Test driving the Telstra Tough 2
Back in December 2009, I wrote about the Telstra Tough™ (T90) – a ruggedised handset designed by Telstra and ZTE and built, as its name suggested, Tough.
Just over 15 months later, I was excited to test drive the latest Tough family member- the Telstra Tough™ 2 (T54)
Do you have to be a “tradie” to use this phone? Definitely not!
If you lead an active lifestyle, love the outdoors, want to take your phone camping, fishing or cycling, etc, then the Telstra Tough™ 2 is going to be high on your list of must-have phones.
With its IP54 rating, the T54 is water, dust and shock resistant. While it’s not designed to go swimming with you (this is definitely not a good idea for ANY phone or electrical device), the Telstra Tough™ 2 will not resemble the Wicked Witch from Oz and die when it gets splashed. The Telstra Tough™ 2 has a 2.4” Gorilla Glass covered screen ensuring your phone’s display will live up to its “Tough” name. Gone are the days when a strategically placed scratch on your phone’s screen will haunt you for the life of your contract. Gorilla Glass is used on televisions, computers, smartphones and tablets.
The Telstra Tough™ 2 comes with more memory than its predecessor, now expandable to 16GB through the use of a MicroSD card – more than enough to store photos taken with the 3 megapixel camera.
As you would expect, the Telstra Tough™ 2 carries the Telstra Blue Tick – ensuring you will get great coverage from the Telstra Next G® network – no matter if you are in the city or out and about doing the things you want to do.
If you have been using the Telstra Tough™ (T90), the Telstra Explorer T165+ or the T165i Country Phone, and are ready to upgrade to the Telstra Tough™ 2, you will be pleased to know that you can use their existing in-car kit – all you need to do is change the cradle. The Bluetooth box and other parts are compatible with the new phone. As the Telstra Tough™ 2 has an external antenna port, you can also add an optional external antenna to the car kit to give you that extra coverage when driving.
To further assist your active lifestyle or fill in the hours on the job, the Telstra Tough™ 2 also comes with an FM Radio, GPS and something I find very useful in a noisy environment – a speakerphone that really gives clear sound.
The Telstra Tough™ 2 is exclusive to Telstra, and is available on a range of Post-Paid plans now.
For those of you wanting to purchase it on Pre-Paid – a network locked version will be available from 17 May for $299.
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Telstra Tough™ 2 Features |
|
|---|---|
|
Network |
UMTS: 850/1900/2100mHz |
|
HSDPA |
3.6 Mbps peak downlink rating. Actual speeds are less. (typical speeds of 550kbps –1.5Mbps)^ |
|
Dimensions |
118mm x 53.5mm x 16mm |
|
Weight |
130g |
|
Screen |
2.4” QVGA Colour Display |
|
Talk Time |
Up to 150 mins |
|
Standby Time |
Up to 250 hours |
|
Additional Features |
3 Megapixel Camera |
Related links:
Is there any way to utilise the cradle without the blue tooth facility (associated with the cradle) enabling the phone to be used with the vehicles OEM existing blue tooth service?
Couldn’t you just use a generic cradle?
ie. A third party bracket with a suction cup to attach it to the windscreen.
That’s what I do with my HTC Desire and it’s paired with the vehicle bluetooth and plugged into the cigarette lighter socket.
Probably could, but I prefer to use a fixed bracket mount. Down a bit lower in the cabin. Not sure if there is a generic bracket that will do this. Have searched and can’t find anything that will do the job. I am just about to give up and seek another phone. Trouble is the options are pretty few and far between when you operate on the fringe of the signal area.
I’ve found Expansys very good in the past.
You could try emailing them to see if they have any suggestions.
This is their website http://www.expansys.com.au
looking at new tough t phone any comments appreciated. have given up on i phone 4
How can I change the foxtel and bigpond buttons to say contacts and messages?
Have ZTE eliminated the power off issue that plagued the T90, with this newer T54? (odd naming convention). Eight out of the ten T90′s we purchased are ready to be thrown in the bin.
no
Have been using the T54 touch 2 for about 1 month now and I am very impressed – calls are clear and looks good too. The screen is scratch resistant and a good size. My phone has taken a good battering and hasnt skipped a beat. Battery life is good too.
Hi there can you tell me how to open the camera key and how to transfer photos to computer? Charlie.
