OK to test 911?

Posts: 1 · New Forum Member Joined: Mar 30, 2005 Posts: 1

Have any of you tried dialing 911 through your old phone line? When I disconnected my phone to go "cellphone only", I noticed I still had a dialtone on my old line and someone told me the phone company was obliged to keep the 911 line open. I never checked it, though.

Posts: 426 · Posted: Wed Mar 30, 2005 4:55 pm Post subject:

I must be getting old. I remember before 911 and people knew where
they were located and emergency services found them. Now, people depend on someone else doing their job. I agree 911 is nice, but lets not put so much faith and need.

Just a thought, and open to rebuttal.

Posts: 336 · Posted: Wed Mar 30, 2005 7:50 pm Post subject:

You are correct! We did not always have 911. In Canada it only came along about 15 years ago. Prior to that however, we did have emergency numbers. However the police and fire department were separate numbers. In Canada here were our emergency numbers:

POLICE: 4105
FIRE: 4103

They were quite easy to remember, but when you called them, they did not know who you were unless they put a hold on your line, and then traced it. It could take up to 30 minutes to trace a number using this old technology. A lot of water can run under the bridge in 30 minutes.

Now, with 911, the main advantage is to save even more lives. They save more lives because if you are choking, or if you have a fire and can barely breathe let alone talk, you can dial 911 and they will send emergency response people to your house even if you say nothing.

There are cases when this information could save lives. I'm sure that one day, VoIP will improve to the point where this will happen. It's still very new and already it has come a long way.

Posts: 1 · Posted: Wed Apr 27, 2005 4:40 pm Post subject: Tested 911

I just tested 911. I'm in Belchertown, MA and the operator answered in two rings. I told him why I'd called and he explained that he was located in the Belchertown Police Dept., that they were open 24/7, and it was the alternate line for 911, meaning he could provide all of the same services. I feel much more confident shutting off Verizon all together. They are no longer required to keep lines open when you turn of the phone as of 7yrs ago. So the least amount of service from them still amounts to @ $20/month after taxes.

I'm also going to post the actual emergency nuimbers next to my phones, a la the olden days just to be on the safe side.

Posts: 25 · Vonage Forum Junior Joined: Jul 09, 2005 Posts: 25

what happens if the attacker knows you have VOIP and he has someone packet the hell out of your net making your connection go down then they brake in :\

lol jk anyways I just signed up today and the quality seems to be better than the quality I had on my landline which had a small buzz now its crystal clear *knock on wood* but I would deff pay for 911 just my 2 cents

Posts: 1389 · Posted: Sat Jul 09, 2005 2:24 pm Post subject:

Wow, I am surprised about Belchertown...usually the people out there have no clue...

Posts: 1389 · Posted: Sat Jul 09, 2005 2:31 pm Post subject:

Interesting...I just tried 911 on my house phone, and it was a recording for the Police Department...if you hold you can get a police dispatcher, so I did and explained why I was calling...YIPES! She has never heard of Vonage, and said "gee I thought when you called from a cellphone it would automatically route to emergency services!"

Explained it was not a cellphone etc..good lord.

Posts: 1 · New Forum Member Joined: Mar 01, 2006 Posts: 1

For all who have problems getting 911 service with VOIP.

Old cell phones or cell phones not in service can be used to dial 911. To my knowledge and what I've read, all cell phones, even those not active, can call 911 and reach a dispacher. If you have VOIP and want 911 service, just use or buy an old cell phone and keep it near your VOIP phone with a message to potential users. I use a VOIP provider other than vonage. I'm going to use an old cell phone for 911 services until they have a stable 911 system set up.

Posts: 18 · Posted: Wed Mar 01, 2006 3:28 pm Post subject: Mine Works AOK

I just tested 911.

Not only did I get the 911 dispatch center here in Cary, NC but the dispatcher had my address and phone number.

And I was impressed that she knew what I was talking about when I told her that I was calling from a VoIP phone.

Just a guess, but maybe it works here because TWC has their own VoIP service.

Regardless, I'm a happy camper!! Very Happy

Posts: 2257

krayon wrote:

Old cell phones or cell phones not in service can be used to dial 911. To my knowledge and what I've read, all cell phones, even those not active, can call 911 and reach a dispacher.

I know I'm going a little off topic (sorry), but this is precisely why battered women's shelters and other safety service organizations are always looking for working cell phones that are not connected to a service. The newer the better.

A "junk" cell phone can be a lifeline for someone who needs a portable way to call 911. NEVER throw away a working cell phone. Take it to your local police station, fire department, or shelter. Or see the link below for lists of dropoff locations by state.

http://www.donateaphone.org/