Off Topic, Phone Service Question

Does anyone use Magicjack or Basic Talk for their phone service? Just wondering if VOIP is worth it or not. Pros & cons.

I tried a Magic Jack, and it couldn't dial in to two towns we call a lot.

Their customer service said that sometimes happens, certain exchanges reject these "free" calls.

I now have a "Net Talk" unit, and it works for those exchanges for whatever reason.

Sound quality is reasonable, occasionally it seems to not be able to complete a call.

I'm thinking about buying and trying an OOMA unit, and totally ditching the landline. I wonder what the pros and cons are of those?

ONE thing for sure, paying the overpriced monopoly that is called the local phone company gets tiresome.

But - how do you get Internet without the landline?

Paul

Through cable Co., which does not at this time offer phone.

I've got the Verizon wireless home phone. My only complaint is a delay when you're trying to have a conversation on it. Two of my brothers have it and say they don't notice it on theirs. I don't know,maybe I should go complain.

Verizon Wireless

Last year I went to Vonage for a lifetime gauranteed price of $9.95 for life. This spring they offered free directory service and several other perks for $2 more so I took it. Total price per month $12. nO REAL PROBLEMS EXCEPT WHEN tIME wARNER cABLE LOST THE INTERNET FOT A COUPLE OF HOUR, WHICH WOULD HAVE HAPPENED WITH ANY OF THE INTERNET PHONE SERVICES.

Yes landline phones are required by regulation to have battery backups in the event of a power outage. Not required by regulation in most areas for cellular or Cable service.

Local landline phone company around here is no longer a monopoly. I can get landline service from about 5 or 6 different places. Business phones have even more options. The days of being a captive market are long gone around here at least.

Well, if you go VOIP, ask them what happens when you dial 9-1-1. For whatever reason, VOIP service providers don't have to meet the same standards as say, Verizon or AT&T. As a telephone repairman, I work on 9-1-1 systems. Adminttedly, some VOIP providers do what they should do, when someone dials 9-1-1, the call comes in 9-1-1 trunks to a dispatcher that gets the telephone number that is doing the calling (ANI) and automatic locator (ALI) that shows where the call is physically coming from, including cellular if its Phase 2, which almost all are now. But with VOIP service, several simply route their emergency calls to the main number of police departments that have Caller ID no different than most people's home phones...get the number and maybe a name, no location. Location is criticle for emergency calls. How does the squad car, fire truck, or ambulance show up without an address or if the call doesn't come into a 9-1-1 call center so that they can be dispatched?

Something else that happens. People get VOIP service, pick up their phones and take them with them on vacation, business trips, etc because they can. Sometimes they then dial 9-1-1. For the VOIP service providers that do setup their service to call your local 9-1-1 PSAP (Public Service Access Point) as they are supposed to, guess what happens when you pick up your VOIP phone and put it in your suitcase and take it along that business trip with you because your calls will follow you...and you have an emergency in your hotel room and dial 9-1-1 from it? It will dial 9-1-1 all right, and your emergency call will route through your VOIP service provider right to the 9-1-1 center back home. "Hello 9-1-1, what's your emergency?"..."Oh God, I'm having a heart attack", and they race to your home where the call shows came from, and you die on the hotel floor half a country away. I've witnessed it. The guy died in a Florida hotel room, his call went to the 9-1-1 center nearest his home in Illinois because the ambulance showed up correctly in his Illinois driveway.

Good luck.

Mark

Makes sense. At least with a cell phone call, the signal can be lat/long'd if needed. The E911 system is not applicable to all VOIP's. Good points.

(quoted from post at 12:51:47 09/11/14) I've got the Verizon wireless home phone. My only complaint is a delay when you're trying to have a conversation on it. Two of my brothers have it and say they don't notice it on theirs. I don't know,maybe I should go complain.

Click to expand...

I have the Straight Talk service, same brand and similar looking device, same Verizon towers, same service. No issues at all, 9 miles from the tower through dense trees, and running through the Wilson booster. It is MUCH better than the landline was, no delays at all, no crackling, etc. My aunt has service through Verizon, her first device did what you describe, second one did not. I'd suspect tower overloaded, poor signal, or device....

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If a person would have reliable Internet, VOIP would probably be ok. The DSL from the village, can't get it here, but it does go down from time to time. At least with cell service, it can roam to other towers if needed for an emergency (plus I have standby phones besides the home unit). Here I would never tie phone service to either satellite or cellular service and depend on it always working.