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Home phone options, E911 service no landline

Posted on 10/5/15 at 1:04 pm
Posted by GoIrish02
Member since Mar 2012
1491 posts
Posted on 10/5/15 at 1:04 pm
We just built a new house and don't have a landline or traditional POTS phone lines. We're networked with network outlets in every room, the alarm system has its own built in GSM wireless card and we have 2 cell phones as our only phones. AT&T Uverse is our Internet provider.

We also have children ages 3 and 1 and my wife is concerned about the children being able to call 911 as they get older, should one of us be incapicated or one of the kids is unable to unlock/use one of our cell phones.

Does anyone have experience with Ooma, Magic Jack or other solutions to have a virtual landline? Something easy for a young child to use and, while I have the ability to configure a network device, ease of installation/use is important too.

I've been reading about some who use Google Voice, porting that number temporarily to a cell phone then to a network adapter to create a virtual home phone with E911, any advice on such an option is welcome too.
Posted by Hammertime
Will trade dowsing rod for titties
Member since Jan 2012
43031 posts
Posted on 10/5/15 at 1:06 pm to
My 911 goes through Cox cable
Posted by TigerWise
Front Seat of an Uber
Member since Sep 2010
35131 posts
Posted on 10/5/15 at 1:07 pm to
Why not teach them how to use the panic feature on the alarm? That is if you don't live in New Orleans of course.
Posted by tigerlaw
Madisonville
Member since Mar 2004
817 posts
Posted on 10/5/15 at 1:30 pm to
We've had Ooma for a couple of years and we love it. Super easy set-up and very reliable. Very inexpensive after the initial hardware purchase as you only pay taxes and fees (I think mine is about $3 a month). International calls are extra, but the rate per minute is really cheap. And yes, it does have local 911 service.
Posted by GoIrish02
Member since Mar 2012
1491 posts
Posted on 10/5/15 at 1:42 pm to
quote:

Why not teach them how to use the panic feature on the alarm? That is if you don't live in New Orleans of course.


I agree, and that's what I told my wife, but then she pointed out my 3 year old daughter isn't quite tall enough to reach the panel yet. While we wait for the kids to grow, this solution is more about pleasing the wife than logic or reason, which are always fun to negotiate.
Posted by Layabout
Baton Rouge
Member since Jul 2011
11082 posts
Posted on 10/5/15 at 3:08 pm to
quote:

Does anyone have experience with Ooma, Magic Jack or other solutions to have a virtual landline?


I've used CallCentric as my VoIP provider for the past three years. Their spam blocking features are great. I haven't had a robocall in years. Their service includes registering your number with 911. I pay twelve bucks a month for basic service. One thing I like about it is that you're not locked into one company like Ooma for both the service and your hardware. CallCentric works with VoIP gateways from a number of different companies. I use one from Obi-Hai that sells for $39 on Amazon.
This post was edited on 10/5/15 at 3:11 pm
Posted by GoIrish02
Member since Mar 2012
1491 posts
Posted on 10/5/15 at 3:25 pm to
quote:

 I use one from Obi-Hai that sells for $39 on Amazon.


This was one of the adapters I'm considering combining with Google Voice and buying E911 service separately. Do their products work well? Do you use the one line or multi line adapter?
Posted by Layabout
Baton Rouge
Member since Jul 2011
11082 posts
Posted on 10/6/15 at 12:53 am to
quote:

Do their products work well? Do you use the one line or multi line adapter?




I have the single line unit and have no complaints. Voice quality is excellent and it was a breeze to set it up. I played around with Google voice initially but decided it wasn't quite ready for prime time. I looked at all of the VoIP providers before finally settling on CallCentric. Take a look at their web site.
Posted by Broke
AKA Buttercup
Member since Sep 2006
65359 posts
Posted on 10/6/15 at 9:15 am to
Not sure about now but if I were to turn my home phone off and leave it plugged in, I could dial 911
Posted by fatboydave
Fat boy land
Member since Aug 2004
17979 posts
Posted on 10/6/15 at 11:37 am to
quote:

We've had Ooma for a couple of years and we love it. Super easy set-up and very reliable. Very inexpensive after the initial hardware purchase as you only pay taxes and fees (I think mine is about $3 a month). International calls are extra, but the rate per minute is really cheap. And yes, it does have local 911 service.


Second for OOMA.
Just checked and my monthly OOMA bill went up from $3.85 to $4.30
This post was edited on 10/6/15 at 11:44 am
Posted by Jimbeaux28
Baton Rouge
Member since Jun 2007
4082 posts
Posted on 10/6/15 at 8:55 pm to
I haven't paid a phone bill in 3 years with Google Voice with the Obi-hai.

Excellent quality and it's free. Make sure to block anonymous callers to cut down on the spam.
Posted by GoIrish02
Member since Mar 2012
1491 posts
Posted on 10/8/15 at 2:05 pm to
How did you port the number from Google Voice to the Obi-Hai adapter and your VoIP host? Do you have to bridge the number from Google Voice to a dead cell phone to the VoIP host? I appreciate any advice on the process. Thanks.
Posted by LSU316
Rice and Easy Baby!!!
Member since Nov 2007
30236 posts
Posted on 10/9/15 at 12:46 pm to
If NENA could get there shite together on NG911 we wouldn't have to worry about this.
Posted by Jimbeaux28
Baton Rouge
Member since Jun 2007
4082 posts
Posted on 10/11/15 at 8:43 pm to
Sorry. Just noticed you replied to my post.

I followed the instructions in this article:

LINK
Posted by Layabout
Baton Rouge
Member since Jul 2011
11082 posts
Posted on 10/12/15 at 8:21 am to
quote:

How did you port the number from Google Voice to the Obi-Hai adapter and your VoIP host?


Your new VoIP host will handle it for you. One caution: don't cancel your old number. It has to be active in order to be ported over. Porting it will automatically cancel the old service.

But I'm not sure if google allows their numbers to be ported.
This post was edited on 10/12/15 at 8:23 am
Posted by askaboutp
Prairieville, LA
Member since Dec 2007
352 posts
Posted on 10/12/15 at 10:59 am to
I bought an SpareOne Plus Emergency Mobile Phone from Amazon for this very reason.

10 year battery life, we keep it right in the living room and have done drills with the kids on what to do in case of an emergency.
Posted by ATL-TIGER-732
ATL
Member since Jun 2013
2291 posts
Posted on 10/13/15 at 12:00 pm to
Amazon comments:

LINK

This "G2" Phone will NOT Work after December of 2016!
this Spare One cell phone is a "G2" Network device, and that the
"G2" Network will be disabled within about one year (by December fo 2016),
which means UNABLE TO CALL 911
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