Hi Charles,
We’ve got a friendly bunch of customer support staff who will be able to walk you through this. You can find them online here: http://tinyurl.com/24×7-service
would need to be a lot better than the t90.
mine is plagued with power issuses.
and no support from telstra
Hi Mark, Can you please use this form or reply to the email I sent you. I’ll need a contact number to get someone to call you about your power off issues. Brendan
i have had three t54 2 and battery life on stand by has not lasted no more than 4 hours its not a mobile when you have to plug it into power all the time.
I have the T54 Tough Phone which my employer has supplied me. They have bought 5 of these phones and I seem to have got the poor battery life with bluetooth connected. Will be flat within 4-5 hours woithout making a call.
Is it possible to write your own template.
I would like to send pre written template with a hot key.
Is this possible?
I held my t54 with a wet hand and it died.
I really couldn’t recommend any of the “Tough” phones.
” Tough” screen shattered after 2 weeks. The phone was in my pocket, I leaned forward and the screen cracked. Telstra of course deny all responsibiliy because the screen is not covered by warranty. The Telstra shop staff did however report that this was not the first time they had seen this. Not so tough after all!!!
Hi Angie. I sent you an email today to let you know I have a replacement phone for you. Please reply so I can send you the phone. Sorry for the inconvenience. Brendan.
I had the t90 for 2 yrs doped
heaps as i am a carpenter left on Ute tray half submerged ,screen a bit weird some lines through it.Just purchased t54 doped on driveway ND time doped,landed flat on screen totally smashed screen $250 to fix
Many thanks to Brendan for prompt action replacing my broken phone.
Hi,
I’m not sure if anyone else has had this problem or if it is a memory card problem or a phone problem or maybe even a user problem. We use the telstra tough phones at my work and are very happy with them. One of the guys here has recently got one and he says the the contacts after “m” keep disappearing so he can’t use his phone. Anyone got any ideas?
Thanks
Monique
Hi Monique. I’ll askthe product manager for you. Brendan
Does the Testra Tough 2 link to Outlook emails and contacts?
Hi Kath, I can confirm that the device doesn’t support MS exchange/outlook.
I am interested, but it sounds like the usual. Promises, promises.
I have a Telstra Samsung 3800T with several months to go on the contract and the battery races to flat in about 4 hours. Can’t even get through the night.
My previous Telstra LG also gave up the ghost around contract expiry time.
The previous was a CDMA, the network Telstra had destroyed to push us onto digital. Pity, it was an excellent phone and a great network.
Now I am looking at where to and I see the promises and the reality are just the same as the previous ones.
I need a blue tick phone, preferably a flip phone with voice recording, a 2MP or better camera and it doesn’t need to be very smart.
I can only find one with search on this site and that is designed for seniors and no blue tick.
I will go prepaid because then I am not locked into anything that dies within the contract and thus forced to renew.
Poor show for a company that claims to pride itself on quality service to rural Oz.
Any suggestions anyone?
Sorry, amending my comment: It’s a Samsung 8300T. less than 2 years old on a Telstra contract
I have a Telstra T2 tough phone. When I miss calls it displays 1 missed call, but when I click OK it displays no missed calls.
When I go to the call log, there are no missed calls, no received calls and no calls made. Bizzare as I have made calls and received calls.
Any ideas how to change this so I can see who I have missed calls from?
Thanks, Jo.
Hi all,
ZTE has just released new firmware for both the Prepaid and Post Paid versions of the T54 handset which are now available for download from our Australian website.
This update will fix the Call log issue.
Regards,
D.
G’day Joe I had the same problem went to http://www.zte.com.au/telstra/faqs.htm click on how do I call last number dialed?how do I access my call history. It will take you through a process to fix it. It fixed mine so hopefully it will for you to.
Cheers Daryl
I have exactly the same problem. Used to work OK but recently stopped logging calls.
Spoke to ZTE. They suggested remove the battery and SIM and leave them out overnight. I removed mine for about 10 minutes and it seemed to work
My Tough has the same drama, no call logs,
I did the reset factory settings, no joy,
so I’m trying the battery and SIM out…
I have a T54. How do you stop incoming calls being muted when any button is pressed? If I have the phone in my pocket with keylock on, I am still missing calls as the ringtone is being muted – very annoying!
