We are parents and students in Sellwood who think every home should have a landline telephone.
- Empower kids to connect without introducing another screen.
- Delay smartphone and social media use as long as possible.
- Because telephones are fun!
And we're not the only ones who think so:
- Kids need to be connected and independent. Without the technology. (Landline Kids)
- The Dumbest Phone is Parenting Genius (The Atlantic)
- Millennial Technology for the Children of Millennials (Group Chat with Brittney)
What do we do?
We offer Voice over IP (VoIP) lines that use your home internet connection. It's simple, easy, and inexpensive.
Here’s how this works:
- Get a telephone number.
- Set up an analog telephone adapter (ATA) box with your number.
- Connect the ATA to the internet.
- Connect a telephone to the ATA.
We can help with all of it, but our main focus is taking care of the first two steps for you.
Send us an email to get started!
STEP 1: Get a telephone number.
We’ll reserve a phone number for you. We can search available numbers to find something easy to remember. We’ve had good luck using house numbers, which also helps kids know their home address.
You can pick any area code in the country. For Portland/Oregon numbers, there are lot more available numbers in 971 than in 503.
The phone service comes from a company called VoIP.ms. They charge:
- $1.10/mo per telephone number
- $0.009/min for phone calls (optionally a flat $5/mo for unlimited). Calls between club members are free!
- $1.50/mo for "enhanced 911 location services," which means that if you call 911, the dispatcher will automatically know where the phone is located.
Voicemail is included, and we can optionally set up quiet hours, or restrict the phone to only work with certain numbers. Just ask!
So it costs $3 for a month of service, or $36/year.
STEP 2: Set up an analog telephone adapter (ATA) box with your number.
The ATA box we’re using is a Grandstream HT802v2. They're available from a few different online sellers, usually around $50.
We try to keep a few of these on hand for setting up new club members, so we may already have one for you! If not, we can get one and set it up for you.
STEP 3: Connect the ATA to the internet.
In addition to AC power, the ATA box needs a wired (ethernet) connection. Just plug the ATA into your home internet router using an ethernet cable.
Wired connections not always convenient in our wifi-centric homes, and this does limit your options for where to locate the telephone in your house.
Fortunately, there are alternatives, like this “wifi range extender," which connects to your home wifi and shares the connection via its ethernet port.
If your house has phone jacks and wiring in the walls, you can use it! Just connect your ATA to one of the jacks, and then plug your phone into one of the other jacks in the house to get service.
STEP 4: Connect a telephone to the ATA.
This is the fun part. You’ll need a plain old telephone, like the ones we grew up with. They’re still making them!
Rotary dial telephones are supported! (Though you may have trouble with the # and * keys.)
Multi-handset cordless systems are a nice way of working around problems with wired connections. Put the main unit wherever is most convenient, and the extra handset(s) wherever you want to have a phone.
Thrift stores are also an excellent source. Let us know if you need help sourcing a phone!
What about the phone company?
In our neighborhood, you can get a landline from CenturyLink or Xfinity. They don't list their prices, but you'll pay at least $40/month, depending on the package you get.
There are other options!
- The likeminded folks at Tin Can have a couple of different phone/service options at $75 for the phone and $0-$10/month for service. (Home internet required.) We think they're great!
- Ooma offers "free" phone service, but you'll pay ~$100 for the device, and you're responsible for monthly taxes and regulatory fees, currently around $8/month. (Bring your own internet and phone.)
- MagicJack costs about $50/year. (Bring your own internet and phone.)
- US Mobile has a home phone product that uses a wireless connection instead of your home internet. $10/mo after you buy the phone for $100.
All of these are great options, but we think our service is just as good, more flexible, and significantly less expensive. (We're not making money here. This is a hobby club, not a business.)
Want to DIY something like this?
Chris Hardie has published an excellent guide for setting up your own phone line, just like we're offering here.