Picture of the AT&T 922 Speakerphone.

AT&T 922 Speakerphone Telephone Review

I’ve owned two copies of this    AT&T 922 Speakerphone Telephone    since 2000, and used them for full-time telecommuting from my home office for three years.

I’ve also given them as Christmas gifts and received only highly positive feedback.  The built-in speakerphone is highly intelligible at both ends of the conversation, and when using the handset receiver, the adjustable volume can overcome the problems of understanding those very soft callers.  Both the loudspeaker and earpiece have a very full audio frequency response, making them ideal for use on today’s great-sounding phone systems.  In this, the first of my 2 line phones reviews, I’ll detail my impressions of this long-time home-based business companion.

Picture of the AT&T 922 Speakerphone.
AT&T 922 Speakerphone

AT&T 922 Speakerphone Benefits, Pros, Features, and Advantages

Pretty Rugged Over All

In over ten years with this AT&T telephone as our primary office phone, we only ever saw one trouble with it.  We pulled it off the edge of a desk. Then the ringer sounded lower and quite different.  Otherwise however, the good performance of this unit was unaffected.  Generally, this phone seems pretty rugged.

Dual Line Support

The 922 supports up to two telephone lines, can switch between them. Incoming calls on each line have a different ring sound.

Conference Mode

It also has a conference mode in which you can join the two lines together in a three-way call.

Visual Alert of Incoming Calls on the AT&T 922 Speakerphone

An LED for each line is supplied that flashes to show which line a call is coming in on.  There’s another red LED for each line that flashes to indicate that that line is on hold.

Large Speakerphone Switch

The button to switch back and fourth between handset and speakerphone modes is large.  It’s located away from most of the other buttons. So, you can easily and press it.  It too has an LED close by that glows when speakerphone mode is active.





Distinctive Ring Sounds

As mentioned, you get a different-sounding ring on this two line business phone, depending on which line a call enters through.

Separate Ringer Volume Settings

You may set the ringer volume separately for each line via two slide switches on the right side of this speakerphone.

The AT&T 922 Speakerphone Has a Hold Button

You can place a caller on one line on hold while you place a call on the other line.

Remembers Lots of Phone Numbers

Two banks of phone number memories come with the 922 speakerphone.  Each bank stores up to sixteen numbers. Further, you can switch between the banks with the press of a button.

Battery Backup

This phone saves these memories across phone line power losses with battery backup.

How to Put Phone Numbers into Memory

Programming the 32 memories is pretty simple.

  1. Lift the receiver.
  2. If programming a button in the lower bank, press the Lower button.
  3. Then, dial the number you wish to associate with a memory.
  4. When finished dialing, press the memory button you want this number to go into.
  5. Then, hang up.  The memory is now programmed.
  6. Test it by lifting the receiver, listening for the dial tone, and the pressing the button you just programmed.  You should hear the phone dial the programmed number.




Pause Button on the AT&T 922 Speakerphone

A Pause button is provided to enter a pause into a string of numbers during programming, allowing you to program access codes followed by short pauses for outside lines, international calls, Etc.

Phone Number Directory List Card

A card insert allows you to write the names and phone numbers beside each memory button you’ve programmed.

Mute Button

An included Mute button allows you to turn off the microphone when using either the handset or speakerphone modes.  Mute mode keeps noises in your area from distracting callers you talk to on the phone.

All buttons still work even when the phone is in mute mode, unlike other models tested, that disable the numeric keypad during mute.

Easy to Dial Key Pad

You can quickly dial calls on the numeric keypad.  The size of and spacing between the keys supports rapid-fire dialing.

Flash Button

A Flash button makes actuating telco-provided call waiting or three-way calling services a breeze, as when pressed, it releases the line for the correct interval every time.  No more guessing at how long to depress the receiver switch hook in order to properly flash the line.

Volume Setting on the AT&T 922 Speakerphone

A call volume rocker switch allows adjustment of speaker and earpiece volumes. The phone then remembers the last setting for each mode when you switch to the other.

