Hi.

OK, the problem is this. I spend a lot of time on the phone at home nowadays, while working. This causes me some issues.

I can just use a phone normally (I have DECT cordless phones). This means I have only one hand free for long periods of time, causing me to either have to stop work completely or do it badly.

I can hold the phone under one ear with my shoulder, which invariably means that a couple of times a month I wake up the next day with excruciating pain from pulled muscles in my neck, which then takes several days to go.

I can use a wired headset plugged into the phone, but this either means the audio quality is awful (most headsets are crap, honestly), or if I get up and walk around with the only good headset I ever found, the wire eventually gets tangled in something and pulls the headset off, the phone out of my pocket, and on one memorable occasion nearly strangled me. Eventually the headset died under this treatment and I've never been able to find another one nearly as good.

I can ignore the phone or unplug it. This then means that most people try my mobile, and if I ignore or turn off that, I get lots of aggrieved email saying I'm not contactable and where the hell am I. The perils of being self-employed, you're on call 24/7 even if no one else is.

I can get a wireless headset, which would seem to be the best approach except that they all seem to cost a really silly amount, £100 and up for a phone with no dial pad and a fiddly interface for transferring calls (plantronics C65 seems to be the cheapest of these). The problem here seems to be that the manufacturers of such devices assume they are only of use to businesses, and that businesses have an unlimited budget for telecoms equipment. There aren't really any consumer device of this nature.

What I really want is a reasonably priced DECT phone with bluetooth, so I can use one of my existing bluetooth headsets with it. As far as I can tell no such thing exists. I can of course use Skype via the headset, but only to someone else with Skype. I don't want to use Skypeout, as I already have a perfectly good phone deal that gives me free calls in the UK and very cheap calls to the rest of the world for a single, quite reasonable, flat fee per month.

I did get one of these the other day, which seemed like the answer, but unfortunately it seems to have dire problems. I have tried it with three different headsets, and the only one it works even half-way decently with is the one that also seems to give the worst audio quality. The other two just turn themselves off immediately after connecting, behaviour they don't show either with the computer or mobile phone. I suspect a major bug in the bluetooth firmware on the adaptor. Even the one that works doesn't work properly, as the connect/disconnect button on the headset only works for one operation per call. For instance, I can connect from the headset but not disconnect, or disconnect but not reconnect. It always works from the base station end, oddly.

Interestingly the adapter quite happily works with the bluetooth dongle for the PC as an audio gateway, allowing me to bridge from the computer to the land line. Unfortunately, all the headsets also want to be audio gateways rather than headsets, so I can't even go into the PC via a headset and out via a gateway. I don't know whether I could have two bluetooth dongles and therefore two audio gateways, but I suspect strongly that the answer is no. So, I guess the thing is headed for ebay.

Can anyone suggest a solution, or point me in the direction of something I missed?

pca

The only info I can offer is about the Plantronics CS50, a wireless headset. Which works great for me, even though I have to take the handset off hook manually. There is a handset lifter, which triggers off of the button on the headset, but the pair is going to be over your price point.

It's in the 900 MHz range, so doesn't interfere with other wireless stuff like the GN Netcom equivelent. But the battery life is kinda short, and if you're on the phone all day, that would suck.

While verifying info, I ran across this.
The GN 6210, which would be yet another bluetooth headset, but comes with a base unit that adds bluetooth to (supposeldy) any phone. It's their second generation, so maybe some of the obvious problems have been worked out. GN Netcom is the leading edge of this kind of stuff, compared to Plantronics marketshare, and is pricey, but the company president here is a big gadget freak and a fan of theirs.

Here's a review:
http://www.mobileburn.com/review.jsp?Id=1078&source=ARCHIVE

And their handset lifter is supposed to be very good.

--Nathan

I dont know what device you were refering to cause when I clicked the link I got shopping cart is empty, but Jabra has a 2.5mm headphone jack to Bluetooth adapter for bluetoothless phones maybe something like that would work for you so you could use your bluetooth headsets?

I also spend huge amounts of time on the phone. My solution was to get a fairly pedestrian Plantronics headset and a Plantronics Vista amplifier. This is pretty much the same kit used by customer service representatives -- not cheap, but built to last. The cord is two meters long, when fully coiled up, and is long enough to reach every corner of my office. They helpfully include a clip that you can use to attach the cord to your belt, which helps avoid whiplash. The sound quality is perfect, and there's no fiddly wireless bits.

