Cutting Ma Bell's Apron Strings

As more and more of us are using our mobile phones not only for business and emergencies but for most all of our calling, many are questioning whether they also really need a land line from the phone company. Everyday, people are disconnecting the land lines to both save money and to simplify getting in touch with friends and family. After all, how many phone numbers and voice mail boxes do we really need?

If you are among those considering severing your tether to Ma Bell’s apron strings there are some great devices that will make it easier and convenient when you are at home or at the office.

Several companies offer devices that serve as a docking/charging station for your cell phone and allow all of the phones now connected to the regular phone company lines in your home to use the cell phone connection instead. When you come home for the evening you connect the cell phone to the docking station and when you receive a call or wish to place a call you use any of the hard wired or cordless phones already in your house. Your calls are routed through your cell phone telephone number.

There are several different versions offered by companies like Panasonic, Sony and AT&T. Some require an iPhone but most will accommodate any phone that has Bluetooth connectivity. They are priced from about $75 to as much as several hundred dollars.

Over and above convenience, there are other advantages to using the cell line for your regular line. Many mobile phone plans offer free long distance and special free “family” calling discounts. Also, I find that for long calls a standard telephone handset is more comfortable to use than the cigarette-size smartphone.

Most of these systems are not capable of sending or receiving faxes, so if you have a home office you may wish to keep a land line as well. Some of the devices, like models from Panasonic, allow you to have two lines connected: one cell phone line and one regular land line. You can choose what line to use.

Some more words of caution. If you decide to cut the cord, your calls to 911 may not allow the dispatcher to pin point your location so be sure to tell them the exact address when you call. Since you will be using your mobile phone more make certain you’re your mobile service plan allows for the extra minutes. Most plans offer “free evenings and weekends” and since that is when you are most likely to be home it shouldn’t be problem.

Cutting Ma Bell's Apron Strings

As more and more of us are using our mobile phones not only for business and emergencies but for most all of our calling, many are questioning whether they also really need a land line from the phone company. Everyday, people are disconnecting the land lines to both save money and to simplify getting in touch with friends and family. After all, how many phone numbers and voice mail boxes do we really need?

If you are among those considering severing your tether to Ma Bell’s apron strings there are some great devices that will make it easier and convenient when you are at home or at the office.

Several companies offer devices that serve as a docking/charging station for your cell phone and allow all of the phones now connected to the regular phone company lines in your home to use the cell phone connection instead. When you come home for the evening you connect the cell phone to the docking station and when you receive a call or wish to place a call you use any of the hard wired or cordless phones already in your house. Your calls are routed through your cell phone telephone number.

There are several different versions offered by companies like Panasonic, Sony and AT&T. Some require an iPhone but most will accommodate any phone that has Bluetooth connectivity. They are priced from about $75 to as much as several hundred dollars.

Over and above convenience, there are other advantages to using the cell line for your regular line. Many mobile phone plans offer free long distance and special free “family” calling discounts. Also, I find that for long calls a standard telephone handset is more comfortable to use than the cigarette-size smartphone.

Most of these systems are not capable of sending or receiving faxes, so if you have a home office you may wish to keep a land line as well. Some of the devices, like models from Panasonic, allow you to have two lines connected: one cell phone line and one regular land line. You can choose what line to use.

Some more words of caution. If you decide to cut the cord, your calls to 911 may not allow the dispatcher to pin point your location so be sure to tell them the exact address when you call. Since you will be using your mobile phone more make certain you’re your mobile service plan allows for the extra minutes. Most plans offer “free evenings and weekends” and since that is when you are most likely to be home it shouldn’t be problem.

You Can Cut The Cord

The proliferation of mobile phones is nothing short of mind boggling. I don’t consider myself old, but I can remember growing up in a house with one phone line and one phone. That phone was a “party line.” For those who may not know what a “party line” was, ask someone over 55. The phone was black and the phone company’s rules prevented anyone tampering with or adding a non-Bell extension phone under pain of Federal prosecution. Have things changed!

