Phone cord cutting

[Cobra9777]

We dumped paid landline service when I retired in 2013. Since then, we've used a free Google Voice number with an Obi-200 VoIP adapter. It works flawlessly with our existing landline handsets. Minimal spam. Lots of great features, like voicemail-to-text. International calling is dirt-cheap, like 1 cent per minute for the UK. Though we normally use Hangouts for international calling, which is free.

Back in 2013, we had really bad cell reception at our house. So I wanted to keep the landlines functional. Fast-forward to 2021 and we still have "borderline" cell reception. But now there are countless ways to make voice/video calls with cellphones, tablets, and computers using the home internet. The only real reason we keep the landline now is for the phone number. But since it's a GV number, I might just use it on some older cellphones and let them replace the aging wireless landline handsets. Those handsets are now kind-of clunky. So next time the batteries die, they're probably going in the trash.

 

[JoeWras]

Like Cobra above, we have GV with OBI device. This forum was the inspiration. The only cost is $2 per month for E911 service.

We initially kept the phone for the number. That's less important as our cells become more primary.

We have it now mostly for safety. We keep cell phones out of the bedroom, so having the landline there for safety is good. We may eventually change our mind there too.

The fiber, termination block, router, and OBI are on battery backup. We get a few hours of use during a power outage. It helps that AT&T fiber internet is pretty reliable, even during power outages.

 

[ArmchairMillionaire23]

Why do you do this when it is obviously such a huge mistake? You don't need it. You don't want it. It reduces your quality of life. Seems silly to have made this horrible decision and not correct it. Dump the cell phone.

I don't understand this notion that having a cell phone is some kind of an emotional or lifestyle burden. I have had quite a few of them over the years and every single one had an "off" button. I can understand not wanting the expense, but cost is the only issue I see. Is the phone worth the cost given rare use? Or not?

I just don’t understand this. How are politicians raising money supposed to be able to text you?

All valid points/arguments/sarcasm.

The Only reason we have the Trac-Fone is for when we travel. My wife likes to call her mom once in a while to let her know about whatever adventure we are on. And since this country/world has pretty much gotten rid of pay-phones, (don't even get me started on the PuntoTel™ pay-phones in Italy back in 2007) we keep the little Trac-Fone. And yes, it has an "off" feature. We turn it on to make a call and then turn it off when we're done. (the battery will last for 6 months this way!)

I understand that most of the people in the world love the convenience of their phones and love getting texts (even from politicians asking for money) and being able to surf the Internet whenever they want. There's nothing wrong with that. But for us, at this time, we're happier without a smartphone. Once in a while, while travelling, it would have been nice to be able to look something up and I offered to get her or both of us a smartphone but she would just reply, "No, thanks. Not yet."
Okay, enough thread hijacking. You can go back to discussing the merits of (literally) cutting the land-line cord.

 

[HarveyS]

We cut the cord in 2006 and have never regretted it.

I suspect that AM23 is one of the few of us who actually knows the phone numbers of the people he calls

 

[RetiredAndLovingIt]

I'm in Colorado and I pay centurylink $40/mo for a wired phone which mostly gets spam calls, plus mis line and other "fees".
On top of that I pay $15 for long distance. It used to be pay-by-the-minute and it would be $3-$6 a month but they changed to a minimum monthly fee with more "free" hours than I care to use.

So it seems like an easy $50-$60 savings a month. I used to not trust cells for 911 but it's now mandatory to do proper location reporting. It's still possible the cell tower would be down when good ol' copper is not. That's why one of my phone is the an old unpowered (well powered by the phone line) no frills phone.

I do get my internet from Centurylink, but comcast regularly comes knocking with a similar price point (around $80/mo) but supposedly higher speeds.

Everyone in the household has a cell phone (using Ting, about $40 for 3 phones, but I may look at Mint)

I do call overseas to reach some family for an hour a week, sometime they call, but the way their international calling is set up, they get a surcharge for calling a cell phone, so I would have to call them all the time (not a big deal)


Any of you guys still value a land line or am I a dinosaur?

Would adding a free VoiP provider be worth the trouble? Maybe for the international calling? I could use zoom and the like but my parents are technophobes and having a hard time switching a non-telephone system.

Someone on another thread posted this great deal which might be worth checking out.
This $5 cellphone plan includes free unlimited calls, texts AND international calls to a bunch of countries if that's the only reason that you're keeping the landline. Click view more plans to see the $5 plan-view plan details-select countries. They use T-mobile towers.
https://hellomobile.com/shop/plans

 

[SheitlQueen]

I have a landline because I need it for my internet. I live in the country and there is no other option. Cell phone reception here is terrible so I need the internet for wifi calling. If it wasn't for that I would dump the land line.

 

[ExFlyBoy5]

Using that logic...

