What's Normal? - Do you have a landline telephone at home? (1 Viewer)

[Caveman33]

No.

However we do have an old cell phone that I have signed up for a google phone number that can receive text's and make phone calls over wifi.

This way we have a "home" phone that can be reached. We have kids that we are just starting to allow to stay at home for very short times by themselves and this gives them a communication device without having a land line.

I could also get them a traditional cell phone plan, but they do not need that yet and this saves some money.

How does this work exactly? I have an old phone with ATT service. Have to pay like $35/mo for it. Phone never leaves the house and would like to continue to receive texts/calls.

With the google phone you cannot receive calls, only texts. However you can make calls. I also do not think it is possible to transfer a number. When I signed up it was difficult to find a number to use and I have an Los Angeles area code number.

I do not remember the exact process, but it was just a google phone app from the app store and following a guide on the internet.

You can receive calls on your phone through google voice if you have a native number for the phone. So for Keerock, while you still have ATT, you can "link" your phone's native number with the google voice number that you choose. You will receive a verification call to confirm the link. Then you can stop paying ATT. However, I think google might re-verify yearly or quarterly so you could lose the ability to receive incoming calls. I have been using voice for many years. It's great. I especially like being able to text, make or receive calls, and read voicemail transcripts on my computer.

I’m still not sure how to do this and my google skills must not be good enough to figure out how. Help!

Did you start by making a google voice account and picking a number?
voice.google.com
When I go to the above web address, it opens what is basically my home phone. But for a new person I think it will prompt you to sign in with a google account. Your google voice is linked to your google email. You can receive emails about missed calls/voicemails. After you sign in with a google email address, you will be able to search for/pick a phone number (I chose a local area code with an easy to remember number) for your voice account. Once you have an assigned voice number, you can go into the settings on voice.google and under Account it says Linked Numbers, + New Linked Number. You put in your ATT number and then receive a verification call from google, asking if you want to link. Then you just download the google voice app on the ATT cell and you can use that for calls/texts when you have wifi available. You can also read/send texts or receive/make calls from the voice.google.com page on your computer.

 

[Leroy Hoard]

https://target.scene7.com/is/image/Target/GUEST_7433392a-9396-474c-a723-51a83bd499ed?wid=475&hei=475&qlt=80&fmt=webp

I've had it for awhile.

 

[AAABatteries]

Nope - 6 cell phones though.

 

[mr. furley]

voted yes

we got it for emergency purposes because of the kids. we all have cell phones now, but occasionally i'll use the landline because the call quality is guaranteed to be crisp, clear and there are never audio issues.

cell phone is a quality crap shoot.

 

[FBG26]

No. I ripped out the old phone lines, cut the line off the house and wrapped it up near the pole in the backyard.

 

[Sand]

20%??? Damn you guys are old fogies.

 

[Keerock]

20%??? Damn you guys are old fogies.

And/or henpecked.

 

[CletiusMaximus]

We have a landline for one purpose only - for my father in law to call us. He pretends to have never figured out how to call my wife on her mobile phone, which she's had for over 20 years (much longer than we've had the land line.) The real reason is that she has a Chicago area code and he still thinks he's going to pay long distance charges if he calls her. We pay about $17 a month for this.

 

[PIK95]

I have one one the wall. It never rings. I may have canceled it now that I think about it. But it's still there.

 

[New Binky the Doormat]

ditched our landline over 20 years ago.

 

[titusbramble]

Yes. Packaged with cable internet so no reason not to have one

 

[BobbyLayne]

not since 2008

 

[Ministry of Pain]

Unfortunately, yes. Can't convince the wife otherwise.

How does that work? The only way i know to have a landline these days is thru cable TV I think.
Is there any real landline telephone companies?
You can't just call AT&T anymore or maybe I am out of the loop on this.

 

[Keerock]

Unfortunately, yes. Can't convince the wife otherwise.

How does that work? The only way i know to have a landline these days is thru cable TV I think.
Is there any real landline telephone companies?
You can't just call AT&T anymore or maybe I am out of the loop on this.

yeah... ours is through the cable company "bundle"

 

[Ministry of Pain]

Unfortunately, yes. Can't convince the wife otherwise.

How does that work? The only way i know to have a landline these days is thru cable TV I think.
Is there any real landline telephone companies?
You can't just call AT&T anymore or maybe I am out of the loop on this.

yeah... ours is through the cable company "bundle"

A landline these days is really an internet connection thru the cable box, right?

-We had one of these once and the spam calls made it hard to leave it connected unless I simply wanted to dial out of the house.
Does your wife have multiple cordless phones to grab throughout the house?

 

[Poke_4_Life]

No for me... but need to rant a bit.

My FIL is 80, MIL is a few years younger. They still have a landline, have had the same number for 40+ years. He still answers every damn call. He will even call back random numbers that he misses. We have tried to explain numerous times how it's all scams and sales stuff. He's just so damn stubborn he won't listen. My MIL is much sharper than him and doesn't let him anywhere near the checkbook. I'm still worried he's going to get scammed somehow. Ugh.

 

[wlwiles]

Unfortunately, yes. Can't convince the wife otherwise.

How does that work? The only way i know to have a landline these days is thru cable TV I think.
Is there any real landline telephone companies?
You can't just call AT&T anymore or maybe I am out of the loop on this.

yeah... ours is through the cable company "bundle"

did we run out of What's Normal topics now? I haven't seen a new thread this whole week I don't think.

 

[Keerock]

Unfortunately, yes. Can't convince the wife otherwise.

How does that work? The only way i know to have a landline these days is thru cable TV I think.
Is there any real landline telephone companies?
You can't just call AT&T anymore or maybe I am out of the loop on this.

yeah... ours is through the cable company "bundle"

did we run out of What's Normal topics now? I haven't seen a new thread this whole week I don't think.

Not even close... just been busy.

 

[UncleZen]

It's been over 23 years since I had a land line.