hooking up a landline phone

[lovin'fl]

My mom is in a new-ish condo that has 1 wall jack in which her internet is connected to (modem I suppose). She is elderly and having severe health situations and isn't great about having cellphone handy and charged. I want to plug in a landline but there are no other phone jacks, just the internet jack in the 2nd bedroom. Can I hook up a phone through that? Do I need a jack plug in with a dual slot or something or can I connect phone right to the modem/computer? Not my forte so thanks for any advice. Then we can also continue this thread to discuss care of aging parents. It's been a hellacious year for me in this regard.

 

[sam_gordon]

First, you need phone SERVICE from a company. Whoever you get the internet through may be able to provide it.

You will probably need a filter, so the internet signal noise doesn't bleed into the phone line.

 

[Imzadi]

How is the Internet modem connected now? Is it hard wired in or does it just plug in to the jack in the wall? Is it just Internet service or does phone service come through that plug too? When I had Spectrum Cable, they provided both services together in one line somehow.

If it's just plugged in and you can get phone service too, you can get a dual phone line splitter like one of these:


Front & back views:

Should look like this in the wall:

Or, if there is a piece of furniture in front and the plug would extend out too far, you can get one with a wire and bend it sideways so the plug doesn't stick out:

Amazon has both styles.

https://www.amazon.com/s?k=landline...HBCXQX0&sprefix=landline+dual+socket+,aps,150

 

[Imzadi]

She is elderly and having severe health situations and isn't great about having cellphone handy and charged.

Alternately, she can have leave the cellphone wired to the charger all the time. Nowadays, the charging is supposed to automatically turn off when completely charged. Or, it may wear down the phone faster than "usual." But that could means a few months to a year difference? It's not like she will use it all the time that it will make a significant difference. You just get a new cellphone months sooner.

 

[tvguy]

The first two responses pretty much spell it all out.
And I suspect what you are calling an "Internet Jack" is in fact a landline phone jack that her internet provider has hooked up to.
More importantly, you are discovering what the representative of the fire department told our National Night Out neighborhood gathering, and that is homes with elderly residents, or young children should consider keeping a landline with the most basic service in case of emergency. If someone needs help, and can dial 9-1-1 but not speak, a landline will give emergency responders your EXACT location. A cellphone gives a proximity and that can make it difficult in condo and apartment complexes to find exactly where the call is coming from, there could be dozens of units in that proximity.

 

[monsterkitty]

Alternately, she can have leave the cellphone wired to the charger all the time. Nowadays, the charging is supposed to automatically turn off when completely charged. Or, it may wear down the phone faster than "usual." But that could means a few months to a year difference? It's not like she will use it all the time that it will make a significant difference. You just get a new cellphone months sooner.

My mom is also having health issues, one of them being Alzheimer's. She can't always remember how to use a cell phone but she can remember how to use a landline.

OP, we have a landline because we live in a black hole for cell service. We have one landline phone that is plugged into the phone jack as the base. The others are cordless handsets. They are the Panasonic Cordless Phone with Advanced Call Block on Amazon.

​

 

[monsterkitty]

OP, I forgot to add, you can call the phone company and they will add a jack for you. The cost will depend on your phone company

 

[SteveMouse]

Traditional landline phones use different sized plugs than computer network cables. The same wiring cannot support both traditional phones and computers at the same time (VOIP phones are a different animal-they"speak" computer- VOIP is an acronym for Voice over Internet Protocol).

Internet Service Providers such as Google Fiber offer/have offered bundled voice and computer services. They include a special modem that supports voice and computer connections simultaneously.

Companies such as Vonage offered plug-in devices that served as a bridge between computer and voice networks.

We currently maintain a landline phone as part of our Google Fiber package. It's about $10 a month on top of our $70ish monthly Internet bill.

 

[fla4fun]

How is the Internet modem connected now? Is it hard wired in or does it just plug in to the jack in the wall? Is it just Internet service or does phone service come through that plug too? When I had Spectrum Cable, they provided both services together in one line somehow.

If it's just plugged in and you can get phone service too, you can get a dual phone line splitter like one of these:


Front & back views:

Should look like this in the wall:

Or, if there is a piece of furniture in front and the plug would extend out too far, you can get one with a wire and bend it sideways so the plug doesn't stick out:

Amazon has both styles.

https://www.amazon.com/s?k=landline+dual+socket&crid=34KLFNHBCXQX0&sprefix=landline+dual+socket+,aps,150

We used one of these when we had dial up internet many years ago. It worked fine, except that we could not make or receive calls and be on the internet at the same time. I still have the device, although the dial up and the landline are long gone.

