Something Every Server Room Needs

So this is going to be a short and quick article while I'm working on a longer one.  There's something no server room or data center should be without, and it's not what you think: a cordless phone.  This simple item can make your life in there much easier and help for lots of reasons.

Sure, cell phones work, but I can't tell you the number of times I've heard "there is no service in there" or "my battery is dead" while trying to talk to someone.  The solution is a simple and cheap one too.  There's typically enough wiring in a server room to make adding a phone jack easy, so even the labor cost is low.  If you use an VoIP phone system, it's even simpler, since you can plug an ATA into a network port on a switch and have a phone jack right there.

My recommendation is one of the many Panasonic DECT cordless phones.  Most (if not all) of the run at 1.9Ghz, so they won't interfere with your WiFi network.  They don't take "special" batteries that are hard to find.  Instead, they use rechargeable AAA batteries that are easy to find.  The range is decent.  The systems are even expandable to support multiple handsets, and some support 2 lines.  And the most important factor when trying to get one, they are very reasonably priced!  I've had a set of these in my home for over 6 years now, and I recommend them to everyone that needs cordless phones.

As an example, here's the Panasonic KX-TG6155B @ Amazon.com for $33.98.  That's the single handset model, also available with 2 or 3 handsets.  That's just one of many.  Just search anywhere for "Panasonic DECT" and you'll find them all. At that price, there's no excuse to not have one in your server room, and maybe even all your wiring closets.