I have bought a T54 a couple of months ago. One of the reasons I purchased it was for the usibility in country areas the ability to plug in an external arial. Has anyone operated one of these with an external arial and if so did you notice much improvement in reception / range?. Also in settings when I select Carkit it comes up with “prohibited” on the screen. Is thn an issue or does it have to be in a cradle with the external arial connect first?
Phone I purchased was a Tough 2
I spoke to ZTE re: that message Larry awhile ago and it was due to the BT Carkit profile being specifically for the cradle and is only activated when the handset is plugged into the cradle.
Cheers, SD
Thanks SD much appreciated
Larry, I have used a small mag mount aerial. Does improve reception significantly. An area where I would get no service it goes to 1-2 bars, so calls are not an issue.
Just received this phone – I would love to charge and use but can’t for the life of me figure out how to open the cover on the charger port have tried to push, pull, slide etc. using considerably force afraid I will break it soon. Don’t want to sound stupid but seriously what am I doing wrong.
I understand your issue Sara…But your post made me lol… To open the back cover you just need to turn the lock to Open – Don’t force it – it stops when the slot is verticle…
Then put a nail/finger under one of the raised corners and just pull it up away from the handset to open.
Cheers, SD
Hey SD, I’m with Sara. I can open the back cover but it seems we both want to open the USB headphones and charging port which is located on the side of the phone. Have been trying without success, it is NOT mentioned in the guide.
Sara, did you get it yet?????
I have the exact same problem as Sara. Can’t work out how to get the USB port open to charge it. Any ideas?
Tip one: Don’t call ZTE as they will treat you like you are mentally deficient and continue to repeat “it’s simple just gently push from the bottom left corner and it will pop open just like a door” and if you can’t do it “perhaps ask some one who is more proficient with technology”. I have a degree in IT all of my family and workmates have tried to open it; so either we are all retarded or the more likely scenario there is a batch of phones with dodgy charger covers.
Tip 2: Butter Knife: Place the butter knife in the crease in the bottom left corner and leaver up and out towards the right it has a toggle thing so you can apply a bit of force with out it snapping off. After the first time you open it will get easier so you shouldn’t have to carry a butter knife with the phone.
To those planning to buy this phone in the next few months ask Telstra to throw in a free butter knife or get them to open the charger cover at the store for you.
I was attracted to this phone for remote area use because you can connect an external antena. It is easy to be cynical when i discover that this phone does not support PAN bluetooth protocol. this means this phone cannot share its internet connection with other devices. i guess telstra will advise to get another device and another plan to use internet. very dissapointing.
Bluetooth PAN? Joking right… It has DUN which I have used for the last year to access data on my laptop from time to time… You get what you pay for. And this device has worked as well as any I have had over the years…no better and no worse…Just another mobile.
Which handset has PAN apart from the Wi-Fi enabled Smart phones with their hotspot function?
Cheers, SD
I have had the T2 tugh phone for 7 months now. It is meant to be a tradies phone and shock resistant. It lacks the qualities to meet both of these.
My phone fell out of pocket onto dirt, whilst leaning over, only to find the screen shattered. The phone probably only fell 300 to 400mm.
It all sounded really practical and suitable for my work, when the salesperson was selling it to me.
I am not overly impressed to say the least.
Just bought a Tough 2. Can’t open the cover over the charging hole! Help! Is there a trick to it or is it faulty.
Hi
Where can I purchase an external antenna for the Telstra Tough?
Al
Alan, Any good electronics shop should be able to help. I got mine locally, the shop specializes with RF products. You could also try good RF communication places, or specialist mobile phone shops (not a T-shop). You will have to get a patch lead (about $30) and an antenna (about $100 for a good permanent mounted type). You could also try a few places online (heaps out there). Remember to get NextG it will have to be 850MHz compatible.
Cheers
Can somebody please advise if you can stop the T54 beeping as you flick thru the menu & saying the number you are pressing when dialling?
Peter, Goto Menu, Settings, press right 2 to show the profile tab, edit the profile, and items 6 & 7 will solve your issues. Note: You have to edit every profile that you are going to use to the setting that you desire/require for that profile.
Cheers
Does the Tough 2 devise have Bluetooth? I’m unable to find any referense to it in the product details.
Section 4 in manual.
