topic Re: OT - Giving up Land Line/Going Wireless in Beauty

OT - Giving up Land Line/Going Wireless

wenfen — Tue, 02 Sep 2014 07:35:44 GMT

OK, I know this has nothing to do with beauty, but you ladies are my "experts" on lots of subjects so here goes.

Hubby & I need a new laptop, since our 12 year old dinosaur desk top has Windows XP.

Long story short, we went to our local AT & T store today to discuss having a wireless connection in our house.

All I wanted was a DSL wireless router/modem. The salesman wanted me to get rid of my "land line" & rewire my house/security system etc. with Uverse.

He wanted to sell me a TV/Security System/Internet system. Which got us wondering if you need or want all of this.

I need to FAX for my home business (CPA) & I hate to rewire my security system.

I would appreciate all & any thoughts on this.

Re: OT - Giving up Land Line/Going Wireless

Kjelle — Tue, 02 Sep 2014 08:20:11 GMT

If you are getting a new laptop and you are going to chuck the landline, I would go with better internet than DSL. You will then be able to have you phones immediately switch to Internet when you walk in the door and stop using data from your phone plan. If you are also doing business in the house, honestly I wouldn't be able to stand loading pages as slowly as DSL will be with all the things using internet service in your house. Esp. if you have any tablets, Nooks, Kindles, etc. plus, u-verse is totally better. Your old computer could not have maximized the internet speeds which are available today. Your new computer will. AT&T on Demand is not nearly as good as Comcast, BUT their DVR hard drives are 3x bigger so you never need to rely on On Demand, you can record everything. Don't let them sell you a security system you don't need. Just do a triple play of TV, Internet and cell. Don't let them sell you too much security but I guess though if you do this your security system will need to be upgraded a bit. You'll be glad of everything later.

Re: OT - Giving up Land Line/Going Wireless

okiebug — Tue, 02 Sep 2014 09:24:17 GMT

It's totally up to you - if you need a faster connection, Uverse is far better than DSL. I have AT&T DSL because Uverse isn't available down my road, but my internet speed is 5-6 mbps, my son's cable internet speed is 50 mbps, and he considers his slow. I have had Directv, which is the tv service that bundles with AT&T and it's excellent service IMO. We have had a repairman out 3 times in 9 years, most channels are HD. As for the security system, if you already have one you're happy with, you don't have to go with it, but it would at least be worth comparing.

Re: OT - Giving up Land Line/Going Wireless

jackthebear — Tue, 02 Sep 2014 11:52:31 GMT

I don't have ATT or Uverse but I think the guy just want to sell all this to you.

I wouldn't want to have all of my stuff with one company, my security system is with a small company.

No reason to dump your land line.

He probably thought he could easily sell you guys the biggest package. Take the time to think about it.

Re: OT - Giving up Land Line/Going Wireless

CalminHeart — Tue, 02 Sep 2014 11:57:29 GMT

The best thing I ever did was to give up my land line. I don't miss it at all. And I receive minimal political or marketing calls now.

Call AT&T and see if they can hook you up with a router for wireless. I went through Century Link and they shipped the router to me. I had to call them for help getting it set up but it wasn't a big deal.

Re: OT - Giving up Land Line/Going Wireless

Pook — Tue, 02 Sep 2014 12:05:06 GMT

I'll keep my landline until they discontinue them all. I want the security. If you don't have a landline and the power goes out - no phone service!!! You could use your cell as long as it's charge doesn't run out. There may be some advantages and only you can decide what is best for you but the salesman wanted a bigger commission so of course he would suggest the most expensive way to go!

Re: OT - Giving up Land Line/Going Wireless

jubilant — Tue, 02 Sep 2014 12:09:21 GMT

On 9/2/2014 Pook said:
I'll keep my landline until they discontinue them all. I want the security. If you don't have a landline and the power goes out - no phone service!!! You could use your cell as long as it's charge doesn't run out. There may be some advantages and only you can decide what is best for you but the salesman wanted a bigger commission so of course he would suggest the most expensive way to go!

We have to have a landline for DH's heart monitoring defibrillator/pacemaker. I don't know how old you are but you might want to consider not getting rid of it for medical purposes.

Re: OT - Giving up Land Line/Going Wireless

inGeorgia — Tue, 02 Sep 2014 12:17:44 GMT

As for your security system, call your monitoring company and ask what it would cost to change/upgrade your system from land line monitoring to wireless. That way you can do a better cost comparison with what ATT is offering.

Re: OT - Giving up Land Line/Going Wireless

violann — Tue, 02 Sep 2014 12:32:04 GMT

I will NEVER give up my landline. I was a HUGE fan of the Bell Telephone monopoly, and IMNHO, service was MUCH better 40 or 50 years ago, ie., before the divestiture. I hate being "sold" communication services and the nonsensical price wars and comparison shopping.

Re: OT - Giving up Land Line/Going Wireless

Montana — Tue, 02 Sep 2014 12:50:31 GMT

Cell phones can have problems too. I have received spam voicemails and texts. I have been text-stalked by a stranger. I eventually had to change my number.

Re: OT - Giving up Land Line/Going Wireless

makeup addict — Tue, 02 Sep 2014 12:53:36 GMT

I do not miss my LAN line. My home security uses cell phone towers. I went thru my cable company to create a wifi spot in my home so I can use my iPad and computer. I did Magic Jack for four years. Recently I switched to cable for phone service to lower my cable bill. Wow!!! The quality of my phone calls sound so much better than Magic Jack! My cable company also has an app. My tv box messed up a few weeks ago. I was able to watch "live tv" on my iPad. I love having wifi in my home. If you get uverse, you may it be able to watch tv"live".

