Will VoIP Service Replace Your Landline?

I have been using magicjack for $39.99 a year on all my landline phones. Never a problem quality of voice is Fine! Been using it for years now. Only time I have a problem is when I am on the phone and I am downloading files

Here in the Northeast we lose power during storms and consistently Internet and cell phones go out but the landline still works. So yes, for our area a landline is best.

I don't know if anyone has mentioned the inconvenience and aggravation of missing words during a conversation due to the difference in how transmission takes place. VoIP sends your conversation in 'packets', some of which get lost along the way, while traditional phones send continually. No VoIP for that reason and since we are no strangers to power outages, even if they improved the packet system, I wouldn't use it.

"But the problem is also solved by having a mobile phone, at least until the battery runs out." It is surprising how many people never think of the obvious solution of having on hand a car charger for their cell phone for purposes of preserving communications during prolonged power outages. Definitely a must if you live in a hurricane-prone area.

Thank you Mr. Rankin.
One thing many people are currently learning about living in a 3rd-world state like California is that there is no such thing as 'salvation' in an emergency if the electric company has shut off power to millions of customers. Including electricity to the mobile network cell-towers which relay phone calls. Recent advise was to keep your mobile devices fully charged but...

A "land Line" is my only option unless you consider an unreliable local WIFI service (always under a new owner) or expensive Satellite a viable option. I get 25 down fairly steady with a 1TB monthly limit. I stream all I need and never come close. Compaired to Dial-up on the same copper, it's like being on 'fiber'. Of course I refrain from most cloud data as 1mbps up-stream is molasses.

A couple years ago to avoid ATT's constant increased fees we went with their 'bundle' (we already had their high speed internet). They then connected to our PC unbeknonst to me.
So, is this considered VOIP? We now pay $30 foe internet and $20 phone (plus taxes, of course).
And is this considered a good deal?
Thanx for your feedback!

I dropped my landline phone over 16 years ago and I have never looked back. I also feel that the landline is going to be obsolete very soon. Most people use either VOIP service or mobile service. I have tried NetTalk, magicJack, and the very best of all the services is Ooma phone service, the calls are crystal clear, and there has been no issues at all! With the others such as NetTalk and magicJack I was always having problems and it was impossible to get hold of customer service. There are also restriction on how many minutes you can use which is 3000 minutes a month or less but with Ooma has 5000 a month. Ooma also has customer service which you can get hold of and also after hours chat if you are having problems. You can't ask for anything more!!

Here in Australia, a simple telephone call to my internet provider enabled me to use VOIP to make the modem compatible. Internet is either dedicated fibre or copper ( fibre to the node and then using the old telephone as the connection). All telephone calls are free as are my mobile phones calls when made in the home as it connects to the via wireless to the modem.

Wow at all the comments. I still think there must be something as reliable as the line for the catastrophes that have taken on new meaning. My at&t dsl line works as long as the ups is alive except that the phone base is on house power. I have a throwaway but it is no good when the tower goes down as well. I have kept my magic jack alive and can use it until my lap top battery goes down. I used magic jack years ago in Taiwan for free communication to the states and still love it.
Thanks Dave, good article as always.

We exclusively use our cell phones for communication, having eliminated our land lines years ago. However, we first transferred our land line phone number to Google Voice (which involved a two step process of transferring it to a cell phone and then to Google Voice) so that people can still reach us (to leave voice messages or texts) at the same number we've had for four decades. I haven't bothered with Google's VOIP service, but it's nice to know it's there if needed.

What if we lose cell phone coverage in some disaster? Well, we could fall back on communicating over the Internet, assuming AT&T's DSL link was still working. And what if we are also blacked out? We could power the DSL box from one of our vehicles, which is why we have a couple of heavy duty DC-to-AC power inverters. Our vehicles could supply electricity for several critical household devices (even a refrigerator) for as long as the gasoline held out. (Which is another very good reason not to own an all-electric car, since in an emergency you want your car(s) to be a source rather than a sink of power.)

I have happily used OOMA for many years. IFTTT notifies me of voicemails. Everyone wants a number for various reasons and that is the number they get. I only give my cell to businesses I trust and 2nd layer security. I rarely get junk calls on my cell which is a big win. I hook OOMA to a set of cordless phones the are also bluetooth linked to my cell so I don't have to carry it from room to room.