We did not get cell phones in 2009. As of 2020 the average cost of a 2-line plan was $113 a month. Average it out to $50 per month per line and we saved $14,400 by not having mobile phones over the past 12 years. And that doesn't even include the cost of the phones.

I think a lot of forum members haven't paid that much for cell service in a long time.

 

[ExFlyBoy5]

I don't understand this notion that having a cell phone is some kind of an emotional or lifestyle burden. I have had quite a few of them over the years and every single one had an "off" button. I can understand not wanting the expense, but cost is the only issue I see. Is the phone worth the cost given rare use? Or not?

I chock it up to "each there own."

As my DW says, "If you aren't cooking for me, paying my bills, or fornicating with me, then what matter is it of yours?" and I think this applies to this subject as well.

I like the abilities of a cell phone. Mapping/podcasts/etc. have much more value for me than just being able to talk on the phone. As a matter of habit, unless I am going somewhere, it sits in my [-]office[/-] study on the charger all day and night. If someone HAS to get a hold of me, they will need to call my DW.

 

[Out of Steam]

We have a landline, old technology, not VOIP, because:

1. Cell reception in our home sucks. Most neighbors also have a landline for that reason .
<snip>
3. During fire season, our area gets power shut off for days. Landline works; cells don't. They clearly don't have sufficient battery backup in our area.

1. We had that problem in our house, but my smartphone has WiFi calling capability that uses the internet connection.

3. Under those circumstances, I wouldn't disconnect the landline either.

 

[CoolRich59]

Very timely thread. The DW's Dad just passed away and the DW and I have been helping her Mom transition.

I was looking over her bills and she has AT&T landline service. Over the last year, the bill fluctuated between $40 and $75 per month. But, despite spending way too much time trying to understand AT&T's bills, I could not figure out why it fluctuates so much. To add insult, the bill for the month before my father-in-law passed jumped up to $126!

Not surprisingly, we are actively looking for an alternative. My first impulse is to move her to a cheap cellphone plan, but I'll be interested to see if there are other options to consider.

 

[Beststash]

All valid points/arguments/sarcasm.

I understand that most of the people in the world love the convenience of their phones and love getting texts (even from politicians asking for money) and being able to surf the Internet whenever they want. There's nothing wrong with that. But for us, at this time, we're happier without a smartphone. Once in a while, while travelling, it would have been nice to be able to look something up and I offered to get her or both of us a smartphone but she would just reply, "No, thanks. Not yet."
Okay, enough thread hijacking. You can go back to discussing the merits of (literally) cutting the land-line cord.

I have a land line. It is necessary for internet (DSL) in my rural area of Texas.

As far a cell phone - I have a smart phone that I use as a digital camera and take when we travel only and basically keep it powered off unless we travel. I don't give out that number to anyone. I've played with it, used some apps, just to see what people like so much. Just doesn't interest me. I have enough screen time with my desktop.

 

[JoeWras]

Very timely thread. The DW's Dad just passed away and the DW and I have been helping her Mom transition.

I was looking over her bills and she has AT&T landline service. Over the last year, the bill fluctuated between $40 and $75 per month. But, despite spending way too much time trying to understand AT&T's bills, I could not figure out why it fluctuates so much. To add insult, the bill for the month before my father-in-law passed jumped up to $126!

Not surprisingly, we are actively looking for an alternative. My first impulse is to move her to a cheap cellphone plan, but I'll be interested to see if there are other options to consider.

If mom has internet, it is super cheap and easy to use Ooma if she still wants a landline feel. That's what I suggest.

Those of us with Google Voice and OBI go through a tricky process to get there. For everyone else, Ooma is a no brainer.

If she doesn't have or want internet, Consumer Cellular mobile phones are an easy choice. There are cheaper, however, CC is focused on the senior population and have really friendly service. They have "talk-only" plans as low as $18 per month with unlimited minutes. If mom wants to learn to text, it is only a few bucks more.

 

[Music Lover]

I have a land line. It is necessary for internet (DSL) in my rural area of Texas.

As far a cell phone - I have a smart phone that I use as a digital camera and take when we travel only and basically keep it powered off unless we travel. I don't give out that number to anyone. I've played with it, used some apps, just to see what people like so much. Just doesn't interest me. I have enough screen time with my desktop.

Many people have gotten rid of their desktops and only use their smart phone.

We don't have the luxury of traveling without being able to communicate with family....we have 4 parents in their 80's and GF has a 20-year old daughter.

I don't know why some people brag about not having a cell phone, even though it's much more than just a phone. It's also phone you can use away from home with: texting, GPS, flashlight, internet, store locator, shopping aid, camera, video recorder, alarm clock, calculator, etc. The list is almost endless. And guess what...you can ignore it, put it on silent, or turn it off whenever you want if you don't want to be bothered.

 

[Chuckanut]

Another vote for Ooma.

