911 question

Posts: 9 · New Forum Member Joined: Jun 06, 2003 Posts: 9

Hello,
I signed up for Vonage a month ago and have been very happy so far.

I have a question about 911 service.

In the "service features FAQ," it states that 911 is not available, but should be Q1 2003.

In the "top ten Vonage questions FAQ" it states that E911 is available. However, if possible, it would be helpful if there was a description included about the difference between 911 and E911.

So...

Is 911 or E911 available yet or not?

Not being familiar with 911 vs. E911, what's the difference?

Thank you,
Dave

Posts: 106 · Posted: Tue Jul 01, 2003 8:34 am Post subject:

well 911 as we know it just bam calls your local law enforcement center and populates your name address and phone number, this is because each local phone company is already setup to have their "911" calls routed like this.

E911 on the other hand is very similar when you register on the features page on the dashboard for 911 Vonage gets it setup so that when you dial 911 it routes to your local 911 office and populates the information you registed with the 911 feature.

that is my understanding..

Posts: 54 · Full Forum Member Joined: May 01, 2003 Posts: 54

That is my understanding also.

Since you can take your ATA anywhere they could send your address the way they would with a land line phone. Because of this you have to register your address with Vonage in order for 911 dialing to be activated. After you register for 911 with Vonage they will have the address that you have your ATA placed at, so that they will know what emergency number to route your 911 call to.

Guest

From my understanding, 911 vs E911 goes like this. 911 is generic, it will go to your local 911 dispatch, but not display your address or any other information to the person taking the call.
E911 will display your phone number, address, and possibly other pertinent information to a computer screen at the 911 call center.
So say for instance you are choking and can not talk. E911 will have the ability to send a squad car to your house regardless of if they can hear you or not. Normal 911 service will not have your address information, only the phone number to call you back.

Hope that helps, and keep that in mind when calling 911 with Vontage. Vontage does have 911 calling which is great, however it is not E911 so they people at the other end will need to get your address from you in an emergency.

If Im wrong I apologize for the confusion, but thats my full understanding of it.