Cordless, wireless, what is the difference of the two?

Cordless, wireless, what is the difference of the two?

Zatni Arbi, Columnist, Jakarta

If you get confused when listening to people talking about
cordless phones, wireless phones, cellular phones and handphones,
do not feel so bad. You are not alone. It is more confusing than
ever before, since the distinction between a cordless phone and a
cellular phone seems to be getting more and more blurred each
day.

But, let us make ourselves clear about one thing. Although
both the cordless phone and the cellular phone do not have cables
coming out of them, they use different networks. A cordless phone
uses a radio frequency to communicate with its base, which is
then tethered to the plain old telephone network. In other words,
a cordless telephone is just an ordinary telephone using PT
Telkoms's fixed line service, only there is no cable between the
base and the handset that you hold against your ear.

The cellular phone is a wireless telephone that works with the
cellular network. There are also other types of wireless fixed
line services, such as the one provided by Ratelindo. In the
future, we hope to see more wireless fixed line operators in
Indonesia, as they will eliminate the "last mile problem" and
therefore allow more Indonesians to have telephones in their
homes.

Cordless phones have been around for many years. Why use
cordless phones at home or at the office? Mobility, of course.
With a cordless phone, you can move about and still keep your
conversation going. You can still prepare breakfast for the
family and listen to your friend's latest gossip tidbits.

Generally, when looking for a new cordless phone, people will
look for trusted brands such as Panasonic, Sony, Sanyo and,
lately, GE. In the U.S., people also look for Uniden. Rarely
would people look for a cordless phone made by Siemens, the
German company that has now become the third largest cellphone
handset producer in the world.

In fact, Siemens has a wide range of cordless phones,
including their BT and Gigaset models. Their Gigaset 4000 Series,
for example, offers some features that others may have to adopt
in the future.

Gigaset Classic, Comfort and Micro 4010 or 4015 Series are
actually three similar cordless phone systems with a mini PBAX
functionality. Each can handle up to six cordless handsets. The
4015 Series even has a built-in digital answering machine.

The Gigaset Micro is perhaps the most interesting one. With a
look exactly like a cellphone and a weight of only 100g, it can
even use accessories for Siemens 35 and 45 Series, such as the
battery recharger and the handsfree headset. Yet it is a cordless
phone, not a cellphone.

Not willing to be left behind by its cellphone cousin, the
Gigaset 4000 Micro can even play MP3 music, and Siemens supplies
a USB cable for downloading MP3 files from your computer. It can
store up to 200 phone numbers. With a six-line display, it can
even send and receive short text messages (SMS). You might be
surprised to hear that this cordless phone can handle SMS. Well,
in the near future, you will be able to even send SMS over the
fixed line network as RisTI, Telkom's research and development
arm, is now reportedly working on developing this feature.

What is more, if you have more than one base station at home
or at your shop-house, these cordless phones from Siemens can
also roam between them. The handset is also capable of voice-
dialing, too. If your spouse does not want to be distracted by
the tone of the cordless phone, you can use its vibrator mode. If
you have a big mansion, you can also buy a repeater from this
company so that you still can talk from the backyard although the
base station is in the main living room.

Panasonic's cordless phones that are closest to the look of
cellphones are perhaps the 2.4 GHz GigaRange models, but not as
close as the Siemens Gigaset Micro Series. Meanwhile, all Sony's
cordless phones are still larger in size.

While in terms of design and features the cordless phones are
increasingly resembling the cellphones in your pockets, remember
that you cannot take them on the road with you. You will need a
cellphone for that.

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