# Is a cable-landline a good substitute for a "real" landline? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [October 17, 2019, 8:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-a-cable-landline-a-good-substitute-for-a-real-landline/841921 "2019-10-17T20:00:04Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![SamuelA](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c77e96/32.png) [@SamuelA](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SamuelA)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2019, 12:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-a-cable-landline-a-good-substitute-for-a-real-landline/841921/21 "2019-10-18T00:34:13Z")
> [@Dewey\_Finn](#): > > How does a sock account work with something like a cable service account, where I assume they’re doing a credit check on the person requesting service? When they try to run the credit check for your sock account, they’re going to find that the “person” does not exist. For comcast, they don’t do this. As it turns out, they match on the following keys: email address, credit card number If the name is the same or the address is the same, you can still create a new account and order service just fine and none of their automated systems will complain about it. Also it turns out if you just delete your credit card from your old account before entering it in your new account, they won’t detect that either. Also it turns out the physical address doesn’t matter, either. You do not normally need anything from the cable company to set up service again once it has already been active for a given house or apartment. You just need to buy a modem and you need a username and password from your new xfinity account so that you can log in with the modem on the captive portal page you get sent to when you first plug in a new modem. So you can give a different physical address from your real address, as long as it’s close by (not sure that actually matters), and it still works. As sock detection goes, it’s embarrassing, obviously the volunteer moderators on this message board that probably pulls in under 10k a year in membership fees at most (I wouldn’t be surprised if it was under 1000) use far more sophisticated strategies. Basically comcast already knows you are gonna do this and they are more or less going to allow it. It’s a form of price tiering - anyone who is desperate or determined is going to get the lower price for their internet service. Wealthier and/or lazier people pay a higher price because to them the extra $240 or $400 a year or whatever isn’t a problem. (or they aren’t savvy enough to realize it’s a problem,) Same with cable, cord cutting saves almost everyone money, even if you subscribe to basically all the new services. Cable companies still rake in billions from people too lazy or stubborn to switch. ---
**Author:** ![PastTense](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pasttense/32/14550_2.png) [@PastTense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PastTense)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2019, 12:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-a-cable-landline-a-good-substitute-for-a-real-landline/841921/22 "2019-10-18T00:43:50Z")
OP: I notice you are in Chicago, a place that doesn’t have hurricanes–so there is not concern of the cellular towers being blown down. Chicago has all the major carriers. So get a prepaid MVNO for one of the other carriers. See lots of options at: > **[Find & Compare the Best Cell Phone Plans - BestPhonePlans](https://www.bestphoneplans.net/)** > > Find and compare the best cell phone plans on Verizon, AT&T, and T-Mobile. See cheap plans, unlimited plans, the best plan for families, and more. ---
**Author:** ![DinoR](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dinor/32/2821_2.png) [@DinoR](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DinoR)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2019, 1:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-a-cable-landline-a-good-substitute-for-a-real-landline/841921/23 "2019-10-18T01:00:40Z")
> [@HMS\_Irruncible](#): > > Most VOIP units have a large internal battery that keeps it operating when the power goes out. Cool, my only experience with it outside a commerical account environment is my parents. I can confirm that their VOIP unit didn’t have a battery relatively recently. It still presents the question of whether the normal battery could survive a multi-day outage. ---
**Author:** ![zoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zoid/32/336_2.png) [@zoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zoid)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2019, 1:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-a-cable-landline-a-good-substitute-for-a-real-landline/841921/24 "2019-10-18T01:04:31Z")
> [@DinoR](#): > > A traditional landline doesn’t require separate power. The little bit of power used by the phone comes via the connection itself. As long as the phone lines are up you are likely to still be able to use the phone unless a blackout is very widespread. > > VOIP is dependent on both the internet connection functioning and having electrical power supplied to your home. That’s two points of failure versus one for landlines. There’s an important caveat. If you don’t have a corded phone at least stashed somewhere to pull out for emergencies you probably still lose the landline when you lose power. Cordless systems typically rely on separate power for the base station. This. The power to the landline comes from the central office which has emergency generators. ---
