Reposted from my post on RVTravelForum.com I'm slowly transitioning to being a "full-timer." I was going to change my landline in my home (that I'm going to sell) into a "message" number, and this was going to cost $30 (plus idiotic fees and taxes) per month. I don't like giving my cell phone number to banks and credit card companies. So this was worth it to me. The service is Frontier. I believe AT&T also has this service; Quest does not. My cell phone is Verizon, and I stopped by Verizon to see if I could get some savings on changing my cell phone/air card plan. Cell phone is going to cost the same: OK, no surprise. I upgraded my air card from 3G to 4G and it will cost me $10 less per month ($50 instead of $60 for 5 gig limit. I could have gone to 10 gig if I paid $70 a month....). OK, fine. And here's the surprise! Verizon said I could keep my phone number and they had a handy dandy little gadget that I could use with a service THEY had for only $20 a month! It is, in effect, a "mobile landline." I get a little gadget that I plug into an electrical outlet. Then I plug my phone into the gadget! As long as I'm in an area with a Verizon signal, I have a landline! And I get FREE long distance! OK, now you ask, why would I want to carry two phone numbers? Why not just get a cell phone plan with more minutes? 1. I don't like to give my cell phone number to banks and credit card companies. 2. I don't like to call toll-free numbers from a cell phone. That is a complete waste of minutes. 3. With this service, I don't use up my cell phone minutes and my cell phone is kept only for emergencies (and while I'm in transit and not hooked up). Now, I am concerned whether this "mobile landline" will work in "extended" area. I'm guessing it will work only in straight Verizon areas. Who knows? But I'm trying it out. JJ
JJ, We only use Verizon cell service and carry two cell phones. One is the home phone line and other is used if we need a spare line (free weekends calls). We carry a Mi-Fi card for Wi-Fi service with 3 GB for $35.00 and this will work five laptops at the same time. If we need more GB's $10.00 per GB. We have been all our the USA and only found a couple places that the service was missing. Verizon has been the best service we have found to date. Other services were so poor it was useless. We are not full-timers but do travel a lot of miles per year.
We gave up our land line years ago. We each have a cell phone. We don't have any problems giving it out to banks and have done our banking with it via https: secure sites for this time daily. If cell phone had problems with credit cards, then it would be all over the internet. I have an Android II and it has an unlimited internet for $30 a month. You can also tether it to your laptop and obtain normal phone speeds. It has over 10,000 apps and by the way is also a phone too. Before long all of the old personal devises will be gone and a cell phone like appliance will be all you will need. If you are going to be traveling a lot, get a good WiFi antenna as it will be faster than an air card. (In my opinion.) Verizon.
My phone number (landline from my condo I'm trying to sell) has successfully "ported over" to my little mobile device. I ordered the service on a Federal Holiday (President's Day), and Verizon said it COULD take up to ten business days to "port." It "ported over" from Frontier in three business days. Porting from other carriers could be different. I called someone to test it out. Currently, I'm in a strong Verizon area. The sound quality was...... kind of like the early days of cell phones. And, I KNOW some of you are old enough to remember the old days of telephones, before fiber optic cables.... when you made a "local" call, it was clear, but when you made a LONG DISTANCE call..... it sounded different.... well, that's what it sounds like. The "Old" days of long distance calls..... But for $20 a month, and the device was FREE..... and LONG DISTANCE is free...... I'm thinking..... this service is currently cheaper than ANY cell phone plan involving a contract. If this works for me, I may just dump my cell phone and just "supplement" with a prepaid plan. However, sometimes "prepaids" (even ones from National carriers) don't have the same coverage area as the "contract" ones. That's a consideration. Some of you may think I'm nuts for carrying two phone numbers (cell phone and this mobile landline) but for me, COST WISE, it would cost the same if I just "upgraded" my cell phone plan (which right now is a cheap plan with a low number of minutes) to more minutes and stuck with that. Carrying two phone numbers is a "personal preference" for me. I prefer to keep the cell phone for emergencies only and not have people calling me on it. JJ
I am really curious about something. Why don't you want your cell phone number given to banks and credit card companies? Is there some type of problem with that that I should be aware of for my protection? I use only my cell phone and give that number to anyone that needs it. I also register with the National Do Not Call List. I have had this same number for 5 years with no trouble at all.
