Telephones Buying Guide

From call blocking technology to caller ID to answering machines, there are a lot of different features available when it comes to home telephones. Whether you’re on the lookout for the best cordless phone or a trusty corded landline, we’ve compiled all the info you need to make the right decision – plus a list of the best home phones at the end of this handy guide.

Cordless phones give you the freedom to walk around the house while you chat, allowing you to multi-task instead of being tied to one place. They can be bought with up to four handsets in the box, which will all work from just one telephone socket. All cordless phones use DECT (Digital Enhanced Cordless Telecommunication) technology to give you a secure and interference-free wireless connection between the handset and base. DECT phones usually have a longer range from their base than analogue phones.

Traditional corded telephones have a cord connecting the handset to the receiver so they’ll never run out of charge. They’re also great to have in emergencies: if there’s a power cut they’ll carry on working, whereas cordless phones will shut down.

• - Answering machine – A lot of telephones have a built-in answer machine with varying levels of storage capacity.
• - Caller display/ID – This service lets you check who’s calling before you answer. You’ll normally need to subscribe to a caller display service from your network provider for the caller display feature to work, and charges may apply.
• - Nuisance call blocking – This allows you to block specific numbers from calling your home telephone.
• - Advanced call blocking – Some phones have an advanced call blocking feature to automatically block calls from withheld and international marketing calls. If the caller’s genuine, they can still leave a message and you’ll be able to call them back.
• - Do Not Disturb mode – If you want to watch your favourite programme or relax undisturbed, you can silence the phone with a touch of a button.
• - Contact storage – This saves the names and numbers you use often, so you can dial them more easily or see who’s calling if you have a phone with caller display.
• - Last number redial – Pressing the redial button will call the last number you called to save you having to dial the number again.
• - Hands-free – With a hands-free function, you can have a conversation without having to physically hold the phone, leaving you free to multi-task.
• - Call log – This will keep track of your incoming and outgoing calls.
• - Ringtones – A lot of phones now allow you to choose from a number of ringtones.
• - Bigger buttons – Some phones have bigger buttons for the partially sighted.  
• - Talk time and standby time – This is only relevant for cordless telephones as they can run out of battery. Talk time refers to the amount of time you can spend in a call before the battery dies, and standby time refers to how long your cordless phone will last when not in use before it needs to be recharged. The base unit charges the phone’s battery, so as long as you put it back in after use you won’t need to worry about it running out of charge.
• -Indoor and outdoor range – The norm is up to 50m indoors and 300 outdoors for cordless phones.