Plantronics WIRELESS DENSITY - WHITE PAPER Manual

Wireless Density
March 2007
In considering how many wireless headsets can be used in a given environment, a range of elements need to be
considered. The most critical are:
1. The number of concurrent headset users.
2. The building layout and design.
3. The wireless technology being used (eg Bluetooth® or DECT™).
Bluetooth and DECT systems have completely different operating frequencies and neither will cause the other
interference.
Guidance for DECT (CS60™, CS70™ & SupraPlus® Wireless)
DECT Summary:
There are many inter-related factors at play when determining the number of wireless headsets that can be deployed-
as such, it is very difficult to give absolute recommendations.
It is for that reason that Plantronics strongly recommend a site survey for customers interested in deploying more
than 70 wireless headsets. Please contact Plantronics engineering for any proposed deployments of more than 70
headsets on a single site.
As general guidance, 70 headsets can normally be deployed without problems. In typical offices, where people are
not on the phone for more than 30-40% of their time, 120 is unlikely to cause issues. Depending on the environment,
it is possible to deploy significantly more, but a site survey is required to make specific recommendations.
Background
Plantronics ranges of DECT wireless headset (eg CS60) are quoted as having 70 'channels'.
Some other DECT products quote 120 channels. In fact, all have access to 120, but for a number of reasons, the use
of a number closer to 70 can be guaranteed. This is the same for the vast majority of DECT systems.
Each simultaneous call requires its own channel- suggesting a maximum of 70 concurrent users. This is the figure
Plantronics often quote, because there is very little chance of problems below this number of users. In reality, the
number of products that can be used is many more, and in fact Plantronics have customers that have deployed up to
500 wireless headsets.
One of the key advantages of DECT is that it is a protected frequency-band. This means that it is NOT affected by
inference from other radio signals, such as WiFi or Bluetooth. So compared to Bluetooth, it is possible to deploy many
more DECT wireless systems.
Whitepaper