**Author:** ![JRDelirious](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jrdelirious/32/9531_2.png) [@JRDelirious](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JRDelirious)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2019, 1:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-a-cable-landline-a-good-substitute-for-a-real-landline/841921/25 "2019-10-18T01:07:17Z")
> [@PastTense](#): > > OP: I notice you are in Chicago, a place that doesn’t have hurricanes Right, that is something to take into account. After Hurricane Maria hit at home, cell service was spotty, there was no mains electricity for months, no cable for a month after _that_… but my family home’s twisted-pair copper line still fed us a dial tone. OTOH in a major US population center not subject to such events, where you may reliably count on power being restored within the day, it may not make that much of a difference. ---
**Author:** ![SamuelA](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c77e96/32.png) [@SamuelA](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SamuelA)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2019, 1:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-a-cable-landline-a-good-substitute-for-a-real-landline/841921/26 "2019-10-18T01:10:22Z")
> [@DinoR](#): > > Cool, my only experience with it outside a commerical account environment is my parents. I can confirm that their VOIP unit didn’t have a battery relatively recently. It still presents the question of whether the normal battery could survive a multi-day outage. [How to buy a phone modem battery case for your Xfinity Voice service - Xfinity Support](https://www.xfinity.com/support/articles/getting-a-new-battery)? Apparently, comcast chargings a gougy $165 for a battery that is claimed to last 24 hours. So no, with a multi-day outage, voip is not going to work. But this doesn’t mean that paying a monthly fee for a landline phone every month for the rest of your life is the only option. Look at this neat product: [https://www.amazon.com/24000mAh-Waterproof-Portable-Compatible-Smartphones/dp/B07C24XC2L/](https://www.amazon.com/24000mAh-Waterproof-Portable-Compatible-Smartphones/dp/B07C24XC2L/) An immense battery (in practice, at 24000 mAh, you will be able to charge a phone from flat to full about 5 times) and it can recharge itself with solar! Buy one of these, have an extra phone by keeping your old phone, these are one time costs. ---
**Author:** ![Doug\_K](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b5ac83/32.png) [@Doug\_K](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Doug_K)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2019, 2:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-a-cable-landline-a-good-substitute-for-a-real-landline/841921/27 "2019-10-18T02:02:36Z")
> [@SamuelA](#): > > Why do you need a landline? It’s not any more reliable than cellular for all practical purposes. If you are worried about reliability, there are very inexpensive annual prepaid cellular plans. Get one, where the minutes for it will last a year, and have a second phone. On the contrary. A few years ago there was a flood in the area I lived that knocked out all power over a large area for a day and a half. Including power for the cellular towers in the area. When the power came back it turned out the towers were all damaged, and it was a good week before they could be repaired. Both of our Internet providers were down for a week as well. The only means of communication we had that didn’t require driving somewhere else was landlines, which never went out. ---
**Author:** ![RioRico](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/f04885/32.png) [@RioRico](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RioRico)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2019, 2:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-a-cable-landline-a-good-substitute-for-a-real-landline/841921/28 "2019-10-18T02:05:54Z")
We have an easy choice - no choice at all. The local telecom monopoly can’t be bypassed except by carrier pigeons. They buried fibre-optic cables under our dirt road to supply TV, DSL, and landline to we foresters. We’re out of any cell coverage area. Tall conifers block satellites. We take what we get - and we’d better like it. YMMV. Our cable landline is our real landline. I haven’t yet strung tin-can-and-string phones to the neighbors. ---
