Basic land line telephone with local service
 

Hi Everyone,

We will be closing on our new home in Pennecamp in two days and are trying to decide whether or not we need a land line telephone. Both of us have our cell phones but don't want to use up all our minutes for local calls. Does anyone know of an inexpensive option for a land line used for local calls only?

Can't wait to join you all down there!

If you have a computer you won't need a land line. Sign up for a google account and also for google voice. You will be assigned a local phone number and you can set it up so when someone calls you it will ring one or both of your cell phones. When someone calls you will be charged minutes on your cell phone as usual. When you call someone (outgoing calls) using your computer you will need to have a headset with mic. There are no charges for outgoing calls U.S. made from your computer. Best deal I have ever had. Do a Google Search on "Google Voice" and follow the instructions. There are many options that I haven't even tried yet. I call family all the time and there are no charges. Try it, you won't be disappointed.

Google voice
 

Can you share how to use a headset and mic or webcam with mic and your speakers to use google voice. Thought you must have a landline , cell or voip phone number.....
I think the best VOIP is probably OOMA just add to your internet modem...

Local land line service has very little value. A better solution is to spend the money for high speed broadband. You will probably want that anyway. Buy the Ooma phone service from costco or Ooma.com, then sign up for google voice. That number would be the one you give everyone. You can customize how you want the calls to come in, to your Ooma phone, cell phone, both, snowbird home, other. Then you have only one number for everything and it will track you down where ever you are. You will then have local calling from Ooma, long distance anywhere from google voice, and be able to minimize cell minutes. Lowest cost overall and best solution. Your cell becomes the back-up if you lose power and or broadband which is very seldom.

The headset w/mic plugs directly into your computer. There is no web cam arrangement for this. You can buy many other programs but this one is totally free. You will not have any home phones. When someone calls you on your google number it will ring your cell phones. You can call out by using your computer for no cost. Your cell phones will work normally. I use this all the time as an outgoing line only. Ooma and others have hefty start up prices etc. Check this out. If you don't like it don't use it. You won't be stuck with anything except the headset w/mic and this can be used for other apps. This like every other product has it's doubters and swearbyer's. Remember: "Google is your friend"

Ooma start up cost is $210 from costco or about 4 or 5 months phone service. Then it is free for life. You pay the one time cost and no more. So I would not consider that a hefty start up cost. Google voice is free (must have broadband as with Ooma and others) and it works very well. I just combine the two for the best of both.

army one, I have been trying to get a Google Voice number that is local to TV. Although there are many Google Voice numbers available in central Florida, as far as I can tell, none are a local call from TV.

I don't live in TV yet and maybe I am not correctly interpreting what I am seeing when I search for a number. I don't want you to type your full Google Voice phone number, but what are the first three digits of your number?

I want to have the arrangement you described: A local (to TV) Google Voice number which rings to our two cell phones.

We have used only our cell phones here so far in Pennecamp and no problems. We do have three of us on our calling plan and have never gone over our minutes. We use SKYPE to talk with our kids in Michigan and see our granddaughter. Right now that is free.

If you have internet, try Magic Box, works very well is a $40/year, free long distance etc. My son lives in the country outside St Augustine and he loves it, the only problem is a power outage that turns off the computer will disconnect it.

Am I the only dinosaur out there? We had a land line for our tenants while renting, and now that we're moving down, we've been discussing :) whether or not to keep it. Ohioboy wanted cell phones only. I used to have AT & T - bad reception in Sabal Chase, good in the northern part of TV. He has a Sprint/Nextel cellphone, which works great. I got Sprint. Better than AT & T was, but not as good as his Sprint/Nextel. Would have thought it was the same. Maybe should have gone Verizon but it was more expensive.

Anyway, I am constantly misplacing my cellphone - leaving it in my golfbag in the garage, in my purse in another room, etc. Sometimes forget to charge it overnight, although since it's a new phone it's usually ok for 2 days. Also, I swear I hear better on the landline.

My concern with only having cellphones is twofold: what if I have a heart attack or something while home alone and can't find or get to my cell? Or what if I'm there alone with my 5 and 2 yr old grandsons and the same thing happens, or something happens to them? Secondly, we would probably need a plan with more minutes if we didn't have a landline. Think of all the hold times when calling about various service stuff.

I know - some of you (as Ohioboy did) will just say keep it in your pocket all the time. Well, not all women's clothes have pockets, plus I don't think my memory is going to get better anytime soon.

(I think I talked him into it). Peace of mind for me. Of course, I'm the one who doesn't want a Kindle or Nook either. Maybe an IPad one day . . .

I don't understand your question? I give up. I have a google number with a 352 area code. I can call it from any phone. I am very happy because I don't have a land line type phone bill every month. There are going to be some things you can't have and that is a phone that will ring independently from your cell phones. Try it yourself, there is no charge. I'm sorry if I can't answer your questions but sometimes you need to try something for yourself. I just made the statement there is an alternative to a land line and I'm sorry I ever responded.

army one, what I mean is this... You have a number that is 352-PPP-NNNN. What is the PPP part?

There are many numbers within area code 352. When calling to them on a land line from a home in TV, some of them are local calls (a.k.a. free calls) and some of them are long distance calls (a.k.a. toll calls). I want my future TV friends who have only a land line to be able to call a Google Voice number for free.

Maybe because I don't want to run for the phone, or answer calls from those trying to get money from me, I have a land line phone, have a phone in each room in the house, all with caller ID...also have caller ID on my tv from Comcast. Cell phones are great, hubby and I each have one, but I don't carry it around all the time so if I'm in the kitchen and the phone is in the bedroom....I have no idea who's calling and I have to run to get the phone....did I mention I really don't like running to answer the phone...;)

You don't have to have a land line phone if you don't want....try it and see how you get along. If you find you'd be happier with one, then Comcast or Century Link can provide the service for you.

Champion6, I understand what you're asking .... In fact, area code 352 covers 21 counties and 104 cities, therefore, all of those are not going to be toll free calls. Here is a page that shows the exchanges for each county/city in the 352 area code. Looks like there are several exchanges in TV, but I would guess each of those would be toll free

Here's the site:

http://www.area-codes.com/area-code/area-code-352.asp

I believe the 352-753-XXXX exchange is toll free within TV. But you could validate this by checking the phone numbers of some businesses in TV, like Barnes & Noble, Panera Bread, Toojays, etc...

Let us know if you're able to get that exchange from Google. Currently, I have a 312 area code Google Voice number, but would like to change when I move to TV in December. I know not all exchanges are available from Google...

Cheers

There are so many no cost or low cost calling methods today I would not even be concerned about a local number. If someone does not call you because the number you have is not local, I guess they didn't need to call you very badly. With Google Voice, G-mail calling, Skype, Magic Jack, Ooma, unlimited calling plans for cell phones, if someone is still paying for long distance then they are missing the boat. For all intents and purposes today, long distance is free in the US. And will soon be world wide.