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COPYRIGHT 2002 Consumers Union of the United States, Inc.
The phone department in an electronics store often looks like a jungle, overgrown with every conceivable combination of frequency, technology, and feature. But behind the clutter lie two simple truths: A phone's type (analog, digital, and so on) plus its mix of features matters far more than the frequency it operates on, and you can count on most phones to deliver a fairly high level of voice quality.
To differentiate their products, manufacturers conjure up new selling points--ever-higher frequencies, creative uses for the term "digital," and bells and whistles many people don't need.
For example, ads and packaging often hint strongly that phones operating at 2.4 gigahertz (GHz) are somehow superior to the older, 900-megahertz (MHz) models. Yet our tests have repeatedly found that 2.4 GHz offers no better voice quality, range, battery life, or freedom from radio-frequency (RF) interference. The higher frequency has one slight advantage: reduced vulnerability to eavesdropping.
However, our tests have shown that some phones are susceptible to RF interference from other wireless household appliances, while others can also cause RF interference.
Until recently, most 2.4-GHz phones on the market were digital, and usually cost more than 900-MHz phones. To broaden the appeal and increase sales of 2.4-GHz phones, manufacturers recently introduced lower-priced analog versions.
At the same time, manufacturers are offering more full-featured 2.4-GHz digital spread spectrum (DSS) models that allow several handsets (purchased separately, of course) to communicate with the base unit or with each other. That means you can have several handsets around the house without needing phone jacks in every room.
All the phones that we tested for this report--2.4-GHz or 900-MHz, analog or digital, with or without built-in answerer--performed well. We found several very good phones selling for $30 to $50; we judged one of them A CR Best Buy.
SORTING OUT THE CHOICES
Cordless phones handle transmissions in one of three ways:
Analog. Least expensive of the three, analog phones still have enough range to let you chat anywhere in your house or yard, or even a little beyond. They aren't very secure; anyone with a scanner or comparable phone can listen in. Analog phones are also more susceptible than digital ones to occasional static and RF interference from other devices.
Digital. They have about the same range as analog but offer better security and less susceptibility to RF interference.
Digital spread spectrum (DSS). Because they distribute a call across several frequencies, DSS phones provide tighter security and even less susceptibility to RF interference. However, we have found that some DSS phones can cause interference with other wireless devices--baby monitors, headphones, and other audio or video products--even when the phone is in standby mode. Phones that can accept multiple handsets are usually the culprits. A DSS phone is apt to have slightly longer range than an analog or digital phone.
The main types of phone, available in analog, digital, and DSS versions, are:
900-MHz, the basic phone. Manufacturers are phasing out 900-MHz phones in favor of higher-frequency models, so you'll see fewer of them in the stores. Expect to pay $20 to $120.
2.4-GHz, the most prevalent phone. Some 2.4-GHz phones claim better...
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