OT: long range cordless analog phone needed

Can anyone here recommend a good long-range cordless telephone? I've used
the Engenius SN920 before, but honestly I was not able to get much better
distance than with a standard cordless. I need one phone for a security
guard that will be protrolling an outdoor area that's approximately 4,000 sq
ft (1,000 ft from back to front / 400-500 ft wide). The area is mostly
open, with some stacks of lumber in unpredictable places - approx 12 ft
high). Line of site is very good over most of the area. The base unit will
be placed in a small guard shack, and I can mount an external antenna if
needed.

Advice appreciated.

thank you,

jm

On Sun, 22 Apr 2007 21:57:46 -0500, "JM" <(E-Mail Removed)>
wrote in <(E-Mail Removed)>:

>Can anyone here recommend a good long-range cordless telephone? I've used
>the Engenius SN920 before, but honestly I was not able to get much better
>distance than with a standard cordless. I need one phone for a security
>guard that will be protrolling an outdoor area that's approximately 4,000 sq
>ft (1,000 ft from back to front / 400-500 ft wide). The area is mostly
>open, with some stacks of lumber in unpredictable places - approx 12 ft
>high). Line of site is very good over most of the area. The base unit will
>be placed in a small guard shack, and I can mount an external antenna if
>needed.

Assuming you've already ruled out cellular (e.g, iDEN), have you
considered 2-way radio (FRS/GMRS) instead?

--
Best regards, FAQ for Wireless Internet: <http://Wireless.wikia.com>
John Navas FAQ for Wi-Fi: <http://wireless.wikia.com/wiki/Wi-Fi>
Wi-Fi How To: <http://wireless.wikia.com/wiki/Wi-Fi_HowTo>
Fixes to Wi-Fi Problems: <http://wireless.wikia.com/wiki/Wi-Fi_Fixes>

"JM" <(E-Mail Removed)> hath wroth:

>Can anyone here recommend a good long-range cordless telephone?

No. The power level is so low, and interference levels so high, on
most cordless phones, that long range operation is not possible. I
recently helped shut down an illegal high power 2.4GHz phone system
running about 1 watt output. Despite the high power, the range was
erratic in the downtown area because of severe interference from other
system. 900MHz would have been worse. 5.8GHz might work until they
too become upbiquitous.

>I've used
>the Engenius SN920 before, but honestly I was not able to get much better
>distance than with a standard cordless.

I borrowed a pair of SN920 Ultra's about 2 years ago. It was really
weird. Sometimes, I could talk easily between my house and downtown
Ben Lomond, a distance of about a mile through a mess of redwood
trees. However, it was totally unreliable. It would be working just
fine and then just disappear. A few minutes later, dialtone would
magically reappear, eventually followed by another disconnect. The
2nd unit seemed a bit better, but I had to return everything before I
had time to try any long range testing.

However, 500ft radius coverage should not be a problem with this unit.
It should have worked. Perhaps you had quite a bit of 900Mhz
interference in the area?

>I need one phone for a security
>guard that will be protrolling an outdoor area that's approximately 4,000 sq
>ft (1,000 ft from back to front / 400-500 ft wide).

A cordless phone is inappropriate and unreliable. What you want are
licensed commercial radios on one of the "dot" frequencies. 1,000ft
is no problem for these on either VHF or UHF. Surplus radios are
cheap and commonly available. For 1000ft, two UHF HT's and rubber
ducky antennas are fine.

Radio to phone patch interfaces are commonly available. For example:
<http://www.connectsystems.com/Standard_Products.htm>
However, you're not going to get full duplex operation to the
telephone. The HT can only transmit or receive, one at a time. If
you want something resembling good telephone operation, the base
station will need to be full duplex. That means you'll effectively
need to build a repeater at the base, which seriously raises the cost,
and requires a different FCC license. The usual solution is to use a
cell phone for telephone calls, and the two way radio for talking to a
dispatcher.

Talk your neighborhood two way radio dealer.

>The area is mostly
>open, with some stacks of lumber in unpredictable places - approx 12 ft
>high). Line of site is very good over most of the area. The base unit will
>be placed in a small guard shack, and I can mount an external antenna if
>needed.
>
>Advice appreciated.
>
>thank you,
>
>jm
>
>
>
>
--
Jeff Liebermann (E-Mail Removed)
150 Felker St #D http://www.LearnByDestroying.com
Santa Cruz CA 95060 http://802.11junk.com
Skype: JeffLiebermann AE6KS 831-336-2558

You don't say where this will be used, but that style of "long range"
phone is not FCC approved for use in the US.

