Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
My payment is nothing, 0, and I have 4 land lines. Early on Ooma offered lifetime free Ooma service at no cost, with free 911. Those who took the offer, have free Ooma service. Today Ooma charges about $4 per month for 911 fees.
$0 per month is easy, Freedompop is $0 per month for cellular service.
with this thread, I was really aiming towards folk who are holding on to their traditional copper or fiber optic landlines and have cell phones with good reception. Having a service that is free is questionable. No company stays in business very long by just giving away their product or service.
We had landline service that ran $40/month + taxes & fees - unlimited local & long distance. Then I changed it to basic service with no long distance, so now it's $8/month + taxes & fees. No frills. Incoming calls and calling toll free numbers are free. We use our cell phones for outgoing calls. The only reason we have the landline is because DH's pacemaker & bedside monitoring device requires it. Can't use VOIP or cable phone service. I like having him around, so I'll keep it!
The only reason we have the landline is because DH's pacemaker & bedside monitoring device requires it. Can't use VOIP or cable phone service. I like having him around, so I'll keep it!
My father's pacemaker monitor device was the same way. His doctor's eventually replaced it with a monitor that uses cellular service.
you may be surprised to find your plain old rotary or touch tone Princess phone still allows you to make and receive calls.
You have to look at the features of each model but some will have battery backup or basic functionality in case you lose power. The new phone we have has all the modern features, caller ID etc. If there is loss of power you lose the caller ID, memory etc but you can still receive an send calls.
Also keep in mind if you are using VOIP you need power to the modem for it to operate. Some have battery backup that may last a few hours and if you don't have one with battery backup consider a UPS.
As for the phone I have Ooma, $99 initial purchase and $5 a month afterward with all the standard features. Long distance, caller ID etc.
While on the topic generators do not have to be that expensive to use, minimally you might use a small transfer switch for heat and you could run extra circuit for communications. This only requires a very small generator.
The one con is you need to switch it over, start the generator etc. It's not automatic.
Pro's are it's not very expensive, it's more versatile because you can power whatever circuits you want and as added bonus since it's setup with a portable generator you have a portable generator for other uses.
*You need to be careful with this, it can power the whole panel but that doesn't mean it can meet the entire load demand. We power the whole panel but are careful to not be running a hair dryer, coffeepot, microwave and hope the boiler and water pump doesn't kick in.
My mom just retired from the company that developed and supports the software that the vast majority of 911 systems use. Let's just say that everyone who works there still has a landline.
If you (or a child) calls 911 from a cell, in most cases, they can not pinpoint your location. If you are disconnected or are unable to speak, you're screwed. You would think that with GPS, they'd be able to find you. Heck, Google knows your location. But they only have that capability if the municipality has paid the extra money it costs for that service. And guess what? Most haven't. So they don't have the ability to use the GPS your phone is enabled with.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
