When it comes to DECT phones, the purchasing experience is a little different than with corded VoIP phones. Primarily because there are more decisions to make.
With DECT VoIP phones, it’s not enough to choose the brand and model you wish to supply your staff with. DECT handsets and base stations are purchased separately, with different handsets being compatible with different base stations.
Depending on the brand and model of base station, it may be compatible with almost every DECT handset produced by that brand (as with Gigaset DECT phones), or with only a few handset models (as is the case with most Yealink DECT phones). This may or may not be an issue for you and your business, but is worth being aware of being beginning your research.
Once you’ve decided on your handset/base station combo, you’ll be able to find bundled package deals on our website, which are linked to at the bottom of the article.
The Base Stations
Gigaset N300IP
- £43.99*
- Compatible with most Gigaset handsets
- Partner 6 handsets
- 4 concurrent calls
Coming in as the most affordable unit in our list, the Gigaset N300IP DECT base station is compatible with most Gigaset handsets, including the CV30HX, S650H and R650H. Each base station is capable of partnering with six handsets at a time, bringing us to our first point of consideration for DECT VoIP phones: you’re going to need more than one base station.
Due to the inherent limitations of base station technology, there are no DECT VoIP base stations on the market that can partner with dozens and dozens of DECT handsets.
Instead, you’ll have to use multiple base stations, taking into account price per base station and per handset, as well as how many handsets the base station is capable of partnering with.
As we’ve mentioned, the Gigaset N300IP can be partnered with up to six DECT handsets. Out of all the products we’ll be discussing here, the largest number of handsets that can be paired to any base station is eight, so, for the price, this number is very respectable.
As far as other features go, up to 6 SIP accounts can be registered to the base station, one for each phone, and the unit offers support for up to four concurrent calls. This is obviously fewer than the number of handsets, so not all connected handsets can be used simultaneously for making or receiving calls.
The same is also true for the Gigaset W510 IP PRO, so if you foresee this as being a problem, it’s probably best to go with a different brand for your DECT solution.
Don’t forget, though, that this base station is compatible with just about any Gigaset handset, so if handset flexibility is important to you, this might be the option for you.
Grandstream DP750
- £45.49*
- 10 SIP accounts
- Partner 5 handsets
- 4 concurrent calls
- 50m/300m range (indoors/outdoors)
- Layer 2 and Layer 3 QoS
Similarly to the Gigaset N300IP, the DP750 is only capable of handling four concurrent calls; fewer than the five handsets it can partner with. If this is an issue for you, you’ll want to go with a solution that can offer a greater number of concurrent calls than the four that this model provides. A larger number of registered SIP accounts and partnered handsets might also be useful, so the Yealink W53P or W60B, which are discussed later on in this article, might be a better fit for you.
One of the key selling points of the DP750 is its long-range for the price point, range being perhaps the second most important consideration after pure practicality.
If you’re looking into a DECT solution, then you’re either looking for a more cost-effective solution than one corded VoIP phone per desk, or it’s important that your staff not be tied down to any single location within your place of business.
If it’s this second factor that’s true for you, then it’s the cordless nature of DECT solutions that’s attracting you to DECT. This being the case, effective wireless range is a metric that should be carefully considered. How far away from the base station can an employee stray before call quality is impaired or calls are dropped?
If your office is open plan, or you’re working on a financial trading floor, construction site or similarly hectic environment where calls cannot be interrupted, but staff members can’t be tied to a desk, then a DECT solution will be perfect… so long as the base station and handsets you choose work over an adequate range.
With an indoor range of 50m and an outdoor range of 300m, the Grandstream DP750 should take care of these range concerns.
This base station is compatible with the DP720, DP722 and DP752 Grandstream DECT handsets.
Yealink W60B
- £52.49*
- 8 SIP accounts
- Partner 8 Handsets
- 8 concurrent calls
- 50m/300m range (indoors/outdoors)
The Yealink W60B is a premium DECT base station offering support for eight concurrent calls, eight registered SIP users and eight partnered handsets. The model is powered by PoE, with TLS and SRTP encryption.
Perfect for SMBs due to the excellent balance of price, performance and capability, this base station is compatible with three models of Yealink handset: the W52H, W53H and W56H. The Yealink Redirection and Provisioning Service enables easy mass deployment and provisioning, making rollout to a large staff effortless whilst saving time and money in IT maintenance.
The unit offers support for the industry-standard Opus audio codec, ensuring it supplies consistently excellent audio quality, independent of the strength or weakness of your network connection.
From both quality and practicality standpoints, the W60B is an excellent choice. The first base station featured in this article offering support for concurrent calls on every one of its partnered handsets, this is the most capable unit so far.
If your needs reflect those of a much larger business and the W60B doesn’t go quite far enough, you may want to look into the Yealink W80B and W80DM units, which are Yealink’s top-line DECT units.
The W80B follows a cellular model, with a single DECT Manager unit and multiple interconnected base stations, or ‘cells’, enabling seamless handover as your staff roam from area to area. Such a solution clearly greatly enhances one’s freedom of movement, removing the restriction of tethering to a single base station.
VoIP Apps
Since we’re discussing cordless solutions, if you’ve thought at any point that the need to be tied to a base station is something of a step backwards (considering you use your mobile phone untethered every day!), wouldn’t it be great if you could just tie your SIP account right into your personal mobile device and take calls that way?
Well, it’s certainly possible. If you’re with a VoIP provider who offers VoIP apps, such functionality should be easy to achieve.
Unfortunately, VoIP apps often get a bad reputation for being unreliable, especially when moving from WiFi to cellular data during ongoing calls. Most apps are prone to dropping calls completely when such a move takes place; highly unsatisfactory given the primary benefit of linking your SIP user to your mobile device is roaming freedom!