**Author:** ![ftg](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ftg/32/2801_2.png) [@ftg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ftg)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2019, 11:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-a-cable-landline-a-good-substitute-for-a-real-landline/841921/29 "2019-10-18T11:44:43Z")
> [@HMS\_Irruncible](#): > > Most VOIP units have a large internal battery that keeps it operating when the power goes out. Not at all my experience. Around here the ISPs have a separate UPS to power their modem/router/VoIP boxes. They turn up at thrift stores and I’ve picked up a couple for cheap as general purpose 12v backups (with a 12v-\>5v converter for USB charging). I bought my own VoIP device. You don’t have to use the providers if they are a decent company. So I can change providers anytime (but have to port my number which is often free). If I move I just plug it in to the router at the new place and it will work. (It works better if I change to the nearest provider server.) Landlines have several big advantages. We have 4 phones scattered around the house so we are usually near one. No looking for a cell phone. Since 3 of these are wireless we can keep one near if we’re expecting a call and aren’t near the charging base of any of them. So we can answer a call quickly and simply. Someone calling the house, but not caring which of us they get, just calls one number. No deciding which cell phone to call. The answering machine helps a lot and isn’t used as a voicemail dumping ground like so many cell users. Note that power/Internet outages are uncommon. (And we have a quite unreliable power company by most people’s standards.) So the worry about outages is a secondary concern. The everyday, normal, regular status is that it just works without a significant concern about cell phone batteries, getting a cell signal, etc. I have no idea why people knock landlines so much. ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2019, 12:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-a-cable-landline-a-good-substitute-for-a-real-landline/841921/30 "2019-10-18T12:19:55Z")
> [@OldGuy](#): > > How long does the charge last on your cell phone? > How long do power outages last? We have an emergency light/radio/charger thing with a crank. You can plug cables in, crank the crank, and charge your devices. ---
**Author:** ![Omar\_Little](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/omar_little/32/269_2.png) [@Omar\_Little](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Omar_Little)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2019, 2:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-a-cable-landline-a-good-substitute-for-a-real-landline/841921/31 "2019-10-18T14:45:23Z")
> [@DinoR](#): > > They are **less** dependent on separate power not independent of it. It depends on how charged the cell phone is when power is lost and how long the power’s off. Lose power for long enough and cell phones start shutting down. There are other ways to have backup power to keep the cell phone functioning. The main issue is that having power for the cell phone for emergencies becomes an issue that needs more thought without a landline. Switching to VOIP or just getting rid of a home phone entirely leaves a gap in capabilities that used to just be there. Now you’re talking about redundancies on redundancies. Is the OP concerned about a prolonged natural disaster or just being able to call 911 in case of an emergency on the offhand chance the power or cable is out? ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2019, 3:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-a-cable-landline-a-good-substitute-for-a-real-landline/841921/32 "2019-10-18T15:15:11Z")
> [@ftg](#): > > I have no idea why people knock landlines so much. I haven’t had one for over 15 years and have never missed it. ---
**Author:** ![Napier](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/ce73a5/32.png) [@Napier](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Napier)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2019, 3:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-a-cable-landline-a-good-substitute-for-a-real-landline/841921/33 "2019-10-18T15:22:15Z")
We have VOIP that I think of as a landline, though it’s not telephone twisted pair cable under the ground. It is much more reliable than our old landline was. For some reason our cables kept going bad between the house and the pole, some 850 feet. I don’t know how many times the phone company laid new cable. I lost count. It does go out sometimes. Cell phones don’t work well at my house unless you go outside on the relatively high front deck. I did implement femtocell service a few years when it became available, so now cells are perfectly good here, but of course if our cable internet dies, so does that. It’s odd. While the options and feature sets for telephone technology have really exploded since the 60s, my impression is that being able to provide base voice telephony capability with high uptime has actually gotten a bit worse. Other than the occasional car running into a pole, or ice storm, I don’t remember phone service coming and going so frequently back then. ---
**Author:** ![jnglmassiv](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f07891/32.png) [@jnglmassiv](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jnglmassiv)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2019, 3:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-a-cable-landline-a-good-substitute-for-a-real-landline/841921/34 "2019-10-18T15:32:15Z")
> [@SamuelA](#): > > Why do you need a landline? It’s not any more reliable than cellular for all practical purposes. Burglar alarms, fire alarms. Don’t forget, I’ll be jamming cell, gps & wifi while I ransack your home. ---
