For those of you who use landlines still can you help with a question.

[diabeticman]

My wife and I have cell phones but when we first got married she insisted on putting a landline in and well...she is right it does help out from time to time and allow us to contact family when we need to. Now in our place currently we have 3 rooms. I can walk from the kitchen or bedroom and be in the living room and answering the phone in about 10 steps. The one hand held land line phone works great for this condemned place HOWEVER this new place is twice the size at lease. A front room living room, kitchen, dinning room, 2 bedrooms. (really it is like a palace to my wife and I) But my wife is concern about the landline and being in the bedroom and trying to get to the landline in time so she is looking into these landline cord phones with two or 3 cordless phones in a pack. I was wondering if anyone has those type of phones.

I know the main phone needs to be plug into a phone line but what about the other cordless phones?

What is the sound quality with those phones?

Can my wife be on one phone and I be on another and be able to have both of us talking to--listening to those talking on the phone.

[DURHAM D]

1. Sound quality is excellent.

The extra phones just plug into an electrical outlet - no phone line needed. And Yes to your last question.

[CurtEastPoint]

2. I have the Panasonic 3 cordless setup and it's really convenient.

one needs to be plugged in to the phone line. the others don't.

for price comparison: http://www.walmart.com/ip/Panasonic-KX-TG6513B-DECT-6.0-Plus-Expandable-Cordless-Phone-w-3-Handsets/14138840

sound quality is excellent. not sure if two can be on the line at once. I would think so.

[yardwork]

6. Yes. I have the same Panasonic system and all phones can be in use at once.

It's very convenient. I love it.

[SugarShack]

18. I have the panasonic with just one side pack...love them!

while screening calls, you can hear the incoming voice on the "side car" as i call them. You don't have to go into room where the small base is with the answering machine. The caller comes through on the other phone! And a little light flashes on both when you have a message, so you know without once again, being in the room with the base. You can retreive messages from the side car phones too! I got mine at Radio Shack, with only one "side car" for 59.99. Large numbers, screen, keypad, etc. EASY set up and to use. Very easy.

[MannyGoldstein]

3. We have AT&T phones like that

Only the main phone base needs a landline connection. Others do not.

Sound quality is excellent.

Phones can be used together so multiple people in the house can be on the call.

Let me know if I can answer any other questions.

- Manny

[NYC_SKP]

4. Congrats on new place! Modern cordless phones are great, no worries, BUT:

ALWAYS keep a wired phone, a non cordless phone, available.

If you have a power outage, your cordless phones will be WORTHLESS even if they're charged.

The base unit needs wall power from the utility to work.

Always have a hard-wired phone available!

[jonthebru]

24. unless it is on a UPS "Uninterruptable Power Supply."

[Pretzel_Warrior]

26. or have a cheap, cheap corded phone in your "power outage" kit along with

flashlight, etc. It's worth the extra $15 to $25 to have in your house. Power goes out? plug the standard corded into your phone jack and you are in business. ATT Trimline in white or black is a great option.

[William769]

35. Thats a good point I left out of my post in this thread.

Living in the land of hurricanes, I learned the hard way to keep a wired non electrical phone in my house.

[kimbutgar]

5. I've had these types of phones for years you don't need to plug into a jack just to an

Electricial outlet and viola you got a phone that's wireless reaching far beyond the mainline. I'm old school on landlines.

[NMDemDist2]

7. they're great and only need one phone jack

check out your local radio shack and get a contract on them, we have enough power spikes around here and they had to replace two


go for it, you'll love em

[ohheckyeah]

8. I have that type of setup

and have had these phones for about 5 or 6 years. The set is a GE Dect 6.0. I just had to replace the batteries for the first time last month.

Get a set with a Do Not Disturb feature on the base. It turns the ringer off on all the phones with one button. A built in intercom system is great, too. It's great when you are in a room at the other end of the house.....no more of my husband yelling "honeeeeeeeeeeeey."

Just plug the base into the phone line and an electrical outlet and the others into an electrical outlet.

[nadinbrzezinski]

9. Sound quality is great

But keep one that is not cordless for when the power goes out.

