I don’t like to give out my cellphone to people or companies that dont need it, and reading the scam thread give me more reason to keep it.
DH says thats what we have, @coolweather (splits off when it enters the house)… We dont need the second line anymore. Will definitely get rid of it. Might just bundle with our ISP.
Ditched the landline many years ago. We just use our company cellphones. When we retire, I may opt for a landline and no cell. It will be nice to get excited about seeing the message light on the answering machine again. Oh wait, do they still have answering machines? No matter. I’m a Luddite and plan to completely unplug in retirement. 
When I moved, it was a few months before I fixed a land line problem. It worked to have only a cell, however I am very glad to have the land line back, sans answering machine. I only answer when it is someone I want to talk to, so all the fundraising calls are screened out. With the landline, which is VOI, with battery back up, I can wander to the basement while chatting with my kids or mom. I get a lot done while on the phone at times, but both physically and in terms of call quality, the land line is superior.
Being single, I also appreciate another phone in the house, to find my cell at times, as well as for safety.
@jym626 If you want dedicated fax line then you can have 2 numbers with Ooma, although fax and voice can work with only 1 number. You can also bundle with your ISP. Either way is a lot cheaper and has more convenient features than the old landline.
We haven’t used the fax line in ages. The alarm system is on that line. Gotta change that.
We ditched the landline years ago here at home and when we built the new lake house we didn’t even put in phone jacks. We have no problems at all with sound quality. For those that lose their phones you can find it by using your computer to call your phone.
I like it as an emergency line. The land line works even when the power goes out. It they ever upgrade to a more sophisticated system that does not provide power then I would ditch it in a heart beat.
That is what a free Google voice number is for.
@MassDaD68 Laptops (battery charged) still work with no electrical power as an emergency line
I suppose so. But I am antiquated and do not use cellular for my WWW. Unfortunately my router goes down when the power dies.
“laptops (battery charged) still work with no electrical power as an emergency line.”
Not of any help if your Internet goes down when the power goes down.
Our router has battery back up for x hours. (I think that was an option at install. I wasn’t asked or charged, but it was set up. I learned of it later.)
I don’t know if this was asked (or if I asked it,) but could I drop the landline and keep its phone number, somehow route those calls to cell? We have too many relationships (doc offices, credit cards, utilities, etc,) that still use the LL number and can’t seem to make the switch in records. The real question is: could I do this and shave the monthly LL costs or would I pay that, to keep the number?
“Our router has battery back up for x hours. (I think that was an option at install. I wasn’t asked or charged, but it was set up. I learned of it later.)”
If your cable goes down, this is not going to help either.
I have a landline through the cable company that I pay $20 a month for and use as a home office line, but I’ve been thinking about getting rid of it and getting an Obi. It’s similar to Ooma, but Ooma doesn’t work with Google Voice and Obi does. This is a must for me since I’ve given out my Google Voice # as my main number for years.
For anyone not familiar with Google Voice, the concept is “one number for life.” If you move or change numbers, just log into Google Voice (same login as your gmail account) and update the numbers you want it to ring through to (think of it as a call forwarding service). There is no need to give people your home number, mobile number, home office number, etc. The only # they need is your Google Voice #, and it also works for texts via the Google Voice app. The only drawback to texting with Google Voice was that you couldn’t get pics with texts (MMS), but that recently changed with an update. I also liked the idea of having one consolidated voicemail for all calls and being able to customize messages for different caller groups, but switched to using Youmail for that (also great IMO).
If you don’t have a Google #, you can get one for free. Then you just buy the Obi box (currently $48 on Amazon), link your Google Voice # to the Ubi, and that’s it. If you have 2 lines, you can get the Ubi202 for $20 more. The only thing Obi/Google Voice lacks is 911 service, but you can set up 911 service through Obi for $15 a year if you want. There are no other taxes or fees for Obi, and the reviews look great.
https://www.amazon.com/OBi200-VoIP-Phone-Adapter-T-38/dp/B00BUV7C9A
Set up looks pretty simple.
Here is my current plan:
Vonage World 500 ( $19.99/mo†) Change Plan
Description
Unlimited readable voicemail transcriptions [THIS IS NICE]
25+ calling features like call forwarding, call waiting and caller ID
Hide Details
Unlimited local & long distance in the U.S., Canada, & Puerto Rico
Includes 500 minutes to more than 60 other countries around the world. 3.0 cents for each additional minute.
Extensions® - extend this calling plan to any phone, even mobiles, at no extra charge.
Readable voicemail transcriptions§ included
Voicemail, Caller ID, Call Waiting, Anonymous Call Block, 3-Way Calling, and tons of standard features
I ALSO USE THE SIMULRING
I need to call and get the plan back down to $10-15/mo.
Taxes and regulatory fees are another $10. What are they on Ooma? I see Ooma has various levels of service, I;ll be reading that to figure out which features I need, I like saving money.
You can google to see different ooma features and costs with the following keywords:
ooma premier cost
ooma premier vs basic cost
ooma premier vs basic
premier: $10 + $4.80 FCC fee
basic: free + $4.80 FCC fee
Ooma let you keep your current phone number and have 911 service free.
Ooma international plans:
Lol op here-we still have the land line 