Team Landline or Team Cell Phone? Today, people know what they like when it comes to phone services, and both camps are alive and well. Some still use traditional landlines for their home phone—if their cell phones break or local cell towers lose connection. Other people have gone cell phone-only. If you’re not sure which option is best for you, or you see the benefits of both, a VoIP home phone is an option you should consider. A VoIP home phone offers the best of both worlds because you can base it in your home like a traditional landline or take it with you on the go like a cell phone.
What is VoIP?
VoIP stands for “voice over internet protocol.” A VoIP home phone converts and compresses your voice into a snippet of data. Then, it uses an internet connection instead of your in-home wiring like a landline phone. Your service provider sets up the call between all the participating parties and sends the data to the other participant(s) via the internet. VoIP then decompresses the data, so your voice comes through the other end of the call. If you want to use a VoIP home phone, you’ll need a steady home internet service to ensure that everything works properly. While ultra-fast internet speeds aren’t a “must,” having a symmetrical fiber-optic connection can easily accommodate it. Choosing a VoIP home phone comes with plenty of other benefits too.
1. More affordable than traditional home phone service
If you’re looking to save money, a VoIP home phone can be a smart choice, as the pricing is typically different from traditional landline pricing. Also, if your home doesn’t have the proper internal wiring for a landline home phone, you might have to pay for installing lines. Getting new internal wiring installed in your home can be expensive. Still, you can avoid these additional costs with a VoIP home phone since it works using your home internet. So, if you already have internet service set up, you won’t have to spend more money on installation.
2. Increased portability
Instead of waiting at home when you’re expecting an important call on your landline, answer it from your local coffee shop or at your workplace. You can take a VoIP home phone with you wherever you have an internet connection. If you’re running errands or in your car, you might not have consistent access to an internet connection, but you can still use a VoIP home phone. Just forward calls from your VoIP number to multiple other phone numbers, such as your cell or work phone, and never miss important calls.
3. Versatile home phone features
You don’t have to worry about which phone features you won’t have if you decide between a traditional landline, a cell phone, and a VoIP home phone. You can still get many of the same great features when choosing VoIP service. For example, Quantum Fiber’s Connected Voice service lets you select a VoIP plan with basic phone features. These range from long-distance calling (including to Alaska, Hawaii, Puerto Rico and US Virgin Islands and select international long distance minute plans), to caller ID, hold, call waiting, three-way calling, and voicemail. A convenient online portal lets customers manage settings for multiple users and, they can “port,” or transfer, their existing number from other providers (traditional landline or wireless). A VoIP home phone can even have advanced features such as instant messaging, interactive voice response, and video conferencing.
4. Installation is easy
You can install a VoIP home phone without waiting for a technician to come to your home. Many VoIP home phones are installed using a plug-in method. This easy, DIY setup typically involves two cords—one connecting your phone base to your internet modem or router and a power cord running from the base to an electrical outlet. Also, you won’t have to pay for landline installation in your home if you set up a VoIP home phone instead.
5. VoIP can make moving to a new home easier
Since your VoIP home phone won’t be connected to physical telephone lines, you can easily move to a new home. You won’t have to wait for landlines to be installed at a new address, and you can avoid paying moving fees with your VoIP service. Just pack up your phone base and its cords and move to your new place all while keeping your same phone number.
6. Use a VoIP home phone in several ways
Once you plug in your VoIP home phone, you can use it in a way that’s convenient for you. Some service providers have mobile apps that allow you to make and answer phone calls, send instant messages, and video chat with others. You can connect your VoIP home phone to your computer and answer calls through downloaded software. Or, if you prefer, connect a headset to your phone base and answer calls hands-free while completing tasks around the house.
More ways to use technology
For anyone who likes the thought of a home phone that’s not a cell phone, choosing a VoIP home phone has real upsides. By working through your home internet service, offering simple installation, and portability for travel or relocating, VoIP does what a traditional landline can’t. Plus, it’s an excellent alternative to picking either Team Landline or Team Cell Phone. Explore the Quantum Fiber blog to learn more creative ways to use your in-home technology.
