What is the best cordless phone for a New York City Apartment ?

Question

I know 5.8 GHZ is the best frequency to get. Is there anyone out there who lives in Manhattan, that has a cordless phone that works well when pretty far from the base ? I think that if the phone has an antenna that helps as well, not sure.

Answer 1

Actually, I'd recommend a DECT 6.0 phone. The 6.0 isn't a frequency but rather a standard that had been adopted in Europe some time ago but has just come to the US within the last couple of months. It runs on a new frequency band of 1.9GHz and what makes it different is that it's completely digital, it's completely interference free and it's allocated more power to be used which results in better range. Every DECT phone utilizes frequency sharing techniques which not only checks for the clearest channel, but can tell when other phones/devices are using a channel with a "listen before transmit" feature built into every DECT phone. There are no analog phones or non-DECT 6.0 phones allowed on this new frequency band which makes it the best option. No longer can people's cheap Wal-Mart phones mess you up ;-) 5.8GHz may not be fully utilized yet, but with the availability of cheap 5.8GHz analog phones hogging the spectrum and not incorporating modern frequency sharing anti-interference techniques, it will not be long before it becomes just as bad as 2.4GHz. DECT 6.0 is the way to go for range and to be impervious to interference.

Other nice features DECT 6.0 phones have is that you can associate the handsets to more than one base, and you can use more than one handset at a time on a single base.

Phone range really depends on the construction of the building but will go anywhere from 150 feet to 1500 feet depending. I've noticed some of the expensive commercial DECT 6.0 phones even have repeaters you can set up to extend the range. I think you should at least look into DECT 6.0 options available to you before setting your heart on a 5.8GHz phone.

Answer 2

You are kidding right???? FOOD STAMPS???? The first shock for a first-time renter will probably be the prices. Consider that the average monthly rent for a one-bedroom in the Village is more than $3,100 and that the average for a studio is just over $2,200. Or that the average rent for a one-bedroom in a doorman building anywhere in Manhattan is close to $3,500. Mr. Hunt said that when he shows prospective renters what their budget really can buy, they are sometimes so appalled that “they think I’m trying to fool them or something, and they run away and I don’t hear from them again.” Alternatively, the renter checks his or her expectations and grudgingly decides to raise the price limit, look in other neighborhoods or get a roommate. “When expectations are very high, the process can be very frustrating,” Mr. Hunt said. The thousands of new graduates who will be driving the engine of the city’s rental market from now until September will quickly learn that renting in New York is not like renting anywhere else. The second shock is likely to be how small a Manhattan apartment can be. It is not uncommon in New York, for example, to shop for a junior one-bedroom or a convertible one-bedroom, neither of which is a true one-bedroom at all but really a studio that already has or can have a wall put up to create a bedroom. Aside from the realities of price and space, the requirements set by New York landlords are also bound to help turn a bright-eyed first-time renter’s outlook grim. To start with, landlords want only tenants who earn at least 40 times the monthly rent, which means an $80,000 annual salary for a $2,000 apartment. According to census data, more than 25,000 graduates ages 22 to 28 moved to the city in 2006, and their median salary was about $35,600. Those who don’t make 40 times their monthly rent need a guarantor, usually a parent, who in turn must make at least 80 times the monthly rent. In addition to a security deposit, some landlords also want the first and last month’s rent. Tack on a broker’s fee and a prospective renter for that $2,000 apartment is out of pocket nearly $10,000 just to get the keys to the place.