← All gear
Communication
Best Two-Way Radios for Families
Keep the family in touch across the neighborhood when phones are not an option.
Keep the family in touch across the neighborhood when phones are not an option.
Below are the options we would actually put in our own home — what to get, what to skip, and who each one is for. Worth adding once the true essentials are covered.
Common questions
- Do I need a license to use two-way radios?
- FRS radios, the common consumer type, need no license. GMRS radios reach farther and require an inexpensive FCC license that covers your whole family.
- How far do two-way radios really reach?
- Far less than the box claims. Around a neighborhood or town, expect roughly half a mile to two miles. Buildings and hills cut the range, open ground extends it.
- Why use radios if we have phones?
- Radios keep a family connected when cell networks are down or jammed, which is common right after a disaster. They work with no towers, no bill, and no signal bars.
Where it matters