Cordless Phone Interference

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Level 1

84 points

Cordless Phone Interference

I have a Time Capsule that works, but gets interference from a nearby 2.4 Ghz cordless phone. I know Apple recommends that cordless phones be 25 feet from the Time Capsule, but that seems like an unreasonable distance. Both the Time Capsule and phone are in my home office because that's where I use them. The Time Capsule is connected to a printer. So it's not convenient to have that or the phone in another room. I can't be the only one with this problem, so I'm wondering what others have done to solve it.

Is there a better phone to use?

MacBook Pro, Mac OS X (10.5.4)

Posted on Jul 17, 2008 5:49 PM

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Answer 1

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Duane

Level 10

124,267 points

Jul 17, 2008 6:13 PM in response to Rob Abram1

...so I'm wondering what others have done to solve it.

Get rid of the 2.4 GHz cordless phone. Instead use a 5.8 GHz or 1900 MHz phone.

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Answer 2

xelljin

Level 1

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Jul 17, 2008 7:51 PM in response to Rob Abram1

dumb question.....how do you know you're getting interference. I think I might have the same problem and I've been trying to trouble shooting dodgy performance on my airport for weeks!!

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Answer 3

Rob Abram1 Author

Level 1

84 points

Jul 17, 2008 7:59 PM in response to xelljin

I'm not sure if I always get interference, although I suspect I might. However, when I use the phone, I hear a ticking noise that I didn't hear before. Also when I'm on the phone, my internet connection slows down enough that it's unusable. Sometimes I even lose my connection completely.

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Answer 4

Jul 17, 2008 8:00 PM in response to Rob Abram1

I also have a 2.4 phone, and I cannot use the phone when the airport/TC is on. The airport "kills" the phone. Luckily I have another line that is not on a cordless phone system. Perhaps it is possible to change the frequency of the TC. I have not yet investigated to see if that is an option.

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Answer 5

Rob Abram1 Author

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84 points

Jul 18, 2008 6:36 AM in response to Duane

Thanks. I guess that's what I'll do. I wasn't sure if 5.8 Ghz was okay or not.

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Answer 6

Liz M

Level 1

26 points

Jan 14, 2009 7:05 AM in response to xelljin

I know I have interference because there is a lot of white noise on my phone which gets worse if I carry the phone into the room with my Time Capsule. My phone base is in a different room so this is an easy test for me.

- Liz

<Edited by Moderator>

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Answer 7

dujmij

Level 1

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Aug 9, 2008 3:31 PM in response to Rob Abram1

We had problems with the old cordless phones. Two new Panasonic phones are in a 12' X 10' room with my time capsule and two macs running on wi fi just fine.

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Answer 8

Aug 9, 2008 5:01 PM in response to dujmij

There is no reason to use a 2.4Ghz phone anymore. There are so many fantastic choices in 5.8 and there is some new model out now too on even a different frequency.

I did hear of people having issues living too close to a major airport too. The new DASR radar plays havoc with their spectrum.

Also watch out for microwave ovens, some 'halide' lights and even some garage door opener remotes.

You could keep the 2.4 phones and switch to 11n(draft) or 11a which doesn't use the same frequencies as the phones. 11b and 11g are 2.4Ghz. 11a and 11n(draft) are more robust (faster) and able to deal with interference better too.

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Answer 9

Davl

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Aug 22, 2008 9:48 PM in response to Rob Abram1

Is there a way to re-set the time capsule to 5GHz?

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Answer 10

Aug 23, 2008 5:52 AM in response to Davl

It can be set for draft 802.11n only. Does that answer the question?

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