Do I need a built-in ansaphone ?

Am about to replace my land-line 'phones with a 3 unit cordless. Do I really need a unit which includes an answer-phone if I'm quite happy to use BT 1471. Would appreciate advice on best buys for these anyway.

yottie said:

if I'm quite happy to use BT 1471.

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Do you mean the 1571 service? 1471 is the service which just tells you the last number to call you (if it's available). If you're happy with BT's exchange-based service, then fine.

But I would urge that you really consider whether you want to switch entirely to cordless phones. Remember that they rely on power being available to the base unit, so if you lose mains power, you'll lose use of those phones as well. I would strongly suggest that you keep at least one regular phone on the line which doesn't depend upon mains power being available.

Also, if you live anywhere near me keep at least one hard wired phone so you still have a phone when the power goes!

Thanks, I meant 1571. The funny thing is I am in Cumbria and suffer likewise with cuts. I always have a "traditional" one handy just in case. Can I leave the hard wired one plugged in as well as the wireless one all the time, I remember reading somewhere that the less equipment on the line the better the reception ? I suppose the unwired one just counts as one piece. If that's the case I only need a two station unit then ?

yottie said:

I remember reading somewhere that the less equipment on the line the better the reception ?

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Properly engineered equipment shouldn't affect the transmission quality in any way. I think what you probably have in mind is the fact that the line can support only so many ringers, and if you exceed that number some or all phones may ring only weakly or not at all.

Modern equipment normally has this indicated by an REN marked on it, and you are guaranteed proper ringing only so long as the total of the REN's of equipment connected does not exceed 4. Some phones can have an REN higher than 1, but equally a lot of modern cordless phones have an REN which is less than 1, since the ringing current sent down the telephone line isn't actually powering the ringer directly (and is completely independent of how many cordless units are actually associated with the base unit).