How to Choose a Cordless Telephone

A cordless phone is totally different from a cell phone. Some old timers think that these two electronic marvels are one in the same. The truth is that both a cordless telephone and cell phone are both communication tools; there are some differences that are important to consider.

A cordless telephone is an essential appliance in almost any home. The ease of use and the freedom to move around make a cordless phone a must have in our multi-tasking environment. How else could Mom cook dinner, clean the refrigerator and wash clothes while talking to “Nana” if it were not for a cordless telephone?

The cordless phone is an essential component in most households. The cordless telephone is much more reliable than most cell phones. Most households have cell phones for each family member but they also have cordless telephones with a separate number.

Essentially a cordless telephone is a combination of a telephone system integrated with a radio transmitter. Cordless telephones are really marvels of state of the art technology.

Although cordless phones are convenient and reasonably prices, they are not used in most business environments. The major issue that prevents many businesses from using cordless telephones is the problem with security.

Many businesses are very concerned with security breaches. Companies must be able to maintain customer privacy, the integrity of their products and services. Business must protect their ideas and process to insure business continuity. Since business information is highly sensitive, cordless telephones were not an option.

Because the transmission from the cordless telephone system goes out over the open airways, other devices can intercept the transmission. Some common electronic devices are able to interfere with the signals. Some of these devices that can pick up the signals are other cordless telephones, radio scanners and even baby monitors.

But for many homes, a cordless phone is an essential accessory. Cordless telephones just make life more convenient. There are some major features that are important in a cordless telephone. The major considerations include distance, range, sound quality and frequency.

Unlike a cellular phone, a cordless telephone has a limited range. This range is a pre-determined distance that the headset can be from the base and continue to operate properly. In most cases, few houses are so large that there is a problem.

The basic components of a cordless telephone are the base and the handset. The handset is of course the part that actually operates like all other telephone headsets. However with a cordless phone the handset is also a receiver.

The handset gets a radio signal from the base. The cordless telephone base and handset are configured so that you can talk and listen at the same time. This technology is called duplex frequency.

The highest frequencies available for cordless phones are 2.4 GHz to 5.8 GHz. A cordless telephone with this frequency level provides the ability to use the phone at a longer distance from the base but with greater security.

Another important consideration is to determine whether you want an analog or a digital cordless telephone. Digital technology delivers better sound quality. Digital signals are also more secure than analog signals.

The number of channels that a cordless phone has is also important to the overall efficiency and clarity of the system. If the frequency band selected is in the higher GHz range of 2.4GHz 5.8 GHz; your phone has more channels to select to provide better sound quality.

The number of channels on the least expensive models of cordless telephone starts at 10-25 channels all the way to 50-100 channels at the high end of the models that have 900MHz to 2.4/5.8 GHz.

The 5.8GHz cordless phones are the fifth generation iteration of the cordless phone technology. These telephones are allocated the highest channels and thus frequencies are 5.725Ghz and 5.850Ghz. Some of the 5.8GHz model cordless phones use the 5.8Ghz frequencies just for the communication between the base and the handset. These 5^th generation telephones still use the 2.4 GHz frequencies for the handset to base transmission. The 5.8GHz cordless phone frequencies are shared with 801.a wireless networks.

This 5th generation technology uses the split-frequency technique. Split frequency improves security and clarity. This technology also preserves the battery life on the cordless phone handset. The largest use of power involves the transmission at the higher 5.8GHz frequency than at the lower 2.4Ghz frequency.

When you go to the electronics store to purchase your next cordless telephone you will be an informed cordless telephone consumer. You can compare prices based on the features that you need in a cordless telephone. You will know why you can choose high security for your cordless telephone you must get the higher frequency models plus the phone must be digital rather than analog. If you are not concerned with eavesdropping or the telephone is for the kids you can select a lower GHz with fewer channels and a lower price tag.