Re: OT - Giving up Land Line/Going Wireless

Perkup — Tue, 02 Sep 2014 13:04:22 GMT

Boy, you got hold of a real SALESMAN! We went with uVerse about a year ago. We have it on our phones and our computers. We didn't go to the tv system because they don't offer some of the things we like best like the Hallmark Channels. No mention was ever made about our changing our security system. It is a totally separate item which doesn't involve either the telephone or the internet. We still have our land lines and we have our cells.

uVerse has saved us a considerable amount of money each month and we are very pleased with the operation, but for some reason they are telling neighbors that they aren't installing uVerse in our area anymore. No idea why.

A word of caution. During some of the more recent hurricanes we've been thru, including Katrina of course, all the cell towers were down. Had we depended on them, we would have had no security system at all for months. Also our cell phones did not work because there were no towers. We were able to use laptops because we went to the larger hotel/motel areas and fed off their wi-fi for internet & phones. I would not recommend to anyone that they give up their land lines - keep one fixed phone in your home at all times for security under unusual circumstances. It could be a lifesaver.

Re: OT - Giving up Land Line/Going Wireless

Nuttmeg — Tue, 02 Sep 2014 13:14:43 GMT

On 9/2/2014 Pook said:
I'll keep my landline until they discontinue them all. I want the security. If you don't have a landline and the power goes out - no phone service!!! You could use your cell as long as it's charge doesn't run out.

If you cancel you landline service, you can never get it restored. Who would rewire an alarm system when they do not have too?

You have not had a new computer in a while. Ask a family member or friend to help you buy a faster internet connection. You can buy DSL or cable. Cable service is much faster.

Re: OT - Giving up Land Line/Going Wireless

JeanLouiseFinch — Tue, 02 Sep 2014 14:18:30 GMT

I won't give up my landline either. If there's ever an emergency, dialing 911 from a landline will get a faster response because addresses are automatically displayed to the police and fire departments. If calling from a cell phone, the dispatcher will have to ask for an address. What if the caller is unable to provide that? Also, our cell phone reception isn't all that great in certain parts of the house. With the landline, I can call local friends and businesses from my desk, using my landline, and be able to take notes and make appointments more conveniently. Even though we've kept our landline, we still have a wireless computer network set up in the house.

Re: OT - Giving up Land Line/Going Wireless

lizzief — Tue, 02 Sep 2014 14:30:10 GMT

You don't need to give up your landline, you can have both. Sounds like the salesman was trying to pitch that you should give up the landline to save money to help pay for what he was proposing, correct? Wow! Will he be responsible when you have to call 911 and you lose precious minutes because the operator doesn't know where you are and you can't tell them? Or how about someone who doesn't have your cell number but needs to get in touch with you? Like a family member who has been in an accident and can't speak to tell the responders how to call you? I don't mean to be overly dramatic, but I think it's foolish to give up a landline. People do it to save money, to avoid robocalls, etc., and don't miss it, but what happens the first time you need it and it's not there?

Re: OT - Giving up Land Line/Going Wireless

wenfen — Tue, 02 Sep 2014 15:13:34 GMT

Thank-you sooooo much to each & everyone of you that took the time to answer my question.

You have given me very valuable information & convinced me that keeping my land line is a good idea.

I think we will just go with the $99 DSL wireless router/modem for now & if we decide to upgrade to Uverse then cross that bridge when we come to it.

We live in a 3 story house & are in our early 60s so I'm not sure how much longer we will physically be able to "make the stairs" & even stay in this house.

I was torn about the security system, because once you go to wireless you can't go back. All our smoke & CO2 Detectors are also tied into it, so I really don't want to mess with it.

If we do decide to sell in the next few years, let the new owner go wireless.

Also the security & other items come with a 2 year unbreakable contract wish is NOT for me!

Thanks again to everyone for their thoughtful comments & kindness!

Re: OT - Giving up Land Line/Going Wireless

bonnielu — Tue, 02 Sep 2014 15:26:31 GMT

Thought about it. It would save on robo calls hopefully and all kinds of other kinds of unwanted calls. But in my case it probably would not work out. I live in the woods on a little mountain and we get fairly good cell phone service most of the time. But I would not want to totally eliminate my landline. So here is what I did. I have comcast digital voice, Internet, TV all linked in one. My phone is therefore sort of a land line and sort of a line connected to Comcast. My cell phone is Sprint. (smart phone). Through my service I actually can link one to the other in some fashion. My security system is independent though Guardian out of PA. I have all sorts of deals running so I am not feeling the pinch. I am happy and it works for me. We do not have the option of making our land line modern, only copper wiring with Verizon. Otherwise I cannot get all the fancy stuff out here. Cable really was our only choice.

Re: OT - Giving up Land Line/Going Wireless

bells4me — Tue, 02 Sep 2014 15:49:45 GMT

I gave up my landline in 2009.

Re: OT - Giving up Land Line/Going Wireless

RainyDayGal — Tue, 02 Sep 2014 15:56:21 GMT

Where we live we can't give up the land line, cell phone reception is far to spotty. I don't think I would give it up even if we could.

He's a salesman and that's his job to sell you all of those things. Is Uverse the security system where you can check on your house via your cell phone or computer? I wouldn't do that because I don't want them looking in my house. Oh, they say they won't but what's to stop them? Too much risk with that IMO.

Re: OT - Giving up Land Line/Going Wireless

gazelle77 — Tue, 02 Sep 2014 16:00:28 GMT

I will give it up when it is no longer available.