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View Full Version : Anyone have Verizon Home Phone Connect service?



Matt Meiser
09-16-2011, 8:39 AM
We are considering switching to this. We've had problems with one of our home landline since we moved here almost 8 years ago, sometimes going weeks without service. A few years ago I filed a formal complaint with the state and they did some wire replacement, but that was really just a patch and we're having trouble again.

Our home phone "system" consists of a couple hard-wired phones and a 5.8GHz base with some remotes. It sounds like the Verizon Home Phone Connect bridge shouldn't have any trouble driving this. We have an alarm system that is on this line right now, but we're switching to cellular monitoring in the next few days. Between paying for the cellular monitoring module, a few bucks a month extra for using that, and the fact that our home line is very basic service with almost no long-distance use we won't save much, if anything, but I'm hoping for reliable service. I realize I'll have to put it on a UPS to keep phone service when the power is out. Not a problem as I've got an extra. We have excellent Verizon coverage.

If it works well, I want to get a second for the line that is used for my home office. We'd see a huge savings there due to numerous call features and a high volume of long distance calls.

Before anyone suggests Skype, Ooma, Vonage, etc., VOIP is not an option due to our poor internet connection.

Before anyone suggests giving it up...I've got a 9 year old daughter. I'm not quite ready to get her a cell phone and I don't want her friends calling my or my wife's cell phones all the time looking for her. While we could get her a "free" phone and add it to our plan for $10/mo, I suspect it wouldn't be too long before we need to go to a plan with more or unlimited minutes which would then cost more than getting the Home Phone Connect device.

Lee Schierer
09-16-2011, 12:46 PM
We don't have the Verizon home connect, but a friend does. We can't get it because we have Verizon DSL and it doesn't work over the home connect. As far as I know our friends are very satisfied with their wireless home connect and were able to keep their land line number.

Just make sure you have good cell coverage where you mount the home connect unit. You should then be able to tie in to your house system, but I don't know how many phones the home connect box will drive.

Matt Meiser
08-01-2012, 1:33 PM
We finally switched to this after months of waiting for Frontier to fix the issues with the line. My last conversation was a demand to put a plan together to make the line reliable. The general manager for the region refused other than to "look into" connecting to a remote terminal much closer which they had done with my other line last year. I never heard any more so we stopped at the local Verizon store Monday night and picked up the device. By yesterday evening the port process was complete. I lifted my wires off the terminals in Frontier's box and connected a cable between the Home Phone Connect box and a wall jack and all my former land line phones work, even the one 120' of wire away out in the shop. Verizon has a generator on their tower, the box has a battery, and I've got it plugged into an outlet that has generator power so it will end up being more reliable for less money. In two years or so we'll probably switch out the HPC box for a cell phone for my daughter now that the Verizon plans are unlimited talk/text (which actually was a big money saver for us.)

Steve Peterson
08-02-2012, 2:20 PM
How is the sound quality? We have a Verison home phone system that we got to replace our AT&T land line. The sound quality is not that great. But it costs $20 per month for unlimited calling vs around $55 from AT&T, so we tolerate it.

Steve

Matt Meiser
08-02-2012, 3:04 PM
Better than the sound quality on 6 miles of 1950's wire with dozens (maybe 100's) of splices.

Jim Matthews
08-03-2012, 7:16 AM
Sounds like the same loop of wire in my local squirrel condo.

When the new Verizon box can handle unlimited data for internet use, these things will fly off the shelves.
It's applications like this that favor the late adopters - most of the developing world is raising cellphone towers rather than telephone poles.

Matt Meiser
08-03-2012, 7:56 AM
They have a different box for Internet. Price and limit wise its competitive with satellite plans but since it only works on their 4G network, speed and latency wise its comparable to something like U-Verse. I'm likely to jump on that once its available in our area unless by some miracle Frontier gets us DSL before then. If I do, the 2nd phone line will be going to Verizon as well.

My wife says Frontier probably had a party when they saw my port request come in--I've been a major pain in a few management type's you-know-what over there over issues we've been having over the past year.