There is another way to skin this cat (sorry PETA) and it's with a Magic Jack device. You can give out the MJ number instead of the cell number then either have it call forwarded to the cell or let the voice mail pick up. The MagicJack device doesn't need to be connect to a computer to let you use either of those two features. I use A 3G Verizon cell with 550 minutes, a Net10 with 200, and the MJ unlimited free minutes. That provides hi speed internet connection and three options for phone calls at a monthly cost of less than $60/mo.
Hi, How is the sound quality on the magic jack when it is forwarded? QUOTE(RLM @ Feb 25 2011, 12:11 PM) [snapback]25502[/snapback] There is another way to skin this cat (sorry PETA) and it's with a Magic Jack device. You can give out the MJ number instead of the cell number then either have it call forwarded to the cell or let the voice mail pick up. The MagicJack device doesn't need to be connect to a computer to let you use either of those two features.
If you give your cell to banks and CC companies, you are asking for the spam! I haven't yet gotten junk calls on my cell (just maybe misdialed calls...), but I have had friends who have complained of this, despite being on the "Do Not Call" list. I asked them if they gave the cell phone number to banks and CC's. They said "yes." Made my point. Calls to your cell count against your minutes, calls to this "mobile landline" don't count against minutes if you get the $20 service. All calls are free. The bank that has my VISA card put in their privacy policy, "IF you call us on your cell phone, you automatically give us permission to retain that number and call you on your cell phone." NOPE! I am not giving my cell phone to banks or credit card companies. Also, I do not like calling toll free numbers on cell phones. That is nothing but a waste of minutes! I have always hunted down a pay phone (and those are getting harder to find!) when I wasn't home and needed to call a toll free number. This "mobile landline" (or "wireless landline") is, so far, cheaper than any cell phone contract! I'm liking it so far, but I need to travel to a "fringe" area to see how it works. QUOTE(dalsgal @ Feb 24 2011, 02:35 PM) [snapback]25494[/snapback] I am really curious about something. Why don't you want your cell phone number given to banks and credit card companies? Is there some type of problem with that that I should be aware of for my protection? I use only my cell phone and give that number to anyone that needs it. I also register with the National Do Not Call List. I have had this same number for 5 years with no trouble at all. RLM, I think this little device is similar to a Majic Jack. And I can call forward to my cell phone. How much is Majic Jack a month? This device is $20 a month. There is a $20 service, but you pay extra for calls from Non Verizon phones on the $10 service. QUOTE(RLM @ Feb 25 2011, 10:11 AM) [snapback]25502[/snapback] There is another way to skin this cat (sorry PETA) and it's with a Magic Jack device. You can give out the MJ number instead of the cell number then either have it call forwarded to the cell or let the voice mail pick up. The MagicJack device doesn't need to be connect to a computer to let you use either of those two features. I use A 3G Verizon cell with 550 minutes, a Net10 with 200, and the MJ unlimited free minutes. That provides hi speed internet connection and three options for phone calls at a monthly cost of less than $60/mo.
I'll have to accept your word for the spam stuff but in all the years my husband and I have had our cell phones neither of us have gotten spam calls from anyone, ever. As a precaution, last year we joined the Do Not Call List. We have 700 minutes on our phones and have 4 phones. We never go over our limit and we use our phones all the time. Each month we have at least 300 rollover minutes so the very few times I call an 800 number it isn't a problem to use minutes.
QUOTE(pianotuna @ Feb 25 2011, 01:40 PM) [snapback]25505[/snapback] Hi JJ, Magic Jack is $50 per year (or mine was). That was probably your first year (included the device). Each year after should be 19.95 - or do like I did - bought 5 years for 59.95.
pianotuna - How is the sound quality on the magic jack when it is forwarded? If I didn't check caller ID, I would not know it was a fowarded call. Audio quality is same as any other phone. DXSMac - How much is Magic Jack a month? $39.99 for the first year, $19.95 thereafter unless you buy mulitple years at the start. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Aside from being cheap, I like the fact that the software is loaded onto the match box sized MJ device (no CDs to carry around). You can pick any area code for your number and for an extra $3 on the purchase price you can pick a number that you can easily remember. Try getting that service from Ma Bell! Downside is that you need a broadband internet connection. Works fine with my 3G cell and most of the time with campground wi-fi (as long as everyone isn't using it at the same time).
