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Remember the old ringtone of a telephone mounted on the wall or on your kitchen counter? This seemingly ancient technology is still relevant today, despite the proliferation of smart phones. In the event of a massive disaster mobile network failureyou might find yourself stranded without one of your most critical access lines in the world for hours if you only rely on one cell phone — and if your smartphone cannot make phone callsthis is not very useful in an emergency.
An AT&T outage last year, for example, interrupted services for more than 12 hours in several of the most populous cities in the United States, while a Verizon outage caused phones get stuck in SOS mode for a significant part of the day. These outages served as a reminder of the dangers of relying solely on mobile phones.
You might reconsider the role of a once-standard but now nearly obsolete household device: the landline telephone. Here’s what to consider before deciding to keep (or get) a landline.
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Do you remember the landline?
Those old-fashioned landlines may still have their place, but only 28% of American households have one.
Landlines are telephones that connect to specialized wiring in our homes. The iconic image is of a rotary dial telephone – usually rented from a telephone company – hanging on the wall or sitting on a counter or table, although push-button landlines and later wireless replaced many of these old telephones in the 1980s. Landlines connect to each other through a global communications network built over more than a century. But as cell phones have become widely available and affordable, many people have chosen to ditch their landlines altogether.
A 2022 survey by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found that only about 29% of American adults lived in a home with a landline telephone, down more than 90% in 2004. The crossover happened 10 years ago, in 2015, when smartphone sales also happened. entered a boom period who reshaped the tech industry and helped transform iPhone Apple manufacturer in one of the most valued companies in the world.
Ann Williams is one of those people who hasn’t yet given up her landlines. When asked why she keeps hers, she describes moving to Huntsville, Alabama after a tornado outbreak on April 27, 2011, when dozens of tornadoes killed at least 250 people and knocked out power for several days. Even though she moved there after the tornadoes, hearing about the event made her realize the importance of still needing a phone connection.
“The weather here is so unpredictable,” she told me in an interview. But landlines have dedicated power and often work even in the event of an outage. “We remember when it was absolutely necessary to have (the landline),” Williams said.
What Makes Landline Phones More Reliable
Landline phones operate on a separate infrastructure, built from copper telephone lines that are inexpensive to build and quite reliable. They also don’t have the downsides of cellular networks, like dropped calls, poor and distorted quality, or weak reception.
One of the main reasons people keep landlines is that they tend to work even during power outages, which is a huge benefit for people whose jobs involve emergency services, business, or healthcare.
Analog fax machines are also built around landline telephone systems, which means that most hospitals and doctors’ offices, as well as political and legal offices, must maintain a working wireline connection.
The disadvantages of landlines
Remember cordless phones and phone books?
The United States Federal Communications Commission is phase-out requirements for telephone companies to provide landline telephone services (called Plain Old Telephone Service) across the country. As a result, more and more homes and offices are being built with Ethernet jacks rather than telephone jacks.
Landline phone connections aren’t cheap either. AllConnect, CNET’s corporate cousin note that AT&T’s traditional home phone plan starts at $48 per month, and you also have to use the company to access the Internet. CenturyLink is cheaper, starting at $30 per month, and Spectrum will only charge $20 per month.
And not all landlines use copper telephone lines. Increasingly, businesses are using their phone systems over their Internet connections, a service called Voice over Internet Protocol, or VoIP. AllConnect currently tracks only three service providers offering old-style landlines: CenturyLink, Comcast Xfinity and Cox.
How to get new landline phone service
If you are ready to install a landline, call the local telephone company and ask about telephone services. If you live in an apartment building, it is important that you know where the telephone junction box is located. Generally, the owner should know about it, and if not, the local phone company should be able to find it.
Here are some follow-up questions you want to ask and what to look for in the answers:
- Are landlines VoIP or POTS? Ideally, if you are looking for security and reliability, POTS is what you need. VoIP can work, but be aware that how it works probably depends on your Internet modem and connection.
- If VoIP, does the company have backup power systems to keep the voice line functioning in the event of a power outage? Most companies sell battery backups that you can purchase directly from them. You can use an uninterrupted power supply, perhaps from CyberPower or APC. Note that they are different from portable power supplies. Portable power supplies allow you to stay electronically powered while on the go, but they are not intended to constantly monitor for power outages and then intervene if necessary.
- Typically, local calls are free, but dialing from your area code costs. What is the pricing structure? Companies like AT&T charge various additional fees for domestic calls, as well as international long distance calls. Long distance calls, in particular, are usually billed by the minute, and companies don’t always publish this information on their websites. Make sure you know how much it will cost, and if it’s too expensive, consider using a chat app like Signal, WhatsApp, Google Meet or Apple FaceTime for your long distance calls.
What to do with a landline?
If you have a landline but are letting it languish, simply removing money from your bank account every month, you’re not alone. But there are ways to make it more useful.
Google Voice is a popular option that gives you a new phone number that acts as a central hub. When someone calls, Google Voice rings any phone you have connected, whether it’s a home landline, cell phone, work phone, or anything else.
There are other such services as well, including Zoom and RingCentralif you don’t like working with Google.
A landline phone can also connect with home security systems And medical alert sensors to ensure that in the event of an emergency, help will be there as soon as possible.
What to do if you can’t connect a landline
If you don’t qualify for a landline or don’t like the service offered, you have more options from satellite providers. Companies such as HughesNet and SpaceX may support VoIP over their Internet connections.
Phone makers like Apple are also building slowly satellite messaging in their devices. The iPhone 14, which debuted in 2022, has a feature called Emergency SOSwhich can connect to a satellite to send location data to your friends or an emergency text message to authorities.