The only issue is that when my GSM phone decides to periodically check in with home base (once every few minutes, I guess), if it's anywhere near the cord, the cord will pick up on the noise.

This may sound stupid, but I have the same problem (like cramped neck, being strangled), and I setteled on a really good intercom phone. Don't get a cheap RadioCrap model, spring for a few bucks and get a quailty one. It works for me in my small area, but yours may be different...and it definatly lakes the 'cool factor'...
Just a thought.

Hugo always seems to have about a squillion of these things littering his desk. I'm sure once he gets back from honeymoon he'll hold forth about which the good ones are.

Peter

I've been looking at that GN Netcom for here at work. I have a wired headset from them that I use all day everyday, and it's quite good, but I hate having the chord, especially when I'm trying to type and/or switch keyboards. I just haven't been able to bring myself to spend that much on it.

Actually, I was looking at the 6110 or the 9120, since I can't stand the kind that goes too far into your ear.

I think the other advantage to either the 6110 or the 6210 is that you can take them with you and use them on your cell phone.

Same here. I went through lots of alternatives. Finally settled on a normal domestic Panasonic DECT phone with a regular headset socket, connected to a Plantronics headset with an inline mute switch. No external amp needed. Works great, gives me wireless calls with a high quality headset. Don't remember the cost (had to buy the three Plantronics bits separately), but it wasn't hideous.

En route to this I tried some of the Siemens/BT units, which didn't cut off the phone's speaker and mike when the headset was plugged in. Not big and not clever.


Regards

Mark

There are a couple of 9120's in the office, the executives have 'em and seem to be quite pleased. As a geek, I'm not keen on them since they use the same spectrum as our 802.11b/g access points, but that hasn't really been a problem yet.

--Nathan

Hmm. I might have to look into it then. We don't have any wireless APs in the office, so that wouldn't be a problem. Plus it seems like you can find them for around $170.

I have tried the Jabra A210 adapter with my DECT phone, and the results were terrible. Very very quiet both ways, and it tends to keep hanging up after about 70 seconds for no obvious reason.

The thing I was attempting to link to is a bluetooth to landline adaptor (bottom right here).

pca

When you have about 8 or 9 equipment fans going in a room 7 by 10 feet, a speakerphone isn't really a good idea, it just sounds like I'm in the middle of a hurricane.

pca

Quote:
I can get a wireless headset, which would seem to be the best approach except that they all seem to cost a really silly amount, £100 and up for a phone with no dial pad and a fiddly interface for transferring calls (plantronics C65 seems to be the cheapest of these)

I have the same problem as you in that I can't work while on the phone unless I have a headset and I like to wander around when talking or on hold.

I've had a Plantronics C65 since Christmas and I'm very pleased with it. It is just shy of £100, so it's expensive, but the sound quality is very good and it is solidly built. It comes with two types of over the head straps and three sizes of over the ear hooks.

In order to overcome the problems with transferring calls to it, I just paired it with an old DECT base station and connected a second DECT base station and handset to the same line.

Also, compared to a Bluetooth headset, the quality is better and the range much further. I've not had any problems with battery life, but I do tend to place it on the charger whenever I'm not using it, even if just for 10 minutes.

I have an extremely good phone: the Siemens Gigaset 4000 comfort. This phone has a handsfree function that is no less than excellent. With most phones I've used before this one, the person on the other side could always hear it that I was calling handsfree. With this phone they cannot.
It's so good even that I ALWAYS phone handsfree nowadays. Holding a phone to my head actually starts feeling strange. The mic in this phone is good enough to be able to put the phone up to 2-3 meters away, and talk normally without the person on the other side noticing it. It's truely the best phone I've ever owned, and I can't recommend it enough!!

Ahh ok.. I had never used it, was just checking it out for my cordless phone at home and was thinking of getting the BT250v headset so I could use the adapter and headset with my cell and home phone. Im not familar with a DECT phone is that a brand or a type of phone? I have a vtech cordless phone and a Audiovox 8910 cell. (sorry not trying to hijack your thread just got me curious if I should bother now)