[PATXgirl]

10. We have the AT&T 3 phone system. Base plugs into electricity and phone line

The other two handsets just plug into electricity. They work great. The only problem I have with this particular set is that the handset is SOOOO thin that its hard to cradle on your shoulder when you need to use your hands. But it does have speaker phone capabilities...I just forget to switch that on to do hands-free.

If you have an older phone that only plugs into the phone line, keep it for those times the electricity goes out. Most times we can still use that phone. Saved us during the last major hurricane.

[RKP5637]

11. We use the Panasonic KX-TG7645M DECT 6.0

And it's incredible. It does anything one would want IMO. We use it for stability. If you check Amazon there's a very good description of this phone system. I guess I can't post the link here, someone would call it SPAM. ... but the summery on Amazon tells it all quite well.

[frazzled]

12. We have a Panasonic set (2 phones) that have worked well for 8 years

The "base" unit is connected to the phone jack. All other phones in their bases are merely plugged into an electrical outlet. The sound quality is identical (and very good; better than a cell) on all the phones. And yes, you can each pick up a phone and talk at the same time to a third party.

The only issue to consider is that if your electricity goes out, you're kind of screwed: none of the phones work. (But that's why we have cells, right?) On the good side, if you're like us and take the phones into different rooms and leave them there, under a pillow, and don't remember where you put it ... you can press a button on the base and it will ring the missing phone, so you can find it.

I still like having a landline around, too. Frankly, I keep my cell in my purse and often don't even hear it ring sometimes. I'm just not in the habit of carrying it into every room with me all day long.

On EDIT: Maybe our one "base" unit is plugged into the phone jack because we get DSL through the phone for Internet. Don't ask me. It was eight years ago. But I agree with other users who all have Panasonics: they are the best phones out there of this type. The Uniden, etc. I think are not as good.

[diabeticman]

13. THANK YOU ALL FOR THE INFO

[Mac Adams]

14. Multiple phones

If you get a decent set they work great. You only need to have the one main charging base plugged into the landline, and both of you should be able to talk on different handsets. Just remember that if a handset goes completely dead it will need to be placed back on the main charging base to reprogram itself.

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

15. The cordless ones work quite well.

You can get a set with a base station and multiple handsets that you can put anywhere in the house - various manufacturers. The extra handsets just need access to an electrical outlet so they can stay charged. Only the base station has to be connected to a phone line - the other handsets are basically like walkie-talkies. The sound quality is just fine.

[MiniMe]

16. I have a Panasonic phone, main phone and 3 extensions

I love it, it works great. The main line needs to be plugged into the wall, the rest are cradles for the phones, and they basically just charge the handsets. Very clear reception. I live in a house right now with 2 floors, and 4 bedrooms. The other phones need to be plugged into the wall to recharge the phones, but they don't need to be connected to the landline. And Sound quality is great. This one has the main and 3 expandable hand sets http://shop.panasonic.com/shop/model/KX-TG4744B.

[klook]

17. DECT 6.0 is good technology for the cordless phones

Crystal clear audio and very reliable signal. Some models also allow you to stick your cell phone in a window, where it gets good reception, and talk on one of the cordless landline handsets synched to the cell phone via Bluetooth. I haven't done this often, but it's a cool idea and worked fine when I tried it.

One thing to remember, though, is that if your power goes out, none of the cordless phones will work (at least not in my system) because the base and satellite stations all run off of AC power. That's why I keep an ancient old-fashioned phone that plugs directly into a phone jack, in case we have an extended power outage. (The power to the landline phone is different from "regular" electricity, so in most cases it will still work even when the household current is down for an extended period.)

[1-Old-Man]

19. Yeah, they're great. Sound is very good and so is the range

We have two stories and it works all over the house and also outdoor around the house out to about 200 feet away. We just keep one phone up stairs on the charger and the transceiver/recorder half of its downstairs. On our phones both can be in use at the same time for a three-way conversation, if that's what you want. I'd recommend ours but the set is a couple of years old so I'm sure there is better on the market now. Just search for a couple of recent reviews and then go buy the best, they aren't very expensive.