JM wrote:
> Can anyone here recommend a good long-range cordless telephone? I've used
> the Engenius SN920 before, but honestly I was not able to get much better
> distance than with a standard cordless. I need one phone for a security
> guard that will be protrolling an outdoor area that's approximately 4,000 sq
> ft (1,000 ft from back to front / 400-500 ft wide). The area is mostly
> open, with some stacks of lumber in unpredictable places - approx 12 ft
> high). Line of site is very good over most of the area. The base unit will
> be placed in a small guard shack, and I can mount an external antenna if
> needed.
>
> Advice appreciated.
>
> thank you,
>
> jm

"JM" <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in message
news:(E-Mail Removed). ..
> Can anyone here recommend a good long-range cordless telephone? I've used
> the Engenius SN920 before, but honestly I was not able to get much better
> distance than with a standard cordless. I need one phone for a security
> guard that will be protrolling an outdoor area that's approximately 4,000
> sq ft (1,000 ft from back to front / 400-500 ft wide). The area is mostly
> open, with some stacks of lumber in unpredictable places - approx 12 ft
> high). Line of site is very good over most of the area. The base unit
> will be placed in a small guard shack, and I can mount an external antenna
> if needed.

We operate on a 10-acre site with widely spaced buildings. The EnGenius
922H (Duraphone-4x) gives us solid communications all over the 660 x 660,
and all the way over to our two adjacent properties that are over 700' from
the base unit.

The base is inside a metal-skinned prefab office, with no external
antenna -- just the two rabbit ears that are stock on the unit. We're told
that with a higher-gain outdoor antenna, we could roughly triple the range.

LLoyd

Did the sn920 have an external omni? An old uniden 900mhz cordless became
quite reliable and it was only pushing a 1/10th of the output the sn920
would.

(down bush = around a mile thru coconut trees)

Joe.


"JM" <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in message
news:(E-Mail Removed). ..
> Can anyone here recommend a good long-range cordless telephone? I've used
> the Engenius SN920 before, but honestly I was not able to get much better
> distance than with a standard cordless. I need one phone for a security
> guard that will be protrolling an outdoor area that's approximately 4,000
> sq ft (1,000 ft from back to front / 400-500 ft wide). The area is mostly
> open, with some stacks of lumber in unpredictable places - approx 12 ft
> high). Line of site is very good over most of the area. The base unit
> will be placed in a small guard shack, and I can mount an external antenna
> if needed.
>
> Advice appreciated.
>
> thank you,
>
> jm
>
>
>
>
>

Sorry I didn't clarify: I've used the Engenius SN920 before, but *not* in
this particular application. Perhaps it deserves a second look, considering
the open space?

jm




"Jeff Liebermann" <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in message
news:(E-Mail Removed)...
> "JM" <(E-Mail Removed)> hath wroth:
>
>>Can anyone here recommend a good long-range cordless telephone?
>
> No. The power level is so low, and interference levels so high, on
> most cordless phones, that long range operation is not possible. I
> recently helped shut down an illegal high power 2.4GHz phone system
> running about 1 watt output. Despite the high power, the range was
> erratic in the downtown area because of severe interference from other
> system. 900MHz would have been worse. 5.8GHz might work until they
> too become upbiquitous.
>
>>I've used
>>the Engenius SN920 before, but honestly I was not able to get much better
>>distance than with a standard cordless.
>
> I borrowed a pair of SN920 Ultra's about 2 years ago. It was really
> weird. Sometimes, I could talk easily between my house and downtown
> Ben Lomond, a distance of about a mile through a mess of redwood
> trees. However, it was totally unreliable. It would be working just
> fine and then just disappear. A few minutes later, dialtone would
> magically reappear, eventually followed by another disconnect. The
> 2nd unit seemed a bit better, but I had to return everything before I
> had time to try any long range testing.
>
> However, 500ft radius coverage should not be a problem with this unit.
> It should have worked. Perhaps you had quite a bit of 900Mhz
> interference in the area?
>
>>I need one phone for a security
>>guard that will be protrolling an outdoor area that's approximately 4,000
>>sq
>>ft (1,000 ft from back to front / 400-500 ft wide).
>
> A cordless phone is inappropriate and unreliable. What you want are
> licensed commercial radios on one of the "dot" frequencies. 1,000ft
> is no problem for these on either VHF or UHF. Surplus radios are
> cheap and commonly available. For 1000ft, two UHF HT's and rubber
> ducky antennas are fine.
>
> Radio to phone patch interfaces are commonly available. For example:
> <http://www.connectsystems.com/Standard_Products.htm>
> However, you're not going to get full duplex operation to the
> telephone. The HT can only transmit or receive, one at a time. If
> you want something resembling good telephone operation, the base
> station will need to be full duplex. That means you'll effectively
> need to build a repeater at the base, which seriously raises the cost,
> and requires a different FCC license. The usual solution is to use a
> cell phone for telephone calls, and the two way radio for talking to a
> dispatcher.
>
> Talk your neighborhood two way radio dealer.
>
>>The area is mostly
>>open, with some stacks of lumber in unpredictable places - approx 12 ft
>>high). Line of site is very good over most of the area. The base unit
>>will
>>be placed in a small guard shack, and I can mount an external antenna if
>>needed.
>>
>>Advice appreciated.
>>
>>thank you,
>>
>>jm
>>
>>
>>
>>
> --
> Jeff Liebermann (E-Mail Removed)
> 150 Felker St #D http://www.LearnByDestroying.com
> Santa Cruz CA 95060 http://802.11junk.com
> Skype: JeffLiebermann AE6KS 831-336-2558

is the Durafon supposed to provide longer range than the SN920?

