Phones - slightly OT

[mogga]

I have a pair of dect binatone microdect phones and in the instructions it tells you about transfering calls...

[nemofish]

We have two rooms seperated by about 60m within a large complex. I have recently run a telephone extention cable between the two rooms and now need to buy a couple of phones but I'm not sure which kind to get. I need to be able to accept calls in both rooms and have the ability to transfer a call between the two phones. I also need to have an answerphone facility on one of the phones.

Can anyone advise on what type of phones will meet my requirements?

Many thanks. Mat.

[usenet]

Be aware though that it may well take quite a few (non-obvious) keystrokes to transfer calls and to switch from one line to the other. Most modern DECT phones are built down to a price and thus have as few buttons as possible when more buttons would make them much easier to understand and use.

Most DECT phones are good as 'ordinary' phones but not nearly so good for more complex requirements.

[Alex]

GAP compatible (although I think they all are now??)

Anyway, what you can do is buy 2 base units & handsets (not just 1 base unit with 2 handsets). Then register both handsets to both base units. You will have the ability to transfer incoming calls from one handset to another, answer or make calls at either handset, make internal calls between handsets, hold 3 way calls and this is the good bit - the handset will use whichever base unit it's nearest to, effectively extending your working area (although you can't transfer from one base unit to another during a call if that makes sense!)

I found this all out when working out how to use my old Phillips DECT phone as a handset in the workshop (where there is no phone line) by registering it to my new Panasonic base unit indoors. Easy once you know how! Do a search on google.

Alex

[nog]

[nemofish]

Thanks for the repy. If I understand correctly in order to transfer a call the hanset you are using only needs to be within range of the nearest base unit (not the remote base unit) and that when transferring a call it is transfered from the local base unit to the remote base unit and then to the other phone? Hope this makes sense, but I just wanted to make sure that both phones don't need to be within range of the same base unit in order to transfer a call.

Do the base units usually come with a built in answer phone?

Thanks for the help.

[usenet]

No argument about how good DECT phones are, we like ours. However not all are easy as yours to dial one of the other handsets. I also believe the OP wants to be able to switch either handset to either incoming line and this too may need quite a few button presses.

[usenet]

It must surely be within range of both base units to be able to transfer a call, how could it work otherwise?

Only if you buy a DECT with built-in answerphone, it's not part of the DECT standard. DECTs with an answerphone are quite common though.

[nemofish]

Many thanks. I'll try uk.telecom.

[Alex]

On both my DECT handsets (one old one new) you transfer in the same way as you'd make an internal call.

Press the internal call key, followed by the number of the handset you require. This then connects you to the other handset, lets you talk to the other handset user. When you hang up, the caller is transferred to the other handset.

Not disagreeing with you in the slightest Chris, just saying that in my very limited experience, for the price (bearing in mind no cables have to be run) it's a pretty good end product.

Alex

[RichardS]

Agree about DECT phones, generally a good thing IMHO.

don't think that the OP has mentioned having two lines though. Multi-line DECT solutions are not that common, and were definitely not cheap last time I looked.

-- Richard Sampson

email me at richard at olifant d-ot co do-t uk

[Neil Jones]

I don't think the OP mentioned 2 lines did he?

Neil

[Alex]

unit :( I am not sure though. Ask on uk.telecom (or one of the american groups) as others have suggested.

Typing something like internal call transfer base unit range DECT into google groups should shed some light I'd have thought.

Sorry if what I said earlier doesn't apply :(

Alex

[Neil Jones]

Maybe this would help?

[John Smith]

Philips Onis Vox 380 - superb.

[usenet]

Ah, that wasn't clear from your original posting (not to me anyway!).

[nemofish]

Nope, I don't need 2 incomming phone lines. I have a single phone line but need to be able to transfer calls between 2 handsets. The problem I have is the distance between the two handsets which means that a single base unit & 2 handset solution is not suitable.

[usenet]

Starting again from the beginning of the thread as I think I now understand what you want.

I doubt a DECT system is going to work well for you as the two phones will be separated by 60 metres inside a building and thus will be just too far apart to work with a single DECT base station. If you have two DECT base stations and register both phones with both base stations I don't think that helps. If you receive a call on one phone I don't think most DECTs can keep that call when they transfer to another base station, even if they can it'll be a bit messy from the button pressing point of view.

I can think of a couple of possible answers:-

1 - Put a single DECT base station half way between the two rooms, this will require you to add another socket but you don't have to leave a phone on that base. It can even be inaccessible high up on a wall (might give better range there). Buy an extra charger/base to accomodate the phone from the base station in one of the rooms instead.

Come to think of it this means you didn't need to wire the extension to one of the rooms!

2 - Get a DECT 'repeater', these extend the range by up to 50 metres indoors, 300 metres out of doors. Put the DECT base station in one of the rooms, place the repeater about half way and then you just need a charger and DECT phone in the other room. This makes your wiring between the rooms completely redundant!

If you're going for a DECT solution it's worth checking carefully that you will get the range you need inside the building, metal frames etc. may well mean that the range is nowhere near 50 metres.

[Ric]

This seems a fair enough assumption. Considering the price of multiple DECT bases and phones it might be cheaper to get a basic PABX.

[Neil Jones]

multiple DECT

Out of interest, such as what and how much?

Cheers

Neil