Analog POTS Telephone Line for Audio Quality

[Ron Resnick]

After almost six years of either VoIP landline or no landline at all I am delighted to once again be communicating with people on two copper wires. The Verizon cell service in the hills above Beverly Hills is terrible. It has been rumored for at least 15 years that Verizon is planning to erect a new cell tower somewhere on a hilltop, but of course no one wants the tower near them or their view adulterated. So no new cell tower ever was built.

When a cell connection can even be established I often hear only about half of the words uttered by the person to whom I am trying to talk. The call often drops out of the cell. I have to drive down the hill to maintain a continuous and effective conversation. I suspect the cell service is better in Mogadishu.

To Tinka's horror I have unpacked my big, black Polycom SoundPoint commercial-grade, analog, office telephones, and distributed them around the house. Many offices used Polycom SoundPoint speakerphones in the 1980s and 1990s. They have the best sound quality I have heard from a desk telephone. Tinka says these Polycoms are unsightly, obsolete, monsters. I cannot disagree.





AT&T announced years ago that it was suspending twisted pair, copper wire POTS. But the service is still live. I have been paying for it continuously over the last several years in which the house has been empty, because I was afraid that if I terminate the service AT&T would decline to re-activate it. I personally prefer analog for telephone audio quality.

It is nice to be able to talk on the telephone again without a struggle!

 

[TooCool4]

I must admit even though I don’t use my analogue landline that much these days, I have always kept one running.
I like to turn off my mobile phone in the evening to get some peace and quiet, and still know that my family and friends can still get hold of me in an emergency as they know my landline number.

I think we have about 5 more years before our switch over in the UK.

 

[Ron Resnick]

. . .
I like to turn off my mobile phone in the evening to get some peace and quiet, and still know that my family and friends can still get hold of me in an emergency as they know my landline number.

Why would you want to be awakened from a deep sleep in the middle of the night to learn of an emergency?

 

[TooCool4]

Why would you want to be awakened from a deep sleep in the middle of the night to learn of an emergency?

You never know, but that is what the landline is there for.

 

[Solypsa]

My understanding ( as a non-expert in telephony ) is that all/most voip & mobile phone technology is simplex and POTS is duplex. If true then no matter how good the digital connection the experience will be diminished and conversation flow less natural with the non-analog connection.

 

[Ron Resnick]

m

My understanding ( as a non-expert in telephony ) is that all/most voip & mobile phone technology is simplex and POTS is duplex. If true then no matter how good the digital connection the experience will be diminished and conversation flow less natural with the non-analog connection.

A cellular telephone is a duplex radio frequency transceiver.

I think VoIP must be duplex.

 

[Solypsa]

Ah I stand corrected. It sure doesn't seem that way when I hold conversations on my mobile but must be other limiting factors...

 

[Mike Lavigne]

wifi?

my job requires that i be reachable 24/7/365. so i am.

living away from the metro area in the mountains my cell service is variable too (depends on where i am in my house or barn). my in house wifi seems to be very effective at resolving this issue. i have multiple wifi hookups in my house and barn. when i have visitors i provide them my wifi access password and all is good.

we do have a land line for my house, but it's a web based land line coming in over my broadband. but......anyone who knows me knows i never answer that phone. it's how you reach my wife. and she is very selective about when she answers.

 

[DonH50]

We are in a "hole" despite good coverage in the general area. We bought a cell network extender so have coverage in the house -- as long as Internet is up! Since that is also somewhat unreliable, we have maintained our landline (POTS), mainly for emergencies. It is also an expensive spam magnet (we probably get a handful or "real" calls a week and 5-10 robocalls a day) so I'd love to ditch it, but we need that emergency lifeline.

 

[Ron Resnick]

. . . It is also an expensive spam magnet (we probably get a handful or "real" calls a week and 5-10 robocalls a day) so I'd love to ditch it, but we need that emergency lifeline.

Why not just leave the ringer permanently off? That is what I do.

I use the landline as "outgoing only."

 

[DonH50]

Why not just leave the ringer permanently off? That is what I do.

I use the landline as "outgoing only."

It's there for emergencies so we want to hear it if/when that happens. The amount of spam calls is so ridiculous that I'd love to ditch it, but we do get some "real" calls. Examples include various "amber alerts" when children are missing, weather warnings, and probably most important to us wildfire warnings (pre-evac and evacuation calls). In other words we keep it for the reverse-911 calls that we do not want to miss. Don't want an unexpected middle-of-the-night tornado or fire flareup to catch us off guard, and I don't usually keep my cell with me in the house, so if a relative calls (like earlier this year when my uncle passed away or the nurse/doctor when my wife was in the hospital) I don't want to miss it.

 

[bryans]

It's there for emergencies so we want to hear it if/when that happens. The amount of spam calls is so ridiculous that I'd love to ditch it, but we do get some "real" calls. Examples include various "amber alerts" when children are missing, weather warnings, and probably most important to us wildfire warnings (pre-evac and evacuation calls). In other words we keep it for the reverse-911 calls that we do not want to miss. Don't want an unexpected middle-of-the-night tornado or fire flareup to catch us off guard, and I don't usually keep my cell with me in the house, so if a relative calls (like earlier this year when my uncle passed away or the nurse/doctor when my wife was in the hospital) I don't want to miss it.

You can get a phone where the caller has to announce themselves. If it is a Robo call they will not get through. My phone rarely rings. You do have the option of putting in phone numbers who will bypass the screening process.

 

[BlueFox]

Interesting that others also get beaucoup spam calls. Anyway, I never answer my phone until whoever is calling starts to leave a message. If I want to talk to them then I answer it.