

tmh

@qwest.net tmh Anon Fios takes out the power backup selling point The backup battery dies after 8 hours. Then your SOL.



fifty nine

join:2002-09-25

Sussex, NJ fifty nine Member Re: Fios takes out the power backup selling point said by tmh :



The backup battery dies after 8 hours. Then your SOL.

If you have a generator or battery/inverter or UPS you can extend that. If you have a generator or battery/inverter or UPS you can extend that.



burgerwars

join:2004-09-11

Northridge, CA burgerwars Member Re: Fios takes out the power backup selling point said by fifty nine:



said by tmh :



The backup battery dies after 8 hours. Then your SOL.

If you have a generator or battery/inverter or UPS you can extend that.

If you have a generator or battery/inverter or UPS you can extend that. As being one who lived through the Northridge Earthquake, I had no power for a week and felt lucky when my power was turned back on. My POTS line (all that was available at that time) never missed a beat. FiOS, or even multiple battery back-ups, can't beat that.



wesm

Premium Member

join:1999-07-29

Seattle, WA wesm Premium Member Re: Fios takes out the power backup selling point said by burgerwars:



As being one who lived through the Northridge Earthquake, I had no power for a week and felt lucky when my power was turned back on. My POTS line (all that was available at that time) never missed a beat. FiOS, or even multiple battery back-ups, can't beat that. As being one who lived through the Northridge Earthquake, I had no power for a week and felt lucky when my power was turned back on. My POTS line (all that was available at that time) never missed a beat. FiOS, or even multiple battery back-ups, can't beat that. You could always be in a Verizon territory and in a green field deployment. We don't have the option of copper POTS; it's all fiber and a battery backup for the ONT, or nothing. (Not that I care, as I haven't had a home phone in ~6 years, but it is a point to note)

patcat88

join:2002-04-05

Jamaica, NY patcat88 Member Re: Fios takes out the power backup selling point said by wesm:



You could always be in a Verizon territory and in a green field deployment. We don't have the option of copper POTS; it's all fiber and a battery backup for the ONT, or nothing. (Not that I care, as I haven't had a home phone in ~6 years, but it is a point to note)

You could always be in a Verizon territory and in a green field deployment. We don't have the option of copper POTS; it's all fiber and a battery backup for the ONT, or nothing. (Not that I care, as I haven't had a home phone in ~6 years, but it is a point to note) So what happens if you want to order CLEC local POTS? What about universal service?

81399672 (banned)

join:2006-05-17

Los Angeles, CA 81399672 (banned) to burgerwars

Member to burgerwars

said by burgerwars:



said by fifty nine:



said by tmh :



The backup battery dies after 8 hours. Then your SOL.

If you have a generator or battery/inverter or UPS you can extend that.

If you have a generator or battery/inverter or UPS you can extend that.

As being one who lived through the Northridge Earthquake, I had no power for a week and felt lucky when my power was turned back on. My POTS line (all that was available at that time) never missed a beat. FiOS, or even multiple battery back-ups, can't beat that. I had power and phone back up in 24 hours. Sounds like you were living in wrong place at wrong time.



rywshjs

@charlestoncounty.org rywshjs Anon Re: Fios takes out the power backup selling point A huge windstrom hit Ohio and surrouding states last year - some folks were down for 2 weeks and a very few for closer to 3....



exocet_cm

Writing

Premium Member

join:2003-03-23

Brooklyn, NY exocet_cm Premium Member Re: Fios takes out the power backup selling point Power or no power, my satellite phone has yall all beat

81399672 (banned)

join:2006-05-17

Los Angeles, CA 1 recommendation 81399672 (banned) Member Re: Fios takes out the power backup selling point said by exocet_cm:



Power or no power, my satellite phone has yall all beat

Power or no power, my satellite phone has yall all beat until the battery dies



NickD

Premium Member

join:2000-11-17

Princeton Junction, NJ NickD to tmh

Premium Member to tmh

My parents still have a landline that's used sparingly, mostly for international calls.



Matt3

All noise, no signal.

Premium Member

join:2003-07-20

Jamestown, NC Matt3 to tmh

Premium Member to tmh

said by tmh :



The backup battery dies after 8 hours. Then your SOL.

How many emergencies require you to be on the phone for 8 hours? How many emergencies require you to be on the phone for 8 hours?



djrobx

Premium Member

join:2000-05-31

Valencia, CA djrobx Premium Member Re: Fios takes out the power backup selling point said by Matt3: said by tmh :



The backup battery dies after 8 hours. Then your SOL.

