Do you have a land line phone here or just cell phone?

[billethkid]

It has been an ongoing question for me whether to give up the land line and just use cell phones. With the improved 911 capability of cell phones/GPS cel phones, I see little advantage for keeping a hard wired phone in the house.

What do you think/do?

btk

[wendyquat]

Tell me about "911" capability of cell phones. We were considering a landline just because of 911.

[MR&VAF]

We just have cell phones.

[deano_hoosier]

Majicjack Plus is what we use for a land line. The cell phone is ok, but with the Majicjack Plus we use it through the internet connection and it lines to the base phone which then lets the other phones around the house have a connection.

Cost is minimal and uptime is good as long as Comcast internet is live.

It has a 911 designation for our house address so that should be ok.

Only problem was I was unable to get a 32159 zip code phone number so had to select one in Dunellon. That throws people a curve when I dial them from the land line. But you can transfer an existing phone number over to the Majicjack and do it that way.

I had the plain Majicjack earlier, but it required usb connection to running computer. the "plus" version does not require a computer usb connection, but rather a usb connection at your cable/internet router instead.

[Bill-n-Brillo]

We've got cell phones as well as a traditional landline (in OH). The ONLY reason we've got the landline is for our home's security system. Those usually have reliability issues when sending info to the monitoring center in the event of a problem/break-in if it's not done via a hard-wired landline.

Bill :)

[Ecuadog]

We have a copper landline because it will work during a power outage.

[memason]

We've had cell phones only, since about 2004.

You might want to test it out, by forwarding your home phone to your cell phone for a couple months. Try to only use the cell phones, even when at home and see how you like it. You'll also need to be sure you have the adequate cell plan to afford you the additional minutes.

Good Luck!

[Cedwards38]

We've got cell phones as well as a traditional landline (in OH). The ONLY reason we've got the landline is for our home's security system. Those usually have reliability issues when sending info to the monitoring center in the event of a problem/break-in if it's not done via a hard-wired landline.

Bill :)

I think some of the security companies have really improved the wireless technology now. I know that used to be a big problem, but not so much any more. The big problem with the wired security systems are that any burglar with any knowledge will find and cut a land line before they attempt to break in. With the wireless systems, that's not possible. We have Frontpoint Security, a wireless system, at our home in TV and in Kentucky and have never had any problem with the communication with the monitoring center, and we have accidentally tripped it and found out. :-)

Thus, we only have cell phones.

[JourneyOfLife]

Majicjack Plus is what we use for a land line. The cell phone is ok, but with the Majicjack Plus we use it through the internet connection and it lines to the base phone which then lets the other phones around the house have a connection.

Cost is minimal and uptime is good as long as Comcast internet is live.

It has a 911 designation for our house address so that should be ok.

Only problem was I was unable to get a 32159 zip code phone number so had to select one in Dunellon. That throws people a curve when I dial them from the land line. But you can transfer an existing phone number over to the Majicjack and do it that way.

I had the plain Majicjack earlier, but it required usb connection to running computer. the "plus" version does not require a computer usb connection, but rather a usb connection at your cable/internet router instead.

There are two other low cost device providers (and their service):
Free Local and Long Distance Calling with netTALK's DUO (http://www.nettalk.com/)

Free Home Phone Service | Ooma (http://www.ooma.com/)

I would not overlook (or assume) anything about the security features of any VOIP provider or their devices. That goes double for the really cheap ones. There are differences in the VOIP services... more than just the bells and whistles.

OOMA claims to secure communication traffic over the internet with encryption.

I have not used any of them. So I have no personal experience about how well they work.

[bimmertl]

Have Ooma for over 2 years and it works great. Only pay federal tax which is about $4.50 a month. Initial purchase of hardware around $200.


Ooma Internet phone service review from Consumer Reports - YouTube

[obxgal]

Landline having lived in hurricane areas over the last 20+ years.
Cell phone when traveling.

[Cantwaittoarrive]

Cell phones and no landline

[Mack184]

We have a landline that is used for OUTGOING calls only. The ringer is turned off and it has no answering device connected to it. We use it to make calls or fax and NEVER give that number to anyone. Otherwise we do everything on our Wally-Mart Straight Talk cell phones.

