cordless conference phone Resources & Information

A cordless telephone or portable telephone is a telephone with a wireless handset which communicates with a base station connected to a fixed telephone landline (POTS) via radio waves and can only be operated close to (typically less than 100 metres of) its base station, such as in and around the house. Unlike a standard telephone, a cordless telephone needs household mains electricity to power the base station. The cordless handset is powered by a battery which is recharged by the base station when the handset is connected to the base station when not in use. There are also some advanced cordless phone systems that can operate without power. In the event of a power outage, the phone will convert itself into a standard telephone that gets its power from the landline. However, in this mode, only a handset attached directly to the base could work. All wireless handsets would not function.

Modern cordless telephone standards, like PHS and DECT, have blended the once clear-cut line between cordless and mobile telephones by supporting cell handover, various advanced features like data transfer and even, on a limited scale, international roaming. In these deployment models, base stations are maintained by a commercial mobile network operator and users subscribe to the service.

Frequencies & Performance

In the United States, there are five frequency bands which have been allocated by the Federal Communications Commission for use by cordless telephones. These are:

Communication companies usually advertise that higher frequency systems improve audio quality and range, but these are hardly true. Almost all telephone landlines (which are polycom cordless conference phones connected to the base unit) were designed to transfer low-quality audio that is just enough for the parties to hear each other. Thus, any improvements regarding audio quality must be done in the base (noise-filter, for example) and transfered wirelessly to the handset. The frequency, in this case, does not act as the improving factor.

The claim that higher frequencies provide longer range is also untrue. The system's operating range (regardless of frequency) depends the strength of the signal, which has more to do with the signal broadcaster in the base than with the frequency itself. FM radio stations are typically in the range 70-120 MHz yet they are able to provide a city-wide coverage cordless conference phones due to their strong broadcasting antennas. Most manufacturers claim a range of about 30m (100 ft.) for their 2.4GHz and 5.8GHz systems but, not surprisingly, most inexpensive models fall short of this claim.

However, there are some clear advantages of moving into higher frequency. The 900MHz and 2.4GHz band are increasingly being used for a host of other devices including baby monitor, microwave oven, Bluetooth, wireless LAN... thus, it's likely that the signal from the base unit will interfere with signals broadcasted by those devices. The 5.8GHz band is less crowded, currently being used only for the less popular 801.11a wireless standard and military communication so it is more immune to interference.

Also, higher frequencies are, in theory, less likely to be blocked by objects cordless conference phone such as wall and other household objects. This would translate into a longer range on itself. In reality, however, it rarely materializes due to the jump in frequency is not substantial.

cordless conference phone

Frequencies & Performance

See also

External links