How many emergencies require you to be on the phone for 8 hours?

How many emergencies require you to be on the phone for 8 hours? Not many. It's the emergencies that begin after 8 hours of power loss that might pose a problem.



v35_pilot

Whoops, there goes another AMU

Premium Member

join:2005-12-12

Fayetteville, NY v35_pilot to Matt3

Premium Member to Matt3

said by Matt3:



How many emergencies require you to be on the phone for 8 hours?

How many emergencies require you to be on the phone for 8 hours?



Obviously the issue is that the phone becomes useless after a day or so during an extended power outage. I believe the 8 hour limit is without phone usage. If one is on the phone the backup power reserve drops significantly, perhaps to as low as two hours.Obviously the issue is that the phone becomes useless after a day or so during an extended power outage.



wifi4milez

Big Russ, 1918 to 2008. Rest in Peace

join:2004-08-07

New York, NY wifi4milez Member Re: Fios takes out the power backup selling point said by v35_pilot: said by Matt3:



How many emergencies require you to be on the phone for 8 hours?

How many emergencies require you to be on the phone for 8 hours?



Obviously the issue is that the phone becomes useless after a day or so during an extended power outage.

I believe the 8 hour limit is without phone usage. If one is on the phone the backup power reserve drops significantly, perhaps to as low as two hours.Obviously the issue is that the phone becomes useless after a day or so during an extended power outage. That is correct. The 8 hour battery kicks in the minute the power goes out, and is used to power the ONT. After the initial 8 hours is up you are out of luck, unless you have a generator or some other setup at your house.



Smith6612

MVM

join:2008-02-01

North Tonawanda, NY Ubiquiti Unifi Security Gateway

Ubee E31U2V1

Ubiquiti UniFi AP-AC-HD

Smith6612 MVM Re: Fios takes out the power backup selling point Don't they still have that "Press this button for 2 extra hours" feature on their Battery Backup units or did they just phase those out after a while? But yes, UPS, a deep cycle 12v battery + Power Inverter or a small generator will get you by for a while.



wifi4milez

Big Russ, 1918 to 2008. Rest in Peace

join:2004-08-07

New York, NY wifi4milez Member Re: Fios takes out the power backup selling point said by Smith6612:



Don't they still have that "Press this button for 2 extra hours" feature on their Battery Backup units or did they just phase those out after a while? Don't they still have that "Press this button for 2 extra hours" feature on their Battery Backup units or did they just phase those out after a while? said by Smith6612:



But yes, UPS, a deep cycle 12v battery + Power Inverter or a small generator will get you by for a while.

But yes, UPS, a deep cycle 12v battery + Power Inverter or a small generator will get you by for a while. I am not sure how many different ONT's Verizon has deployed, or the differing features of each. However as nice as 2 extra hours is, during a lengthy emergency its almost pointless.The real issue is that 99% of Verizon subs have no idea what you just said. When they install FIOS at a house, the take away the copper (in most cases) and run the phone service through the ONT. The average person wont know that anything is different, that is until the power goes out for a few hours and the battery backup craps out on them.....

Mr Matt

join:2008-01-29

Eustis, FL Mr Matt to v35_pilot

Member to v35_pilot

I lost power for over 4 days after a Hurricane. I had Two POTS Lines. The line that was tied to the Central Office via a Subscriber Line Carrier System failed after about 9 Hours. The other line ran directly to the Central Office on Copper and remained operational for the duration of the power outage. If one is connected to the Central Office via Subscriber Line Carrier do not expect to have telephone service during long term power outages. The design criteria for SLC is eight to twelve hours of battery backup. I lost power for over 4 days after a Hurricane. I had Two POTS Lines. The line that was tied to the Central Office via a Subscriber Line Carrier System failed after about 9 Hours. The other line ran directly to the Central Office on Copper and remained operational for the duration of the power outage. If one is connected to the Central Office via Subscriber Line Carrier do not expect to have telephone service during long term power outages. The design criteria for SLC is eight to twelve hours of battery backup.



Mr Ray

@1dial.com Mr Ray Anon Re: Fios takes out the power backup selling point The design criteria for SLC is eight to twelve hours of battery backup. Indeed. The Florida PSC does not view the SLC as a remote CO (even tho that is actually what they are) and has no statutory requirement for battery capacity. Battery backup, while it is supposed to be good for 8-24 hours, doesn't always happen. I had to report the local ILEC to the PSC twice because the SLC had zero battery capacity. When you live in the boonies, and the power fails, its hard to call the power utility if the POTS line fails as well.



