Is it true people with scanners can hear you on a cordless phone?

Question

Someone told me that cordless phones aren't good to talk on because people with scanners can hear your private conversations. Is this true? Are there any cordless phones that are safe? What about cell phones? Can a scanner hear you on your cell phone too?

Answer 1

I will expand on the answer given by "silence.." above.

Early cordless phones used analog signals on the 49mHz band and could easily be intercepted by most scanning receivers and by some "baby monitors" that shared the same frequencies.

A little later, cordless phones came out that were on the 900mHz band but still used analog signals. A more expensive type of scanning receiver was required to listen to this band, but it could still be done.

Most newer cordless phones use digital signals and operate on much higher freqency bands. The digital signal must be "decoded" in order to be listened to and this is beyond the capabilities of the average person. While it would be possible for a highly-skilled person to intercept your call, the chances of this happening are remote.

Early cellular phones were also analog and could also be listened to using a scanning receiver, but it was much more difficult as cell signals are constantly switching between towers. You could listen to pieces of different conversations, but it was difficult to stay with any one conversation, and trying to listen to a specific person was nearly impossible.

To prevent people from listening to cell phones, Congress passed a law saying that scanning receivers had to be "blocked" so that they couldn't listen to cell frequencies. The problem with this law was that thousands of "unblocked" receivers were already in use, and that most "blocked" receivers could easily be "unblocked" by simply changing some wiring.

The good news is that, all of the newer cell phones are now digital, and like digital cordless phones, can't be listened to by the average person. There are still some analog cell phones in use (mostly in very rural areas), but effective February of 2008, these will be discontinued.

So, in the case of both the cordless phone and the cell phone, unless you are using very old equipment, you can be fairly sure that it cannot be listened to by the average person with a scanner.

Answer 2

Cordless Phone Scanner

Answer 3

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Old analogue cell phones and cordless phones could be picked-up on a scanner. For the same reason you're worried/curious, people wanted better protection against eavesdropping. Some scanners are gapped, meaning they do not receive cell phone frequencies. For those you need a special chip. For the most part, new phones, cellular or cordless are becomming much more difficult to intercept. Innovations such as frequency-hopping, where your conversation is moved from channel to channel many times a second, or digital spread spectrum, where your voice is digitized into a stream of ones and zeros, and bits of your conversation is transmitted across a range of frequencies, all at the same time - has all made it more difficult to listen in on a phone conversation. Ultimately, though, any wireless communication can be intercepted with enough know-how and equipment. But rest assured, your average cellphone or cordless phone is sufficiently complex to keep most amateurs out of your calls. If you're concerned, look for a cordless phone with features such as digital spread spectrum, a security code between the handset and the base, or voice scrambling.

Answer 4

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Answer 5

Yes and no, when cordless phones first hit the market they were based on very trivial analog technology that was easy to skimm for on a scanner that could reach the radio range of the phone but most cordless phones are now digital spread spectrum based and therefore extremely hard if not completely impossible to listen on using a storebought scanner and although digital scanners exist they still need to be able to reach the frequency range of your phone as well as have the base code for your handsets base which can be nearly impossible. I would say unless you were extremely high profile I wouldn't be concerned with this.

Answer 6

Since 2005 -2015 our nosey neighbor Bill Donaldson and his dyke Annette -sit in their garage every day on the truck bed listening to everyone's calls through their old scanner. I learned the older the scanner the clearer the conversation. (per a Secret Service retiree) Bill lives in Patterson, NC. You can find him drunk every evening in the garage no matter the weather. 5 pm -11 pm sitting on the truck bed- listening to everyone's conversation. I learned to take my phone and put it over the radio when preaching comes on and they can hear a sermon for a change. The older the scanner makes listening easier and easier. Even with the 2015 phones with top of the line scrambling devices. I've had to get landline phones and keep a cordless phone just to give them an evening or two of preaching which they do not like to hear.

Answer 7

Someone told me that cordless phones aren't good to talk on because people with scanners can hear your private conversations. Is this true?

Yes!

Are there any cordless phones that are safe?

Yes!

What about cell phones? Can a scanner hear you on your cell phone too?

Yes!

It depends on the scanner. But most really good ones can pick up cell fones and cordless fones.

The best way to get around it is to use a FHSS 5.8 gig fone. *NOTHIN* can hear way up there! :D It is also FHSS (Frequency Hopping Spread Spectrum), just in case... :D

I have a Panasonic sitting right in front of me that meets those specifications. 5.8 gig, digital spread spectrum, frequency hopping, just like a bunny! :D

~Cindy! :D

Answer 8

who cares unless they gossip,lie and slander or worse.