Do you have a land-line phone?

[Pinky]

Do you still have a land-line phone or do you only use cell phones now? We only have our cell phones but I'm wondering if we need to consider getting a basic land-line phone. Can't come up with a good reason why we need it though.

(ETA: if you have a land-line how much does it cost? and if you only have cell phones how much are you saving by not having the home phone?)

[egoldber]

Primarily we have internet phone. We do still have the barest minimum land line plan, because I insisted and I was grateful during winter power outages. We also have cell phones. But the internet phone is primary for our home and DH's business.

[nupe]

We need our land line for work and also for personal international calls.

[maestramommy]

We have a land-line. Our cell phones are only for emergencies and we use prepaid plans.

[infomama]

We have a traditional (not internet) land line and we pay about $20/month. That includes un-listing our number.

[alexsmommy]

Yes, bare bones service at this point - but I like having it for the kids in an emergency and poweroutages.
It's interesting, I had to teach DS1 how to use it because he was used to pressing talk after dialing, not before, on our cell phones. Sign of the times.

[SnuggleBuggles]

Yes and it costs about $30 after all the taxes and fees. Dh bundled it with our cable and internet with Fios. It's been a while since we broke down the prices on that plan but when we signed on it was cheaper to bundle them. The phone bill portion went down a few dollars, iirc.

I just can't bring myself to go cell only. One, I like having a number to give out to people who might want to solicit me. Two, I am terrible about keeping my phone charged and it would be annoying to rely on it. Three, I like having a real phone line that doesn't require power. Four, I am just not convinced of cell phone safety long term so I prefer to limit it.

Beth

[ladysoapmaker]

Yep, still have it. Bare-bones no frills account. I want a landline in case of power outages and emergencies. (and yes it is a corded phone)

Jen

[MontrealMum]

Yes, we still have a landline. After having lived through one very long power outage, as well as being in an earthquake zone and an area prone to shorter outages, there's no way we're going to be without one.

I think it's about $24/month for local service with a few "extras" (unlisted #, call display). Our long distance is through another company. I would add that cell service and calling is much more expensive in Canada than it is in the US and any sort of out-of-country call (or even out of our "area" which is QC/ON) would be amazingly prohibitive on a cell. So, it's unlikely that having a cell only up here is going to cost less unless something changes about cell charges.

[cono0507]

Voted other. We have a very basic landline - just got it when we moved into this house. However, absolutely no one has the number (I don't even know what it is), we leave the ringer off and it really is there just in case of emergency/if the kids need to call 911/can't find the cell in an emergency, etc. Our cell phones are the only numbers anyone has.

[Pinky]

So, in case of emergencies/natural disasters do you guys think landlines are more dependable than cell phones? (ETA: Just realized cell batteries would die quickly and without power you can't recharge. Wasn't thinking)

[wellyes]

We have a VOIP, it was like $180 for lifetime service. Ooma. Mostly we use our cells.

[ahisma]

Yes. We have a tween:)

We have iPhones on AT&T and unlimited minutes is much more expensive than our land line. It's bundled with our TV and internet right now, but we're dumping cable and getting an internet / phone combo for $60/month.

ETA: Our tween does not have an iPhone, just one of the freebies. She's on the same plan though.

[AnnieW625]

We have our phone through Time Warner Cable, it's connected to a modem and in the 3 yrs. we've had the phone we've only ever had the service go out less than 5 times, and only one time recently for more than an hour.

We still use our home phone more than our cell phones.

[kristenk]

<snip> Dh bundled it with our cable and internet with Fios. <snip> Three, I like having a real phone line that doesn't require power.
Beth

I might be wrong, but I believe that fios relies on electricity. There's a battery back-up, but it only lasts for something like 6 hours.

I love fios for internet, but I hate that my land-line is now dependent on power.

[crl]

We do have a landline, though I don't know the number and only answer if I think it is dh calling to talk with ds. Mostly we have it because cell reception is terrible in our house and we want the access for emergency calls.

Catherine

[crl]

So, in case of emergencies/natural disasters do you guys think landlines are more dependable than cell phones? (ETA: Just realized cell batteries would die quickly and without power you can't recharge. Wasn't thinking)

Well, in addition to the charging issue, I can speak from personal experience being in DC on 9/11. Dh and I were able to stay in touch pretty consistently all day by switching back and forth. Sometimes our cells were working and sometimes they weren't. Same with the landlines. Options are good in case of emergency.