I'll leave it the imagination of the reader who the ILEC might be Indeed. The Florida PSC does not view the SLC as a remote CO (even tho that is actually what they are) and has no statutory requirement for battery capacity. Battery backup, while it is supposed to be good for 8-24 hours, doesn't always happen. I had to report the local ILEC to the PSC twice because the SLC had zero battery capacity. When you live in the boonies, and the power fails, its hard to call the power utility if the POTS line fails as well.I'll leave it the imagination of the reader who the ILEC might be



Michail

Premium Member

join:2000-08-02

Boynton Beach, FL Michail to Mr Matt

Premium Member to Mr Matt

I've gone weeks without power or landlines following hurricanes. While it didn't work well post apocalypse my cell phone actually was the most reliable service. Luckily, I was able to get power sources to charge the phone.

st7860

join:2004-05-13

San Francisco, CA 1 edit st7860 to Mr Matt

Member to Mr Matt

said by Mr Matt:



I lost power for over 4 days after a Hurricane. I had Two POTS Lines. The line that was tied to the Central Office via a Subscriber Line Carrier System failed after about 9 Hours. The other line ran directly to the Central Office on Copper and remained operational for the duration of the power outage. If one is connected to the Central Office via Subscriber Line Carrier do not expect to have telephone service during long term power outages. The design criteria for SLC is eight to twelve hours of battery backup.

I lost power for over 4 days after a Hurricane. I had Two POTS Lines. The line that was tied to the Central Office via a Subscriber Line Carrier System failed after about 9 Hours. The other line ran directly to the Central Office on Copper and remained operational for the duration of the power outage. If one is connected to the Central Office via Subscriber Line Carrier do not expect to have telephone service during long term power outages. The design criteria for SLC is eight to twelve hours of battery backup. is an SLCC the same thing as those mini dslams(green thing ona concrete pole) that provide DSL and landlines to remote areas? in Vancouver BC, a phone tech on a forum said that theirs are powered by a DC over a 48 pair cable

patcat88

join:2002-04-05

Jamaica, NY patcat88 Member Re: Fios takes out the power backup selling point said by st7860:



in Vancouver BC, a phone tech on a forum said that theirs are powered by a DC over a 48 pair cable

in Vancouver BC, a phone tech on a forum said that theirs are powered by a DC over a 48 pair cable You think a US phone company will buy such luxuries?

Mark H

Premium Member

join:2008-05-18

Sterling Heights, MI Mark H to v35_pilot

Premium Member to v35_pilot

One could always resort to writing a letter and mailing it. The postman does not need batteries.



wifi4milez

Big Russ, 1918 to 2008. Rest in Peace

join:2004-08-07

New York, NY wifi4milez Member Re: Fios takes out the power backup selling point said by Mark H:



One could always resort to writing a letter and mailing it. The postman does not need batteries.

One could always resort to writing a letter and mailing it. The postman does not need batteries. I am assuming you are kidding, however if you werent the reality is that during any kind of extending emergency there is no mail service (for obvious reasons).



maartena

Elmo

Premium Member

join:2002-05-10

Orange, CA maartena to Matt3

Premium Member to Matt3

said by Matt3:



said by tmh :



The backup battery dies after 8 hours. Then your SOL.

How many emergencies require you to be on the phone for 8 hours? How many emergencies require you to be on the phone for 8 hours?



Now..... in THEIR case, the phone was out as well. Completely. And it took about three days for them to repair that and get it back up and running, so having a land line is no guarantee either.....



In my case? I have a Vonage line and a land line. The landline is the business line for my wife's business, the vonage line is our regular home phone.



$25 unlimited America, Canada and serveral other countries. Hasn't let me down yet, and if there really is a bad, bad power failure..... I will still have that land line. It's not so much that..... it's extended powerloss, which is a very real threat, especially in the hurricane-states along the gulf and atlantic. Friends of mine only saw a little bit of a RAIN STORM up in Northern Louisiana when Katrina came barreling through.... their town had virtually no damage, maybe an uprooted tree here and there. But they were without power for three weeks because a major power line further south - closer to the actual path - had failed, and couldn't be repaired until weeks later.Now..... in THEIR case, the phone was out as well. Completely. And it took about three days for them to repair that and get it back up and running, so having a land line is no guarantee either.....In my case? I have a Vonage line and a land line. The landline is the business line for my wife's business, the vonage line is our regular home phone.$25 unlimited America, Canada and serveral other countries. Hasn't let me down yet, and if there really is a bad, bad power failure..... I will still have that land line.

dlewis23

join:2005-04-18

Boca Raton, FL dlewis23 to tmh

Member to tmh

said by tmh :



The backup battery dies after 8 hours. Then your SOL.

