[lyly]

Hi,
I am just wondering why do you need a phone in the home if we have 2 cell phones? Do you really need a home phone?
Thanks

[shycar]

Its for safety reasons. Home phone can be traced and cell phones can not. If a child calls 911 on a real emergency and does not know the address, the operator still know where the call came from and can send someone down. If a child calls 911 on a cell phone, they would not be able to find the address and well it could be a matter of life and death.

[jbee]

we have 2 cells and don't have to have a home phone. we are in pa.
i thought they could track you with most cells now? isn't that how they found some lost hiker recently? don't they use the towers to find you? i dunno...

[crystalp]

As long as there was at least one phone in the home at all times, it didn't matter whether it was a cell or a land line for us. I think it's because most cells have gps in them now, so they can pinpoint where the phone is.

[shycar]

Actually its not the cell phone, but the 911 office. Not all 911 offices have the technology to trace cell phone, but all do carry tech to trace home base line. You need to find out if the city you live if they trace cell phones or not. Our agency, just to cross their t and dot thier i, make regulation that all homes must have home base line, better safe then sorry.

Here is an article written in Nov of 2007 in Missouri.
Suburban Journals | News | St. Charles County: 911 dispatchers can't trace cell phone calls

It only mention that state, but many states have lots of counties or cities that do not have the tech, to trace cell phone. My friend lives in a small town and cell phones can not be traced in her area. Plus there is also less towers in small city or towns, which make it harder to trace cell phone.

[HappyHopefulMommy]

It probably depends on your state. We just had to have a working phone - cell or land line, it did not matter.

[Sam-N-Tony]

We are actually required to have a home phone. You can have a home phone with no premiums for about $11.00

[missymissus]

We just have 2 cell phones, they recomended having a land line but it wasn't required.

[lyly]

Like i said we have 2 cell phones and we both work full time and after work we always are out with the kids. So i really don't see why we really need one. thank you all for your advice. Does any one now if there is a website were i can check my state rules on this.

[dakotabluebaby]

I live in PA and they required us to have a home phone.
They did say however that the requirement might change becuase it is coming up more and more. So we had two cell phones and just got a homeline.

[hkolln]

I think too cell phones have a tendency to not work at certain times...and if the battery dies or the phone dies for some reason you won't have anything to use for an emergency.....They required us to have a landline too but we also have 2 cell phones.

[NotAMomYet]

In case of a wide-spread emergency, it can often be easier to place a call from a land line. When the "Nisquallie Quake" shook Seattle a few years back there was no getting trough on a mobile phone because the cell towers were busy. I spoke with my folks on a land line. Same issue with Sept. 11 - I was out of the country, but my family and friends tell me that they could only communicate on landlines for the first several hours because, again, the cell towers were over loaded.

911 operators can not always trace a mobile call, but can trace a land line call.

Also - be sure to have a non-cordless phone on hand. If it requires electricity it won't be of use if the power fails - and you may not be able to charge your mobile.

We have a land line with only basic service (about $25/month with taxes and fees) but have yet to ever make or receive a call from that number. I suppose that once we find our kids (foster adopt) they'll tie up the land line to gossip with their school friends - and won't be wasting our precious "minutes" with the mobiles!

[hcg]

You don't need a subscription to have a landline for emergency calls. Any phone that's plugged in can dial 911. Just pick up a corded phone from any store.

[NotAMomYet]

Originally Posted by hcg

You don't need a subscription to have a landline for emergency calls. Any phone that's plugged in can dial 911. Just pick up a corded phone from any store.

Yes - and this is also true of a mobile phone.

However, in my opinion, there are many non-911 emergencies where having a land line would be a useful tool. It's more likely that your mobile isn't going to have a signal than the land lines will fail.

[lyly]

I have to cell phones that they are $60.00 for both and a landline for $45.00 so if you add that up it's alot of money if your not using the land line.