Best landline option?

[EconDiva]

I need to get a landline installed in my apartment for work purposes.  I think it's been something like 17 years since I've had a landline.

Any recommendations on who I should go with??

[geekette]

Internet bundles are expensive.

We have VoIPo. It's fairly inexpensive (we pay about $8/mo, but pay for two years in advance). It's full featured, with call blocking for those annoying spam callers, and call forwarding (to a cell or whatever) if your internet goes out, both things my mom's $30/month cable company bundle doesn't have.

Check out I. P. Daley's guide and thread, too, in the badassity section. He's very helpful for communication questions. 

[Goldielocks]

I use OOMA, and recommend it over the landline we used to have.  There are other lower net cost options out there, too.  IP Daley has some recommendations, but after the poor quality we had with Magic Jack (in 2009), I wanted something with consistently good reviews.

The OOMA has voice mail that can be emailed to you, and an ap to notify you of calls, call forwarding, even a mobile ap with your home landline number, to take calls when you are out of the home.  Mobile ap is not as clear as the home phone.

OOMA was $100 or so for the hardware, plus $5 per month for basic service for local taxes / fees.

[EconDiva]

I haven't had one in years either, but I guess if I had to get one I'd probably look at my internet provider and see if they have any sort of bundle available.

Why do you need a landline?  Is it for a fax machine or something?  If not, would a VoIP solution like an Ooma or a Magic Jack work?

I have a work cell but one day I was talking to my boss and the line started to break up a bit for a few seconds.  She got really agitated and told me I had to get one.

[yachi]

hmm, you haven't had one in 17 years, and she only asked one time...  I would delay until she asks again and offers to pay it.

[Goldielocks]

I must say that having a landline (VOIP) when working from home has been terrific.   

I can conference call all day on a much better speaker phone without costing money, or stay on hold, or look up stuff on my cell phone while calling / talking to others.  It never runs out of batteries, or falls in the toilet and is out of service for a few days, or gets lost.   It can be used if the cell service is disrupted, etc.

It is a second line so that I can be reached more easily.

It was an excellent work productivity boost for only $5 per month.

[Axecleaver]

I have been using Ooma since I got a work from home job. For someone on conference calls constantly, it's been consistently great. You also get a local number assigned, and can receive calls there, which has been helpful as someone who doesn't have a local area code number.

VOIP solutions are still subject to Internet slow-downs (the sound will distort), and if your Internet connection goes down, so will your VOIP phone. Note that nearly all MegaCorp corporate phone systems are VOIP today.

[zarfus]

We have a voip obihai 110, coupled with Google voice. I think it was $35 for the device, plus free Google voice number. With this, you get unlimited free service.

The two downsides are that you are at the mercy of Google maintaining Google voice service. The second is that you don't get free e911 service, but could add that for like, $2/mo or something... We don't.

[better late]

Not to hijack this thread, but VOIP is new to me, and I'm thrilled to think that I could ditch the monthly cost of our "home phone".   We rarely use the home phone - maybe 1-2x a week, but keep it as an alert/emergency number if someone is trying to reach us.

So, just to make sure I understand, I can purchase an OBi200 and it would act like a "bridge" between my VTech phones and my internet connection?  We have FiOptics now.

I see that porting my current number might work through a two step process, but that it might be possible.

Thanks!

[Smokystache]

+1 for Ooma

[Goldielocks]

+1 for Ooma

I like ooma at home, but their mobile ap is very static-y...  anyone else have this problem with Google Voice or the other wifi phones?

[the_fella]

I use Ooma, as others have suggested here. I would recommend NOT buying the device directly from Ooma, though. I bought mine new on ebay for something like $60 or $65.