Today, that regular telephone and phone line are disappearing as many of us have decided that we only need our mobile phone. I bet you know of several people who use only a mobile phone and have dropped their Cincinnati Bell land line. For sure with many mobile plans offering features such as call waiting, three way calling, free long distance and integrated voice mail as part of the standard package, why pay for each of these features twice with both a land line and mobile line?

There are downsides of using a mobile phone as your only line when you are at home. Many of us drop the phone on the kitchen counter when we come home. We have our charger there, and if we remember, we charge it occasionally so our conversations will continue uninterrupted the next day. When the mobile phone rings we have to run to the kitchen. Déjà View from the 1960s. Also, long conversations using the small mobile phone are often uncomfortable and who wants to walk around the house all the time with a Bluetooth thing-a-ma-jig stuck in your ear?

There are devices available that makes using a mobile phone at home as your sole connection to the outside world much more convenient. The devices allow you to use all the existing telephones in your home as you do now. The difference is they connect to your mobile phone instead of your land line. The “brains” of the device is a docking station to which you connect your mobile phone. The docking station connects to the existing telephone wires in your home making all the telephones “extensions” to the mobile phone. You no longer need the land line. All the features that you have on your mobile phone are now available on the extensions. The docking station also serves as a charger for your mobile phone.

You can find these devices at some electronics stores, Amazon.com and other online retailers. The XLink ITC-BTTN is available from intellitouch. Another company, PhoneLabs, offers the Dock-N-Talk. Both cost about $150. You will find other models from RCA and Motorola on line.
Most connect with your phone either with a cable (sold separately) or via Bluetooth. Once connected it is hard to tell the difference between a regular line and a the mobile line. One thing to remember though, is that the docking station requires AC power, so when the power is out you can only use the mobile phone without any of the extensions.

If you are considering dumping your home phone land line, you should take a look at adding one of these docking stations.

You Can Cut The Cord

The proliferation of mobile phones is nothing short of mind boggling. I don’t consider myself old, but I can remember growing up in a house with one phone line and one phone. That phone was a “party line.” For those who may not know what a “party line” was, ask someone over 55. The phone was black and the phone company’s rules prevented anyone tampering with or adding a non-Bell extension phone under pain of Federal prosecution. Have things changed!

Today, that regular telephone and phone line are disappearing as many of us have decided that we only need our mobile phone. I bet you know of several people who use only a mobile phone and have dropped their Cincinnati Bell land line. For sure with many mobile plans offering features such as call waiting, three way calling, free long distance and integrated voice mail as part of the standard package, why pay for each of these features twice with both a land line and mobile line?

There are downsides of using a mobile phone as your only line when you are at home. Many of us drop the phone on the kitchen counter when we come home. We have our charger there, and if we remember, we charge it occasionally so our conversations will continue uninterrupted the next day. When the mobile phone rings we have to run to the kitchen. Déjà View from the 1960s. Also, long conversations using the small mobile phone are often uncomfortable and who wants to walk around the house all the time with a Bluetooth thing-a-ma-jig stuck in your ear?

There are devices available that makes using a mobile phone at home as your sole connection to the outside world much more convenient. The devices allow you to use all the existing telephones in your home as you do now. The difference is they connect to your mobile phone instead of your land line. The “brains” of the device is a docking station to which you connect your mobile phone. The docking station connects to the existing telephone wires in your home making all the telephones “extensions” to the mobile phone. You no longer need the land line. All the features that you have on your mobile phone are now available on the extensions. The docking station also serves as a charger for your mobile phone.

You can find these devices at some electronics stores, Amazon.com and other online retailers. The XLink ITC-BTTN is available from intellitouch. Another company, PhoneLabs, offers the Dock-N-Talk. Both cost about $150. You will find other models from RCA and Motorola on line.
Most connect with your phone either with a cable (sold separately) or via Bluetooth. Once connected it is hard to tell the difference between a regular line and a the mobile line. One thing to remember though, is that the docking station requires AC power, so when the power is out you can only use the mobile phone without any of the extensions.

If you are considering dumping your home phone land line, you should take a look at adding one of these docking stations.