These days, aren’t there phones that work over the internet that operate like a landline (meaning for an older person, it is a free standing phone with the familiar landline form factor)? I am cell only, but it seems like I have seen advertisements for this type of set up.

 

[tvguy]

These days, aren’t there phones that work over the internet that operate like a landline (meaning for an older person, it is a free standing phone with the familiar landline form factor)? I am cell only, but it seems like I have seen advertisements for this type of set up.

You're talking about VoIP (voice over internet protocol) phones. On the user end they operate just like a regular landline My concern is what I have heard from 9-1-1 dispatchers who say calls from VoIP phones have issues displaying the correct address of the caller. Used them at work, and the audio quality was AWFUL. Tinny audio quality and low volume that could not be increased. So bad at my last place that they took one system out after just two years, and found those issues were the same with a different provider.

 

[GreatLakes]

It is very likely whomever your mom gets Internet from has a phone solution and it won't need a second wall jack. Many ISPs will offer a voice bundle and you plug the analog phone into the router as opposed to the wall jack. With some they'll swap out the Internet only router for one that is phone capable and then you just plug any old analog phone into the phone port of the router.

With very few exceptions, mostly rural areas like the middle of nowhere Nevada, every call you make is converted to an Internet packet at some point. It might be in your house, at a box in your neighborhood, or at a Telco office a few miles away. The days of a call never leaving a copper twisted pair are long gone.

 

[tvguy]

It is very likely whomever your mom gets Internet from has a phone solution and it won't need a second wall jack. Many ISPs will offer a voice bundle and you plug the analog phone into the router as opposed to the wall jack. With some they'll swap out the Internet only router for one that is phone capable and then you just plug any old analog phone into the phone port of the router.

With very few exceptions, mostly rural areas like the middle of nowhere Nevada, every call you make is converted to an Internet packet at some point. It might be in your house, at a box in your neighborhood, or at a Telco office a few miles away. The days of a call never leaving a copper twisted pair are long gone.

AT&T here is installing fiber for landline service. My brother lives about 6 miles from me and they replaced the copper lines to his house with fiber and made some changes to his connections in the house. But he lives in an older neighborhood where utilities are above ground. I live in a newer subdivision where everything is underground so not sure if that is why they haven't upgraded mine yet because if will be a whole lot more work.

 

[Travel60]

Don't go cordless if it's the only phone

We have a summer home in the mountains where our cell phones either don't work at all or work badly. So, we put in cordless phones that sit in a base unit.

We recently figured out after 12 years (duh) that if you have all cordless phones and the electricity goes out, you have no phone. We bought an old fashioned "princess-style" corded phone so at least one phone would work.

 

[barkley]

Don't go cordless if it's the only phone

We have a summer home in the mountains where our cell phones either don't work at all or work badly. So, we put in cordless phones that sit in a base unit.

We recently figured out after 12 years (duh) that if you have all cordless phones and the electricity goes out, you have no phone. We bought an old fashioned "princess-style" corded phone so at least one phone would work.

yup-we have one old non cordless plugged in for this very purpose. it sits on an apothocary cabinet with allot of odd antiques so i suspect anyone who glances at it just assumes it's for decor

 

[sam_gordon]

How is the Internet modem connected now? Is it hard wired in or does it just plug in to the jack in the wall? Is it just Internet service or does phone service come through that plug too? When I had Spectrum Cable, they provided both services together in one line somehow.

If it's just plugged in and you can get phone service too, you can get a dual phone line splitter like one of these:


Front & back views:

Should look like this in the wall:

Or, if there is a piece of furniture in front and the plug would extend out too far, you can get one with a wire and bend it sideways so the plug doesn't stick out:

Amazon has both styles.

https://www.amazon.com/s?k=landline...HBCXQX0&sprefix=landline+dual+socket+,aps,150

Assuming its a DSL connection (using a phone line to the modem, it probably is) you dont want to just use a splitter like above. Or get a DSL filter to put on the line going to the phone.

Best bet is to reach out to the company providing the internet and ask what you need for wired phone service.

