If you can believe it, the very first telephone line was invented in 1877, nearly 145 years ago. From there, the telephone industry has evolved in ways we never imagined. Though it seems like everyone these days relies on their cellphone for communication, a few still have stayed true to their landline. But what are the benefits and disadvantages of having a landline these days? We will break down some pros and cons and try to decide whether or not keeping a landline is still needed.
Pros of Having a Landline:
- If you are someone who wants to be in the phonebook, then having a landline is a good choice for you.
- With a landline, there is no need for a charger or any extra accessories. You’ll never have to worry if your phone is dead, which is important in case of an emergency where you may need to call 911.
- A landline can be the most beneficial when an emergency arises at home. Because your landline is connected to your home address, they will know immediately where to send emergency vehicles if you need to call 911.
- With a landline, you can always rely on the call quality. While cellphone service may be spotty in some parts of the U.S., you can count on a crystal-clear connection with a landline.
Cons of Having a Landline:
- The most common reason to have a cellphone full-time is that it’s usually cheaper than a landline, especially when you include the cost of a long-distance calling plan.
- With a cellphone, you can be easily reached, especially if you travel a lot and want to stay in touch with your friends and family.
- Though it is nice to have a landline at home for emergencies, having a cellphone could save someone else’s life if you are not at home during an emergency.
- If your power were to go out in your home, a landline would no longer work, making it unusable in a power outage.
- Spam calls can easily target landlines. According to the Federal Communications Commission, it’s illegal for telemarketers to call you on your cellphone, but this doesn’t include landlines.
Having a landline can be beneficial, especially if you are in an emergency in your own home. They also provide amazing call quality, and there is no need for a charger or useless accessories. The downfall to having a landline and not a cellphone is not being able to call someone when you are not home. Also, landlines can be targeted by spam calls, and if your power goes out, you will not be able to contact anyone.
Here at Consumer Cellular, we can help you convert your landline to our service with the Home Phone Base. It lets you turn your landline into a new line on your cellphone plan, just like if you were to add another cellphone line to your project. Visit our website to learn more today!
I am going to dispute your comment on your landline is dead when power is out. I have 2 landline phones that plug in direct that work just fine when power is out.
You are correct. It’s the people who subscribe to a cable company’s phone service that lose service during a power outage.
I’ve experienced weeks without power in the snowy northeast and the phones never failed. The phone lines are mostly underground everywhere.
UNTRUE STATEMENT ON YOUR WEBSITE. “IF THE POWER GOES OUT IN YOU HOUSE, THE LANDLINE WILL NO LONGER WORK, MAKING IT UNUSABLE.” The main reason I keep my landline is for power failures. I use my landline to call my REMC electric provider when the power goes out, so they immediately know who and where I am. The cordless phones won’t work, but I keep one hardwired phone. And also because during an extended power outage, I cannot charge my cell phones. I am 81, and I have been though power outages that lasted multiple days. I think you should remove this statement from the “con” list, or at least allude to it being the cordless phones that won’t work. I’ve always felt Consumer Cellular is more upfront and honest than most communication companies. That’s why I am a CC customer.
I’m glad to hear that your landline works even if there’s a power outage, Wendell. However, with the changes made to landline service that isn’t the case for most landlines and they will be affected if there’s an outage.
You need to distinguish between a regular,old school landline and the type that cable TV providers have. An old school will NOT go out during a power failure. Those phone lines use their own power source and have never replied on the power grid.
Period
Hi Randall, we appreciate you following up on that so that we can move forward with that information. Thank you!
I have both the home phone base and a cell phone. Very happy with them both.