@Puterbob: You don’t have to have landline phone service in order to have DSL internet connection. You can ask the phone company to cancel the phone service, and they’ll just use a “dry loop” to support the DSL. You’ll still connect the modem to the wall jack, but you won’t have a dial tone if you connect a phone to it. Phone calls will not be supported, but the DSL will work just fine.

I still consider a hard-wired connection the best for telephone connections,but copper lines are going away.I have been using VOIP for six years now and like it.Voice quality is good and my provider is pretty reliable.As long as the dial tone is there and calls are not dropped,I will continue with it. The only time I get frustrated is when the power goes out and I can't make a call.

I had a reduced rate with AT&T for landline service. It was the fees and taxes that made up most of my bill. These fees and taxes went up every year. They raised my monthly phone bill from $17 to $28. My basic rate was low, around $7, for 30 calls.

I was able to get a significantly reduced rate from AT&T for a year. When this was discontinued, I was told by AT&T that copper lines were going to be discontinued starting next year. The Citizens Utility Board, a local advocacy group, said this wasn't true and that they would be advocating for rural residents and seniors to keep their landline service.

I switched from AT&T to Magic Jack. I've been very happy. I am charged extra for 911 service. It's $60 for the year. But, with the Magic Jack renewal rate and the 911 service, it comes out to $5 a month, a huge savings from $28 month (and climbing). The sound quality with Magic Jack is excellent.

I kept AT&T U-Verse. I have great internet service. They raised my rate with the loss of the landline but gave me a year's discount.

I use Tracfone. I pay annually. It averages out to be $11 month.

When I recently traveled to Canada, I bought a Motorola Moto G6 cell phone and used Google Fi. The service was great! I will continue to use this phone and Google Fi for travel. It was inexpensive and worked really well. Not as cheap as Tracfone but Tracfone doesn't service Canada.

Two years ago I switched my landline (I need it for business purposes) over to my cell provider for $10 per month. I was using AT&T and didn't have long distance or other common services. It was costing me $67/month. I have never been happier with my new service.

I have been using VOIP for at least 15 years and disconnected my landline from the start. We would spend winters in Texas, Florida, Arizona, California and RV stops (motels, RV sites) between. All I needed was an Ethernet or WIFI Internet connection. With Ethernet I would plug in the little box so all inbound and outbound calls to/from my Canadian phone number worked as if we were at home. I even took the ATA box to India and used it the same way. Just connect up the ATA to the supplied Internet Ethernet and use their hotel handset. Of course, there is software to use the Laptop as the "handset" over any WIFI connection.

I run a full microgrid with 15 kW of solar and 3 Tesla POWERWALL 2 BATTERIES, so power failures are a non-issue for using VOIP. 9-1-1 calls are an issue but since we have never had to use this service, have no comments.

I seriously don't understand why most people continue to have a landline. The technology is well developed and it is impossible for many to even sense what is happening. I long ago stopped trying to explain this to callers. I just pretend I am sitting in my kitchen at home and get on with the business of the call.

I dropped my land line about 10 years ago and have never regretted it. When I dropped it I had a Company cellphone, a personal cell phone, my wife had a cellphone and 2 home phones - one company paid. When the company dropped their co maintained line in my home I realized I hadn't use my personal home landline in over 6 months. I have a battery pack for all USB devices, a car charger, and a car jumper battery with a USB PORT ON IT. I am not going back to a landline as I always have had some kind of phone service. An added plus if I travel or leave my home in an emergency everyone has access to me wherever I am.

In all the decades I have used a land line, never, and I mean NEVER, did I have a dropped call or had to repeat over and over "can you hear me now?" (the fidelity was always excellent).

I never had an onerous, non-cancellable, 24 month contract. I never lost my phone. All repairs were included in my monthly payment.

And if away from home, there was always a pay phone nearby if needed . . . most things could wait until I got home.

It was nice not to be a slave to some little electronic gadget.

I have severe hearing loss. Until such time as the CaptionCall people can use something other than a landline connection, I *have* to have landline.