 

[RetiredAndLovingIt]

If mom wants to learn to text, it is only a few bucks more.
I used to think texting was a dumb idea and I swore I would never text because my fat fingers always hit the wrong letters when typing on the small screen. And then I discovered talk to text, using that magic little mic button. I haven't stopped since, it's so efficient and it doesn't matter how old you are, anyone can do it. I haven't typed a text or google search in years, I do it all by voice, best invention ever, show your mom how easy it is and let her decide.

 

[CoolRich59]

If she doesn't have or want internet, Consumer Cellular mobile phones are an easy choice. There are cheaper, however, CC is focused on the senior population and have really friendly service. They have "talk-only" plans as low as $18 per month with unlimited minutes. If mom wants to learn to text, it is only a few bucks more.

I told the DW about Consumer Cellular and that plan, she is talking to her Mom about it.

I also contacted Consumer Cellular about a couple of questions I had: 911 locating and porting Mom's landline number.

I was told that, even with a "dumb phone", 911 can still locate you (although I suspect its more of a general location obtaining by pinging local towers). But, they said it's no problem to port a landline number, which I think will make the transition to a cellphone much easier for Mom.

Thanks for a great suggestion!

 

[CoolRich59]

If mom wants to learn to text, it is only a few bucks more.
I used to think texting was a dumb idea and I swore I would never text because my fat fingers always hit the wrong letters when typing on the small screen. And then I discovered talk to text, using that magic little mic button. I haven't stopped since, it's so efficient and it doesn't matter how old you are, anyone can do it. I haven't typed a text or google search in years, I do it all by voice, best invention ever, show your mom how easy it is and let her decide.

There's no way my m-i-l would ever go that route.

But, the DW has a great love-hate relationship with Siri. She has always been a little challenged technologically and can't understand why Siri occasionally garbles her words. Every once in a while, I'll hear her scolding Siri: "Aren't you paying attention? That's not what I said!"

 

[JoeWras]

I was told that, even with a "dumb phone", 911 can still locate you (although I suspect its more of a general location obtaining by pinging local towers). But, they said it's no problem to port a landline number, which I think will make the transition to a cellphone much easier for Mom.

Yes, she absolutely can port her number which is huge for a lot of people.

E911 location has gotten better and better through the years. Any smart phone of recent vintage now shares GPS through a back-channel. They have gotten better with triangulating dumb phones, but it still could be a bit off.

But guess what, even the newest apparent dumb phones have GPS. The Consumer Cellular branded "Link II" for $35 (!) has GPS. This could provide peace of mind for all.

BTW, I'm still a bit young for the CC target demographic, yet they work great for me. I brought my own phone and just got a free SIM card from them. There are other carriers out there, but a lot of us are happy with CC. Just check out this thread (which I did NOT start): I like my Consumer Cellular.

 

[WestUniversity]

Cancelled land line 10 years ago. Have not missed it one bit...

 

[dixonge]

I'm always surprised when I find land lines still being used. I think the last time I intentionally ordered a LL was probably in the mid-90's. I think I crossed the cost/benefit ratio of cellular vs. LL earlier than most people. Once we realized we were rarely using them, we stopped ordering them. And yet most companies continued to include them, even if they just gathered dust, or were never connected to an actual phone...

 

[Gearhead Jim]

We still have our VOIP land line because the cellphone voice in our area is rather poor. Yes, you can usually converse and be understood.
No, you wouldn't want to have a long or important conversation that way.

The cell tower is less than a mile away in mostly flat Illinois, but somehow the quality is lacking. Our Verizon service here is better than other cell companies, but still not so great.

 

[imnontrad]

I live in Colorado Springs and I have never live anyplace where I got so many spam calls!
Even though the land line did not cost very much, I cut the cord and have not missed it.
Right now, Verizon calls (my cell phone) drops calls in this area (and may switch to T-Mobile) but I can make VOIP calls via my Amazon Alexa dot.

 

[samcat]

We live in northern California and still have a landline. We pay $50 a month. Drives me crazy but we are scared to cancel it because of earthquakes. We have cordless phones in the living part of the house but a plug-in corded 30 year old phone that sits next to my bed.

We worry an earthquake could knock out cell towers. Haven't had a real earthquake in the area since 1989!

Not sure if we will ever cancel it though I do think about it every time I pay the bill!

 

[a60dan]

We ditched the landline a few years ago.

Eventually ditched Sprint & Virgin Mobile for T-Mobile Unlimited 55 plan. 2 lines unlimited everything and foreign coverage for $60/month (now its $70).

Kept a Phonepower VOIP line for my 911 security blanket. Never use it.

If the T-Mobile service ever goes out (hasn’t in 3 years), all cell phones will seek the strongest signal, regardless of carrier, and connect to 911.

About to add my 83 year old father to the scoping for $30/month so he can dump his landline & “long distance”. He’ll have cover get in Mexico too.

 

[a60dan]

Just remembered.....We did have voice calling outage with T-Mobile to TMobile calling once. Could still text until it was resolved.