Help with Phones

[Alexam]

Anyone work in the telephone industry? I would like to know if there would be a problem changing my 4 corded, plug in telephones by retaining one or two and having the others replaced with cordless phones, posibly adding one.

I have been trying to read this up, but am unclear because some people say that if you have cordless phones, they have to be first direct to the BT cable coming into the house and any 'original' corded connections dont work or dont ring?

Any help would d be appreciated before trying BT direct.
Malcolm
Perhaps the incoming line can be split? I have no idea?

 

[novocaine]

a cordless phone is no different to a corded phone as far as the cables are concerned. the base station acts the same as the corded unit.
plug the cordless in to the main incomer (no reason for this just because) and leave the rest plugged in, they will all still ring the same.

get a base station with multiple handsets. it will come with a charging point for each phone (1 being the base station) the others don't need to be plug in to the system.

I got rid of all the corded phones in my house years ago, now we have 3 cordless handsets around the house and 1 base station in the living room. be screwed if there was a power cut and I really really needed to ring someone on the landline, although I've no idea who I'd be ringing.

 

[Alexam]

Thanks for that.
I was concerned that I may have to get someone in to mess around with splitter boxes or whatever? We do want to keep the lounge corded phone as it is antique style (like me) and sits nicely on the antique (like her) furniture.

Does the base station work like a Wi-Fi signal then? Have to watch out for the range if it does.


Malcolm

 

[Racers]

I have several phones around the house and one cordless in the garage, its not on the first socket and works fine.
Sounds like an Internet myth to me.
As long as you have 2,5,3 connected everything should work.
Pete

 

[Glynne]

If the base station is a bog standard one like my Panasonic then range isn't a problem.
Base is in a room at the front of the house and the phone works in my workshop at the bottom of the garden (you know how far away that is).
Glynne

 

[novocaine]

It's a radio signal yes, different bandwidth though to WIFI and bluetooth.

I can wander to the garage (about 15m) from the base unit without issues, as long as your house isn't a big metal cage you should be fine.

Shouldn't need to do a thing to the wiring, it takes the same amount of pixies on the phone line to make a cordless phone ring as it does a normal phone (assuming we aren't talking about a hand cranked jobby). the cable network in your house is going to be pretty straight forward, not really any splitters it is just piggybacked to the main incomer (which is technically BTs property so you can't remove it). if you've got 4 slave units in the house you maybe close to the limit of the pixies as it is, so removing a couple and going cordless on 2-3 of them is actually a good idea.

Something like this is a good buy.
http://www.tesco.com/direct/panasonic-k ... rce=others

(notice only 1 has a big station, the other is just a charger)

 

[CHJ]

The fewer old style corded 'phones you have plugged in the better, as it reduces the loading 'ren' factor on the line.

It's a good idea to have at least one corded 'phone left connected or at least available for if you have a power cut as cordless 'phones will be inoperable without mains power.

If you have a cordless handset with BT's call blocking system be aware that any hard wired 'phone will give just one answering ring for every call until the electronics pick up the callers number. (we now leave our power independent 'emergency' 'phone unplugged.)

 

[heronviewer]

"It's a good idea to have at least one corded 'phone left connected or at least available for if you have a power cut as cordless 'phones will be inoperable without mains power. "

It's not only a good idea - but essential !! I had another power cut this morning - no power and the Panasonic doesn't work. Just as well we still have a corded phone so I could report the fault.

 

[finneyb]

The fewer old style corded 'phones you have plugged in the better, as it reduces the loading 'ren' factor on the line.

It's a good idea to have at least one corded 'phone left connected or at least available for if you have a power cut as cordless 'phones will be inoperable without mains power.

I thought there was limit of 4 ren on a domestic line - ren = ring equivalent number, each phone will have one .
+1 for the corded phone - it used to be a legal requirement although I don't know how they check.

Brian

 

[Alexam]

Thanks so much for all your help. I will now have a look around and sort something out.

Cheers Glynne, I know the distance.

Malcolm
PS, can one of the cordless contact one of thre others, like and intercom? Or is that only with some phones? Just thought ot may be helpful if I were in one place and needed to order a cuppa from the kitchen!

 

[novocaine]

no legal requirement to have a corded phone anymore. who are you ringing that it's so important it can't wait till the powers back on? or use your mobile.

 

[nev]

... can one of the cordless contact one of thre others, like and intercom? Or is that only with some phones? Just thought ot may be helpful if I were in one place and needed to order a cuppa from the kitchen!

Yes. at least the BT ones we have now and the panasonic ones previous to them do/did.

 

[RogerP]

no legal requirement to have a corded phone anymore. who are you ringing that it's so important it can't wait till the powers back on? or use your mobile.

The emergency services and not everyone has a mobile.

 

[novocaine]

smiley face, so said with a smile on my face rather than being serious.
fair comment though, I've had a mobile for so long I forget it's not something everybody has.

 

[Alexam]

Thanks Nev, I'll look out for the facility of calling the other cordless ones. Don't want to miss out on the hot and cold services!

 

[heronviewer]

Some places cannot get a signal for mobiles either !

 

[CHJ]

Causing problems where my Son lives in Bavaria, all their 'phones have gone over to VOIP to increase line bandwidth, power cuts leave them without communication, they have invested in a good size USB power pack to make sure they have mobile charging to avoid having to use the car to charge a 'phone.

 

[Alexam]

When one ventures into the 'unknown', thoughts of 'I can do this .... it's not so difficult' enter one's head. Read a little, see lots of advice on what to buy, (Which reviews, with almost everything being a good buy) then see bits of info about different types of equipment and some saying the DECT is the latest and others that have messages of advice that date back for years.

Loads of equipment being advertised by sellers, but then the doubts start creaping in about, 'which system', is this DECT thingy the right thing to go for or will I end up with a base and two or three additional phones that I will have problems with, or what have I missed.

The next thoughs would be to go to an outlet like Currys or ? and ask the salesman for advice. Yeahhhh, he's full of salesmanship and any advice he gives may be tainted with a sale and 'hopefully' something that will not be returned in a day or so by the buyer, but actual 'knowledge' ..... ?.

As an ageing 'thicko' on this sort of thing, any more guidance would help.

I have Sky linked broadband and phone ( I do know that it's all BT line really) and not a clue if that has a bearing on matters in hand. We have three phones downstairs and one on the bedroom that we would probably keep as the one connected to the wall. The phone line comes into my 'office' and additional points are in the kitchen, lounge and hall, but the hall does not have a phone connected to it. I am hard of hearing and have hearing aids and the better half likes to 'see' things clearly, so a good screen/visual would help.

Don't have a clue if this is helpful, or if it would be best to employ someone to sort this out and put it in, but if just buying phones and plugging them in is all I need, then that seems overkill.

....... there must be a good book on this somewhere, but perhaps UKW will 'magic' the answers for me

I await enlightenment

Malcolm

 

[HappyHacker]

When I last purchased a cordless phone set I went to Currys. All the different sets had almost the same description despite many different facilities, so I had to read each box to see what the difference was between a £30 and a £60 phone. Despite knowing a bit about phones, radio, electronics, computers etc I was completely confused.

The one problem I have with the current phone is the poor audio quality on the recorded messages. Some used to have very poor audio on the phone as well but I noticed that audio quality is now a feature that is mentioned.

I would have a look at the review sites as there are so many different models it is a minefield. Some phones will allow you to blacklist numbers so they don't ring, others have decent phone books that you can copy between phones as opposed to having to enter each phone number on each phone. Some will even take phone numbers from your mobile address book.

Good luck.

 

[Alexam]

Thanks. I have seen most of that but looking for more knowledge.