This may bust the cheap intercom idea wide open DECT headsets

[jtweigandt]

At our community theatre, I graduated from FRS radios to a Mumble server on a booth computer, and 2 mumble clients running on 50 buck thin clients on Stage Right and Stage Left All three use logitech wireless bluetooth headsets at about 60 bucks a pop. Wifi to phones/mumble client is available, and we used it during "Into the woods" when we had multiple crew/moving tree ballet.

More or less bullet proof, high quality full duplex sound. Drawback is that the bluetooth drops out about 40 feet out, or offstage/backstage. Wifi signal is good onstage, but other places will drop out.

Sooo. I was looking at headset alternatives. I use DECT technology ATT phones at work.. cordless.. ultra clear.. and loooonnng roaming from the base. My office even has concrete block walls.

I fell upon DECT headsets for the pc. Sennheiser in particular has a DECT headset with about a 300 foot stated range. About 200 bucks a pop.. You have to make sure you order the one with the usb cable for pc. You get the phone quality DECT connection to the base.

NOW HERES THE KICKER. you can connect 4 of these headphones to the same DECT base.. like if you had a conference call in an office and needed 4 different cubicles on line talking at the same time to someone in timbuktu. So you plug the base into the PC.. but you don't really use the pc for communication between these 4.. they all talk through the DECT base.. other stations can be cut in via the mumble server if you need more than 4 or want a mix of wired and wireless . Latency on the primary 4 would be about zero.

In theory you could run just the 4 stations with the base plugged in to the pc and have a 4 station full duplex no software solution ... for 800 bucks.

Guess what... clearcom is apparently using DECT for their wireless belt packs now too.

Who's gonna try this before me? It will cost me 400 bucks to prove it, but I think I'm gonna take the plunge. I will be no worse off than my logitech headset that is taped together right now, and could end up in a whole new happy comm world.

 

[MNicolai]

Might want to look at the Eartec products before charting off the beaten path. They're based on a similar design and at the same price point. Limit is 4 units on Ultralite and 7 units on Hub. Think the big brother of Hub is Comstar which goes up to 16 units.

 

[jtweigandt]

The eartech looks intriguing as well. Just thinking out loud here, but one drawback withthe eartech is that I would lose the ability to scale up easily and integrate with the mumble system. I've been using mumble and it just works. So the first goal was a longer reach on the mumble client wireless headset. Which I will probably do when I replace one of the damaged logitech headsets In our environment, we operate "one ear open" not isolated like the big honkin OTE headphones.

Secondly.. If someone breaks an eartech ...make that when.... I have no ready backup. Mumble, I can cut in a cell phone and ear plug and at least have functionality in a few minutes.

Second goal would be gravy... 2 or more dect headsets that talk to each other with our without mumble online.
and if we fell in love with them, could scale up one at a time.