I HAVE IN THE LAST TWO NIGHTS EXPERIENCED SHUT DOWNS FROM MY COMCAST PROVIDER,WHO BUNDLES MY LANDLINE PHONE,MY CABLE TV,AND MY INTERNET
CONNECTION.ON THURSDAY,8/19,FROM 8:15 P.M. UNTIL FRIDAY AT 4:30 A.M.,I WAS WITHOUT A PHONE WHICH WAS THE MOST IMPORTANT THREAT TO MY WELL BEING.I AM 90 YEARS YOUNG,LIVE ALONE,AM DISABLED AS IN WALKING WITHOUT THE AID OF A WALKING DEVICE OR WHEELCHAIR.I DO HAVE A CELL PHONE WHICH IS,AND ALWAYS HAS BEEN A MAJOR HEADACHE FOR ME TO USE.ALL I WANT IS A TOOL TO CALL MY FAMILY AND BE ABLE TO REACH ONE ANOTHER.I DO NOT NEED ANYTHING ELSE THE CELL PROVIDES.AFTER BEING OUT OF POWER ON THURSDAY,THE 19TH FOR EIGHT HOURS,THE SAME COMPANY SHUT DOWN AGAIN FRIDAY THE 20TH EVENING FROM 9:08 P.M.UNTIL 2:40 A.M..AGAIN LEAVING ME TRAPPED WITHOUT MY PHONE WHICH
IN AN EMERGENCY,COULD HAVE BEEN A MAJOR EVENT.MY CELL HAD BEEN SHUT DOWN BECAUSE I WAS 6 DAYS LATE ON A RENEWABLE FEE OF 25.00,AND AT THE SAME TIME I HAD 43.00 IN MY ACCOUNT,WHICH THEY WOULD NOT USE AS PAYMENT BUT CONFISCATED THE 43.00 AS A GOOD FEELING GESTURE.I HAVE BEEN WITH AT&T FOR MORE
THAN 15 YRS.DO YOU THINK I WANT TO RENEW WITH THEM?THERE OUGHT TO BE A LAW.I WAS USING A PRE-PAID PURCHASE DEAL FOR ALL THOSE YRS.
THEY DON’T BILL YOU OR REMIND YOU OF THEIR QUARTERLY 25.00 PAYMENT.TALK ABOUT CUSTOMER RELATIONSHIPS……YOUR COMMENTS AND ADVICE WILL BE APPRECIATED BY THIS BEAT-UP SENIOR.TKU FOR LETTING ME VENT.
ROBERT OLINER
Thank you for taking the time to share, Robert. That’s definitely a frustrating situation to be in. If you’re able to give us a call at 888-548-6490 or start a live chat here, we would be happy to help find you a plan on our service.
We have BOTH cell phones and kept our LANDLINE because of where we live in the county, it’s a Rural area and we do NOT GET A GOOD CELL SIGNAL on our cell phones. We are older now and feel it is SAFER for US to have them BOTH just in case one does NOT WORK. Im very interested in getting this but do NOT fully understand how this WORKS. Otherwise, I would consider getting it for our home.
I LOVE Consumer Cellular, so glad I switched from Verizon.
I just wish I knew how to unblock a contact!?!?
Hi Sonya, you should be able to find the number in your contacts and unblock them there. If you’re having trouble, I recommend giving us a call at 888-345-5509 or starting a live chat here.
Cordless telephone sets with a base unit rely on AC power. Old time phones, like Trimlines that do not have a base set, do not rely on AC power, as they are powered by DC on the overhead of the landline itself.
I have consumercellular and have been pleased with them.
Thank you for the chats .
I haven’t had a landline for more than 15 yrs and I don’t miss it. The telemarketers recently have been calling like they did with the landline but my new phone alerts me if it is spam.
Can i get a home(landline) phone and use my same cell # with it?
I would like to share my cell phone minutes with a landline
Hi Marshell, thanks for your question! Your number can only be attached to one line at a time. If your cell phone is already active on a cell phone, it can’t be on a landline as well. You can have a separate landline line with its own device on your account if you’d like.
I don’t believe an old fashioned landline that plugs in directly works when the power goes out if the backup battery to the landline no longer works. Then you have to buy a new backup battery that is required for the phone to work during a power outage but that Verizon will not provide to justify the cost of a landline in order to have a useful line in storms or other outages. I refuse to pay Verizon a big amount for a back-up battery that should be part of the big bill I pay every month. I plan to get a cell phone and downgrade my Verizon landline to the least expensive plan just to have the landline. I may drop Verizon altogether if the cell phone serves all of my purposes. I will be looking into Consumer Cellular as it sounds like a good company.
Hi Margie, you can switch your landline to our service with the Wireless Home Phone Base. It would allow you to connect your landline device to our cellular network, and in the event of a power outage it also comes with a separate battery already installed so that it will continue to work as long as the cellular signal hasn’t been affected. If you have questions, you can give us a call at 888-345-5509 or chat with us here.