Cordless Home Phone

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  tonester on 16/01/2011 - 13:49

  http://www.ryda.com.au/Siemens-Cordless-Phones-s/522.htm

  could someone confirm for me if only the base base has to be connected to the phoneline and then the second phone only needs a power point.

  true

  • 

    llama on 16/01/2011 - 17:29

    Yes, the second base is just a charger. And a place to look for the handset, because otherwise it'd probably get lost. The main base unit needs to be somewhat "central", because the second base won't extend the range.

    Keep in mind that 2.4GHz is the same band as used by microwaves, older AV senders and many WiFi networks (801.1/G), so best to stay clear of that. The older generation DECT 1.8GHz units generally have the best range. Companies like panasonic push the 5.8GHz technology but that is now getting used for AV senders to get away from the congested 2.4GHz band. Having AV, WiFi and/or Phone on the same band will be yukky - try to have each "network" on a different band.

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  StewBalls on 17/01/2011 - 00:39

  Batteries are an important consideration too…I have a Uniden which certainly meets all of your criteria, however seems to need a new battery pack every year or so; and won't seem to hold a charge much more than an hour on standby off the charger even when new…bloody frustrating & expensive if you were to buy the Uniden branded packs or even clones off ebay!

  I've been too busy & lazy to bust out the soldering iron & grab some NiMH tag cells to whip up a decent one myself, just lucky I don't make or receive many calls at home! ;)

  I've seen some brands that take straight AA rechargable cells; but those have actually been crap phones, so I'm not sure if any decent models do this too?

  • 

    llama on 17/01/2011 - 10:01

    +1

    Everyone I've met who has Unidens says the same - tha batteries are rubbish.

    I only ever buy Panasonic, the standard batteries are awesome. I got a 1.8GHz Panasonic a while ago that uses AAs, would be a perfect candidate for Eneloops when they fail.

    If you could find a cordless phone with Lithium, that would be even better (smaller and lighter) - some phones (especially VoIP) are now starting to use Nokia Lithium packs, which is a great idea because it's not proprietary.

    • 

      StewBalls on 17/01/2011 - 10:08

      Thanks llama, I might go look at a Panasonic myself later today…oddly enough I've got a few Eneloops from the recent DSE special (not to mention a few spare chargers)! ;)

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  tonester on 17/01/2011 - 10:39

  +1

  panasonic's better than uniden, but siemens' better than panasonic :)

  perform better, look better - and made in germany :)

  only choose dect 1.8/1.9ghz

  btw they use std aaa nimh batteries

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  [Deactivated] on 17/01/2011 - 15:59

  +1

  Panatech sell refurbished - or returned panasonic quite cheap. Theres a store at Tuggerah taht sells the basic 1.8GHZ for $10 in generic plastic wrap with no batteries - use rechargeable AAA's They also sell other models at generally 40-50% off. The Supacentre at tuggerah is a few minutes from the railway and the deals are generally available at all times. Not sure if they have another store in Sydney. They have a head office somewhere in Silverwater

  • 

    StewBalls on 18/01/2011 - 01:06

    Thanks a heap Pete, I'm actually down that way tomorrow so a short detour to Tuggerah is now pencilled into my schedule! :D

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  kds123 on 18/01/2011 - 16:05

  Sorry about interrupting the thread but I'm also looking for a cordless phone set - either 2 or 3 receivers but in Melbourne (or maybe online). Basically my parents prefer Panasonic (or better) and the only specific requirement is call waiting. We're basically looking at the ones at Myer atm as we haven't seen too many specials in the ads, I think they're having around 15% off.

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  llama on 18/01/2011 - 18:45

  +1

  Panatech is on ebay…

  http://phones.shop.ebay.com.au/Phones-/14675/i.html?_catref=…

  • 

    kds123 on 19/01/2011 - 01:57

    awesome, thanks :)

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  EnALup on 19/01/2011 - 07:52

  I got my panasonic 5.0 ghz DECT cordless phone from panatec, bought over their ebay store and picked up. I would recommend them. they are good and phones also comes with 1 year warranty. It looks like, they are the repair centre for panasonic and phone returned or repaired are being sold here. Store:

  http://stores.ebay.com.au/Electronic-And-Electrical-Seconds/…

  I earlier had uniden (5.0 ghz) and its keys for phonebook and volumne control became dead. I would say, avoid uniden and get Pana.