Cordless landline phones are important to many people, even in times of smartphones. We present some of the best DECT phones for your phone line or router.

By Sven Wernicke

The landline telephone is still indispensable in many households. It allows uncomplicated and high-quality telephoning within your own four walls. This is where the established radio standard DECT comes into play, which connects the phone to the landline via a base station. Today's DECT phones can also communicate with your router and make a base station superfluous.

Current DECT phones offer a lot of convenience when making calls. These are the best devices.

Panasonic KX-TGE250: Classic DECT telephone with voice output

You connect the Panasonic KX-TGE250 cordless telephone to a TAE socket in the classic way to get started right away. There is an answering machine in the base station. Despite the somewhat nostalgic look, there is modern technology inside. For example, you can have someone announce who is calling – the integrated voice output makes it possible.

The large buttons and the high-contrast monochrome display are useful for older people, as they find their way around quickly.

Per	against
+ Voice announcement of caller names and phone numbers	– No support for IP telephony
+ Big buttons	– Antiquated design
+ Block up to 1,000 unwanted phone numbers

Panasonic KX-TGE250GN Buy now at

Telekom Speedphone 12: ergonomics and voice quality

Don't let the name confuse you. Although the Speedphone 12 comes from Telekom, it is suitable for all current routers with an integrated DECT base station. What is striking about the device is the attractive design and the harmonious feel, the speedphone lies really well in the hand.

The 2-inch display shows the phone book first-class, and there are other functions such as alarm clock and baby monitor. Compared to other devices, the Speedphone 12 is relatively spartan, but offers good battery life and high voice quality. And the price is right too.

Tip: The Telekom Speedphone 12 does not come with its own base station, you connect it to the router. Alternatively, you can use the similarly equipped Telekom Sinus A32 model with the associated base unit.

Per	against
+ Good value for money	– Few comfort functions
+ HD voice quality	– Requires base station (router with DECT)
+ Long battery life

Telekom Speedphone 12 Buy now at

Fritz!Fon C6: Best cordless telephone for the Fritzbox

If you have a Fritzbox with a DECT base station, the Fritz!Fon C6 is the best DECT phone you can buy. It harmonises perfectly with your router and has numerous comfort functions. You can select e-mails, podcasts and internet radio, for example, on the color display. You don't need a computer or smartphone for this.

If you use the smart home functions of your Fritzbox, you can also control your smart lamps and sockets with the Fritz!Fon C6. The best for beginners: The C6 is very easy to set up and configure. If you use a router from another manufacturer, you have to do without many features. Then the C6 is hardly worth it.

Per	against
+ High-quality HD telephony	– Only useful in combination with a compatible Fritzbox
+ Numerous functions (baby monitor, background images, smart home compatibility)
+ Internet services can be used directly on the phone
+ New features via regular software updates

AVM Fritz!Fon C6 Buy now from

Gigaset CL660: synchronization with the PC

Manage the phone book of your landline phone conveniently on your computer and compare it with contacts from Outlook or Windows: The Gigaset CL660 has the right sync software for Windows and macOS. To do this, connect the phone to your computer using a micro-USB cable.

So that you are not disturbed at night, you can put the CL660 into a time-controlled evening mode. Then only those from whom you want a call come through. Of course, there is also an answering machine.

Tip: If you don't need a base station because you want to use your router as a DECT base, we recommend the otherwise identical CL660 HX as a standalone handset.

Per	against
+ Synchronization with Outlook and Windows phone books	– No wireless synchronization of address books via Bluetooth
+ Intelligent blocking of unwanted calls
+ Sleep mode for the night

Gigaset CL660 Buy now from

Gigaset Comfort 550 A IP flex: DECT telephone for all occasions

Gigaset's Comfort 550 A IP flex doesn't care what type of telephone connection you have. Classic TAE socket, LAN cable to the router or DECT base? If everything works, the name suffix "flex" says it all: manage up to six telephone numbers, use three integrated answering machines, conduct two calls at the same time with several handsets or internal calls with the entire family.

Another highlight: the cloud-based Small Call Block service protects you from unwanted calls. The phone automatically compares numbers with an online database and classifies them as trustworthy, undesirable or even dangerous.

The Gigaset Comfort 550 A IP flex is a powerful DECT phone that gives you full control and is equipped with numerous features. It is the ideal companion for those who do not want to compromise.

Per	against
+ Flexible connection options	– Oversized for some users
+ Up to six telephone numbers can be controlled
+ Three integrated answering machines

What you should consider when buying a DECT telephone

The Digital Enhanced Cordless Telecommunications radio standard, or DECT for short, is primarily used in landline telephones. It offers a range of up to 50 meters indoors, is tap-proof, energy-saving and, thanks to the frequency range used, is less susceptible to interference from other radio technologies such as WLAN. The voice quality is higher than that of calls made with a smartphone. But DECT phones are tied to one place: the home or the office.

Which aspects you should consider when buying a DECHT phone:

• Base Station : Cordless phones used to come with their own base station that plugged into the phone line. The base then took up the radio link to the actual telephone. That hasn't changed today. But now routers take over the function of the DECT base, so you only have to buy the mobile phone. Before you buy, check whether you need a phone with or without its own base station. Consult your router's manual for this.
• IP telephony : The term describes telephoning over the Internet. Many of today's DECT telephones are able to do this. These are usually the models that you connect to your router with an integrated DECT base station. Then you telephone over the Internet, without noticing it. Conversely, not all DECT phones are IP-enabled at the same time, which is often not the case with devices with their own base station and TAE connector.
• Answering machine : Most DECT base station telephones have an integrated answering machine. It is increasingly being replaced by an answering machine in your router or your telephone provider's answering machine, a digital mailbox. The calls are no longer stored locally, but on servers.
• Standards : For uncomplicated use, you should pay attention to the CAT-iQ and CAT-iq 2.0/2.1 standards. They ensure that base stations or routers can communicate with the DECT telephones. At the same time, CAT-iq makes DECT devices Internet-capable, i.e. fit for services such as IP telephony, e-mail and podcasts, which you can use directly on the phone.
• Voice quality : The "HD Voice" function stands for particularly high-quality calls between two participants. The feature is common in IP-enabled devices from the middle price segment (around 50 euros).
• Additional functions : baby monitor, silent mode, blocking of unwanted calls, a particularly extensive phone book, Internet services – higher-priced DECT phones offer a variety of convenience functions. If you primarily want to use the device to make calls, a cheap model will suffice.