Catherine

[KpbS]

Yes--primarily for emergencies. I want DC to be able to find the phone quickly and call 911 in the event of an emergency. My mom calls our land line and my family if they have tried my cell and I haven't answered.

[bigpassport]

We have a landline bundled with cable and internet. We've considered getting rid of it. However...

If you don't have a landline, are you worried about your child not being able to find your cell phone to call 911 in an emergency?

[eh613c]

We have a land line phone because the area where we live has weak cell signal. If we need to use our cell phones, we literally have to go outside on the sidewalk!

[DietCokeLover]

We use our cell phones 99% of the time and do not have a personal home number. However, because we live at our business, we do have access to the business phone in case of an emergency.

[SnuggleBuggles]

I might be wrong, but I believe that fios relies on electricity. There's a battery back-up, but it only lasts for something like 6 hours.

I love fios for internet, but I hate that my land-line is now dependent on power.

Interesting, I'll look into that.

BEth

[Jo..]

We have a land-line. Our cell phones are only for emergencies and we use prepaid plans.

this.

My prepaid cell phone is used under 5 minutes per month and costs us less than $10 per YEAR.

Although Dave's work provided and paid for Iphone is used much, much more frequently.

[Jo..]

Well, in addition to the charging issue, I can speak from personal experience being in DC on 9/11. Dh and I were able to stay in touch pretty consistently all day by switching back and forth. Sometimes our cells were working and sometimes they weren't. Same with the landlines. Options are good in case of emergency.

Catherine

I was in Brooklyn for 9/11 and Dave was in view of the WTC and saw the planes hit.

Our cells and our landlines both stopped working after plane #2 hit. the bridges closed. I did not see him until late that evening and all day I thought he was dead.

I put no more stock in landlines than I do in cellphones.

[MommyAllison]

We do have a traditional landline. Originally I needed it to work from home, then when I stopped WAHM we switched to the barest bone plan, which was around $10/month. A year ago, we bundled it with internet and now pay $30/month, which includes callerID, etc etc - I don't even know what all we have, actually!

The reasons we keep a landline are that I want a phone always available in case of emergency (esp if a babysitter is there, but I lose my cell sometimes in the house, and when DS poured water on my cell and it was out of commission for a week, I was thankful for the landline!), and I like having a number to give out for things that might lead to solicitor calls. After some things I'm hearing recently about cell phone-cancer links, I'm using the landline more and more.

[crl]

I was in Brooklyn for 9/11 and Dave was in view of the WTC and saw the planes hit.

Our cells and our landlines both stopped working after plane #2 hit. the bridges closed. I did not see him until late that evening and all day I thought he was dead.

I put no more stock in landlines than I do in cellphones.

I am really sorry. It was a horrific day. And of course there are times when nothing works. But my point stands that having both increases the odds of one working.

We were very glad to be able to switch back and forth as that did work for us. DH saw the plane that hit the Pentagon and then the plume of smoke, though not the actual impact because of the topography. (And he knew people who died. He was actually supposed to be there at the moment of impact but had changed his schedule at the last minute.) Our house was a mile from the Pentagon. And I was at work six blocks from the Capitol. I spent a good bit of the day moving, walking to try to donate blood, then walking to a friend's house then finally deciding to risk the metro home. . . . I was very glad we had both cells and landlines because we were never out of touch for more than 20 minutes or so. If we had had only one or the other it would have been hours at times.

Catherine

Catherine

[C99]

We used to have the basic landline, but dumped it last year for just our cell phones. I hadn't listened to my landline voicemail in 3 months so it didn't seem worth it. They also converted our line to digital a couple of years ago and I think it would affect power outages.

[jess_g]

Not sure what to vote for. We have VOIP phone line and use that as our main phone number. Its through a comcast box connecting to the phone lnes (I think) outside our house. It does go out sometimes but has only done so 3 times in the last 2 years. We also have cell phones, but we don't use them in the house unless its work related.

Jessica.

