One problem we have is we live in a rural area with spotty cell service. We solved that by getting a cell phone booster (there are several on the market) which has given us three bars here at home.
Another concern is what happens if the wife goes on a trip and takes her cell phone with her. I also have a cell phone but it has a different number of course. So if she is gone (and assuming we use her number for the credit cards, stores, internet sites, etc.) then those type of calls would be going to her. And she and I both travel so the problem exists for each of us.
Cell phones come with voice mail.
A cheap low volume cellphone plan is ATT pay as you go. Don’t muck with their auto-refill every three months though. If you have minutes left over at the end of the year and you refill JUST BEFORE the minutes expire, the minutes roll over.
$100.00 plus local tax for 1000 minutes a year comes to about $9.00 a month with tax for me. $.10 per minute.
Don’t be cheap and try to due the quarterly refill. Trust me. They will find someway to muck it up.
Use this cheap home cell phone for a single repository for credit cards, internet ordering contact numbers and have the calls forwarded to the traveling cell phone.
I disconnected from Verizon land line two years ago. It was about $40 per month, half of that is government fees & taxes.
I have a Virgin's Mobile (sprint) pre-paid plan, the two “kids” each have TracFone. Total for all three probably averages $40 per month.
No problem calling 911 from either carrier, the call ends up in the correct county 911 service center.
The phone should run 6 days w/out charging (assuming minimal talk)
Unfortunately there is no DSL or IP/cable on my street. My Internet access is via AllTell EVDO (now a part of Verizon). The contract I have specifically excluded voice over Internet.
If I had DSL or IP over Cable, I would use G-voice for additional calling. (Free calls in US and Canada) Find the non-911 phone numbers for your local emergency service providers if you do. No idea where Google would send the call.
Cell service has offered voice mail since the 20th century.
In re: answering machines and landlines, get a MagicJack. It is a phone that runs through your computer, $20 a year, and it has a 911 feature.
A secondary option is using a phone that supports VOIP service. My Android phone from T-Mobile does that, and now when I'm up in the mountains, there may not be a cell phone tower, but oddly, there's wifi service to call through. :)
Another concern is what happens if the wife goes on a trip and takes her cell phone with her. I also have a cell phone but it has a different number of course. So if she is gone (and assuming we use her number for the credit cards, stores, internet sites, etc.) then those type of calls would be going to her. And she and I both travel so the problem exists for each of us.
We faced a similar issue - which phone would become the 'main' one for messages? We decided to just simply use Google Voice and use the voicemail feature there, which also will transcribe and email the message if you'd like, or you can have it forward to your phone, her phone, etc. Very good during political seasons where we get buried by calls.
My old Samsung handset had a built-in answering machine. It was redundant because the carrier had voice mail. But it was more convenient to use, since I didn't need to call the carrier's voice mail service to retrieve calls. But the voice mail service was still useful for calls when I was on a plane or something.
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I think my old Virgin had voice mail too