A digital phone system converts all telephone conversations to a digital signal either at the telephone set or at the control unit. These systems have the advantage of connecting to digital telephone lines such as ISDN (23 lines), ISDN BRI (2 lines), or T1 (24 lines). The other advantage is a reduction in wiring of the telephone sets. Most analog systems take 2, 3,or 4 pairs of wires from the control unit to the telephone set. Digital sets usually work with only one pair of wires, like the Panasonic Digital, the Lucent Definity System and the Mitel SX-200. Some digital systems use 2 pairs like the Lucent Partner. One more advantage in a digital system is that conference calls are usually louder and clearer as there is no loss of volume when connecting lines through a control unit. They also can have more than 3 parties in a conference, usually up to 6 with the added benefit of having all parties hear each other.

What kind of cabling do I need for my home phone system?

A voice mail system interfaces to any control unit though the use of station ports. If considering voice mail, with the exception of Lucent Legend, make sure that you have enough extra ports to accommodate your  voice mail system. For example, if the voice mail is 2- ports, you will need 2 available extension ports that are not being used by a telephone set.