Telephone
Features
What is the difference between caller ID and call-waiting caller ID?
How do I get the caller ID on my phone to work?
Should I buy a phone with a headset jack on it?
Cordless
Telephones
What happens to my cordless phone if the electricity goes out?
Will the signal on my cordless phone sometimes fade out or
crackle with static?
What is phone "paging" and do I need it?
What is the difference between a 25-channel cordless phone and a 900MHz cordless phone?
Are
all 900MHz phones essentially the same?
Is
a 2.4GHz cordless phone better than a 900MHz phone?
Why have a dual keypad speakerphone on a cordless phone?
What's the advantage of a speakerphone in the handset?
Answering Machines
Can I keep my phone messages from being lost if the power
goes out or I accidentally unplug the machine?
How
does a digital answering machine differ from the older, cassette-style
machine?
Caller ID displays information about a
caller before you pick up the phone, so you know whether you
want to answer.
Call waiting caller ID works when you
are already talking on the phone and a second call comes
in. It identifies the new caller and enables you to switch
over to speak with them or put them on hold.
These features must be supported by your local
phone company in order to work. Call-Waiting
Caller
ID, in
particular, is not yet available everywhere in the States,
although the technology is spreading rapidly.
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For the caller ID function on a phone to work,
you must subscribe to the service through your local phone company. Contact
your local carrier to make sure caller ID service is available in your area
and sign up for it.
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A phone headset jack provides versatility and convenience.
It makes it possible for you to plug in a headset that will
enable you to move around and carry on a hands-free conversation.
If you like keeping busy — cooking,
computing, gardening, tidying up — while talking on the phone,
a headset and belt clip provide just what you need for convenient, hands-free conversation.
Phones with headset jacks include:
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The paging feature is very handy, especially
if your cordless phone tends to go missing (and don't they
all?). It lets you press a button on the base to activate a beeping sound on the handset.
Then you simply follow the sound to find the phone.
Phones with paging include: Cordless
Ameriphone Amplified & the Panasonic
2700 system
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If there is a power outage, your cordless phone will not work
— unless you have an extra-battery charger in the base which serves as a back-up power supply.
That's one very good reason to have an extra-battery charger.
Another reason is that it enables you to always have a spare, fully charged battery
available. Batteries can run out of power at inconvenient times!
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It can happen. To ensure the best clarity possible, look for a
cordless phone with auto scan. This feature automatically scans all available channels to find the clearest and least congested signal.
Cordless phones with auto scan include: Ameriphone
Amplified, Panasonic
Big Button, Panasonic
2700 system
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900MHz cordless phones use newer technology
(though not the newest technology...that would be 5.8GHz) designed to work over a less congested frequency, helping to eliminate background noise. In addition to superior clarity, 900MHz phones have a longer range than conventional 25-channel phones.
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No.
There are several different types of 900MHz phones: analog, digital, Digital Spread
Spectrum (DSS). Analog, as the least expensive of the 900MHz family, does not offer the privacy protection of the newer digital technologies. Range and clarity also improve as you move up to digital and Digital Spread Spectrum
technology.
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The 2.4GHz cordless phone does offer
advantages, including greater digital signal security, a longer
range (up to twice that of even Digital Spread Spectrum 900MHz
phones), and super voice clarity.
Phones with 2.4GHz technology include: Clarity
Amplified Speakerphone, Panasonic
Big Button, Panansonic
2700 system
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Cordless phones tend to stray from the
base. Have you ever reached to answer a ringing
phone, only to find the cordless handset missing? Very
frustrating! With a speakerphone in the base, though, you
can answer anyway. This eliminates scrambling to locate
the missing phone before the caller gives up.
Having a keypad in the base completes your
freedom. Now you can not only answer any phone calls that
come in, you can also place calls from the base unit, without
the handset even being present.
Cordless phones with speakerphones in the base
include: Clarity
CLS45i, Panasonic
2700 system
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Do your hands ever grow tired or achy from
holding a phone? Having a dual speakerphone, with a speaker in
the handset as well as the base, frees you from having to hold
the phone up to your ear while talking.
A handset speakerphone also enables several
people to chat by phone at the same time, conference style, and
to do this anywhere in the house...in the kitchen, den, or even
the garden. You're not tied to the phone base, but can choose
any comfortable spot.
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Yes. Look for a phone or stand-alone messaging system with flash
memory.
Such a setup features a chip that retains stored numbers and messages if your phone loses power or is disconnected.
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Digital answering machines free you from the tyranny
of recording on tape.
With a digital
machine, there are no tapes to
buy and no moving parts to "wear" or
"tear." Because messages are stored digitally,
you don't have to worry about messages being lost to broken or chewed up tapes.
Digital technology also enables you to selectively skip, save or replay messages without the frustration of rewinding and fast-forwarding through
a tape.
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