You get four volume levels for the handset and four for the speakerphone.

Redial Button

We like the Redial button.  When pressed, it replays the tones or pulses of the last number dialed.  With redial you don’t have to punch in then last number you called manually each time you want to call it.

Light Receiver

Located on the left side of this phone, the receiver is easy to pick up with the left hand, freeing the right hand for dialing.  This is great for me, as I am right-handed.





Low Phone Fatigue

The receiver weight is none too heavy and fits our heads quite well. So, phone fatigue only sets in after we chat for a few hours.

Neutral Phone Color

Colored in a neutral light gray, the 922 fits into most any office or home decor.  I actually prefer this to the beige that so many other phones sport.

AT&T 922 Speakerphone Disadvantages, Cons, Problems, and Limitations

Low Speaker Volume

In speakerphone mode, the maximum volume available is not that high.

Half Duplex

That is, the speaker mutes when the phone picks up voices or other noises at the other end of the line.  You can often hear the switching between “transmit” and “receive” mode, and this grows distracting.

Further, quiet voices from the other end are sometimes not heard at all in the speaker.  This can happen when noise is present where this speakerphone is used.  The reverse also happens.  Quiet sounds and voices picked up by this speakerphone are often muted and not therefore transmitted to the phone line if line noise or weak voices are detected in the incoming connection from the other end of the phone line.  This half-duplexing is a serious drawback with most speakerphones in this price range that we tested.

The AT&T 922 Speakerphone Has No Sound Calibration Mode

This phone does not include a calibration mode to help it better discern the sound acoustics of the room where you have it. Such a mode could reduce the half-duplexing effects described above.  So, this speakerphone tends to work certain rooms better than in others.  It likes very quiet, low echo rooms the best.

Cord Often Comes Out of the Cord Guide

The included cord guides on the underside of the AT&T 922 do not always securely hold the phone line cables.  So occasionally, excess tension is placed on the line connector (RJ11) itself.





This Phone Locks Up Sometimes

Very infrequently, this AT&T 922 becomes unresponsive (none of the buttons work).  To remedy, simply unplug all phone lines and remove the batteries for a few minutes, reinsert the batteries, and restore the phone line connection.  This happened to me a couple times, and seemed to accompany the presence of static electricity.  So keep static away from this and any other electronic device if you can help it.

They Might Supply a Longer Handset Cord

The shorter one that came with the 922 was probably the reason I pulled the unit off of my desk in the first place.

Our Rating for the AT&T 922 Speakerphone

So we highly recommend the AT&T 922 speakerphone telephone to anyone working out of a home office. It works well as a business telephone with all of the essential feature function.  The 922 reliable, sounds great, is easy to operate, and comes from a time-tested manufacturer (AT&T).  Thus, we rate this phone at 93 out of 100.

Where To Buy The AT&T 922 Speakerphone

This office phone is widely available from Amazon, Ebay, and other Internet outlets for less than $50; a decent price for such a feature-packed telephone as this one.

Look for the 922 in the black, orange, and purple box.

Related Posts to AT&T 922 Speakerphone Review

  1. SBC Talking Caller Id Box Review, Model 9900CW
  2. ClassCo InTouch 5000 Talking Caller Id Box Review

References for AT&T 922 Speakerphone

  1. AT&T 922 Speakerphone    on Amazon
  2. Speakerphone   on Wikipedia
  3. Where To Buy The   AT&T 922 Speakerphone

Revision History

  • 2019-03-26: Added tags, subheadings, and key phrase targeting.
  • 2015-12-19: Added more appropriate tags.
  • 2015-10-06: Added appropriate tags.
  • 2015-02-05: Updated content.
  • 2014-12-10: Added white space for clarity, adjusted ad positioning, and revised content.
  • 2014-10-06: Added a picture. Added to ‘Telephones’ category.
  • 2012-04-12: Original publication.