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Here are the major alternatives to traditional phone service at home. Switching could save you money by allowing you to cancel your landline:
Cable company. If you want cheaper, high-quality, low-hassle phone service, look no further than the local cable TV company. It will almost surely offer a TV-Internet-phone bundle that could save you money over paying separately for phone service.
Femtocell. This is isn't a phone service in itself. It's a way to make cell phones work better in the house. Appearing similar to a wireless router, a femtocell device acts as a miniature cell-phone tower in your home.
Ooma. The Ooma Telo device also uses your broadband Internet connection to place and receive calls. It plugs into your Internet router and your phone. Ooma's attractive selling point is you pay once for the device -- about $200 -- and never pay for phone service again. Well, kind of. You'll have to pay some taxes and fees.
Computer-based Internet calling. MagicJack, $39.95, is a small device that plugs into your computer's USB port. You plug in a regular phone line to its other end. You can make unlimited calls. Renewing the service in subsequent years costs $19.95 per year.
Note: Before switching to any alternative provider, be sure to know the drawbacks. For example, some services won't connect to 911 for emergencies, and some won't work during power outages because they rely on your Internet connection
Cable company. If you want cheaper, high-quality, low-hassle phone service, look no further than the local cable TV company. It will almost surely offer a TV-Internet-phone bundle that could save you money over paying separately for phone service.
Femtocell. This is isn't a phone service in itself. It's a way to make cell phones work better in the house. Appearing similar to a wireless router, a femtocell device acts as a miniature cell-phone tower in your home.
Ooma. The Ooma Telo device also uses your broadband Internet connection to place and receive calls. It plugs into your Internet router and your phone. Ooma's attractive selling point is you pay once for the device -- about $200 -- and never pay for phone service again. Well, kind of. You'll have to pay some taxes and fees.
Computer-based Internet calling. MagicJack, $39.95, is a small device that plugs into your computer's USB port. You plug in a regular phone line to its other end. You can make unlimited calls. Renewing the service in subsequent years costs $19.95 per year.
Note: Before switching to any alternative provider, be sure to know the drawbacks. For example, some services won't connect to 911 for emergencies, and some won't work during power outages because they rely on your Internet connection