Thats actually not really true. In florida when we had the back to back really bad hurricane seasons, in 3 of the storms that hit my area I lost power for over a week each time, and each time I had bellsouth home phone service through the entire time the power was out. Thats actually not really true. In florida when we had the back to back really bad hurricane seasons, in 3 of the storms that hit my area I lost power for over a week each time, and each time I had bellsouth home phone service through the entire time the power was out.



ctceo

Premium Member

join:2001-04-26

South Bend, IN ctceo to tmh

Premium Member to tmh

We had a power outage that lasted almost 3 days and never lost phone once. This was in the county to boot.

Mark F1

join:2007-08-01

Fort Wayne, IN Mark F1 Member Re: Fios takes out the power backup selling point Last December, we had the worst ice storm to ever hit our area. Everything was coated with ice, wires, branches etc. And, the power was out, along with most forms of communication. Even cell towers were effected.



Verizon and I&M had our phone and power back on within a day, but other people were without electricity, phone and cable for much longer. The cleanup of debris lasted many months.



In a really bad storm, things can be quite unpredictable.

Mark F.



NOVA_Guy

ObamaCare Kills Americans

Premium Member

join:2002-03-05 NOVA_Guy to tmh

Premium Member to tmh





Granted that nature sometimes has a way of doing this with bad ice storms and the like, but in instances like that I wouldn't be staying at my home anyway. (With the sub-freezing temperatures out there I suspect the home wouldn't be comfortable temperature-wise after that long.) And at that point, being able to call out for a pizza or phone relatives is a moot point anyway-- they would already know what my plans are.



I've got an idea... If land lines are that important to our safety and security, why doesn't the Obama Administration create another "Stimulus" Package and give land lines away free to everyone in the country? Surely it would end the suffering of the millions of underprivileged without unlimited long distance home telephone service and the ability to connect to 1-976 numbers. Just think of the agony, err, children... I don't know about where you live, but in my neck of the woods an 8+ hour power outage would require something very serious to be wrong with the power grid.Granted that nature sometimes has a way of doing this with bad ice storms and the like, but in instances like that I wouldn't be staying at my home anyway. (With the sub-freezing temperatures out there I suspect the home wouldn't be comfortable temperature-wise after that long.) And at that point, being able to call out for a pizza or phone relatives is a moot point anyway-- they would already know what my plans are.I've got an idea... If land lines are that important to our safety and security, why doesn't the Obama Administration create another "Stimulus" Package and give land lines away free to everyone in the country? Surely it would end the suffering of the millions of underprivileged without unlimited long distance home telephone service and the ability to connect to 1-976 numbers. Just think of the agony, err, children...



FFH5

Premium Member

join:2002-03-03

Tavistock NJ FFH5 Premium Member You can save on landline costs while preserving 911 ability You can still save money on landline costs by buying the low measured rate phone service($8 + taxes +fees) for about $15/mo. This maintains 911 capability, use during power outages, etc.



There are other ways to get your long distance calling at rates cheaper than landlines bundled with unlimited calling while still maintaining landline security for emergencies.



N3OGH

Yo Soy Col. "Bat" Guano

Premium Member

join:2003-11-11

Philly burbs N3OGH Premium Member Re: You can save on landline costs while preserving 911 ability I do exactly this.



I pay a little more for the unlisted number, but I can't have my digits out there naked to the world....



FFH5

Premium Member

join:2002-03-03

Tavistock NJ FFH5 Premium Member Re: You can save on landline costs while preserving 911 ability Yes, I got my Verizon landline bill down from $60/mo with all taxes & fees to $15/mo by using Google Voice(free) to place all my outgoing calls. Now, everyone doesn't have access to Google Voice yet, but it will soon be available to all.



And a nice added bonus was Google Voice's ability to screen, forward, transcribe, and voicemail all my incoming calls as well.



Mactron

el Camino Real

Premium Member

join:2001-12-16

PRK 1 recommendation Mactron Premium Member Re: You can save on landline costs while preserving 911 ability said by FFH5:



Yes, I got my Verizon landline bill down from $60/mo with all taxes & fees to $15/mo by using Google Voice(free) to place all my outgoing calls. Now, everyone doesn't have access to Google Voice yet, but it will soon be available to all.

