On a whim, Ponzi purchased an AT&T E5860 5.8 GHz DSS Expandable Cordless Phone System yesterday. I've been avoiding 5.8 GHz wireless phones largely because most are not “true 5.8″ devices like you'd believe. It may be communicating on the 5.8 spectrum from the base to the phone, but many “5.8 GHz” phones transmit signals back to the base on 2.4 GHz (to help extend battery life). I've been fine with 900 MHz for years. Apparently, Ponzi hasn't been – though I don't think she realizes that this shiny new phone is likely to introduce several different problems to our household.
I was scouring the 'Net, looking for reviews of the E5860 – specifically, to see if it would be friendly in a WiFi'ed environment. On the back of the box, it says that the 5.8 GHz device is “designed for Interference-Free Networking” with an “802.11 Friendly.” 802.11b operates on the 2.4 GHz spectrum, but apparently 2.4 GHz phones with DDS (Digital Spread Spectrum) work nicely within wirelessly networked environments. I suppose it's worth trying. Let's see how 5.8 GHz goes.