jm





"Lloyd E. Sponenburgh" <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in message
news:462c996c$0$16694$(E-Mail Removed)...
>
> "JM" <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in message
> news:(E-Mail Removed). ..
>> Can anyone here recommend a good long-range cordless telephone? I've
>> used the Engenius SN920 before, but honestly I was not able to get much
>> better distance than with a standard cordless. I need one phone for a
>> security guard that will be protrolling an outdoor area that's
>> approximately 4,000 sq ft (1,000 ft from back to front / 400-500 ft
>> wide). The area is mostly open, with some stacks of lumber in
>> unpredictable places - approx 12 ft high). Line of site is very good
>> over most of the area. The base unit will be placed in a small guard
>> shack, and I can mount an external antenna if needed.
>
> We operate on a 10-acre site with widely spaced buildings. The EnGenius
> 922H (Duraphone-4x) gives us solid communications all over the 660 x 660,
> and all the way over to our two adjacent properties that are over 700'
> from the base unit.
>
> The base is inside a metal-skinned prefab office, with no external
> antenna -- just the two rabbit ears that are stock on the unit. We're
> told that with a higher-gain outdoor antenna, we could roughly triple the
> range.
>
> LLoyd
>

I'm sorry i did not clarify: I've not tried the SN920 in this particular
application. I was hesitant to order one, simply because in another similar
application I was only able to get clear reception up to approx 700', and I
really need coverage over a lot that is 1000'-1200' at its deepest point.

jm




"Forster Tuncurry" <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in message
news:462c7c37$(E-Mail Removed)...
> Did the sn920 have an external omni? An old uniden 900mhz cordless became
> quite reliable and it was only pushing a 1/10th of the output the sn920
> would.
>
> (down bush = around a mile thru coconut trees)
>
> Joe.
>
>
> "JM" <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in message
> news:(E-Mail Removed). ..
>> Can anyone here recommend a good long-range cordless telephone? I've
>> used the Engenius SN920 before, but honestly I was not able to get much
>> better distance than with a standard cordless. I need one phone for a
>> security guard that will be protrolling an outdoor area that's
>> approximately 4,000 sq ft (1,000 ft from back to front / 400-500 ft
>> wide). The area is mostly open, with some stacks of lumber in
>> unpredictable places - approx 12 ft high). Line of site is very good
>> over most of the area. The base unit will be placed in a small guard
>> shack, and I can mount an external antenna if needed.
>>
>> Advice appreciated.
>>
>> thank you,
>>
>> jm
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>
>

Your antenna is one of the main factors for range and clear reception. Get
your base up high with its stock antenna could be all you need tho.

The position of your base in the last setup would have been a key factor.


Joe.


"JM" <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in message
news:(E-Mail Removed). ..
> I'm sorry i did not clarify: I've not tried the SN920 in this particular
> application. I was hesitant to order one, simply because in another
> similar application I was only able to get clear reception up to approx
> 700', and I really need coverage over a lot that is 1000'-1200' at its
> deepest point.
>
> jm
>
>
>
>
> "Forster Tuncurry" <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in message
> news:462c7c37$(E-Mail Removed)...
>> Did the sn920 have an external omni? An old uniden 900mhz cordless became
>> quite reliable and it was only pushing a 1/10th of the output the sn920
>> would.
>>
>> (down bush = around a mile thru coconut trees)
>>
>> Joe.
>>
>>
>> "JM" <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in message
>> news:(E-Mail Removed). ..
>>> Can anyone here recommend a good long-range cordless telephone? I've
>>> used the Engenius SN920 before, but honestly I was not able to get much
>>> better distance than with a standard cordless. I need one phone for a
>>> security guard that will be protrolling an outdoor area that's
>>> approximately 4,000 sq ft (1,000 ft from back to front / 400-500 ft
>>> wide). The area is mostly open, with some stacks of lumber in
>>> unpredictable places - approx 12 ft high). Line of site is very good
>>> over most of the area. The base unit will be placed in a small guard
>>> shack, and I can mount an external antenna if needed.
>>>
>>> Advice appreciated.
>>>
>>> thank you,
>>>
>>> jm
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>
>>
>
>