Phone options

[Moe Ghoul]

I'm ready to shove Verizon over the cliff. I currently have them for my landline home phone and DSL. I plan to get Comcast for the computer, I'm keeping Direct TV for the TV's, and I have a family plan cell phone thru ATT, 3 phones, the contract expired last month, so I'm month to month right now.

Questions:

1. I've had my 2 home phone numbers forever (Verizon landline), I'd like to keep the unlisted number. Is that number transferrable to a non verizon cell phone carrier?

2. I've seen some infomercial running late nite for some gizmo (Magicjack)that plugs into your computer that allows one to connect a landline phone into it and use the internet for phone calls. It's 20/year, free US and Canada calls, no monthly charge. Anyone familiar with it?

3. The downside of cell phone only, no landline household, is not having a phone in all the rooms. Is their a cell phone system that has multiple phones that operates off a cell phone number? In other words, can my wife and I have our mobile cell phones, but also a home system with multiple phones that operate on the cell lines without purchasing several cell phones? If that makes any sense?

I'm tossing this into the forum, cuz there seem to be quite a few tech savvy peeps and I got off the tech escalator about 10 years ago. At this point, I feel like I'm getting steamrolled with options available, most seem to suck, imo. I got my 1st and only nanopod 2 years ago, and still use CD's, cassettes, and the occasional vinyl LP.

 

[Moe Ghoul]

{{{{{{{HELLOOOOOOOO}}}}}}}}}

For some reason, MC Hammer's "Can't Touch This" plays in my head on this thread so far! ROFLMAO!

 

[wa-loaf]

We got comcast for phone internet and cable. No probs with the phone. Cable internet seems more stable than dsl and is faster. Verizon dsl was always crapping out on me. When we switched we kept our landline numbers. But I don't think you can transfer your landline number to cell.

 

[Moe Ghoul]

We got comcast for phone internet and cable. No probs with the phone. Cable internet seems more stable than dsl and is faster. Verizon dsl was always crapping out on me. When we switched we kept our landline numbers. But I don't think you can transfer your landline number to cell.

Thanks for trying, Wa-loaf.

 

[GrilledSteezeSandwich]

Why not just use your cell phone as your primary #..Landlines are so 1994..I see no use..except maybe for fax machines or dialup internet..

So what if it's in another room..if you miss a call..you can always return it.

 

[GrilledSteezeSandwich]

{{{{{{{HELLOOOOOOOO}}}}}}}}}

For some reason, MC Hammer's "Can't Touch This" plays in my head on this thread so far! ROFLMAO!

It's because this thread is boring..lol

 

[Moe Ghoul]

Why not just use your cell phone as your primary #..Landlines are so 1994..I see no use..except maybe for fax machines or dialup internet..

So what if it's in another room..if you miss a call..you can always return it.

That's because we ARE so 1994. You younguns are so 2008. I remember when we bought my grandma a new fangled microwave in the 70's. She ended up using it as a bread and pastry holder, lol. As you get older, some of the new tech eludes you, it'll happen to you, too. The problem is its hard to break the convenience of a phone in every room. And with a 92 year old mom-in-law, we need to have a phone 24/7 and not have to think about recharging or shlepping the cell phone to bed at nite.

 

[Moe Ghoul]

It's because this thread is boring..lol

Agreed.

 

[Hawkshot99]

.... and not have to think about recharging or shlepping the cell phone to bed at nite.

Have the charger on the bedside table like I do.

 

[Moe Ghoul]

Think I'm going with the cable broadband and this offer from T-Mobile, that way I can keep my phone #'s and all the bells and whistles. http://www.t-mobileathome.com/#/buy-home-phone.aspx

 

[Paul]

I'm ready to shove Verizon over the cliff. I currently have them for my landline home phone and DSL. I plan to get Comcast for the computer, I'm keeping Direct TV for the TV's, and I have a family plan cell phone thru ATT, 3 phones, the contract expired last month, so I'm month to month right now.

Questions:

1. I've had my 2 home phone numbers forever (Verizon landline), I'd like to keep the unlisted number. Is that number transferrable to a non verizon cell phone carrier?

2. I've seen some infomercial running late nite for some gizmo (Magicjack)that plugs into your computer that allows one to connect a landline phone into it and use the internet for phone calls. It's 20/year, free US and Canada calls, no monthly charge. Anyone familiar with it?

3. The downside of cell phone only, no landline household, is not having a phone in all the rooms. Is their a cell phone system that has multiple phones that operates off a cell phone number? In other words, can my wife and I have our mobile cell phones, but also a home system with multiple phones that operate on the cell lines without purchasing several cell phones? If that makes any sense?

I'm tossing this into the forum, cuz there seem to be quite a few tech savvy peeps and I got off the tech escalator about 10 years ago. At this point, I feel like I'm getting steamrolled with options available, most seem to suck, imo. I got my 1st and only nanopod 2 years ago, and still use CD's, cassettes, and the occasional vinyl LP.