[lhafer]

So, in case of emergencies/natural disasters do you guys think landlines are more dependable than cell phones? (ETA: Just realized cell batteries would die quickly and without power you can't recharge. Wasn't thinking)

We live in a hurricane area, and when hurricane Ike hit, we lost power for 2 weeks. We only have cell phones, and have not had a land line in years. Sure the service was spotty, and out for a while. But it would be busy or out with land line phones too. We used our car to charge our cell phones.

Where I live, all the power lines are above ground. So telephone poles are just as suseptable to the weather as the cell towers.


I was in Brooklyn for 9/11 and Dave was in view of the WTC and saw the planes hit.

Our cells and our landlines both stopped working after plane #2 hit. the bridges closed. I did not see him until late that evening and all day I thought he was dead.

I put no more stock in landlines than I do in cellphones.

This was a horrible horrific day, and I am so sorry you had to go through that. How awful.

[veronica]

We need a landline for our alarm system and Tivo.

Our land line is bundled with our internet cable and TV. We pay $160 per month for all three services (we upgraded to premium cable package and Digital TV).

[momm]

I have Vonage land line. It's about 24$ a month. Primarily because it gives me unlimited International calling. I love it.
I wouldn't have a land line otherwise.

I'm not a big phone person - the only call I've had on my cell phone for the past 10 days is a wrong number. Sad social life I know :)

[ThreeofUs]

Yes, we still have a landline. After having lived through one very long power outage, as well as being in an earthquake zone and an area prone to shorter outages, there's no way we're going to be without one.


:yeahthat: In an emergency situation, cell phones quickly become jammed. Landlines are the only thing that works. I've been through this a few times, and want the security of a LL and a cell.

It also helps that our alarm system needs the LL.

[secchick]

We have a landline. It is the only thing that will work in hurricane related or other power outages and we even keep an old corded phone for that purpose. Also for 911 purposes with young children. There was an article in last week's Time magazine about how they are getting better about cell phone tracking, but VoIP is entirely dependent on registering your address and people forget to update. One call to a Midwest 911 center was placed from Korea, because her prior address was registered.

[blue]

I voted we only have cell phones.

But, I just remembered we do actually have a land line number (but no land line phone connected to the wall). My SO switched to fiber internet that is packed with a land line phone when we got rid of cable (cheaper/month for us).

[mackmama]

We do have a landline although we could probably get rid of it.

[daisymommy]

We still have land line phones--much to DH's dismay. I put my foot down, over fears of 911 not being able to accurately pin-point us if there was an emergency with the kids. Plus, I always forget to keep my cell phone charged (oops!).

[kijip]

Yes we have a landline. And I have a red rotary dial phone which is older than most moms on this board to go with it. In case of a power outage, we are good. Also, I suck at charging my cell phone. I really do.

[SnuggleBuggles]

Interesting, I'll look into that.

BEth

Dh says that it has an eight hour or so battery

[Reina]

Last time I had a landline at home was 2001 or 2002.

I was in the middle of a serious earthquake in europe in 1999 and another one in east asia in 2004. both times, the landlines were compromised and rendered unusable where as the cell phones kept working.
For emergencies (or when my son drops my blackberry in a puddle :bouncy:) etc, I have a second cell phone that I keep in my car (always attached to the secondary AC power/always fully charged).

Also, I have the direct phone number of our police department in my cell phones on speed dial, in case 911 does not work.

[R2sweetboys]

I voted "other" because we do not have a land-line but we do not rely solely on our cell phones. Our main house line is through our cable company.(Time Warner) As far as I understand it, this is not considered a land-line is it? If we are without power, we cannot use our house phone because it requires the modem to work. We rarely lose power or phone service so we are comfortable with it. We also both have cell phones that can be charged in our vehicles if need be. I know several people who only use only cell phones but I have no desire to do that.

[HIU8]

Yes, we do have a land line phone. I work from home and it was way to expensive to use my cell all the time (going over my minutes). All my calls are long distance so we went with a basic plan with LD.

Plus, we have all cordless phones, except for one corded (in case of power outages we can still have a phone that works that way).

[catsnkid]

We have a vonage phone. Doesn't work when power net is out. Use it for outgoing when home. I have a bad habit of letting the cell phone die or leaving it on the wrong floor of the house. We have lived without a landline a few years but the cell service we have right now where we live is not great.

