Just added VoIP, question about phones

[iamca]

I just added Voice over Internet Protocol to my broadband service and I have a question about phones: My 2.4GHz cordless phone works, so is there any advantage or special phones I should look at for calls from my home.

The main advantage I just gained are calls to my family in Calgary are now included...no long distance charges (not the case from the US to Canada with my mobile phone), but should I be looking at a new base station/cordless handsets, should they be 5.8GHz, what's Skype and why would I consider it, I don't need a built-in answering system because I have free voicemail, so which phone(s) should I be looking at?

[iamca]

Oops, sorry Mods I didn't see the sub fourms.

[Rathji]

I don't know anything specific about VOIP, or Skype in particular, but I thought I would chime in with some info that may help you.

2.4 and 5.8Ghz refers to the frequency the phone broadcasts at. The main reason they have even come out with 5.8GHz for cordless phones ( and most other devices) is that originally most wireless devices broadcast at 2.4Ghz and since more and more things are wireless these days there can be interference as you, for lack of a simpler term, "fill up" the bandwidth.

So while a 5.8Ghz phone might be a better phone for your situation, since less devices use 5.8 GHz, I fail to see how it will help with VOIP.

However, as I stated, I have little or no idea the requirements for VOIP so if a 5.8 Ghz phone is required (for some reason which I cannot even fathom)then disregard everything I have said.

[iamca]

Originally Posted by Rathji

I don't know anything specific about VOIP, or Skype in particular, but I thought I would chime in with some info that may help you.

2.4 and 5.8Ghz refers to the frequency the phone broadcasts at. The main reason they have even come out with 5.8GHz for cordless phones ( and most other devices) is that originally most wireless devices broadcast at 2.4Ghz and since more and more things are wireless these days there can be interference as you, for lack of a simpler term, "fill up" the bandwidth.

So while a 5.8Ghz phone might be a better phone for your situation, since less devices use 5.8 GHz, I fail to see how it will help with VOIP.

However, as I stated, I have little or no idea the requirements for VOIP so if a 5.8 Ghz phone is required (for some reason which I cannot even fathom)then disregard everything I have said.

Thanks for the info Rath!

As I have been researching a bit today, the 5.8GHz phones will actually benefit a couple of things for me: no interference from the microwave oven , the Frequency Hopping Spread Spectrum (FHSS) Digital Technology is wireless network friendly , and a model with one base and multiple handsets will be handy in my house and with VoIP.

[redforever]

Originally Posted by iamca

Thanks for the info Rath!

As I have been researching a bit today, the 5.8GHz phones will actually benefit a couple of things for me: no interference from the microwave oven , the Frequency Hopping Spread Spectrum (FHSS) Digital Technology is wireless network friendly , and a model with one base and multiple handsets will be handy in my house and with VoIP.

If you want no interference at all, go with the 6 GHz

[iamca]

Originally Posted by redforever

If you want no interference at all, go with the 6 GHz

I looked at the new DECT 6.0 which actually stands for Digital Enhanced Cordless Telecommunications and it is a digital wireless communication technology that operates at 1.9 GHz.

The 6.0 is just a marketing scheme because consumers generally believe that more is better, and so is a higher number. Lots of folks that have tried both 5.8GHz with FHSS versus DECT 6.0 at 1.9GHz indicate that they are both good with the lower frequency DECT perhaps having a longer physical range from the base station.

[redforever]

Originally Posted by iamca

I looked at the new DECT 6.0 which actually stands for Digital Enhanced Cordless Telecommunications and it is a digital wireless communication technology that operates at 1.9 GHz.

The 6.0 is just a marketing scheme because consumers generally believe that more is better, and so is a higher number. Lots of folks that have tried both 5.8GHz with FHSS versus DECT 6.0 at 1.9GHz indicate that they are both good with the lower frequency DECT perhaps having a longer physical range from the base station.

Yes, I know that. We have had problems with interference because lots of cables go from the top floor to the bottom floor in our house and that is very close to the location of two of our phones.

So I was told to get the 6 because it promises no interference and if I still got interference, I should bring it back.

We now have no interference.

[metal_geek]

Keep in mind that sometimes the cheapest phones work the best with VOIP... The VOIP protocol does compression and correction on the conversion of your voice. Some of the higher end phones do the same thing so with VOIP sometimes you get weird things happening with the double correction. More expensive/higher quality phone doesn't always mean better with voip..

Interference from sources in your house is one thing, but nothing compared to the problems you can get with a bad phone to viop paring... Same voip, same internet connection, same network, 2 different phones can be a world of difference.
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