Yes, I got my Verizon landline bill down from $60/mo with all taxes & fees to $15/mo by using Google Voice(free) to place all my outgoing calls. Now, everyone doesn't have access to Google Voice yet, but it will soon be available to all. Additionally it's helped in sorting out DSL problems in that I can call VZ Voice folks and complain of "noise" on the line and their on it the next day. Unlike the VZ Online CSRs that are clueless. Same here. Google voice IS the way to go with cheapo landlines. There's still something to be said for real 911 and reverse 911 when you live down wind from a Nuclear power station as I do.Additionally it's helped in sorting out DSL problems in that I can call VZ Voice folks and complain of "noise" on the line and their on it the next day. Unlike the VZ Online CSRs that are clueless.



RickNY

Premium Member

join:2000-11-02

Farmingville, NY 461.1 40.4

RickNY Premium Member Re: You can save on landline costs while preserving 911 ability said by Mactron:



There's still something to be said for real 911 and reverse 911 when you live down wind from a Nuclear power station as I do. There's still something to be said for real 911 and reverse 911 when you live down wind from a Nuclear power station as I do. "Hello, 911? The plant is glowing, and the smell of uranium is strong in the air. Send a squad car please"



ropeguru

Premium Member

join:2001-01-25

Mechanicsville, VA ropeguru to FFH5

Premium Member to FFH5

Maybe for $15 in your area. Down here it is more like $23 per month after all the crap.

corinthos

join:2007-10-09 corinthos Member Re: You can save on landline costs while preserving 911 ability I cancelled my landline but my taxes were almost as much as what I was supposed to be paying a month. I think mine was 18 a month and by the time all the taxes and surcharges were put on it was 32.

Bobcat79

Premium Member

join:2001-02-04 Bobcat79 Premium Member Re: You can save on landline costs while preserving 911 ability I'm keeping my landline ($21) and canceling my cable TV ($54).

Bobcat79 Bobcat79 to FFH5

Premium Member to FFH5

I still have flat-rate local service, so it costs $21 per month. I could knock a few bucks off of this by going to a measured service.



My POTS is still a lot cheaper than Cablevision's phone service. And there's no way I'd trust Cablevision with a 911 call.



Thane_Bitter

Inquire within

Premium Member

join:2005-01-20 ·Start.ca

Thane_Bitter Premium Member Please don't leave us! We NEED your money! Shouldn't that campaign be promoting the virtues of renting a phone from AT&T as well? After all what can do you if your personal corded telephone broke while you needed to dial 911, only AT&T can ensure your uninterrupted access to emergency services via a fashionable avocado green, 30lb desk phone. Don't even thing about using a payphone, AT&T has been busy removing them for your convenience.

ShellMMG

join:2009-04-16

Grass Lake, MI ShellMMG Member calling 911 In the past ten years I've called 911 twice; at neither time was I home and both involved traffic accidents.



We never bothered installing one of the useless things when we built our house. Why pay $30 a month for telemarketers and politicians to call at all hours?



morbo

Complete Your Transaction

join:2002-01-22

00000 morbo Member I would keep my landline if they made it cheap If landlines were cheap and without horrible taxes, I would keep mine. It's realiable.



The problem is it is neither. It costs about $12 then another $15 for taxes. Want caller id? That'll be $7.95 a month. etc.



en102

Canadian, eh?

join:2001-01-26

Valencia, CA en102 Member Re: I would keep my landline if they made it cheap I agree 100%.



I have a cable VoIP service for $30/month, and it includes a decent amount of features including CID and Canada calling (which I use).



POTS service is (or was) $30/month... $40/month if you want any features like CID, and an extra $5/month for Canada calling.. and an extra $13/month in fees.



My AT&T POTS service typically was $57-$58/month. For almost $30/month, I can fill up my minivan (when gas was $2.40/gallon).



Rogue Wolf

voted for you for GOAT

join:2003-08-12

Troy, NY Rogue Wolf Member Re: I would keep my landline if they made it cheap I have a pay-as-you-go cell phone and I pay $25 every three months for a good number of bells and whistles. I hardly ever make or receive phone calls so it's easy to let the amount build up. Good luck finding even a basic POTS line for $8.33 a month.

Mr Matt

join:2008-01-29

Eustis, FL Mr Matt Member Aversion to Stranded Capacity The Baby Bells which were created in 1982, and have been mostly reunited, had a aversion to "Stranded Capacity". Stranded Capacity results when facilities stop generating revenue when replaced by new technology.



For example the bean counters set the pricing for PABX Trunks to be delivered via T-1 or PRI Circuits, so that they would not compete cost wise, with physical Ground Start Trunks. Telephone wanted to show a financial return in the form of revenue from their earlier investment in analog trunks.



If Telephone had thousands of cable pairs and ground start terminals not generating revenue because a new technology had replaced them, that would pay havoc with what they disclose in their annual report. That is one of the reasons that some companies are dragging their feet when it comes to installing fiber and want customers to keep their POTS Lines.



If Telephone is sincere in wanting to keep customers they would eliminate the now obsolete Central Office Connection Charge which can add over $6.00 per line to the local phone bill.



The Central Office Connection Charge mutated out of the (CALC) Customer Access Line Charge and is one of Telephone's undisclosed unfee. The FCC allowed the telephone companies to levy the charge when the Bell System was broken up. It was to replace part of the revenue received by local telephone companies from Toll Separations from the Old AT&T Long Lines Division.



The bottom line is that to retain POTS customers Telephone is going to have to lower prices and include more features at no additional charge. Lower revenue is better than no revenue at all. The Baby Bells which were created in 1982, and have been mostly reunited, had a aversion to "Stranded Capacity". Stranded Capacity results when facilities stop generating revenue when replaced by new technology.For example the bean counters set the pricing for PABX Trunks to be delivered via T-1 or PRI Circuits, so that they would not compete cost wise, with physical Ground Start Trunks. Telephone wanted to show a financial return in the form of revenue from their earlier investment in analog trunks.If Telephone had thousands of cable pairs and ground start terminals not generating revenue because a new technology had replaced them, that would pay havoc with what they disclose in their annual report. That is one of the reasons that some companies are dragging their feet when it comes to installing fiber and want customers to keep their POTS Lines.If Telephone is sincere in wanting to keep customers they would eliminate the now obsolete Central Office Connection Charge which can add over $6.00 per line to the local phone bill.The Central Office Connection Charge mutated out of the (CALC) Customer Access Line Charge and is one of Telephone's undisclosed unfee. The FCC allowed the telephone companies to levy the charge when the Bell System was broken up. It was to replace part of the revenue received by local telephone companies from Toll Separations from the Old AT&T Long Lines Division.The bottom line is that to retain POTS customers Telephone is going to have to lower prices and include more features at no additional charge. Lower revenue is better than no revenue at all.



en102

Canadian, eh?

join:2001-01-26

Valencia, CA en102 Member Re: Aversion to Stranded Capacity Most likely why AT&T is pushing Uverse.



DavePR

join:2008-06-04

Canyon Country, CA 92.4 25.4

DavePR Member I like my POTS I have "measured" service for about $8/month. I have caller ID for $10/month (which I'm probably going to cancel). I save second-receiver fees from DiSH because both receivers are connected to the same phone line. I have a dialup account from Earthlink that used to get used fairly often, to check on Time-Warner outages. Besides, my DSL provider requires me to have telephone service.

rradina

join:2000-08-08

Chesterfield, MO 920.3 39.3

·Charter

rradina Member Call Quality I don't understand the call quality claim. When I had a POTS line, the signal to noise ratio was not as good as either Vonage or the cable company's solution (VOIP too -- I think).



Provided the codec uses enough bandwidth, one would expect this since an analog signal that travels only the wires in your house will be far superior to one that has to travel a much longer distance from your house to the CO or at the very least, one of those big green boxes that concentrates several lines on some sort of backhaul to the CO.



As proof, once I dumped my POTS, I had to reduce the volume on the phones in my house that had them. Otherwise it was too loud!



When I had Vonage quality did suffer when there were HSI problems. However, I have not experienced such issues using the cable company's solution. (It's not affected by HSI traffic problems...)



ninjatutle

Premium

join:2006-01-02

San Ramon, CA ninjatutle Member Peanuts?



Food allergies are more prevalent today than ever before and peanuts can be fatal to those who have it. Peanut allergies are nothing to be joking aboutFood allergies are more prevalent today than ever before and peanuts can be fatal to those who have it.

me1212

join:2008-11-20

Pleasant Hill, MO me1212 Member Re: Peanuts? But one can build up a defence against it though. Ironically the doc has you eat peanuts in very VERY VERY small portions to do so.



badtrip

Premium Member

join:2004-03-20 badtrip Premium Member Re: Peanuts? said by me1212:



But one can build up a defence against it though. Ironically the doc has you eat peanuts in very VERY VERY small portions to do so.

But one can build up a defence against it though. Ironically the doc has you eat peanuts in very VERYsmall portions to do so. Yes. And AT&T is coming out with a "Peanut Phone" that steadily introduces extremely small amounts of peanut vapor into your mouth as you talk. The tech is only available via land lines however, which is why AT&T is pushing their landline service to folks who suffer from peanut allergies.



kdwycha

join:2003-01-30

Ruskin, FL kdwycha Member well... A lot of telephone companies have a dialtone already active weather you have phone service or not. You use this dialtone to order telephone service or it can be used to dial 911.



Just keep a phone connected for 911 and check it once a month to determine if you have a dialtone still or not and pay nothing for 911 service.

scooper

join:2000-07-11

Kansas City, KS scooper Member not dropping POTS line here Cell phones are well and good - if they work at your house. Unfortunately - NO cell phone works very well in my house (using a PCS phone usually means stepping out on the patio - or at least to a west facing window). No cable service (TW was out when Dish offered local channels). Have to have landline with DSL (Embarq) - even if naked DSL is available - I like the idea of the "phone service" being remotely powered.

brianiscool

join:2000-08-16

Tampa, FL brianiscool Member hah Why not just purchase 2 cell phone batteries and charge them the night before ? What about purchasing a cell phone solar panel charger just in case the eletric goes out?



Scatcatpdx

Fur It Up

join:2007-06-22

Portland, OR Scatcatpdx Member Try living with a life threatening condition with a cell I tried to call 911 on my cell phone both times I could get through. Comcast was knocked out in Tacoma, One of my mother patients lost all phone contact, If she had an attack she would have died. Mom considered moving her in to the home until Comcast was able to restore the cable and phones a week latter.



If anybody has a life threatening condition I can not recommend ether cell phones or VOIP. Anaphylactic shock is not joke Karl, One could die if one can not get medical attention quickly and you trust in cell phone and dislike for corporations show you absolute ignorance or wiliness to put your ideology over safety and life and death decisions

gigante

Premium Member

join:2000-06-30

Anchorage, AK 1 edit gigante Premium Member Peanut allergy? Alone in the dark? I'm convinced. Scare tactic successful. Keeping the POTS. Baa-a-a-a-aaah.



huh

@comcast.net huh Anon Just curious..... I went all cell, but transferred my landline number to my cell. If I call 911, will they still be able to determine my address from my old landline number?



dadkins

Can you do Blu?

MVM

join:2003-09-26

Hercules, CA dadkins MVM AT&T?



No twisted pair here. I have an AT&T Moto Cell with 7 days of standby - will that do?No twisted pair here.

patcat88

join:2002-04-05

Jamaica, NY 1 edit patcat88 Member Re: AT&T? said by dadkins:



I have an AT&T Moto Cell with 7 days of standby - will that do?



No twisted pair here.

I have an AT&T Moto Cell with 7 days of standby - will that do?No twisted pair here. You will find out if your local AT&T tower has a battery with standby.

ebubman

join:2002-01-17

Mechanicsburg, PA ebubman Member no landline we booted our landline 7 yrs ago. sole regret is that we didn't do it sooner.



Flibbetigibbet

@lmco.com Flibbetigibbet Anon Re: no landline Ditto. AT&T/BellSouth can KMA, they're never getting that revenue back from me.



KrK

Heavy Artillery For The Little Guy

Premium Member

join:2000-01-17

Tulsa, OK Netgear WNDR3700v2

Zoom 5341J

KrK Premium Member I'd love to keep my landline.... .... When they stop charging me $20-$25 for it with NO calling features and then another $20 in unfees and charges and taxes and slush funds each month.



Make it around $10-15 TOTAL a month with Caller ID, Call block, call waiting and hey, I would keep it.

wierdo

join:2001-02-16

Miami, FL 1 edit wierdo Member Re: I'd love to keep my landline.... said by KrK:



.... When they stop charging me $20-$25 for it with NO calling features and then another $20 in unfees and charges and taxes and slush funds each month.

.... When they stop charging me $20-$25 for it with NO calling features and then another $20 in unfees and charges and taxes and slush funds each month.



That's for a literally no features touch tone unlimited usage line. I don't know what bill you're looking at to come up with $40 a month for a plain line with no features. Cox, perhaps?



You could get metered service and get 200 minutes of outbound calling and unlimited minutes of inbound calling for under $10 a month, although you can't have metered and unlimited to the same address.



Edit: I lied. It was $14 before taxes. $18.10 after taxes. It costs $14 a month all in, at least if you're served from the Jenks CO. 5 years ago it was $13. I had that service until I moved.That's for a literally no features touch tone unlimited usage line. I don't know what bill you're looking at to come up with $40 a month for a plain line with no features. Cox, perhaps?You could get metered service and get 200 minutes of outbound calling and unlimited minutes of inbound calling for under $10 a month, although you can't have metered and unlimited to the same address.Edit: I lied. It was $14taxes.after taxes.

Chaldo

join:2008-03-18

West Bloomfield, MI Chaldo Member When is AT&T going to make that BYOB VOIP service? Remember that news earlier in the year where AT&T got rid of call vantage and said they where making something called BYOB I believe. What's been up with that?? I'll for sure disconnect my pots line, and move to that. I can get my AT&T unity wireless with my BYOB voip service most likely, lower my bill.



ILpt4U

Premium Member

join:2006-11-12

Saint Louis, MO 92.5 8.7

ARRIS TM822

Asus RT-N66

ILpt4U Premium Member Re: When is AT&T going to make that BYOB VOIP service? I think the BYOB VoIP is called 3G Femtocells/AT&T Branded Microcell service. It is in trails right now, and public press releases state a public release sometime later in 2009



I believe you will get unlimited usage when placing calls from your home MicroCell, but don't quote me on that. And since the Internet is the backhaul for your 3G Cell Phone Call, in that sense it is VoIP...

Chaldo

join:2008-03-18

West Bloomfield, MI Chaldo Member Re: When is AT&T going to make that BYOB VOIP service? oh, I thought the Femtocell and the BYOB were to different things. I thought the femtocell was to help inside coverage of cell phone signal, and the BYOB was just to get more people to use phone service in there house, without using POTS.



I don't know but we will see. Thx though.

amungus

Premium Member

join:2004-11-26

America amungus Premium Member PR campaign? Hasn't reached me...



Never had a landline, might not ever. Market me a good deal for local and free long distance, might consider it. My cell service is great, and the only time it doesn't work reliably is when college students are coming and going. Even then, it's been vastly improved in the past year or so.



Still convincing my parents to keep one as they live out of town and they understand that cell phones are not as reliable. They also like to be able to talk "un-metered" - my dad is on my plan and even though it's 1400 minutes/month (with free nights/weekends/incoming calls...), it's easily possible to get overages (even though we haven't yet). Basically, it is worth keeping for emergencies and for "un-metered" usage. I realize there are "unlimited" cell plans, but it's not worth it for us at this point.



The other thing that really REALLY pisses me off is that AT&T has slacked so much with "naked" DSL service. It might be available by now, but I truly don't care. Cox has been very responsive and has solved internet issues quickly enough - not to mention it's much faster.



Aside from never really marketing me a cheap landline deal, they've utterly failed to EVER market "naked" DSL service. If they offered a good deal on DSL, without forcing a phone plan, I might've considered it at one point.



Since, however, they've been completely arrogant and up tight about it, I doubt they'll ever see me as a customer. I'd rather wait for FIOS and get a freaking generator. That said, I'm still not a fan of Verizon ripping out copper when they install fiber - I think they should be legally obliged to leave your phone service alone on copper due to reliability, and because there's no real need to destroy something that works so well - what about "being green" here



Prices aren't the only reason people are defecting (or never signing up to begin with) - it's because people dislike you for being such jerks. I am probably the "demographic" they are "worried" about...Never had a landline, might not ever. Market me a good deal for local and free long distance, might consider it. My cell service is great, and the only time it doesn't work reliably is when college students are coming and going. Even then, it's been vastly improved in the past year or so.Still convincing my parents to keep one as they live out of town and they understand that cell phones are not as reliable. They also like to be able to talk "un-metered" - my dad is on my plan and even though it's 1400 minutes/month (with free nights/weekends/incoming calls...), it's easily possible to get overages (even though we haven't yet). Basically, it is worth keeping for emergencies and for "un-metered" usage. I realize there are "unlimited" cell plans, but it's not worth it for us at this point.The other thing that really REALLY pisses me off is that AT&T has slacked so much with "naked" DSL service. It might be available by now, but I truly don't care. Cox has been very responsive and has solved internet issues quickly enough - not to mention it's much faster.Aside from never really marketing me a cheap landline deal, they've utterly failed to EVER market "naked" DSL service. If they offered a good deal on DSL, without forcing a phone plan, I might've considered it at one point.Since, however, they've been completely arrogant and up tight about it, I doubt they'll ever see me as a customer. I'd rather wait for FIOS and get a freaking generator. That said, I'm still not a fan of Verizon ripping out copper when they install fiber - I think they should be legally obliged to leave your phone service alone on copper due to reliability, and because there's no real need to destroy something that works so well - what about "being green" herePrices aren't the only reason people are defecting (or never signing up to begin with) - it's because people dislike you for being such jerks.