[applegrove]

20. Yes. The two satellite phones just need to be plugged in electrically, not

to the telephone line. Yes you can all talk at the same time. It is clear.

[Pretzel_Warrior]

21. AT&T and VTech Dect 6.0 phones are great. YOu can get 3,4, and 5 extra handsets

some have 6. The main thing is....look for features and the look of the phones. That will be what sends the price in a particular direction.

These days, the signal from cordless to base is much better than even 5 years ago.

Also, AT&T sells a connect to cell option where you can have blue tooth connection and answer your cell from any cordless phone in the house.

[Phentex]

32. We have something similar and they have strange rings...

I think you can program a different ring for each of the handsets. It seems excessive but it has been very helpful to not have to search for a phone or run up and down stairs to get to the phone in the off chance it rings. I can actually HEAR it no matter where I am.

[customerserviceguy]

22. You can get some pretty decent cordless phones

Yes, your extensions sharing one line will work just like wired phones, with both of you being able to talk to an outside caller at the same time.

Don't lose that landline, it's one of the most reliable communication devices you still have. It will work in power failures, and if your telephone lines are underground, it's practically stormproof. I've heard of all kinds of folks having trouble with their cell and Internet phones during Hurricane Sandy, but the landline people kept their connection for the most part.

[Pretzel_Warrior]

23. you can also get landline corded/cordless phones with headsets so you can talk while

doing things around the house.

Finally, you could also pick up a really basic, basic level corded phone for $20 or less that can serve as your emergency backup. They work even when the power goes out.

[cui bono]

27. I just saw someone buying one and it was only $10 with caller ID as well. n/t

[LaydeeBug]

25. I have them. They are awesome. Got mine at Costco. nt

[Warpy]

28. My cordless landline phone worked from next door

so one should work in anything but a huge mansion.

[kestrel91316]

29. My sister and BIL have a cordless phone.

They can wander around like with cell phones, but it's a landline. My only issue with this, well 2 issues, are the reception is iffy in various random spots in their home, and I don't think they work in a power outage.

Regular plain, unadorned landline phones with no electric cord to plug in need no electricity to operate so they are great in a power failure.

[JustABozoOnThisBus]

33. They work in a power outage if ...

... the base unit is powered via an uninterruptable power supply.

As long as the battery in the UPS has a charge, and the battery in the handheld phone as a charge, it'll work.

[dballance]

30. I have VTECH w/ Cell Connection

The base has an answering machine and you can use Bluetooth to bond it with your cell so if you leave the cell in another room it can still ring the handsets on the VTECH. Sound quality is excellent.

[CTyankee]

31. We also got the Panasonic. We have 3 BR, two floors and now we don't have to

be running through rooms to pick up a call. Message pickup only from the main phone that is plugged into the jack. the others are plugged into an electrical outlet. Problem with us is we have an old house that doesn't have a lot of outlets in each room.

At our age it beats having to run up and down stairs to answer the phone.

We keep a corded phone in a drawer so we can plug it in if necessary during an electrical storm.

[William769]

34. I have two sets of the phone type you describe you want in every room in my house.

For me they have been excellent! no static on the lines. I also have a guest house on my property with the same phone number as my main house With some of the extension phones over there as well (they work just as good as the one's in the main house).

Yes you can conference call on them, you can even set them up so the base phone can contact each other extension.

Hope this helps answer some of your questions.

[smokey nj]

36. The secondary handset just needs to be plugged into an electrical outlet. No need for a 2nd jack.

[kevinbgoode1]

37. I have used cordless phones for years. . .and while they are nice

it is absolutely annoying that the batteries slowly, gradually, wear out and it becomes a bit of a chore to go shopping for those.

I would suggest getting one, however, though you do still have a corded phone and I would recommend you keep that one as well. I live in a semi-rural area, and periodically when the power goes off, the corded phone works just fine. During an extended period without power, both the cellphones and the cordless will lose power.

I also put a very long line cord on the landline, but I have a small apartment and it takes me into two out of my three rooms, so I can continue to have a conversation. The corded phone also works as a good backup if batteries go dead/power goes out/or you forget to get the cellphones charged.