DECT 6.0 - Cordless Phones That Meet The

You've likely heard the ballyhoo after every major cordless phone technology update. This Megahertz and that Gigahertz were all supposed to provide incredible range and amazing clarity. Well, the new-to-the-U.S. DECT cordless phone technology (Digital Enhanced Cordless Telecommunications or 1.9 GHz) really does live up to the hype. Although all DECT 6.0 cordless phones are not created equal, most DECT phone models provide a winning balance between exceptional voice clarity and suitable-to-fantastic range.

Why is DECT so special?

Digital Enhanced Cordless Telecommunications is nothing more than a digital wireless communication technology that operates at 1.9 GHz. It's popular with manufacturers (a good thing for consumers) because it's a global standard, enabling them to produce fewer models to satisfy the needs of all countries. In general and all other technology components being equal, the lower the frequency, the longer the physical range you'll get with your cordless phone. Phones that operate at lower frequencies (remember your old 49 MHz cordless phone from 1988) are also prone to much more interference, which significantly reduces voice clarity. When manufacturers launched phones at the higher frequencies, the opposite occurred as you might expect. Voice clarity improved dramatically with digital 5.8 GHz models, but physical range became a genuine problem.....especially in all the growing number of McMansions in the U.S. Some DECT 6.0 cordless phones can get up to 1000 ft of range from the base outdoors.

Though frequency is only one feature to examine in the search for a cordless phone, a DECT 6.0 phone is the best bet in today's cordless phone market as long as all included features meet your needs. It's also dedicated to cordless communication in residential, commercial and public environments, so you're unlikely to be interfering with other home electronics. Besides premium voice quality and extended range, DECT technology is inherently more efficient with battery life. It's not uncommon to see some DECT models with up to 12 hours of talk time, which can be ideal for those who work at home.

Which DECT Phone to Select?

First and foremost, look for a global brand you can trust. Because DECT is a global standard - where launching a U.S. product is much less expensive than in the past, you'll see lots of "import brands" hitting the market. Price points vary depending on brand and features, but most DECT phones are at the same or lower cost than the 5.8 GHz phones they're succeeding. Consider your usage as well. Will you be using the phone in a home office where you'll need a headset jack? Surprisingly, only some DECT models have included a headset jack. Will you need multiple handsets? While most models are expandable, be cautious that a few are locked into the one included handset. There are many more features available, but most DECT phones handle core functionality (excellent voice quality and good range) really well. Look for reviews and comparisons online and consider asking your retailer for recommendations.

Spam The Spammer - Will It Work?

Spam is everywhere. It’s the “in-box lunch meat” nobody likes, wants or looks forward too. Unfortunately, many folks enjoy “eating” this product because if they didn’t, there wouldn’t be any. Read on…

The federal government’s ill-conceived CAN-SPAM Act did little more than make a few legislators feel better about themselves. Did this legislation stop spam? No. Did it at least slow down the flow of spam? Nope.

You can’t eliminate a problem by treating the symptoms. If you want to eradicate a problem, you must make its environment one that will not support it.

There’s a new plan recently hatched by some well-intentioned folks at Blue Security that several of my clients have asked about. On the surface, it sounds like a good idea but, in my humble opinion, the model is fatally flawed. Here’s the scoop…

1. You sign up for their "list" which is basically a "do not spam me list" and that gives them the authorization to act on your behalf.

2. You then have to send EACH spam message to them for inclusion on their list.

3. They then send the spammer a "stop order" (which, if they can even find the spammer, will be ignored).

4. They then flood the spammer with basically a DDoS (Distributed Denial of Service) attack hoping to bring down the spammer's server.

This all sounds great until you think about it rationally...

1. Spammers use "open relays" and hundreds of addresses to prevent you from finding their originating location.

2. The "stop order" they send is just their way of fulfilling the letter of the law under the CAN-Spam act.

3. The part I have the biggest problem with is they then effectively BECOME A SPAMMER by sending thousands of messages in a Distributed Denial of Service attack (DDoS). This is the same thing hackers do when they bring down a website by sending so much traffic to a server it basically shuts down.

4. Most Spam is sent from your neighbor's PC. I spend a great amount of my time cleaning “bad guys” from client’s computers. There are MILLIONS of "zombie computers" that are infected with auto-dialers and Trojans that are being used without the owner's knowledge to send spam. Don’t believe me? Just run Counter Spy on grandma’s PC and tell me what you find!

5. How long do you really think it will be until the spammers turn the tables on Blue Security and initiate their own DDoS attack? It will be interesting to watch.

Other fight-back tactics against spammers have failed in the past. Last year, Lycos Europe rolled out a screen saver that conducted DDoS attacks against known spammers. Within days, however, Lycos buckled under pressure from security groups, which called it vigilantism, and ISPs who worried that attacks originating from their members would make them liable to legal action on the part of spammers.

Spam will NEVER go away until you attack its real source engine. If you don't order anything from a spammer and don't even click on his link to open the message, the monetary incentive for spam is removed. Spammers operate under the same economic rules as the rest of us...supply and demand.

Take away the demand and you eliminate the supply. Simple.

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