**Author:** ![ZipperJJ](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zipperjj/32/211_2.png) [@ZipperJJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZipperJJ)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2019, 3:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-a-cable-landline-a-good-substitute-for-a-real-landline/841921/35 "2019-10-18T15:50:16Z")
I prefer having a landline so that all the phone spam and legit-but-can-wait phone calls come to my house, not to my pocket. I don’t need the doctor’s appointment reminder when I’m in my car or my insurance agent wanting to set up an appointment with me while I’m in a meeting. Yes I know there’s turning off your ringer but how good are we at ignoring these things? Much easier to ignore when the call is going to my house and I’m not home. That being said…my parents and I have had cable phone service for a while now. Maybe even 10 years. It hasn’t been a problem for us service-wise, although I do think about buying the battery backup every so often. That would be the obvious smart thing to do. It’s kind of an annoying expense but way cheaper than it was when I had a regular copper line account, with more features (never had caller ID before cable service, because it was way too expensive). Also my phone/internet bundle seems to keep my internet costs lower. People keep complaining that their Spectrum bill is going up around here but mine has stayed under $90 for years and years. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2019, 4:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-a-cable-landline-a-good-substitute-for-a-real-landline/841921/36 "2019-10-18T16:53:21Z")
> [@SamuelA](#): > > Why do you need a landline? It’s not any more reliable than cellular for all practical purposes. If you are worried about reliability, there are very inexpensive annual prepaid cellular plans. Get one, where the minutes for it will last a year, and have a second phone. > … > > If you are worried about the cellular network going down, consider Google Project Fi. They are a virtual cellular provider where your phone uses TMobile, Sprint, and wifi, whichever is available (with preference for wifi) to carry your call. … There are three good reasons for a landline, and it’s why I pay Spectrum $9 a month for one. (Paying more than that is too much). 1. 911- they come directly to your address, can save valauable minutes. 2. During a emergency, especially one that doesnt effect you personally but it’s close- _all_ the cell towers are down. 3. Sometimes you need a phone number to give out but you dont want calls, like with a shopping card. Or like with my wife- they call her several times a week to cover since she is reliable. But if she is a Disneyland (for example0 she doesnt even wanna get the call. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2019, 4:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-a-cable-landline-a-good-substitute-for-a-real-landline/841921/37 "2019-10-18T16:56:50Z")
> [@Dewey\_Finn](#): > > How does a sock account work with something like a cable service account, where I assume they’re doing a credit check on the person requesting service? When they try to run the credit check for your sock account, they’re going to find that the “person” does not exist. Yeah, you cant. But your wife could sign up instead or your adult child. ---
**Author:** ![jasg](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f0a364/32.png) [@jasg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jasg)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2019, 5:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-a-cable-landline-a-good-substitute-for-a-real-landline/841921/38 "2019-10-18T17:14:42Z")
> [@jnglmassiv](#): > > Burglar alarms, fire alarms. When my Telco changed to VOIP, my security system could no longer dial out to report to the monitoring service. ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2019, 5:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-a-cable-landline-a-good-substitute-for-a-real-landline/841921/39 "2019-10-18T17:20:15Z")
Used to have the cable phone option as part of the package. Never used it. Never missed it. We’ve had the power out which renders the cable useless, and often the old timey landlines too when a tree falls on the wires, but never lost the cell connections. I have a battery powered wireless modem also. ---
**Author:** ![cmkeller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cmkeller/32/118_2.png) [@cmkeller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cmkeller)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2019, 5:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-a-cable-landline-a-good-substitute-for-a-real-landline/841921/40 "2019-10-18T17:32:46Z")
I’ve been very happy since switching from Verizon to Time Warner Cable for my phone service. I won’t say there have never been outages but I will say that they have a service person on it in a day, whereas with the phone company it would usually take over a week. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-a-cable-landline-a-good-substitute-for-a-real-landline/841921.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-a-cable-landline-a-good-substitute-for-a-real-landline/841921.md?page=3)