As you hunt for wireless headsets, you’ll likely come across the so-called “DECT standard.” You may find yourself wondering just what DECT is and how it differs from Bluetooth. We hope this post puts the matter to rest.
DECT stands for “Digital Enhanced Cordless Telecommunications” although it’s also known as “Digital European Cordless Telecommunications” – which makes sense, because it’s a standard that originated in Europe.
DECT is widely used in wireless phone systems to connect the cordless phone to a base station. It is used for both consumer and corporate phones. In the latter case, it can be used with a PBX (private branch exchange) and a wireless LAN to let users move around the office without losing their calls.
The standard is widely used in most countries. It works near the 1.9 GHz frequency band, where it does not interfere with other wireless technologies, like Wi-Fi and Bluetooth.
DECT vs Bluetooth: Security
Security of your wireless conversations is a natural concern. To quote Dennis Majikas, a service engineer at Jabra: “People are concerned that others may be able to tap into their call via the wireless connection, but that is almost impossible to do once authentication is established.”
It works as follows:
First, the headset establishes an authenticated connection with the base. This requires a number of “handshakes” and creates a secure link. Once that happens, the headset turns voice into digital data, encrypts it, and passes only the encrypted data back to the base, making the conversation highly secure.
“DECT uses a 64-bit encryption, and Bluetooth has a 128-bit encryption. So once the headsets are appropriately paired with their base stations, the chance of someone effectively listening in on a call is virtually nil” Majikas states.
DECT vs Bluetooth: The Distance Dilemma
One of the biggest differences between DECT and Bluetooth is that DECT has a far greater range: around 100 meters (330 feet).
Bluetooth range depends on which class is used:
- Class 1 has a range of about 100 meters (330 feet).
- Class 2 is about 10 meters (33 feet).
- Class 3 is only 1 meter (3 feet).
In an office environment, a Bluetooth base station would typically be Class 1, as would the headset. But a smartphone is usually Class 2, so if that same headset was to answer a call from the smartphone, it would automatically adjust itself to the Class 2 power level. (Class 3 is usually only used for devices such as keyboards and mice.)
But DECT’s greater range can be both a blessing and a curse. In Europe, DECT supports a maximum of 120 channels on a given base station. In a dense office environment – such as a call center – companies may run out of available channels, even though plenty of additional users are well within range of the base station.
In that case, a few things can be done:
- The office setup must be carefully thought out – placing base stations sufficiently far away from each other so as not to cause interference.
- DECT range can be turned down to about 20 meters (60 feet) in high-density environments to minimize interference.
DECT vs Bluetooth: Connectivity Considerations
Another difference is that a DECT headset can only connect to one other device – namely the base station that provides a connection to the phone network.
A single Bluetooth device can connect to up to 8 other devices simultaneously. So the same Bluetooth headset could be used to connect to a user’s mobile phone, computer, tablet, and desk phone.
So the headset choice largely depends on how it will be used.
If your users need it only for desk or computer-based phones (as in a call center) a DECT headset is most suited (as long as you don’t run into the above channel limitation). The headsets will be secure and will let users move about freely.
On the other hand, if the headset will also be used with a mobile phone, then Bluetooth may be more suited. Mobility is less of an issue: People have their mobile phones with them anyway, so they’re well within the 10-meter limit.
The ability to use the same headset for both office and mobile phones is convenient. If you have a UC system that enables uninterrupted hand-offs between computer-based soft phones and mobile devices, that’s even better – a single Bluetooth headset should be all your users need.
IP Connect offers a selection of wireless office headsets that support both the Bluetooth and DECT standards.
Contact our team for more information today:
T: 01 564 9383