Our sister company, Yay.com, offers VoIP apps built from the ground up to solve this exact problem and are now the market leader in VoIP apps. You can read more about the technological advantages of Yay.com’s VoIP apps here.
The Handsets
Once you’ve decided on which brand and base station you want to go with, you just have to decide on the handset. Here’s a rundown of a selection of DECT handsets compatible with the base stations discussed in this article.
DECT IP Phone
- £30.99*
- 1.8” colour display
- 200 entry phonebook
- 320hours standby time
The most affordable handset/base-station combination on this list, the Gigaset C430HX is an excellent entry-level DECT solution, especially if your needs are simple and you need to deploy to a large number of people, making cost a significant factor.
The large 1.8inch colour display and illuminated keypad makes for an easily navigable UI, even when working outside at night. With a large, 200 entry phonebook and search function, keep all of your contacts to hand and personalise ringtones, screensaver and sound profiles.
Remember to bear in mind that the N300IP base station is capable of only four concurrent calls, though six C430HX handsets can be partnered with a single base station.
Gigaset S650H
- £63.99*
- Ruggedised version available: R650H (£61.99)
- Headset via Bluetooth / headphone jack
- Scratch and chemical resistant
- 12hrs talk time
- 500 entry phonebook
The S650H handset is a suitable step up from the C430HX in both price and performance. On top of the features offered by the C430HX, the S650H offers hands-free calling via headset by use of either the 2.5mm headphone jack or Bluetooth.
Its coated surface makes the unit scratch-resistant while offering protection against low-level corrosive liquids such as disinfectants. This makes it an ideal choice for industrial and manufacturing companies, hospitals, nursing homes and schools.
The unit is also available in a ruggedised model, for those industrial applications where even more heavy-duty protection is necessary, in the R650H. Coming in at the same price point as the S650H, the R650H is protected against water and dust ingress to IP65 standards.
The R650H is also shock resistant, protecting it against drops and other low-level impacts. This model is therefore perfect for workshops, factories, building sites and other work environments where only the sturdiest of devices can survive.
The R650H also offers vibrating and flashing alert modes to keep you alerted of incoming calls even in loud environments.
Grandstream DP722 DECT IP Phone
- £57.99*
- Excellent aesthetic
- 20hrs/250hrs (talk time/standby time)
- 350metre outdoor range
The prettiest handset to have been discussed so far, the Grandstream DP722 DECT is perfect for office, retail and warehouse settings where both form and function are highly important.
Outdoors, these handsets support a range of up to 350metres when used in conjunction with the Grandstream DP750 base station and an indoor range of 50metres. With 20hours of talk time and 250 hours of standby time, as well as an included charging dock, the DP722 is incredibly power efficient.
Use the belt clip to keep the unit to hand at all times and plug a headset into the headphone jack for all-day hands-free operation.
Grandstream DP730
- £103.99*
- 2.4” colour display
- 3 programmable keys
- 3 way conference calling
- 20hrs/500hrs (talk/standby time)
- 400metre outdoor range
The most expensive handset on this list, the Grandstream DP730’s breadth of functions make it perfect for the power user but, given the price, might be difficult to justify for large-scale deployments.
The 2.4inch colour display is one of the largest to be featured on a DECT VoIP handset, whilst the three programmable soft keys and three-way conference calling bring functionality normally reserved for dedicated VolP desk phones.
A 400metre outdoor range and a battery capable of 500hrs of standby time are just two more ways in which this unit is a step up from the DP722.
Yealink W52H DECT IP PHONE
- £54.99*
- 1.8” colour display
- 500 capacity phone book
- Business VoIP features (call hold, transfer)
- Three-way conference calls
- 50m/300m range (indoor/outdoor)
- 10hrs/100hrs (talk time/standby time)
The Yealink W52H features a 1.8” colour display and a 500 capacity phone book. In addition, this model offers a wealth of business VoIP features, including auto intercom and auto-answer, call hold and call transfer, three-way conference calling and more.
With a range of 50metres indoors and 300metres outdoors, the W52H is competitive with the Grandstream models.
However, the unit falters in comparison when it comes to battery life, capable of only 10hrs talk time and 100hrs standby time - half that of the DP722.
Yealink W56H
- £67.99*
- 2.4” colour display
- 500 capacity phone book
- 30hrs/400hrs (talk time/standby time)
- 50m/300m (indoor/outdoor range)
The final option in this list, the Yealink W60H is the higher-end alternative to the W52H and completely handles any and all exceptions one might have to the W52H.
Firstly, the battery life is greatly improved with the substitution of a lithium-ion battery in place of two standard rechargeable batteries. The W56H offers up to 30hours talk time and up to 400hours of standby time, making it competitive with any of the other handsets on this list.
Secondly, the 2.4” colour display is tied for the largest on this list with the Grandstream DP730, whilst the 500 capacity phone book is testament to this model’s large storage capacity.
Conclusion
When it comes to DECT IP phones, there is clearly a lot to consider. First, decide which brand and base station you want to go with, as you are likely to be purchasing more than one and, for the sake of compatibility and scalability, it’s necessary to get this decision right from the start.
Then, make sure that a compatible handset is available that offers all of the features that you need in terms of:
- Business VoIP features
- Battery Life
- Memory/Storage
- Wireless Range
- Aesthetics
- Durability
Once you’ve found the right choices for you and your business, you’re ready to begin deploying your DECT phone solution.
If you need to purchase VoIP phones in bulk, get in touch with us at 0330 043 3000 for the possibility of better pricing. If you’d like to learn more about corded VoIP desk phones, you can read all about them here.
