| How do you compare cordless phones? Do you | | | | the Panasonic KX-1032S with up to 17 hours of |
| buy the cheapest, sleekest or the one with the | | | | talk time between charges. |
| most features. Are you confused by cordless | | | | If you are looking for a cordless telephone that is |
| phone technology and cordless phone frequencies? | | | | Energy Star Qualified, look no further than DECT |
| What is a DECT 6.0 cordless phone and which is | | | | 6.0 cordless telephone options. It's unlikely that |
| the best frequency: 900 MHz, 1.9 GHz, 2.4 GHz or | | | | you will find any other type of cordless telephone |
| 5.8 GHz? It is confusing and the wrong decision | | | | that meets the requirements. |
| can result in endless cordless phone problems. | | | | By way of contrast 5.8 GHz phones are power |
| The safest solution is to select a DECT phone. | | | | hungry. Some so called 5.8 GHz phones actually |
| DECT 6.0 technology addresses the problems and | | | | communicate in one direction using the 2.4 GHz |
| complies with a global open standard. By limiting | | | | frequency (from the handset to the base) to |
| your search to DECT 6.0 phones you will almost | | | | reduce their power consumption and extend the |
| certainly find one of the best cordless phones. It | | | | time between handset charges to an acceptable |
| also makes cordless phone comparison a lot | | | | level. |
| easier. | | | | 5. Exposure to EMR: lower power consumption |
| DECT 6.0 Digital Technology - Strengths | | | | also means that users of DECT phones are less |
| 1. Cordless Phone Interference: interference was a | | | | exposed to electro-magnetic radiation than users |
| problem for cordless telephones from the earliest | | | | of older cordless telephone technology and cell |
| days, but it became worse as wireless enabled | | | | phones. |
| devices proliferated. Finally the popularity of WiFi | | | | 6. Cost: as DECT 6.0 technology is non-proprietary |
| networks resulted in congestion of the 2.4 GHz | | | | and supports interoperability between different |
| band and the FCC made the 1.9 GHz frequency | | | | products and vendors, it's cheaper to |
| available. Unlike other frequencies, it can only be | | | | manufacture DECT 6.0 phones than the |
| used by DECT 6.0 cordless phones, which means | | | | alternatives. |
| that it is impossible for WiFi networks, microwave | | | | DECT 6.0 Multi Line Cordless Phones |
| ovens, Bluetooth devices ... to conflict with a | | | | While the DECT 6.0 cordless phone is now the |
| DECT phone call. | | | | standard home phone, it's taken a little longer to |
| 2. Range: the 1.9 GHz frequency used by DECT | | | | achieve the same acceptance as a 2 or 4 line |
| 6.0 phones is responsible for a cordless phone | | | | SOHO or small business phone system. Until |
| range that is more than adequate for even the | | | | recently manufacturers persisted with 5.8 GHz |
| largest homes. It is not unusual for handsets to | | | | proprietary technology whenever designing multi |
| be used without loss of signal, even when more | | | | line telephones. That's now changed and almost |
| than 150 feet from a base station. | | | | every manufacturer has released a DECT two line |
| 3. Secure Communication: scanning cordless | | | | phone. AT&T has gone one step further and |
| phones was easy before the advent of the DECT | | | | released a DECT 4 line cordless phone - the |
| 6.0 cordless phone. As DECT 6.0 calls are | | | | AT&T SB67118. It competes head to head |
| encrypted with a unique key that is generated | | | | with the Panasonic KX-TG4500B, that had |
| each time a call is made, it's almost impossible to | | | | previously owned the niche without contest. |
| eavesdrop calls using a scanner. | | | | DECT 6.0 and Bluetooth Convergence |
| 4. Extended Stand-by and Talk Time: DECT 6.0 | | | | The first generation of Bluetooth cordless phones |
| digital technology requires much less power than | | | | were also 5.8 GHz phones. Manufacturers including |
| older technology. Twelve plus hours of talk time | | | | Panasonic, VTech, Siemens Gigatech and GE have |
| and a week or more of standby between | | | | now switched to making feature rich DECT |
| charges is not unusual. An extreme example is | | | | Bluetooth telephones. |