From: wcs@anchor.ho.att.com (bill.stewart@pleasantonca.ncr.com +1-510-484-6204)
Date: Sun, 24 Jul 94 00:07:27 PDT
To: cypherpunks@toad.com
Subject: Re: Cordless phones with encryption
Message-ID: <9407240706.AA09003@anchor.ho.att.com>
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain


Nobody asks:

> Can anyone recommend a good 900 Mhz. cordless phone with some
> sort of voice encryption or scrambling?  My most important 
> objective is maximum range from the base unit, but I'd also like 
> some privacy, too.  Thanks.

If all you're looking for is "some privacy", any of the digital 
systems will give you some, and spread-spectrum systems should do more.
That'll do better than simple analog scrambling to keep scanner-users
from listening in on your calls; spread-spectrum systems will continue
to be useful after the scanner-users get basic digital capability.
Neither one will really keep the NSA out, but they can tap the wireline
your phone's base unit is connected to anyway :-)

If you want to know whether a set is using spread-spectrum or just
vanilla digital, you'll get better information at a specialty
telephone or electronics store than at the large discount warehouse-place
where you'll probably eventually buy it (:-), but it may take you
a few contacts with manufacturers to find out more than what's on the box.

(Shameless plug follows:)  I think I remember reading that AT&T was
doing a spread-spectrum cordless with a range of about a mile,
and a price in the $400 range, but I haven't really kept track.

(List-traffic-reduction plug follows:)
I would have replied by email instead of sending this to all 700 people
on the list, but you used a remailer without return message capability.
anon.penet.fi gives you an anonymous account, and some of the cypherpunks
remailers like soda.berkeley.edu now support encrypted return-blocks.

		Bill