Yes, You Might Still Want To Keep Your Landline Phone: Here’s Why
Mobile network outage can bring down the network for hours, leaving us stranded Without one of our most critical lines of access to the world. What good is a smartphone if it can’t make calls, especially in emergencies?
Earlier this year, AT&T experienced an outage that disrupted service more than 12 hours in many of the most populous cities in the United States. Earlier this month, a Verizon outage left some customers in SOS mode for much of the day. These disruptions serve as a reminder The dangers of relying solely on your phone.
It may have many people rethinking the status of a home device that was once standard but now almost obsolete: the landline phone.
Remember landlines?
There may still be a place for those old landlines, but only 28% of American households have one.
Landlines are phones that are connected to a dedicated line in our homes. The iconic image is that of a rotary-dial telephone—often rented from the telephone company—either hung on the wall or placed on a counter or table, although push-button and later cordless landlines replaced many older telephones. 1980s. Landlines are connected to each other through a global communications network established over more than a century. But as cell phones become more ubiquitous and affordable, many people are choosing to forego landlines altogether.
A 2022 Centers for Disease Control and Prevention survey found that only about 29% of U.S. adults live in homes with landlines, Below 90% or more 2004. The crossover happened around 2015, which was also the period when smartphones were sold Entering a period of prosperity Reshaped the tech industry and helped turn around iPhone Manufacturer apple into One of the most highly valued companies in the world.
Ann Williams is one of those who hasn’t given up on landlines yet. When asked why she kept her gift, she described moving to Huntsville, Alabama. tornado outbreak On April 27, 2011, dozens of tornadoes killed at least 250 people and knocked out power for days. Even though she moved there after the tornado, hearing about the incident made her realize the importance of always having a phone connection.
“The weather here is really unpredictable,” she told me in an interview. But landlines have dedicated power sources that allow them to function even during power outages. “We remember the day when we absolutely needed to have (landlines),” Williams said.
What makes landlines more reliable?
Landlines operate on a separate infrastructure built from copper phone wires, which are cheap to build and fairly reliable. They also don’t have the drawbacks of cellular networks, such as dropped calls, poor quality and distortion, or weak reception.
A key reason people keep their landlines is that they work even during a power outage, which is a big advantage for those whose jobs involve emergency services, business, or healthcare.
Analog fax machines are also built around landline systems, which means most hospitals and doctors’ offices, as well as policy and legal offices, need to keep landline connections running.
Disadvantages of landlines
Remember cordless phones and phone books?
The Federal Communications Commission is Phase out requirements Provides telephone companies with landline telephone service (called plain old telephone service) nationwide. As a result, more and more home and business offices are being built with Ethernet jacks instead phone jack.
Landline connections aren’t cheap either. CNET’s corporate cousin AllConnect noticed AT&T’s traditional home phone plans start at $48 per month, and you also have to use the company’s Internet. CenturyLink is cheaper, starting at $30 per month, and Spectrum charges as low as $20 per month.
Not all landlines use copper phone wires. More and more companies are piggybacking their phone systems on Internet connections, a service called Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP). AllConnect currently tracks only three service providers that offer older landlines: CenturyLink, Comcast Xfinity and Cox.
How to get a landline
If you’re ready to set up a landline, call your local phone company and ask about phone service. If you live in an apartment building, it is important for you to locate the telephone junction box. Usually, the landlord should know it, and if not, the local phone company should be able to find it.
Here are some follow-up questions you want to ask and what to look for in the answers:
- Is the landline VoIP or POTS? Ideally, if you’re looking for security and reliability, POTS is what you want. VoIP can work, but understand that it may be dependent on your internet modem and connection to work.
- If it’s VoIP, does the company have a backup power system to ensure the voice lines are functioning properly in the event of a power outage? Most companies do sell spare batteries and you can buy them directly from them. You can use an uninterruptible power supply, probably from CyberPower or APC. Note that these are different from portable power supply. Portable power supplies do allow you to keep your electronics powered while on the go, but they’re not meant to constantly monitor power outages and then kick in as needed.
- Typically, local calls are free, but calls to area codes are subject to a fee. What is the rate structure? Companies like AT&T charge various additional fees for domestic calls as well as international long distance calls. Long distance calls in particular are often charged by the minute, and these companies don’t always post that information on their websites. Make sure you know how much it costs and if it costs too much, consider using a chat app such as Signal, WhatsApp, Google Meet or Apple FaceTime Replace your long distance calls.
What to do with a landline phone
If you have a landline but let it sit unused, draining money out of your bank account every month, you’re not alone. But there are ways to make it more useful.
Google Voice is a popular option that provides you with a new phone number that acts as a hub of sorts. Whenever someone calls, Google Voice calls every phone you’re connected to, whether it’s your home landline, your cell phone, your work phone, or anything else.
There are other such services including Zoom and ring centerif you don’t like working with Google.
Landline phones can also be connected home security system and medical alert sensor to help ensure that if you encounter an emergency, help is available as quickly as possible.
If you can’t make calls to a landline
If you don’t qualify for a landline, or don’t like the service on offer, satellite providers do have more options. Companies such as HughesNet and SpaceX can support VoIP through their Internet connections.
Mobile phone manufacturers such as Apple are also slowly building satellite communications into their devices. The iPhone 14, which will debut in 2022, has a feature called SOSwhich can connect with satellites to send location data to your friends or emergency text messages to authorities.