[ugotme]

Cell phones only.
Got rid of the land-line about 2 years ago. Mostly because everyone who calls me knows that I always have my cell phone so just got "garbage calls" on my land-line.
No problems.

[Roaddog53]

Also have land line that was bundled with all the services. Cost $10 per month. Prior to that all we had was cell phones for years. We were able to reduce the cost of minutes on the cell phone and it comes in handy for MSG recording faster than the cell, security systems, and not scrambling to find a cell phone when there is a call. There ar e4 phones in the house so near one. Got at Walmart cheap.

[KatieDidNot]

I have a land line because of my security system. It has unlimited minutes, local and long distance so I downgraded the cellphone plan and the only people that have my cell phone number are related to me.

Katie

[jebartle]

Land line is Magic Jack for unlimited LD calls, cell for emergency only....

[USCGretired]

We use cell to call out. We have Centurylink Internet and they gave us at no charge a phone number that allows in coming calls and outgoing 911. Also, the cell phones today work fine with the 911 systems in the USA so no real need for the landline anymore.

[tommy steam]

We have both.

[Heartnsoul]

It has been an ongoing question for me whether to give up the land line and just use cell phones. With the improved 911 capability of cell phones/GPS cel phones, I see little advantage for keeping a hard wired phone in the house.

What do you think/do?

btk

I LOVE my land line. can hear with no problem and like to chat. Only use cell for emergencies as I'm leary of the cells radiation near the brain. Studies showed they MAY cause brain cancer which we see in more and more young people. That's just me. I tend to be cautious.

[borjo]

Have a smart phone, got rid of the landline, BUT, we can still call 911 on the landline. It's by our bed while the cell is charging overnight.

[LynnDeb]

We both have cell phones only

[The Great Fumar]

I have phones in the house (every room) garage, patio. attic. bathrooms , cellphones , mac-jack, majicjac and carjack and no one ever calls.....

Goebel has nothing on me, Lonesome Fumar .....:shrug:

[lpkshop]

After hurricane sandy we had no cell phone ,landline came back before cell

We have both till the service is more stable

[mrdarcy]

I only have a cell phone. I used to have a landline just to fax documents. Now I just scan documents and email then. No fax needed. I think my friends like having only one number to try and reach me-- not home, work, and cell. Just cell now. Very simple.

[Serenoa]

We have a copper landline because it will work during a power outage.

In Florida, as long as you have Verizon as your cell phone provider you should be ok now during any occasional power outage, or even after a major storm or hurricane, that is unless the towers themselves are damaged. Over the past several years Verizon has installed thousands of LP & diesel powered emergency generators at their cell sites. And they're all equiped with automatic transfer switches, so when the main power goes down the emergency generator automatically switches on with no interruption in your service. So, as long as you have a charger to use in your car you should be good to go. Most other cell providers (Sprint, T-Mobile, AT&T, Metro PCS, Clearwire) still only have battery back-up at most of their sites, which will only keep a site up & running for a few hours, at best.

I know this because I work for an engineering firm that does tons of work for Verizon in Florida & all over the southeast. Their infrastructure is unmatched.

[MikeV]

We have had Magic Jack for years. We switched to the newer Magic Jack Plus and it works great. The cost is about $23 a year with taxes. The only downside is you have to dial the area code for local calls but it becomes second nature once you get used to it. Our MJ is connected to Comcast and so far no real problems.

[George Bieniaszek]

We have Verizon as our cell phone carrier. A couple of years ago, Verizon came out with Home Connect which the best way to explain it is that it is a wireless land line for your home. The beauty of it is that you can bring your home phone with you anywhere in the country. We have a home in TV and one in CT. 1000 monthly minutes, toll-free long distance, voice mail, caller ID, no minutes charged if calling Verizon customers, and the service costs half of what we were paying ($20.00 per month VS $45.00).

You just bring the "black box" with you and plug your home phone into it and the black box to a 110 power source.

[Jullie]

We have cell phones only. For the last 7 yrs, no problem.

[AriaGrandparents2013]

My wife and I both have cell phones and we also installed a land line. Our cell phones are from out-of-state and was concerned with roaming charges if we used them solely for emergencies as our only phones.