Published on December 23rd, 2016 | by Guest

Tangled: The Benefits of Having a Wired Phone

We all know that telephone technology has come a long way, just look at the smartphones we use throughout our day-to-day lives; and while the future is bound to hold even more exciting technological developments, we can’t help but wonder what’s to come from the technology we have left behind.

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Specifically, what’s going to happen with the use of landline phones?

Generally speaking, most people dread the telephone, because in our modern times, emailing someone or texting them makes communicating so much more convenient. This could be why landline phones have already started disappearing from homes. In 2013, the National Health Interview Survey conducted a report regarding cell phone versus landlines. They discovered that 41 percent of households did not have a landline phone. Are landline phones really becoming that obsolete?

Before you start worrying about the next generation never knowing the joy of landline phones, here’s five reasons to stick with a wired connection. Whether it’s a landline (traditional copper wire phone), or VoIP (voice over internet protocol) service from your cable or satellite company.

Emergency Safety: Although a person in need of assistance can make a cell phone call from anywhere (assuming they’re within the network and the battery isn’t dead), cell phones can’t tell emergency personnel your exact location. The location on landline phones, however, are immediately identifiable to emergency dispatch centers. Furthermore, because communication is transmitted via cables, home phones do not run the risk of experience interference or dropped calls due to losing service during an emergency.

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Privacy: Typically, you should never use a wireless phone to give out credit card numbers and other sensitive data.

Why?

Well, believe it or not, some cellular phones use radio frequencies, which can be easily intercepted by anyone around you. Eavesdroppers, for example, can use a simple device such as a scanner, or another cell phone to intercept the analog radio waves that carry wireless calls.

Once that occurs, they’ll listen to your private conservation, writing down your information, and finding out when you’ll be out of town, or on vacation to strict an attack. The bad news is, once your information is stolen, there’s nothing you can do to reverse the process. Although some cell phone carriers might recommend conducting a data recovery, to ensure something like this doesn’t happen again in the future, the reality is, the damage will have already been done. The hacker will have had your personal information for a period of time to damage your name, and your credit.

Better call quality: With all the advances in phone technology, the old dinosaur landline phone still has better quality than a cellular phone. Some cell phones, for instance, like mine, have this awful static noise in the background at times. Making it hard for me to hear what’s being said by the person on the other end of the phone. Depending on the area, it also has a delay when talking, so that by the time the person on the other end hears my voice, it sounds as if we’re interrupting one another.

The power might be out, but not the conservation: Grab a chair, light a candle, kick back and continue talking. Even when the power goes out, the connection stays on. I know what you’re thinking, why not use a cell phone? It’s simple. During a power outage, cell phone towers will exhaust their battery power within a matter of hours, while landlines work well over a week.

Just switch to the traditional corded phone you keep for emergencies. You know, that dusty phone with the funny squiggly cord you keep in the garage? It’ll work from any phone jack even when the power’s out since the phone company has an emergency backup system that powers the phone jacks. Even if a major storm (hurricane or tornado) strikes in your area, it might take out cell towers, but it can’t take out the underground phone lines.

Going green: Landline phones have never been reported to have toxic batteries and are especially safe for kids and pregnant women.

For those of us who are preppers, this makes creating an emergency communication plan much easier.

The next time you’re working on your family’s emergency plan, remember to include communications as part of the procedure, making sure phones are covered.

You can establish a safe location in the home to make emergency calls in case of a home invasion, making sure the landline phone is easily accessible.

Designate a safe location within the home during an emergency and establish a safe way out of the residence.

The more means of emergency communication you have, the better. We will never know the seriousness of the event beforehand or what will work when the time comes to execute the plan and call for help. For peace of mind, wouldn’t you like to be prepared for the worst? Remember, your family depends on you to be their protector.

Thanks for the read. Did I miss anything? What are some other ways having a landline phone can be beneficial to people? I’ll be checking for comments.

About the author:

Cody Hill enjoys being outdoors, and loves watching baseball. Can’t find him online? Chances are he’s probably exploring the wilderness, or cheering on his favorite team (Go Cubs)! Follow him on Twitter @Cody_Hill777. Thank you!

References:

http://www.consumerreports.org/cro/news/2014/04/5-reasons-to-keep-a-landline-phone/index.htm
http://www.startechtel.com/blog/2016/11/the-power-of-telephone-calls/
http://www.fda.gov/Radiation-EmittingProducts/RadiationEmittingProductsandProcedures/HomeBusinessandEntertainment/CellPhones/ucm116338.htm
https://www.krollontrack.com/services/data-recovery/virtual/
http://www.offthegridnews.com/how-to-2/landlines-the-dinosaur-phone-technology-that-could-save-you-in-a-crisis/

Tags: benefits, landline, Phone, tangled, telephone, wired