Moe,

1. LNP (Local Number Portability) does not extend to cellular from Landline, or vice versa. You would need a new #.

2.Not that one per se, as long as the phone is digital, I see no reason why it wouldn't work. Essentially, you'd be doing VoIP. Careful with that, as a consumer, and not an enterprise client, there is no guarantee that they will give your voice traffic any priority over data traffic. This means that some big honkin' FTP file could potentially bump your voice packet in the router queue. The more I think about this as I type, I wouldn't do it. Unless you have a router at your end with an agreement with your ISP to encapsulate your voice packets with a QoS 1 marking, it ain't gonna work too good.

3. It makes sense, but there isn't one that I'm aware of. Your number (MDN) resides on a small chip (SIM) this is unique to the SIM and no two SIMs can share the same MDN. It would be interesting to see a device that has a SIM in it with a single MDN on it, like a wireless router, and devices that communicate with only that "base station" I'll look, but I haven't heard of any. In the 2.6Ghz band, that could work quite well.


Oh, Verizon sucks. :dunce:

 

[Moe Ghoul]

Moe,

1. LNP (Local Number Portability) does not extend to cellular from Landline, or vice versa. You would need a new #.

2.Not that one per se, as long as the phone is digital, I see no reason why it wouldn't work. Essentially, you'd be doing VoIP. Careful with that, as a consumer, and not an enterprise client, there is no guarantee that they will give your voice traffic any priority over data traffic. This means that some big honkin' FTP file could potentially bump your voice packet in the router queue. The more I think about this as I type, I wouldn't do it. Unless you have a router at your end with an agreement with your ISP to encapsulate your voice packets with a QoS 1 marking, it ain't gonna work too good.

3. It makes sense, but there isn't one that I'm aware of. Your number (MDN) resides on a small chip (SIM) this is unique to the SIM and no two SIMs can share the same MDN. It would be interesting to see a device that has a SIM in it with a single MDN on it, like a wireless router, and devices that communicate with only that "base station" I'll look, but I haven't heard of any. In the 2.6Ghz band, that could work quite well.


Oh, Verizon sucks. :dunce:

You da man. I follow what you say, and I'm going to go with the T-Mobile plan for 10/month and preserve the existing home phone system, #'s and other stuff like caller ID and Voicemail.. T-Mobile recommends V-Tech, which happens to to be the system we have, so no need to buy new phones. I already called comcast broadband, they're coming out next Thursday and I get an intro fee for a year for 33/month, then it goes to 42. I'll go to the T-Mobile store nearby and sign up for the plan tomorrow, then call Verizon on Monday and tell them..........FUUUUUUUUUCK YOOOOOOOOO!! And I'm gonna stiff em on the final bill. Revenge is mine.........
I'm amped for Monday. And I'm gonna go out and get a new Mac with all the money I save next week. My 10 yr old DELL is due for mandatory retirement.

 

[Mildcat]

1. LNP (Local Number Portability) does not extend to cellular from Landline, or vice versa. You would need a new #.

Maybe I'm misunderstanding this but a couple of years ago I transfered my land line number to a prepaid cell. If you cancel the service first you lose the #, you have to let the cell provider transfer the # and cancel the service for you.

As for a phone in every room, a low tech solution, it's called a belt clip. :razz:

Sorry this doesn't help you Moe.

 

[ckofer]

Cable + VOIP (like vonage) might do the job for land line. You can also forward your landline to your cell phone after x rings if you choose not to use the VOIP voice mail.

 

[Moe Ghoul]

I don't like carrying my cell around unless I'm out of the house. Just a pet peeve of mine. Keys, too, I wear them around my neck, not in the pockets. Plus, if we have 2 dif cell numbers we can't 3 way call, and with VOIP I pretty much keep the status quo at a lower price.

 

[hardline]

google is your friend

http://www.google.com/search?client=opera&rls=en&q=cell+phone+on+home+phone+system&sourceid=opera&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8

http://www.cell-phone-accessories.com/cidco-merge-home-phone-with-cellular-phone.html

 

[Moe Ghoul]

google is your friend

http://www.google.com/search?client=opera&rls=en&q=cell+phone+on+home+phone+system&sourceid=opera&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8

http://www.cell-phone-accessories.com/cidco-merge-home-phone-with-cellular-phone.html

Thanks, I did google for a while, but most of the stuff runs into 100's of $$$ and doesn't help out with keep my existing home #'s. Trying to do this as low budget as possible with existing hardware I already have.

 

[hardline]

Thanks, I did google for a while, but most of the stuff runs into 100's of $$$ and doesn't help out with keep my existing home #'s. Trying to do this as low budget as possible with existing hardware I already have.

having to always come up with unique solutions on installs i have become a master of keyword searches.

 

[Moe Ghoul]

having to always come up with unique solutions on installs i have become a master of keyword searches.

Well, as I was locking up last nite and setting the alarm, I realized that the alarm system is hooked up to the landline. I called the security company this AM and I would have to buy a cell doodad for $180 and pay an extra $5/month for the service. Now I gotta recrunch some numbers to see if it's worth the hassle. I hate technology, lol.........:-o