Oh... so Majic Jack requires a broadband connection? Verizon's Home Phone Connect doesn't require an internet connection. I was thinking I hadn't seen a VONAGE commercial for a long time. Well, I saw one this morning. $14.99 a month. I think Vonage requires a broadband connection, too! My Verizon (the service is called Home PHone Connect, but I call it a mobile landline or wireless landline) service started Thursday, but on Friday, when I went to my condo, my number was still working under Frontier! HUH? But later on, people said they got "weird noises" when they called me. Finally stopped around 8:00 in the evening. I think the "porting" process is done. I'm liking this Verizon service. I think it's a great option for full-timers. JJ
We have had nothing but cell phones since we started full-timing in 2002. Everybody has that number, and we have probably received five marketing calls in the last nine years, all of them from local businesses that thought we were still in whatever city they were in. BTW, the national Do Not Call Registry has nothing to do with cell phones: The Truth about Cell Phones and the National Do Not Call Registry
In 11 years on the road we have never had any problems from having given our cell phone number, and our only phone number, to our bank, broker, insurance agent and all others that we do business with. Since you give out your land line number when it is your only phone, what is so different if you have only a cell number? Like Denali, we have received almost no telemarketing calls.
QUOTE(Denali @ Feb 26 2011, 04:47 PM) [snapback]25518[/snapback] BTW, the national Do Not Call Registry has nothing to do with cell phones: The Truth about Cell Phones and the National Do Not Call Registry True. But if you "port" a number that used to be a landline into a cell phone, (which you can do now!) then telemarketers have no way to know it's a cell phone. Also, I'm really liking my "mobile landline." Ok, the sound quality is like long distance phone calls used to be before fiber optic and "sounds like you're in the next room" stuff. But for $20 a month and FREE long distance...... And Verizon operates ALMOST everywhere....... I'd like to ditch my cell phone! (Can't cuz it's also Verizon and I just resigned another two year contract....) I think with this service from Verizon, the best way to go would be Verizon's "Home Phone Connect" (that's what the "Mobile Landline" is called...), and then use a prepaid cell phone from, oh, maybe AT&T to supplement in areas where Verizon might not work but AT&T would..... JJ
QUOTE(DXSMac @ Feb 28 2011, 10:19 PM) [snapback]25533[/snapback] True. But if you "port" a number that used to be a landline into a cell phone, (which you can do now!) then telemarketers have no way to know it's a cell phone.... Good point. That hadn't occurred to me.
I'm still loving this mobile landline from Verizon (they call it HOME PHONE CONNECT)! Sound quality is kind of like phones before the fiber optics and "sounds like you're in the next room" stuff, but for $20 a month, you can live with it! On the other hand, I don't know if it's the model of phone I'm using (GE Trimline, corded), or an issue with the router, but I have to push the buttons very slowly and deliberately. I have to do a "push-hold-release" thing. When I had this phone in my home (that I just sold), I didn't have to push this slowly. When I checked my voice mail, I had to put the PIN code in VERY SLOWLY or it wouldn't work. But again, for a $20 a month service, who cares?!?!? I'm using a "corded" phone. If you lose electricity, there is a backup battery in the router that will still work your phone. Battery is supposed to last two hours, but I guess that is on "continuous use." I once unplugged the electrical cord from the router for an entire night and it still worked the next day! If you use a "cordless" phone with it, and lose electrical power, your phone won't work. So, if you are boondocking, you can still have phone service all night as long as you don't use the phone much..... I'll be camp hosting in Colorado. I want to see how it works there. With this service, my cell phone is pretty much redundant! I'm still thinking the most economical way to go would be to get this service from Verizon, and then supplement with a prepaid cell from AT&T to take up the slack if you are in an area where Verizon doesn't get a signal. JJ