 

[mommasita]

You're talking about VoIP (voice over internet protocol) phones. On the user end they operate just like a regular landline My concern is what I have heard from 9-1-1 dispatchers who say calls from VoIP phones have issues displaying the correct address of the caller. Used them at work, and the audio quality was AWFUL. Tinny audio quality and low volume that could not be increased. So bad at my last place that they took one system out after just two years, and found those issues were the same with a different provider.

This is 100% spot on.

VOIP is absolutely not a good idea. Lines drop, audio is very awful, precious time wasted. One could go on and on about it.

 

[sam_gordon]

This is 100% spot on.

VOIP is absolutely not a good idea. Lines drop, audio is very awful, precious time wasted. One could go on and on about it.

We have VoIP for our landline. No issues with dropped or distorted audio. The bad... if internet or power goes out, no phone.

 

[LuvOrlando]

SInce loss of hearing is common I'd add many states and areas have support for the hearing impaired and will offer support

https://www.hearingloss.org/hearing-help/technology/phones-mobile-devices/

Also they have phones with giant buttons and even ones with photos

https://www.amazon.com/Future-Call-FC-0613-Picture-Protection/dp/B0797JGC34/ref=sr_1_1_sspa?dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.tRX0ozTCuX532CmpBJH0KQ27WDUE4b-HoO2WK0mRBm5s1J3iv7XYGgKxSbEjmN8_xMij7OYikFxG9mvEOaMSrnERMrWozljc5IsGDRnOa-te8KztSu9sVx0OpOtY0iq37AgSF0nmnj7zI0TKLCyY5oO6X4-11wmgUusDEwUV6SI8rikD1zN5KMLqlb3TMPdTWFzdX3N9xPQSNB5JTB1ehgcQTKIwK0iqPLuPxUeD2Co.fSu15fVBNmV8BjeJcp84DGnPKOt8AY3slTTRRAGTLzg&dib_tag=se&keywords=picture+phones+for+seniors&qid=1714871890&sr=8-1-spons&sp_csd=d2lkZ2V0TmFtZT1zcF9hdGY&th=1

or this

https://www.amazon.com/Home-Intuition-Amplified-Telephone-Buttons/dp/B079K1HC3Q/ref=sxin_16_pa_sp_search_thematic_sspa?content-id=amzn1.sym.679ca254-fe3a-4b5e-a742-a17f009c74a4:amzn1.sym.679ca254-fe3a-4b5e-a742-a17f009c74a4&crid=3S70XQRJA0JP3&cv_ct_cx=giant+button+phones+for+seniors&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.2e-0l8_IuAN3pHTH1bd99-WwKvat2jnYVXjydrkcd1O3n71kjv4XP8XGUgBFfI3WTow0n4avWe0Lo5Nx_5Kz1w.0uQkKS90hS3BGQoWBmfvBbS721AhCsIJefgvBq9HR4o&dib_tag=se&keywords=giant+button+phones+for+seniors&pd_rd_i=B079K1HC3Q&pd_rd_r=a8b6878a-7c90-4672-b2a7-1d508a477962&pd_rd_w=mR96g&pd_rd_wg=ehwIM&pf_rd_p=679ca254-fe3a-4b5e-a742-a17f009c74a4&pf_rd_r=RGW14S6DC51MSAGYVX4J&qid=1714871947&sbo=RZvfv//HxDF+O5021pAnSA==&sprefix=giant+button+phones+for+seniors,aps,90&sr=1-3-364cf978-ce2a-480a-9bb0-bdb96faa0f61-spons&sp_csd=d2lkZ2V0TmFtZT1zcF9zZWFyY2hfdGhlbWF0aWM&psc=1

 

[NotUrsula]

In quite a few communities, amplified landline phones are available to the elderly for no/low cost if the person has a diagnosed hearing loss. Both the speaker and the ringtone are very loud, and the buttons are large as well. They also usually have a small light on them so that they are easy to find if the room is dark.

 

[Imzadi]

The same wiring cannot support both traditional phones and computers at the same time (VOIP phones are a different animal-they"speak" computer- VOIP is an acronym for Voice over Internet Protocol).

Internet Service Providers such as Google Fiber offer/have offered bundled voice and computer services. They include a special modem that supports voice and computer connections simultaneously.

I forgot that the Internet companies use different technology and it's not really a landline, even if the phone you get is wired to their wall jack.

OP, if you do go with an Internet service that provides phone service, make sure 911 will be able to get the address if she calls and can't talk. Most companies have upgraded their technology so that it does that now. But, if your mom lives in a rural area or an area that hasn't been upgraded yet, she might not have that ability.