Cordless Phones

Message centers and answering machines
Humble, untethered phones still have a place in many homes.

Cordless phones are changing to maintain their usefulness in a world going cellular at a rapid clip.

A handful of models are adapting by letting you make and take calls on your cell-phone account, while others try to avoid the interference caused by home networks and other wireless devices.

These new phones have just begun to trickle into the marketplace and represent only a couple of the models in our Ratings. If you are looking to buy a phone now, they may not be at the top of your list, given the sparse selection and comparatively high prices. However, here’s a brief look at what you’re likely to see in the future.

Bluetooth phones. Some cordless models can tap into cell-phone service using wireless Bluetooth technology, allowing you to make and take calls over either service.

1.9-gigahertz phones. The transmission of cordless phones, home networks, and other wireless devices can interfere with each other because they share the 2.4-GHz frequency band. New models called DECT phones, for Digitally Enhanced Cordless Telecommunications, address the problem by using the 1.9-GHz band, reserved by the Federal Communications Commission last year exclusively for voice-only applications.

If you’re just looking for a conventional cordless phone for your home, there’s a bit of good news to report about those, as well. Prices have fallen about 10 percent since last year, with the biggest price drops among digital models.


WHAT'S AVAILABLE



AT&T, GE, Panasonic, Uniden, and VTech account for most of the market. VTech owns the AT&T Consumer Products Division and now makes phones under the AT&T brand as well as its own name.

Recent models include phones that support two or more handsets with one base, less expensive 2.4- and 5.8-GHz analog phones, and full-featured 2.4- and 5.8-GHz digital phones. About a third of the cordless phones sold include a digital answering machine.


HOW TO CHOOSE



Decide between analog and digital. Phones using analog transmission are a little less expensive and usually have better voice quality, but they can be susceptible to eavesdropping, and their range is a bit shorter. Digital phones are more secure, can support more handsets from one base, and allow conferencing of handsets.

Pick a frequency. Phones using the 2.4-GHz band come in a wide selection and tend to be less expensive. However, they are more prone to interference problems with other wireless devices than 5.8-GHz or 1.9-GHz models.

Plan for extensions. A single-handset model is best suited to smaller homes where you’re never far from the phone. If your home is too large for that, give first consideration to the multiple-handset models in the Ratings. They support (and usually include) several handsets from one base; each extra handset sits in its own charging cradle without the need of a phone jack, making it easier to station a handset where you want it.

Settle on the features you want. You can expect caller ID, a headset jack, and a base that can be wall-mounted. As a general rule, the more feature-laden the phone, the higher its price.

Determine whether you want an answerer. Many people still do, despite the ubiquity of cell phones with voice-mail capability. Both single- and multiple-handset phones come in versions with a built-in answerer. They often cost little more than comparable phone-only models and take up about the same space.

If you’re considering an answerer, you need to make these additional decisions:

Consider voice-quality differences. In our tests, most answerers delivered very good voice quality for recorded messages and good quality for the outgoing greeting. Phones that let you record your greeting through the handset (using the remote handset access) usually sounded better than those using a microphone located on the base unit.

Decide on answerer features. Answerers usually come with a selectable number of rings and a toll-saver, answerer on/off control, call screening, remote access from a touch-tone phone, and a variety of ways to navigate through your messages. Other less-universal answerer features you might want to consider are described in Important Features.

Try the handset if possible. In the store, hold the handset to see whether it fits the contours of your face.