Home Landline - Fixed Phone

I have a home landline, but it's VoIP. I don't see myself cancelling that any time soon, primarily because of international calling.

 

I haven't had an actual landline in about 15 years, but did have Vonage VoIP for about 8 years. The one big reason a landline can be beneficial is for faxing. For several friends of mine, this is the very reason they keep their home phone. Having been in situations where I need to fax something, I'm glad they have the landline. One friend, in particular, has it bundled with their TV and Internet service (Verizon FiOS).

 

I have an actual home landline, not VOIP. An AT&T exchange system with 12 possible phones and one needs to dial 9 to get an outside line.

Each room has a dial code 11, 12, etc. an outside call is one ring, an internal 2, and the door bell 3 rings.

When the door bell rings, I can pick up any phone and talk to them.

Together with that we have an unlisted number, transfer when busy or away etc, all for $24.99 plus tax.

I know we can do without it but it's hardly worth it for that amount.




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Wow. I just saw this thread (but then I have not been logged on since yesterday). Here's my story. As an employee, I had free landline with (Pacbell, SBC, AT&T) since I started with them. In late 2010 when I informed them I had leukemia, 6 month later in Q2 2011, I was laid off. But seeing as I was vested, my landline was discounted. I live in a older (copper only) residential area and AT&T is not putting any effort into fixing copper. After about a year my line started getting a lot of static, dropped calls, dead line and whatnot. I still had contacts inside AT&T and knew how to file a formal complaint that would get all the way up the president's secretary. It did, but the issue kept recurring. Finally one Saturday afternoon, I come into the house, pick up the handset and, and, ...... NO DIALTONE. I was livid!!! I called the secretary and told her not to bother, I'm disconnecting my landline and don't even want anything to do with AT&T. I also dropped my DSL at that time. Since that time, my wife and I merely use our mobile phones. Its kind of nice because the only calls I get are people that actually want to talk to me and not my wife. (Most calls are her family calling for her.)

 

I have Comcast triple play (TV, internet, phone). I don't have any use for a landline, but it is part of a contract deal. I hate talking on phones. I have the home phone set to silent, calls are sent to voicemail after 2 rings, and I don't have TV caller ID. Only 1 person knows my landline phone number. I use my cell for nerly all my calls.

I had CenturyLink eons ago, I had their phone and DSL service. Internet was pathetically slow at my apartment, so I wisely moved on to Comcast.

On the other hand, a landline is required at my mom's high rise (to let folks in behind the gate).

 

Sometimes your wife is not home and you need the landline to find your phone tucked between sofa pillows.

That has been mostly solved with my Apple Watch and the ping feature.


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@viewfly: Actually, the way I find my phone is to plug my MagicJack into my laptop and dial my mobile phone that way. No landline needed.

 

I can dial from Hangouts app on my tablet Probably from computers, too.

 

I would call a wifi connection ( that runs through fiber, coax, or copper) a landline. Certainly not going to work if a tree takes down your house lines ( or street lines).

But yeah, it's cool that we have so many ways to connect. I can use my iPad and 'find my phone' app to ping my iPhone too. Bit more of a bother, but only a little bit.

There are rare times when you need to call ATT about service on your iPhone, microcell, or restart the phone to troubleshoot. A second line, landline does prove useful.

Truth is, with the financial bundles in my area from the cable company, it make little sense to dump the IP landline, even if not used.

And, at least until ATT wifi calling, a true 911 emergency is far better on a landline ( real or IP) since your actual address comes up on the 911 screen. A mobile goes to the State trooper, not local police, and even then your location, exactly, is not transmitted. Which home on the block is it? Which apartment in the 15 story building is it? Something to consider.

If having a heart attack, or break in, call on your landline. Same with a home fire. Something every college kid and adult should know about mobile location for 911.

There are laws to improve this, but it is not perfect yet.


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All good points, @viewfly.

 

Thanks, dmapr.

Regarding the OP question, I would say that landlines are still a must to replicate all the functions we come to expect. I often forget the E911 function myself.

Landlines can be from ATT, Verizon, or VoIP from your cable provider, or even a Microcell device, or WiFi calling, a new feature from ATT.

What is common in all of landline options ( and not mobile)? You must enter in your full address ( number, street, Apt #, city, state, zip code) during set up. That information is sent directly your local 911 dispatcher for police or fire.

So even if you cannot talk, they will respond precisely.

(The downside of Mirocell or the new ATT wireless WiFi calling is sometimes it doesn't connect right away, so you are on cell only. Hopefully it will because me more reliable.)

But Mobile calling relies on cell tower geolocation ( and maybe GPS), and Lat, Long is sent to ( in my area) the State Troopers, and then relayed to local authorities. Current law goals requires 150-1,000 feet precision, but only for outdoors...no rules for inside building or homes to date. But that depends on a lot of 'ifs'. Apartments inside a multi story complex- forget about it for now.

Besides phone calls, or back up communication, safety is a consideration. I always ensured that my kids had a landline away from home, even if they didn't use it.

Many triple packages from cable companies make removing the landline more expensive!!!

Things are in flux, and maybe this concern can be minimized. In an E911 situation, seconds count. Maybe they are working on sharing your IP access point address, or your address book. However these are all privacy concerns that need to be dealt with first.

Here are the FCC statements. https://www.fcc.gov/consumers/guides/911-wireless-services






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Yes, they are devilishly clever with the pricing structure regarding their phone service.

 

I have a home landline, but it's VoIP. I don't see myself cancelling that any time soon, primarily because of international calling.