Choosing the Right Wireless Headset System For Your Office Phone
Two-part wireless headsets vs. completely wire free headsets?
Before battery technology improved to the point where it was possible to place the battery inside the headset itself, many headsets incorporated a separate battery pack that was clipped to your belt. Headset models in this category include the Plantronics CT12 Single Line Telephone Headsets(great for single-line home phones and multiple-line Partner phones), the (now discontinued) Office Rover and the now discontinued Plantronics CS10 Wireless Headset System. Additionally, any regular cordless telephone with a 2.5mm headset jack can be used with any number of cellular phone headsets to make a two part wireless headset system.
The primary advantage of these headsets is that it’s easier and cheaper to engineer a headset that doesn’t need a small, ultra efficient battery, the two part wireless headset systems cost considerably less, with list prices at the time of writing starting at around $140. In those cases where a cellular headset with a 2.5mm jack is used with a cellular phone the cost can be below $20.
Of course there are drawbacks to a two-part headset system – primarily that there is a cord, albeit a short one. This can sometimes snag, and still requires the use of a shirt clip to stop it interfering with the positioning and comfort of the headset. Further, although the freedom offered by a wireless headset means that it needs to be taken on and off less frequently, there is still a small impact from the added time taken to manage the cord when doing so.
In our opinion, unless the headset is being used as a single line system, the minor cost saving on some models vs. the additional benefits are not a fair trade. For business applications, we recommend a fully wireless headset system, such as the Plantronics CS55, or GN Netcom GN 9120.
|
|