Go to:
Menu > Tools > Bluetooth > Bluetooth manager
Does anyone know a way to let the Telstra Tough 2 sync automatically with the Blueant II devices via Bluetooth?
I have found that with bluetooth enabled on the phone, if you switch on the Blueant device, the phone does not find it automatically – you have to go via the menu to sync first – ie the phone has to find the Blueant each time, although you don’t need the password each time. I’m not sure if it is possible to do it any other way.
Hello Jade. You can click to ‘Ask the Crowd’ in a forum or you can go through to our ’24/7 Facebook page’. There are two options to contact us here as these links get you straight through to people who can help – you’ve come through to our corporate blog here and I’d highly recommend using one of these new avenues to get directly in touch with Telstra about a specific product issue. Brendan.
Jade,
Yes, but you will have to tell the phone to do this, So if you have “paired” the devices (search and enter passcodes) this is then saved on the phone. Now goto menu, tools, bluetooth, find the Blueant II in the list and set it to authorised. This will now permit the phone to accept connections to the Blueant II automaticlly.
Cheers
Nathan
Help please! Have a Tough 2 and even though Inbox total cleared message keeps coming up saying insufficient memory and after no msgs for days it suddenly downloaded 17!
Possible memory corruption issue
Solution is to erase all user content.
From idle screen enter: *983*57# -> 509*217#86 -> OK
Considering purchasing the T2 for use on farm. Have happily had the T165i. Is it possible to use it for hotspot type connections?
Jane
Sorry No, This phone doesn’t have WiFi required for Hotspot type connections.
Sorry for the late response.
Hi. I have been given a T2 through a new work position. Trying to enable/set up the Bluetooth and it is asking for a PIN. Is the Pin already established through the SIM card or can I create one? And if so, is there anyway to find out the pin? Can anyone help…please? Cheers David
Hello David, Thanks for contacting us via our blog. The best way to contact Telstra for a service/product query is to click onto the ‘Ask the Crowd’ or go to our 24/7 Facebook page on the top right hand side of our blog where you’ll be directly linked to one of our online customer support consultants. This is the most efficient way to get someone to look into your issue/account.
Have just purchased T54, where can I purchase a cradle for this phone?,I have previous cradle for T165i and car kit,I believe I only need to change the cradle.
Hi Barry. You might like to check here: https://www.worldofaccessories.com.au/
Hi – I am trying to pair a T54 with a BlueAnt S3 – the T54 cannot locate the device even when they are side by side! I’m guessing that there is a compatability issue with the T54 and BlueAnt S3?
Hi,
I use the T54 with all the Blueant Visor BT units in testing. I have never seen a issue with not being able to see the unit.
If you are still having the issue you can visit the ZTE Australia website and post the issue in our forum directly and you will get a response quickly as I monitor our forum and not all the other options on the net.
Cheers,
D.
i had the telstra tough and it kept turning off, took it to telstra shop and they tried to update but it would not accept so gave me a tough2 in exchange, the speaker phone is that quiet you cannot hear with normal outside noise( telstra shop agreed was a problem) but would not exchange phone, rang telstra they said sign new 24 month contract and will give you a new phone, i did not and i think pretty weak that they replace a dud with another dud and then expect me to pay to fix the problem, not happy!!!!!!!
Hi Allan, I’ve asked a local team member to call you and look after you. Stacey will call you as soon as possible. Brendan
I CANNOT open the camera key on the side, and would like to know if it actually opens please? The charge port was also very hard to open.
The buttons are too small. I bought this from Telstra business over the phone on an assurance that the buttons and letters were large and clear.
Deidre, Thanks for contacting us via our blog. The best way to contact Telstra for a service/product query is to click onto the ‘Ask the Crowd’ or go to our 24/7 Facebook page on the top right hand side of our blog where you’ll be directly linked to one of our online customer support consultants. You could also try a store. I will also ask Michael who wrote this blog. Brendan
Hi
Does anyone know where I can get a car cradle for the ZTE T54 so I can use my external antenna without having to dick around with patch leads and aftermaket “holders” and the like??? It beats me why ZTE aren’t making these by the truck load as seems I’m not the only one with this issue!!!
Hi Rob. I had a look on our accessories site and could’t see anything. Perhaps you could ask on CrowdSupport. Brendan.
