Review on 📞 AT&T (1740WH) Digital Answering System with Date and Time Stamp, in White by Tony Francis

I bought this AT&T answering machine for my elderly mother. I had two main requirements: ease of use and something that could be completely silent if the caller was recording a message. Apparently, the silent mode was deactivated on this answering machine at some point, as some reviewers reported, but the device bought in January 2017 can work silently, as I demonstrate in the attached video. The sound is recorded clearly and without distortion. The autoresponder is pretty easy to use. Setup is easy, minimal setup only requires clock setting. You can write your own greeting if you like, but the default greeting is also very reasonable. An answering machine is connected: The answering machine is plugged into the wall, the telephone is connected to the answering machine. The phone is not needed for the answering machine to work, but we have a phone connected. The answering machine doesn't ring like a phone, it beeps when it starts recording. You can see how it works in my video. Note that the ringtone for incoming calls comes from my phone, which is plugged into the back of the answering machine. If you have caller ID, the caller's phone number (not their name) will be spoken. If you are on the phone and there is another call on the answering machine, the recording will not be carried out. The call waiting function works as it did before the answering machine was switched on. The answering machine can store messages for 60 minutes. Old messages can be deleted individually (when listening) or all at once. The answering machine comes with a network adapter. It has a built-in backup battery for the clock. If I turn off the answering machine to move it to another location, the clock stays set. But this battery only works for a short time. When I left the answering machine turned off for a few days, it forgot the date and time. There are two small things I don't like: (1) The phone cord doesn't connect to the answering machine, it's built in. The tongue of the cord will break, it will not be easy to replace it. (2) The Play button is a large silver area next to the display, it doesn't look like a button and it's not clearly labeled "Play". My mom had a hard time finding the play button on her own. All other keys are better labeled. Review by Ali Julia