Hellobee Boards

@Foodnerd81: we have to use wifi calling for our cell phones and we have a landline. Both at&t and the landline is way more reliable..never had issues with reception on the home phone despite major issues on our cell phones.. it's actually how or home alarm works too.

My husband is in technology and as a result he routinely has to deal with internet and phone systems/telecom.
He requires that we always have a landline in our apt. We do have bad cell service because of our building construction and surrounding buildings. Yes, it is through our internet/cable provider. But unless your internet goes DOWN, the landline is available. It sounds like your issue with WiFi is deadzones in the house (ie it’s fine in one room but bad in another), not that your internet routinely goes down completely. So landline phones should be fine.

If internet routinely goes down (like isn’t available anywhere in your house at all/you have to reboot your modem/router) that is a bigger problem that you should contact your provider about.

As for dead zones for WiFi in your house, get Eero! It’s a bit of an expense, but my husband insists on them. We also have bad WiFi without them (which is not an option for my IT professional husband). With them we have Perfect WiFi throughout.
My parents also had a lot of issues with their WiFi (would only work in one room of their house). My husband got them a few Eeros for Christmas last year and set them up. They now have Perfect WiFi throughout and my parents said though they didn’t ask for it, it’s the best gift they could have received. My dad can finally work from home efficiently and my mom doesn’t email my husband constantly to bitch about WiFi
And btw, that in turn will make WiFi calling on your cell phones better. So then you could potentially skip on landlines, but my husband still thinks it’s safe to have one landline per household for emergencies.

@Foodnerd81: He has a couple of reasons.
1) WiFi calling still depends on WiFi. It’s just another variable that can fail. Whereas the landline is hardwired. (Yeah it’s still internet, but it’s not relying on a WiFi signal or a cell signal)
2) having a kid now he wants to have a landline that they can easily access. So he may not have access to a cell phone (I sah and what if something happens to me; or when hes with his Grandma) and he needs to call 911 - it’s good to have a dedicated phone in the same location that doesn’t require passwords to dial.

As far as calling during a crisis or something, yeah, landline would probably be better since it is hardwired. I can ask my husband to be 100% sure (I’m traveling so not near him), but The issue with cell phones is that everyone is using the cell towers so they get jammed.

But if your power went out, internet phone/landline would not work since they do require a modem and a modem requires power.

I install Voice Over IP systems for businesses. I agree that a hard wired IP phone, such as Comcast, is more reliable than calling over wifi. You can also still get POTS (plain old telephone) service through AT&T, but it's being phased out slowly. Also, if you have wifi dead spots in your house, you may need multiple access points to boost your coverage.

@Foodnerd81: Multiple access points would be like the eero I told you about. You plug a primary unit into your modem (replaces the router) and then you place beacons throughout the house and it ensures coverage throughout. It really works amazingly well. Here are some simple explanations from their website.

https://eero.com/experience
https://eero.com/technology

ETA: as for Vonage, I may be wrong (sounds like @macintosh is pretty well versed like my husband, whereas I’m trying to just regurgitate what I’ve learned from him I’ve the years )
but I believe that they use your existing internet connection, so whatever you have through Comcast, and they just provide some additional hardware/equipment to hook up. Like it’s not a separate service, so if your internet or power went down, Vonage still wouldn’t work.
Comcast is probably a bit more straight forward in the set up and billing as I *think* you just plug the phone into the modem??? And it’s one less variable to worry about (ie is my issue Vonage or Comcast VS I know it’s comcast)

We have a landline for the sole purpose of emergencies when babysitters are here...I wouldn't want them to need to call and they forgot their cell phone, or it's dead, etc.

I don't even know our number and no one ever calls it but it gives me peace of mind to know it's there plugged in. Also, it was cheaper to "bundle" and get internet, cable and landline than just pay for internet and cable separately. Our landline still worked during our last power outage (it's a hard wired landline, not a cordless). But maybe things are different here in Canada? I don't really know a lot about that stuff !

So...most of the landlines will not work if the power goes out...including Vonage. You still need wi-fi...wi-fi doesn't work without electricity.

If you go with Comcast, it's a little more reliable. You'll be purchasing VoiP or Voice over Internet Protocol. This goes through your cable line. This likely still won't work if the power goes out.

If you go with AT&T's home service, that's likely your most reliable. It looks like they have the most affordable plans if you don't plan to use it often. If you will use it for most of your calls at home, it's like $33/month. But it will work if the power goes out.