[Hidden-tech] Landline options (south deerfield)

[Jan Werner]

If you have any kind of cell service at home, a cell phone is definitely 
the best choice for emergency purposes.

Restoring power to cell towers in emergencies is the now highest 
priority because most emergency services depend on cellular service. 
POTS will continue to work in a power outage, but conditions that take 
out power lines can also take down phone lines or fry switch boxes. For 
less than $50, you can buy enough Li-Ion power banks to keep a cell 
phone going for several weeks.

Cell phones also provide your actual location to emergency services, 
even outside your house. Landlines depend on the current address of the 
subscriber being known to authorities. VOIP provides no location 
information at all unless you subscribe to an emergency service, which 
may or may not be included in your VOIP plan.

If the main purpose is to allow a child to call 911, I’d suggest a flip 
or feature phone rather than a smart phone. Look for phones designed for 
the elderly, many of which are good choices for young kids too, and they 
can often be set up to make it very easy to call 911 or other emergency 
numbers of your choice.

Jan Werner
___________

On 12/29/2020 4:44 PM, Rich via Hidden-discuss wrote:
> We have kept a land line for much the same reasons, the cost from 
> Verizon comes in at about $50/mon unless you can qualify for the senior 
> discount,
> and that is with no long distance service.
> We moved all our other numbers to Google Fi or google voice.
> 
> As for the need for this -- yes a landline (yes, POTS - plain old 
> telephone service) with an dial or touchtone phone -- if you have or can 
> find one,
> will work even if the power goes down.
> 
> SO it depends on where you live --
> do you expect that you and the area will lose power long enough for a 
> cel phone to run out of power AND
> the cel towers to be out of service -- or are you out of town far enough 
> not to rely on cel phone ??
> Personally I would trust the cel more than VIOP
> 
> Frankly, we have found cel service to be reliable enough with an usb 
> extra battery to be fine.
> And in the last 10 years we've had a few ER visits and a birth out of 
> the 6 of us who live together and are close to mid-town Greenfield.
> 
> KInda depends on your location. budget and any likely medical issues
> 
> Stay well all - Rich
> 
> On 12/27/2020 2:28 PM, Nick Clover-Brown via Hidden-discuss wrote:
>> Hi all,
>>
>> I'm looking at getting a landline, primarily for emergencies, if our 
>> kid needs to call 911.
>>
>> Has anyone had success with alternatives to xfinity voice? It seems to 
>> be $40 or $50, and i'm trying to find better value options - maybe a 
>> prepaid / pay as you go provider.
>>
>> VOIP could be an option, but looks a little more complicated , and 
>> reliant on internet connection - is that right? Also seems to need a 
>> battery backup.
>>
>> Any recommendations would be appreciated!
>> Thanks,
>>
>> Nick Clover-Brown
>> LinkedIn <https://www.linkedin.com/in/nickcloverbrown>
>>
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> -- 
> Lots of online work,
> rizbang.com - ideas and history
> tnrglobal.com - Business
> greenfieldsfuture.org - local
> 
> 
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