VOIP phones. Do they now have emergency calling ability?

Question

Thanks.

Answer 1

YES, they Can...

I have VoIP... and,  I have 911/E911 over VoIP.

It depends on the "type" of VoIP service provider you subscribe to.

A VoIP service can only be considered a.... "home phone replacement" phone service..... IF they offer 911/E911.

Otherwise, they are just a cheap long distance Internet calling service.  Or, even a cheap "incoming" phone number.

FCC requires that any service marketing their VoIP product as a "home phone replacement" service.... MUST provide 911/E911 access over their network.

Services like Skype, Gizmo5, Yahoo Voice, MediaRing Talk, PcCall, Efonica, Vbuzzer, MSN Windows Live Messenger, Hotfoon, etc... are all just "cheap long distance" calling services that use VoIP to make calls over the Internet.  But All of the above VoIP services put "disclaimers" that their services are "not to be used for emergency calls".  They are for cheap long distance calling.... not emergency calling.

Packet8 can be used as a "Home Phone Replacement" phone service.... as well as Vonage.  They both offer 911 access over their networks... in the USA.  Vonage Canada has 911 in Canada (but Vonage Canada is far tooo expensive for me to consider...)

I use InPhonex and CallCentric as my two VoIP Home Phone Replacement Services, here in Alberta, Canada.

Both are USA companies, but I use them here in Canada because they are the cheapest SIP-based VoIP services with service in Canada.  

InPhonex offers 911/e911 in Canada, too.  So, InPhonex is my "primary" home phone.

CallCentric only offers 911 in USA but not Canada, so I have a secondary phone number with them too (because it's cheap)... but, I can't use them for 911 calls in Canada.

911 vs. E911 - (it's important to know the difference)

911 service only provides the emergency service operator with your phone number from which you called.  You have to verbally give the emergency operator your address of the emergency you are calling from.... if you are able to.... otherwise they don't know where you are.....

E911 sends your "address of record" electronically to the emergency operator.... so they know immediately where to send emergency response to without you having to tell  them over the phone...

P.S.

I use UPS battery backups for my equipment, for short-term backup.

In reality,  "most"  emergencies don't occur during power outages.  They happen in everyday life at the blink of an eye...

Cell phones are a good backup alternative (but I don't use them).  And, it has been shown, in numerous emergency situations, that cell phones aren't always reliable for 911 calling either.

For example, when a whole neighbourhood or town experiences a "mass" emergency, ALL the cell networks become "Overloaded" with calls and very few people are able to get through because ALL the circuits are Busy and overloaded with calls...... so Cells aren't always reliable either.

Answer 2

no

Answer 3

My family used to have VOIP service, and when we had a power outage lasting about 54 hours, the battery backup units that plugged into my wall outlet didn't last that long. We lost VOIP service and had to use our cell phones for more than 24 hours.

VOIP phones can stop working when there's an extended power outage lasting a day or two. How long the battery backup wall units last depends on which service provider you use. VOIP services like Vonage and Skype that use a computer-based Broadband connection will stop working  immediately when the computer loses power. Having a UPS-equipped computer usually doesn't help much for computer-based VOIP during extended power outages, since most UPS batteries only last between 5 and 20 minutes.

Phone companies provide power to standard corded phones, although cordless phones need the base cordless unit to have power in order to work.

Now we have standard phone service instead of VOIP service so that we'll have 911 life-line service during such extended power outages. We use cordless phones, but keep a corded phone and a live extension phone cord ready to plug in for emergency use.

If you decide to use a VOIP service, you might want to make sure you have cell phone service at all times and that you can charge at least one cell phone in your car or from batteries in case a power outage lasts longer than your cell phone battery.

Answer 4

The phone company I use here in the UK has a Voip service in the USA, and yes you can call 911 numbers but as a previous person has added, the emergency centre will not be able to see where the call has come from. Whether this is likely to be a major problem, I think only time will tell.

Answer 5

NO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Major concern with VOIP involves emergency 911 calls. Traditional phone equipment can trace your location. Emergency calls are diverted to the nearest call center where the operator can see your location in case you can't talk. However, because a voice-over-IP call is essentially a transfer of data between two IP addresses, not physical addresses, with VOIP there is currently no way to determine where your VOIP phone call is originating from.

Although many companies are making an effort to provide for emergency calls in their service, this issue remains an important deterrent against VoIP.

Answer 6

yes!!

my town is E911 ready!!

I use 2 different VoIP providers in my home and both have E911.....and I already used it several times!!

I pay 1.99 for E911 from Packet8....but I also have E911 from MagicJack which is free!!

Its a little work when you have to set it up! go online and fill out some online paperwork, and then try it out!!

it doesn't not go automatically, you have to set it up over the Internet online, and then try it out and work with the 911 center....!

first, I called my local police Dept. and told them what I was about to do.....they said OK...go ahead.....Police Dept. then switched me to the 911 center, and we worked together on a conf. call.......!  The 911 operator told me to call 911 and she looked and seen my address come up on her screen....we repeated this procedure three more times!!

I just wanted to be absolutely sure that it works since I have my elderly parents living in my home!!