[georgiegirl]

We just got rid of ours. It cost about $25 a month and we never even had the ringer on. Really we only had if as a number to give annoying people and and for our security system. But we just upgraded the security system to cell and got rid of the landline.

[zag95]

Yep, still have it. Bare-bones no frills account. I want a landline in case of power outages and emergencies. (and yes it is a corded phone)

Jen
:yeahthat:

It gives me peace of mind, esp if we have sitters or grandparents over and would need to access 911- and we typically lose power at least 1x per yr, if not more. I try to be good about charging my cell, but sometimes, I drop the ball. DH doesn't use his cell (we are on a very inexpensive plan with my parents)...... so it is important for us to have decent phone access.

[cilantromapuche]

When we got the cell phones I realized how few calls we really get during the day and we are always out running around or out of town. If we could get a cheap land line I would but because we live in a rural area prices are cheap and because it is NY taxes are high--so the cheapest it would be was $65 a month. Not worth it.
For some reason IL's can have a basic landline in their cottage for $10. I guess it is a matter of competition and location. (the same for internet--my brother can get high speed in SF for $25 for what costs $60 here).

[amldaley]

Yes, we have a land line & here's why:

1) My husband is in the military and works in an occupational feild that has afforded him education on cellular technology - most specificially how easily it is manipulated & exploiting it. Cell phones are NOT as safe as you think for private conversations & transactions.

2) We live in an area where cell service is spotty.

3) We have had AT&T for several years and routinely are not able to make calls due to "all circuits busy", "No channels available" or "Service Unavailable" even when it shows 5 bars.

4) We live in an area that is prone to hurricane activity.

5) With the recent wildfires down the road from us, we learned that community evacuations are done here by Reverse 9-1-1 calls...and they only do those on land lines.

6) I hate talking on a cell phone for a long conversation. It gets hot quickly and the sound quality is never the same as a land line. I live thousands of miles from my family.

7) If we have an emergency, I want DD to know how to get a home phone and call 9-1-1 . I don't want her to have to go find my purse and dig it out and discover it is not charged or she is standing in the part of the house where service is poor.

8) If we have to make a 9-1-1 call, it is more quickly traced for service vehicles to come find us than a cell.

[mom2binsd]

Yep, for

911

My inlaws babysit all the time and they will never own a cellphone

I have family in Canada and it's cheaper to use the landline.

[MoJo]

MagicJack + cell phones. The MagicJack is very rarely used, though.

We had a traditional land line here for a few years, and it was amazingly unreliable. Just a little rain would make it unusable. We lost phone connection far more often in two years than we have lost power and internet in the past seven years. . . so it seemed highly unlikely that it would work in case of an actual emergency.

My almost three year old knows where my cell phone is, and I'm pretty good at keeping it charged. I just changed phones, though, and need to get a car charger for my cell.

[lizzywednesday]

No land-line here.

We get caller ID & voicemail with our cells for about the same rate as a land line and without the hassle of VOIP service. As long as the cells are charged, we also have phone service during a power outage. (In a pinch, we can charge our cells in DH's car.)

Among other savings, it cuts down on the political (etc.) robo-calls, which were a blessing in the last elections. (Though I did get them for my grandmother via e-mail ... that's what I get for using my e-mail address to help her place an online order!)

[wendibird22]

Yes we still have a landline and 3 phones connected to it...kitchen, upstairs bedroom, and garage. We pay $25/mo. We rarely ever call out on it but it's the # we give out to businesses, daycare, and our parents call that #. All long distance is called on our cells since it is free. I hesitate to go to just cell because I don't want to get calls when I'm out and about. If I'm not home I don't want to be bothered (unless it is an emergency). DH and I have both forgotten our phones at home or in the car, have lost power, have left them in a coat/purse/bag and don't hear them ring, etc. So I just like having a house phone. And I guess I figure that $25/mo isn't really going to afford me anything special if I cancelled it. But if I needed to be on a tight budget it would go.

[calv]

yes we do. I think it's silly and a waste of $$ but DH has this thing that w/kids we must have a land line in case of emergency. I dont get it. Especially when he has a work cell and I have a cell phone also