distance from base for clear conversation, and most importantly the ease of use. You can use a single line cordless phone on either the KX-TAW848 or the KX-TA824, however there will be different codes to enter when you want to utilize certain features such as intercom. You also will not be able to see which lines are being used. If you are okay with these inconveniences, then you can save a bit of money. My strong recommendation is that if you want to get single line cordless phones, don’t even bother with the KX-TAW848 since one of the main purposes of the phone system is to facilitate large numbers of cordless phones seamlessly and with great success. For example if you are getting the Panasonic KX-TA824 with a bunch of corded system phones such as the KX-T7730 and KX-T7731, and you want a simple cordless phone just to have around, then in this case I recommend getting a single line cordless phone.
Onto other issues now regarding the Panasonic KX-TAW848 and Panasonic KX-TA824 are their capacities and capabilities. One main difference that people need to understand relates to the systems when they are connected to the voice mail systems such as the Panasonic KX-TVA50 or KX-TVA200. The KX-TAW848, when connected to the voice mail unit, to have a voice mail assigned to a group of phones. The Panasonic KX-TA824 only has the ability to assign a single phone to an voice mail extension. For example, if a customer calls, the voice mail will pick up and say “welcome to the world of Disney, for Mickey Mouse press 1, for Donald Duck press 2…” With the KX-TAW848, you can have a group of several phones assigned to the Mickey Mouse extension, whereas with the KX-TA824 you can only have 1 phone assigned the Mickey Mouse extension. That is the main difference between the Panasonic KX-TAW848 phone system and KX-TA824 phone system when it comes to voice mail.
We already discussed the number of lines and extensions on the Panasonic KX-TAW848 phone system. The Panasonic KX-TA824 phone system is initially configured at 3 incoming lines and 8 extensions, and can grow to 8 lines and 24 extensions. The reason why these systems are called “Hybrid” is because they are capable of having both analog and single line phones connected to the system.
Both the Panasonic KX-TAW848 phone system and the Panasonic KX-TA824 phone system come with the ability to do remote administration, meaning that you can have your tech do all the programming from a different location outside of your home or office. The KX-TAW848 has power failure transfer on all lines, the KX-TA824 has power failure transfer on 2 pre-assigned extensions.
The other features are as follows:
