Landline - do you have one

[speedog]

Just curious after perusing the mayoral thread, how many people still actually have landlines in their homes. All of our kids have moved out and none of them have landlines but quite a few people we know still do although most of them would fall into the 45+ age group. We actually still have two landlines in our home - one is a line my wife uses for business so she can keep her personal cell phone as just that, personal. The other line we've had for 30 years now and still regularly use it.

[rage2]

Is something like vonage considered a land line?

[speedog]

Is something like vonage considered a land line?
If it's VOIP or IP based, no. Physical hardwired telephone line that doesn't use a data line into your home - DSL, fiber, cable, etc.. In Calgary, TELUS was the only game in town unless you used a reseller of their landline services.

edite: I need to quantify things with respect to DSL lines - you could have either a regular landline with DSL or an IP based telephone lime or both. We had a regular landline when we had DSL which used a splitter to separate the DSL data signal for our internet. Now that we're on fiber the splitter is gone and the physical pair into the house only carries that telephone line.

[jwslam]

Is something like vonage considered a land line?

If it's VOIP or IP based, no. Physical hardwired telephone line that doesn't use a data line into your home - DSL, fiber, cable, etc..
That's a weird definition... I'd consider landline to be something that you can't bring from place to place i.e. it's stuck on the piece of land you call home.

[killramos]

I do but it’s on the chopping block. Only ever get telemarketers and calls from the in laws on it anyways.

[speedog]

That's a weird definition... I'd consider landline to be something that you can't bring from place to place i.e. it's stuck on the piece of land you call home.

Landlines are considered a telephone that has it's pair of wires hard wired all the way back into the telephone provider's central office location - my two lines are physically wired all the way back into the main rack at TELUS' Capitol Hill exchange. An IP based telephone may not have a physical demarcation point in a central office where a technician could use a special test handset and clip on to your telephone line for testing purposes and most likely an IP based phone line does not have a physical hard wired presence outside of your home where one could connect and do a test. Remember, I am an old telephone guy.

A TELUS landline will also still work during a commercial power outage without any need for an UPS at your home.

- - - Updated - - -


I do but it’s on the chopping block. Only ever get telemarketers and calls from the in laws on it anyways.
So you voted 'one'?

[ExtraSlow]

Have an IP phone. Went with ooma because it's supposed to integrate better with traditional 911 services. Only have it because we regularly have older relatives babysit and they need a way to contact us or an ambulance.

[jwslam]

Remember, I am an old telephone guy.
Sorry I forgot phones work like this in your brain:
80180

[bjstare]

I do but it’s on the chopping block. Only ever get telemarketers and calls from the in laws on it anyways.

Sounds like an irrefutable case for getting rid of it :rofl:

[Seth1968]

Sorry I forgot phones work like this in your brain:

It's just another meaningless thread/post from speedog that is based in a desire to be young again. That's why so many of his posts refer to "age" and "old".

[JRSC00LUDE]

Not for at least 13 or 14 years.

[speedog]

Sorry I forgot phones work like this in your brain:
80180

Heh, when I started at TELUS they still had some of these around - I remember doing free long distance calls on the 17B board after hours for other employees.

- - - Updated - - -


It's just another meaningless thread/post from speedog that is based in a desire to be young again. That's why so many of his posts refer to "age" and "old".

Young, been there, done that. Things get better with age but you wouldn't know that.

[The_Penguin]

Scrapped my Telus landline about 2 years ago, we use our cellphones most of the time anyway. Switched to MagicJack, don't use it much, but it's dirt cheap.
Also no more crap calls from sales / charities, as we got a 403 number with a prefix that's not very well-known so far.

[BokCh0y]

We have one through Shaw with the absolutely lowest plan with nothing but the basics. I's primarily used to receive calls from my wifes family, tha's about it.

[A790]

I first moved out in 2005 and the landline didn't follow me.

[taemo]

when we first moved to our new house, Shaw gave us the new home plan (cable, internet, phone) for a year.
as soon the 1 year promo was over, we cancelled cable and phone and kept only the internet.

my parents on the other hand still have landline, i prefer calling them there first as sometimes they don't have their phone with them.

[speedog]

Isn't Shaw's phone line IP based? Will it work if your commercial AC power goes down?

[killramos]

Sounds like an irrefutable case for getting rid of it :rofl:

It is literally in my top 10 stupidest wastes of money in my life... Honestly I mostly kept it to keep my old cell number when I got a new one from work. And for alarm system, if I get rid of the phone, can cancel adt too.

Win Win all around. just need to hold my nose and speak to the shaw people...

My shaw box has a small UPS inside it to keep the phone working when power goes out. For what its worth. Doesn't matter since my handset base needs power anyways.

[rage2]

Isn't Shaw's phone line IP based? Will it work if your commercial AC power goes down?
It won’t, but it will Still work behind a UPS. I wanna say the new setups does have UPS so it’ll work till the battery dies.

[speedog]

It won’t, but it will Still work behind a UPS. I wanna say the new setups does have UPS so it’ll work till the battery dies.

So it's not a landline in the same sense as a TELUS landline and can I assume that Sjaw's home phone is multiplexed or whatever with Shaw's other services that come into your home over a coax connection?

[Sugarphreak]

...

[Buster]

I only keep one for 911 service.

[Tik-Tok]

Got rid of ours 6 months ago. We only had it to talk to family out of province, but now we're skyping instead.

Curious though, does 911 have access to your cell phone address? If you dial 911 from a cell but hang-up, will they send a CPS member to your residence like they do with landlines?

[Maxt]

I still have one... wait for it.... with a Fax machine attached to it!

[Sugarphreak]

...

[yellowsnow]

ditched mine a couple years ago. ended up porting my number to freephoneline, and buying a obihai voip device. no monthly fees, 911 calls are pay per use. you can also set up google voice, so free calls to USA

[speedog]

Shit, we have a fax machine as well but it's needed because many of my wife's farmers' market vendors are still stuck in the dark ages.

[g-m]

What, so I can connect my 56k modem to it? I've never had a landline

[botox]

We have one through Shaw with the absolutely lowest plan with nothing but the basics. I's primarily used to receive calls from my wifes family, tha's about it.
Same here, we all have cell's but wifes family always calls the home phone for some reason and they will talk/gossip for hours.... about really stupid things.......


I still have one... wait for it.... with a Fax machine attached to it!
Still have one of those too. Used to use it all the time for china crap but now everyone even farmers in the middle of no where has smart phones so we just send pictures via wechat and they can print it off.

[Masked Bandit]

Still have a landline at the house, parents on both sides call on it to talk to the kids. I can't remember the last time someone actually called me on that thing. At the office we still have a fax machine (and dedicated line) that I would like to get rid of but it's crazy how many car dealerships and lawyer's offices still insist on faxing shit to us.

[Buster]

Got rid of ours 6 months ago. We only had it to talk to family out of province, but now we're skyping instead.

Curious though, does 911 have access to your cell phone address? If you dial 911 from a cell but hang-up, will they send a CPS member to your residence like they do with landlines?

Having a landline for 911 is far superior. The dispatch people get a ton more information... And immediately. Source:. Wife's cousin is a senior manager there. For ten bucks a month on top of your internet it's a no brainier.

- - - Updated - - -

And you savages still use physical fax machines? A Fujitsu document scanner and myfax is way better. Basically turns faxing in and out into an email thing.

[Tik-Tok]

Having a landline for 911 is far superior. The dispatch people get a ton more information... And immediately. Source:. Wife's cousin is a senior manager there. For ten bucks a month on top of your internet it's a no brainier.


Thinking about it, it's kind of weird that they made laws that require all cell phones to have 911 access, even without a phone plan, but a landline without a phone plan can't.

[revelations]

It won’t, but it will Still work behind a UPS. I wanna say the new setups does have UPS so it’ll work till the battery dies.

The res models I've seen have a UPS.

[tirebob]

Having just moved out to the boonies, we have no internet and only a cell connection once in a blue moon when you are in the right spot with the wind blowing up and to the left and yiur tongue sticking out, so we just got a new landline for the first time in 10 years.

[revelations]

Having just moved out to the boonies, we have no internet and only a cell connection once in a blue moon when you are in the right spot with the wind blowing up and to the left and yiur tongue sticking out, so we just got a new landline for the first time in 10 years.

A signal amplifier is about 200$ (have one in my basement, works great). How much a month for landline out there?

[hampstor]

I still have one ... have had the same number for about +15 years now. I was with Shaw for a while, but kept running into odd problems with the phone service (and ultimately internet as well), so ended back on telus and am issue free.

My family and my mother in law still call it to talk to my kids. However the big thing for me is emergencies in the event my kids ever had to call 911.

[revelations]

My family and my mother in law still call it to talk to my kids. However the big thing for me is emergencies in the event my kids ever had to call 911.

If the kids can call and talk - are they able to recite the address of the house if its in a central area?

[hampstor]

If the kids can call and talk - are they able to recite the address of the house if its in a central area?

The address was the big thing for me. My oldest (of 3 kids) is 9 and is hit/miss with remembering the address. In an emergency, i'm not 100% confident he'd be able to remember it, nor would I want to risk someone's life (eg. my wife or father in law) by banking on him remembering the address to save me the $20/month. I also am not banking on my 6 or 4 year old being able to either.

[A790]

eFax

[tirebob]

A signal amplifier is about 200$ (have one in my basement, works great). How much a month for landline out there?Yeah I am looking into getting a signal amplifier... Just to effing busy right now! lol

I think we are paying just over $20/month for a telus landline...

[phreezee]

My VOIP adapter has moved with us twice now and I've had the same number for over a decade. Only costs $5/month for unlimited North American long distance to most major cities, so it is worth keeping it for us.

[Sugarphreak]

...

[schocker]

I still have one as I like having a number that I never have to answer and hate checking voice mail on my cellphone.

[J-hop]

Got rid of ours 6 years ago. So glad we did, House is much quieter

[Xtrema]

A TELUS landline will also still work during a commercial power outage without any need for an UPS at your home.


So does Telus Optic customers still have old school 48v phone lines? Or VOIP over the fiber?

[speedog]

So does Telus Optic customers still have old school 48v phone lines? Or VOIP over the fiber?

Have Optik and have two old school phone lines.

[johnlennon]

The res models I've seen have a UPS.


Telus is not required to install a UPS anymore. This is due to the fact that most people who have a landline have a powered base that wont allow the phone to work during a power outage anymore.

ALSO Telus now provides a free Landline if you are 60+ with Internet or something

[johnlennon]

Have Optik and have two old school phone lines.

Depends if you are aerial or not . If you had copper to your home prior to getting Fibre, you probably are still connected to Line Equipment at the Office, or UMC. IF you want to get specific, Line equipment at the office apparently sounds "better / Warmer sounding" than voip :nut: