Thinking of a buying a new Cordless Phone? These devices are constantly moving forward as new technology comes along. As a result, many people aren't fully up-to-date with everything that cordless phones have to offer. Luckily, though, liGo are here to help. Here are the top 10 things you need to know about your new phone.
1. One phone point - more Handsets
You can have up to 6 handsets in your home, all working wirelessly from one base unit (which is connected to your phone point). You can place the handsets in your bedrooms or other locations where you don't have a phone point. No more cables everywhere!
Related: Top 10 Best Cordless Phones of 2024
Just how many handsets could you possibly need? Whatever the number, you can probably find a system to accommodate it.
Recommended Phones:
Gigaset C575A - £64.99
Panasonic KX-TGJ322 Twin - £68.99
2. What is a DECT phone? The standard features
Virtually all phones now come equipped with a number of key features as standard. These include: speakerphone (for hands-free talking), Caller display (so you can see who's calling) and call waiting (to let you know someone else is trying to get through whilst you're on the phone). The speakerphone on all cordless phones is located on the back of the handset. The quality of sound will vary and of course the more you spend, the better it will get.
3. Improved range
Most DECT phones offer up to 50m coverage indoors, and up to 300m coverage outdoors. If you suffer from poor reception or range, then there may now be just the solution for you. Add a repeater (also known as a 'booster') to your set of phones, and you should see a two fold increase in your range. These are covered in depth here.
Related: Top 10 Best Long Range Cordless Phones
4. Connectivity galore
There are now more options than ever before to add another device to your cordless phone. Perhaps you're looking for a headset. With virtually every phone there is the option of adding a wireless headset, and with some you can also add a corded/wired version. You can even sync your phone (depending on model) with Outlook, download contacts, pictures, and connect to your Smartphone. Some of the latest phones even have Bluetooth connectivity so you can pair up your Bluetooth headset or connect your home phone to other Bluetooth devices such as Bluetooth Speakers for HD hands-free or conferencing.
Recommended Phones:
Gigaset C575A with Wireless Headset - £124.99
5. Add more handsets later
If you've just bought a twin phone only to realise that a trio would have better, fear not. With nearly all models of cordless phones, you can purchase an additional handset (or two) at a later date. Registering this extra handset to your current system should only take a minute or two.
6. How Does a Cordless Phone Work?
The exact details of how cordless phones work would take an engineering degree to truly understand. However, a simple overview is more than enough to suffice for most. The basic operating principles of a cordless phone rely on radio technology, just like the radio in your car or the two-way radio in your emergency kit might.
In a cordless phone, the base unit is plugged into mains power and a land line phone connection (or VoIP ethernet for internet telephony.) It acts as both a radio transmitter and receiver, sending the connection to the handset's speaker and receiving input from the handset's microphone, which is sent along the land line like a normal connection. Helping facilitate the complex translation of radio signals into the human voice and back is a technology known as Digital Enhanced Cordless Telecommunications, or DECT, an international standard in cordless phones.
7. How to Set Up a Cordless Phone
While every cordless phone tends to include its own set of features and unique elements, setting up a cordless phone for basic calling functionality is almost universally the same. You'll need to select a location where you can connect both the land line phone cord and your mains electrical to place the base unit, then plug it in. On many modern cordless phone systems, you are now ready to place and receive calls!
Some systems may require charging the battery in the handset initially before it will work, other phones can be used out of the box. Once everything has power and phone connection, you may wish to configure things like date and time settings, changing the answering machine message, and other relatively minor details.
For more advanced phones, you may wish to take use of the call blocking features or other elements. These types of settings can be changed with the help of the on-screen menu on your devices handset.
8. Make Your Mobile Calls On Your Cordless Handset
LiGo Bluewave is a technology that can connect to your mobile phone via Bluetooth, letting you make outgoing and incoming mobile calls through your handset. There are also cordless phones from Panasonic and BT that include Link2Mobile technology so that you can transfer contacts from smartphone to home phone, and make and receive mobile calls using your landline phone.
9. Do Cordless Phones Need To Be Plugged In?
Depending on your definition of “plugged in,” this question could mean multiple thing. But regardless of which one you intended, the answer is pretty much the same. You'll need to be plugging your cordless phones into a few things.
The base station requires connection to electricity in order to power its radio, operate the answering machine, and charge the handset (which you'll have to plug into the base station to charge, technically.) And then the base station also requires connection to a land line telephone, or ethernet for VoIP services. So you'll definitely be plugging into something.
10. Go Cordless with VoIP
VoIP technology may well be the future of home telecommunications. Many cordless phones have already embraced this, with a variety of models which incorporate the ability to use both VoIP connections or to opt for the traditional land line hook up. Such versatility allows users to slide seamlessly into the new technological landscape as it unfolds.
Related: Top 10 Best Cordless Phones of 2024
In Conclusion
If there's anything you'd like to add, we'd love to hear from you. Did you recently purchase a cordless phone or are thinking of buying one? Do you have an experience you'd like to share with us and other visitors? Or perhaps you have a question that we didn't answer on this list? If you have any questions or comments, then please don't hesitate to get in touch using the information here.