Before you buy a cordless phone, you need to decide on a frequency. Most models on the shelf right now are 2.4 GHz or 5.8 GHz.

Todd Kent, a test engineer at the Good Housekeeping Institute, says either frequency can have annoying interference.

"The 2.4 GHz tends to have more problems with interference with other household electronics, such as your microwave or a baby monitor or something along those lines," Kent says.

Now there's a third choice -- the DECT phone. DECT stands for Digital Enhanced Cordless Technology. They transmit at 1.9 GHz, a new frequency slice carved out for voice communication.

You may pay a bit more for a DECT phone, but the price difference isn't all that much considering what you get in return.

"The new DECT phone should ultimately have no interference problems whatsoever," Kent says.

For its October issue, Good Housekeeping tested 25 cordless phones. The two top-rated phones - the VTech 6032 and the KXTG1032S - were both DECT models.

For More Information:

Read more about Good Housekeeping's cordless phone ratings

Cordless Phones: Making new connection