Thanks Brendan
I changed my165 over to the Tough2 at the Henty Field Day on Wed 19 Sep12′. On the Sunday, it went through 1/2 a wash cycle in the washing machine. I was alerted by all the banging! Frantic BATT and SIM card removal and drying,window sill and hair dryer and am now using it OK. There is no fogging of the screen and all the functions work.
Iam worried about the long term effect of the 2x laundry liquid concentrate but right now it get’s my TICK!
WOW Peter. There’s a testimonial for you. I love this story. Hope it remains in good working condition
Brendan
Hi Brendan. So far,So good. The Boss has a T2 also and comparing signal strength returning from Captains Flat to Cooma, Both the same! However if it does die on me in the future,(still worried about the 2x Liquid Concentrate) I will be getting another T2.
Hi I work in IT@C Support for a large regional council and we have used the Telstra Tough – T90 & now the Telstra Tough 2 – T54. We fix what we can and send the rest for repair. I currently have a T54 which is only showing half the signal strength compared to an identical unit sitting beside it. This unit consistenly drops out – any ideas.
Mike, I’m asking for this to be investigated. Can you please email me your contact details exchange.telstra@team.telstra.com
i forgot my handset password is there anyway i can get back into it ive tried everything and i need to get all my messages and pics and numbers off it
Hi Hollie, Best bet is to post a question over in CrowdSupport. Or you could try 24×7 on facebook. These are the best ways to get support from us online. Brendan
i need help i need all the information eg messages and numbers how do i get into my phone i forgot my handset password and now cant get in to it please help
Hi, I use this phone to take photos in plantrooms where there is not good lighting. I was wondering if there is anyway to make the photos brighter as they are hard to see and do not wish to carry a camera with me all the time.
Also I have noticed in the manual there is a front camera what is this used for, and how do you use it.
Thanks
Hi Shillo,
Go to Camera in Multimedia,Options,then you can choose quality,brightness etc.
The front camera is for Video calls so the other person can see you and if you wish to take a photo of yourself,(usually with another person and then they stick their fingers behind your head like Rabbit Ears)
G’Day Brendan’
I am the Wally that put his new Tough2 in with the wash.
After two month’s,it is still working 100%. I think that if it was to break down, it would have by now. A couple of my mates have changed to the T2 rather than stick with their Yuppy phones as well. One reason is that they could never get a signal when I have at least 2-3 bars.
I do remember your story Peter. Glad to hear it survived the wash and works today.
Hi there,
Just wondering if it’s possible to set the alarm on this phone to go off when the phone is otherwise silent? Setting this one to “silent” mode prohibits the alarm from going off, but having it in “general” mode means that any texts received during the night will come through loudly!
I’ve not had this problem with other phones before?
Cheers
Hi Marcus,
That’s strange and a really odd feature if it isn’t possible. I’m not an expert on this phone but we have a dedicated 24×7 Live Chat Customer Service team who should be able to help you out with this: http://tinyurl.com/24×7-service
- Gigi.
my father got this phone but he doesn’t like the sound feature and the voice that tells him the numbers his is pressing, is there any way to turn it off completely please reply asap thanks.
Hi Lucas – our customer service team can help you out here. You can contact them via live chat, email or phone here.
Hi there,
Would like to know how i can turn up the volume for the voice call ring tone, i’ve got it turned up to the max level but still hard to hear.
Hi Pete – our customer service team can walk you through this. You can start a live chat online here.
Hi, I am having the same trouble as mike F. I have had 3 t54 phones and the have all lost reception. It seems to me that when I connect to a patch lead and external antenna it wrecks the phone and reception strength is far less then it should be making the phone useless as we are in a poor coverage area. This is only my theory, do you have any ideas my dad seems to be having the same problem with a f165. Could it be a faulty antenna. Thanks
Hi Nick, our customer service team can help out with what may be going wrong here. You can start a live web chat with our customer service team here.
Hi, Purchased a T54 only recently. About 3 weeks ago the phone froze. No key would respond when I pressed it – could not even answer a call when the phone rang. I took the battery out and replaced it but still nothing. Could not even enter my code when prompted me too. Eventually the phone ‘repaired’ itself to enable me to enter my code. Yesterday it did the same thing three times. What could be the problem? Thank you.
Hi Julie, sorry to hear you’re having such problems with this phone. Our customer service team can help you out – you can start a live web chat with them here.