It’s getting sporadic in here in terms of updates due to some MAN trying to stick it to me.
Here’s an update for you.
You can dial 911 on your cellphone even if you don’t have any service provider.
I’m assuming this is news to you all who read this blog or else you would have told me when I was debating getting Voice-Over IP (VOIP) as my phoneline. But I didn’t bother because if the power went out, I would not have 911 access.
Well, it doesn’t matter anyhow. As long as I have my cell phone charged up and in a place I’ll remember, and the power goes out and I need to call 911, voila, I just dial it and it’s good to go.
Or, alternatively, if I need it in the car. Throw it in the glovebox and if I need to dial 911, just do it.
So, I’m now going back to look at options for getting VOIP for a phone line.
What are the benefits of VOIP? Let me just put it this way.
How much do you spend on your phone in a month?
Alex found a place where he pays $2.50 a month for his phone service. Granted, he also has a cellphone that he uses regularly. But $2.50 a month (plus $0.04 cents a minute for calls outside the network (this means places outside Ottawa, Toronto, Montreal aka all the big southern cities) or $0.011 cents for calls within the network) is not something to be scoffed at.
I’m going out on a limb and encouraging YOU, my faithful reader, to look into VOIP for yourself.
Here are some starting points in terms of companies:
http://vonage.com – your standard run of the mill high advertising campaign companies
http://www.get3web.com/ – courtesy of Mike. We’re looking into this. Phone plus free Internet for $39.95? Shawing!
http://unlimitel.ca/wholesalevoip.html – This is the one Alex uses for $2.50 a month.
Caveat emptor people! Do a lot of research if you’re going to switch to VOIP. For example, take a look at your old phone bills and determine things like:
- How many minutes to use the phone?
- How many minutes are dedicate for long distance?
- Do I need to purchase anything like a $150 modem/router/gadget to get the service?
If you do your research before jumping in, you may find out that you are still going to save quite a bit of money over the month (perhaps even half your bill!)