Nate Nagel wrote:
George wrote:
RicodJour wrote:
On May 15, 2:09 pm, "Jon Danniken"
wrote:
"RicodJour" wrote:
Tony Hwang wrote:
Can you call out 911 for emergency and the 911 dispatcher will know
where you are calling from like land line?
Yep. It has to be registered, and if you move and take the line with
you, you have to re-register. You also need a UPS or other form of
battery backup so you won't lose phone service during a power outage.
I can count on one finger the number of times my land line has been
down in
the last 20 years.

I need both hands and both feet to count the number of times my
internet
service (Comcast) has been down in the last six years.

The internet is fun and all, but I sure as hell wouldn't trust it
when I
need it most.

When have your internet and cell phone both been down at the same
time? Things have changed since the days of phone-only phone lines.

R
If you use any cell carrier other than VZW it is very likely your
service will be gone soon after a power failure. Also many cable
systems do not have battery out on their line equipment. So when
commercial power disappears cable TV/Internet does too because there
is no power for the various amplifiers and converters. "Phone only
phone lines" are quite robust. Regular handsets are powered by the
loop current and typically they have lots of battery and a generator
in the CO.

If they're so damn robust why have I had more problems with POTS lines
than my cell, cable, and internet (cable modem) combined?

Same deal with my parents, their POTS line was down for something like
two weeks straight last year.

nate

But thats a pretty small statistical sample. I think it is reasonable to
say that in general POTS lines just work.