How to Choose Your Cordless Phone

There are now hoards of models to choose from so choosing the right model for you can be a nightmare, so read on, hopefully it'll 'tune you in' to some technology choices etc so you have better information on which to base your purchase of a cordless phone.

Multi-Handset Ready
Multi handset cordless phones are inclusive of a base station and at least one cordless handset. Multi-handset ready means that the base station is capable of adding more handsets. So all you need do is buy additional handset and use it with the same system. You won't need to employ extra phone sockets etc so you can just base them in the house wherever you like. Most multi-handset cordless phones are able to handle calls and transfer them between handsets. Of course the maximum number of handsets a system can use is dependent on the system itself, but usually anywhere between 2 and 8 cordless phone handsets.

Answering Machine
Various cordless phone systems have an answering system built in
Does the cordless phone model have an answering machine built in. These are capable of holding both outgoing messages (like 'hello, im not in at the moment') as well as recording incoming messages. Later "DECT" (Digitally Enhanced Cordless Telephones) are able to store these messages digitally, which means there's no need for a tape, making it easier to listen to and delete individual messages, jump forward, back etc without scrolling through a tape to get to the next message. And you should also look out for models which can be accessed remotely so you can record and playback messages remotely (handy if your away on business or on holiday).

Caller ID
A useful feature if you have signed up with your provider (ie BT) for a caller ID service. Your phone will then display your callers name/number on a screen. And if your on one call, you can see who the second caller is while still on the first call. Look for models with Caller ID display functions.

Built in Speakers
Some models have built in speakerphone on either the base station or the cordless phone handset itself. So if you use this type of feature then look out for these models.

Cordless Phone Frequencies
Now a little about cordless phone frequencies which can be confusing:

- Second generation cordless phones (900MHz) use frequencies between 902-928MHz, with channel spacing of 30-100KHz.

- Third generation cordless phones (2.4GHz) use frequencies between 2.4Ghz - 2.4835Ghz, with channel spacing of 5MHz.

- Fourth generation cordless phones (5.8GHz)use frequencies between 5.725Ghz - 5.850Ghz.

One note here, lots of fourth generation cordless phone systems use 5.8Ghz only for the base communication to handset, and still use 2.4Ghz frequencies for communication between handset to base. Splitting these frequencies in this way is much better in terms of battery life for the handset, because more power is required to communicate at the higher frequencies.