# Can WiFi make cordless phones malfunction? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [December 4, 2011, 2:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-wifi-make-cordless-phones-malfunction/605028 "2011-12-04T14:23:07Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 7\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Napier](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/ce73a5/32.png) [@Napier](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Napier)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2011, 2:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-wifi-make-cordless-phones-malfunction/605028/1 "2011-12-04T14:23:07Z")
Well, can it? For the last few years we have not been able to keep a cordless phone working, and somebody told me this is why. ---
**Author:** ![beowulff](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beowulff/32/542_2.png) [@beowulff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/beowulff)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2011, 2:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-wifi-make-cordless-phones-malfunction/605028/2 "2011-12-04T14:34:19Z")
What frequency band is your cordless phone? ---
**Author:** ![asterion](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/4da419/32.png) [@asterion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/asterion)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2011, 2:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-wifi-make-cordless-phones-malfunction/605028/3 "2011-12-04T14:54:10Z")
It can, especially in an apartment or neighborhood with a lot of WiFi signals clogging up the spectrum. I had that problem in the 2.4 GHz spectrum and had to get a new phone using DECT 6.0, which uses 1.9 GHz. I don’t know if I could have found a 5.8 GHz phone. ---
**Author:** ![Digital\_is\_the\_new\_Analog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a88e4f/32.png) [@Digital\_is\_the\_new\_Analog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Digital_is_the_new_Analog)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2011, 2:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-wifi-make-cordless-phones-malfunction/605028/4 "2011-12-04T14:56:49Z")
> [@beowulff](#): > > What frequency band is your cordless phone? To expand on **beowulff** : WiFi operates around 2.4Ghz and 5Ghz. Bluetooth is also in the 2.4Ghz ISM band, a are a bunch of other things. Some cordless phones use that band as well. It’s possible to have interference between your WiFi and your cordless phone. You may be able to resolve the problem by switching channels on either one, or getting a cordless phone in a different band. I think they also come in 900Mhz. -D/a ---
**Author:** ![beowulff](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beowulff/32/542_2.png) [@beowulff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/beowulff)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2011, 3:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-wifi-make-cordless-phones-malfunction/605028/5 "2011-12-04T15:01:46Z")
As an anecdote: I work with embedded wireless modems that operate in the 900MHz band. If I’m testing one, and I try to use my cordless telephone headset, I get significant interference (every time the modem transmits, the headset picks up a series of “metallic” sounds), but it doesn’t prevent the headset from working. ---
**Author:** ![Napier](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/ce73a5/32.png) [@Napier](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Napier)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2011, 4:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-wifi-make-cordless-phones-malfunction/605028/6 "2011-12-04T16:11:30Z")
> [@beowulff](#): > > What frequency band is your cordless phone? One is 2.4 GHz. The other is 1921.536 to 1928.448 MHz using DECT6.0. The WiFi is 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz simultaneously, 802.11n. The problems are that the 2.4 GHz phone enters an off-hook condition and stays there, so none of the other telephones work either; and, the 1.92 GHz phone has such poor sound quality that I can’t understand a single word. Now that I am thinking about it, I can’t remember whether the 1.92 GHz phone ever messed up the other phones. I might have given up on it solely on the basis of the poor sound quality. ---
**Author:** ![beowulff](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beowulff/32/542_2.png) [@beowulff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/beowulff)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2011, 4:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-wifi-make-cordless-phones-malfunction/605028/7 "2011-12-04T16:36:33Z")
I suppose it’s possible that WiFi is causing problems on the 2.4GHz phone, gut I think it’s unlikely to be interfering with the 1.92 GHz one. One thing to consider - Microwave ovens are known to interfere with 2.4GHz communications.