We need a landline - which phone to get? What service?

[Anonymous]

I'd like to get a landline for emergency use, so that the kids have a way to call for help if needed. What phone should I get? I'd like to mount it on a wall. And, what service shoudl I get?

[Anonymous]

you don't need a land line, you need a phone that stays in the house. Like vonage etc.

[Anonymous]

My Internet bundle comes with TV and phone. We got this: https://www.amazon.com/AT-BL102-2-2-Handset-Answering-Unsurpassed/dp/B086QB7WZ1/ref=sr_1_3?dchild=1&keywords=call+blocking+cordless+phone&qid=1621624583&sr=8-3

It has a feature that stops robocalls from getting through. Anyone you add to the directory can call and it rings like normal. Anyone not in the directory will be asked by it to press pound. Once they press pound it makes your phone ring. Since robocallers are computers, they don't press pound and the phone never rings. It's worked great for us.

[Anonymous]

For a wall phone, get a Cortelco 2554 or the older Western Electric model. It is line powered, so it will work if the power fails.

Do _not_ get any sort of VOIP service as suggested above. You want a regular copper phone line from the local telephone company. The latter infractructure is built to a much higher degree of reliability than the Internet and is powered from the telephone central office. It will also properly communicate your address (including apartment number, if any) to 911 services.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My Internet bundle comes with TV and phone. We got this: https://www.amazon.com/AT-BL102-2-2-Handset-Answering-Unsurpassed/dp/B086QB7WZ1/ref=sr_1_3?dchild=1&keywords=call+blocking+cordless+phone&qid=1621624583&sr=8-3

It has a feature that stops robocalls from getting through. Anyone you add to the directory can call and it rings like normal. Anyone not in the directory will be asked by it to press pound. Once they press pound it makes your phone ring. Since robocallers are computers, they don't press pound and the phone never rings. It's worked great for us.

NP: Thanks for your detailed description. This sounds like exactly what I need to deter calls that are mistaking my house phone for a fax machine.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:For a wall phone, get a Cortelco 2554 or the older Western Electric model. It is line powered, so it will work if the power fails.

Do _not_ get any sort of VOIP service as suggested above. You want a regular copper phone line from the local telephone company. The latter infractructure is built to a much higher degree of reliability than the Internet and is powered from the telephone central office. It will also properly communicate your address (including apartment number, if any) to 911 services.

Just wanted to echo this. I got a package from Verizon— not realizing that they were ripping out the copper wires until it was too late.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:For a wall phone, get a Cortelco 2554 or the older Western Electric model. It is line powered, so it will work if the power fails.

Do _not_ get any sort of VOIP service as suggested above. You want a regular copper phone line from the local telephone company. The latter infractructure is built to a much higher degree of reliability than the Internet and is powered from the telephone central office. It will also properly communicate your address (including apartment number, if any) to 911 services.

I let Verizon switch my service to FIOS Voice (Verizon's VOIP) because I got tired of having to call for service when the copper line got noisy. It's obsolete infrastructure that the phone companies can't be expected to maintain forever. FIOS Voice quality is much better.

911 service is supposed to work properly on FIOS Voice. I haven't used it.

[Anonymous]

We added back phone service to our FIOS internet service, once the kids were old enough to stay home alone. Regular wall-mount phone that was probably $24 from target.