Can I disconnect my landline and still have internet?
Thus, a significant number of homes no longer have a fixed telephone line internet service but rather use cellular phones and internet connection for their communications. This leads to a crucial question of whether making a connection with your landline means you can no longer have internet. Yes, it is possible to disconnect your landline unless it is wired with an internet connection, and in such a case, you will be forced to let it remain connected.
Traditional ways of how telephone landlines and Internet access have operated
Earlier, telephonic connections were sharing the wires with internet connection from providers such as the phone company or the cable company. To get connected to the internet it was often necessary to subscribe to the use of a fixed-line telephone. The landline connected the provider’s network to your home through which the signal had to go.
This bundling of the landline phone with the Internet started to alter with the advancement of broadband (high-speed) Internet access. DSL-based internet connection works through phone lines but does not require an actual telephone number for data transmission. However, cable internet is an entirely different system that does not have a connection with the landline network. While using DSL and cable internet, it became possible to have an internet connection without being subscribed to the telephone line.
Going Completely Wireless
In homes, wireless connectivity has taken the front stage, allowing families to cut off their landlines and enjoy strong internet connection choices. Here are many of the most often used methods to access the internet without a telephone landline: Here are some of the most often used methods to have an internet connection without a phone landline:
- Cellular Wireless Internet: With a high-speed cellular data network, Internet connection can be obtained using only a cellular router or hotspot. There may be some constraints on the data speeds depending on the network quality and availability.
- Cable Internet – It is fast internet access without the need for a phone line and utilizes a cable modem that connects to the cable network that is usually installed in the house. In other words, there is no correlation between your cable TV network and your copper telephone lines.
- Cable Internet Connection – Should a cable internet connection such as Verizon Fios be accessible in your location, you may get a high-speed internet connection just using the fiber optic cable instead of a phone line. Compared to phone lines, fiber offers much quicker data speeds.
- DSL without a phone line – Although the DSL does make use of telephone lines to carry its data signal, the DSL filters effectively ‘divide off’ the data, and hence, an active phone number is not required. There are often measures the phone company follows to guarantee that disconnection of the landline phone service does not affect the DSL internet connection. However, the speeds of DSL internet are comparatively slower than that of cable or fiber optic internet.
- Satellite Internet – Satellite Internet operates independently of telephone cables through connection to an orbiting network above the earth’s surface. The dish installation does not hinge on the dishes getting into the phone cables but only needs a view of the southern sky. However, latency and data caps have been major concerns in the reliability of satellite internet performance in the past.
What are the disadvantages of disconnecting the POTS line?
Although eliminating your phone landline saves money, there are several drawbacks to be considered: Although eliminating your phone landline saves money, there are a few drawbacks to consider:
- You give out your old “home phone” number which you no longer have. Not having that stable number may be inconvenient for other people if they want to call you.
- The majority of home alarm monitoring systems must be linked over a telephone line. Without one, you would probably have to have the system reflashed to accept cellular or internet connectivity.
- Internet disruptions automatically affect home phones when they completely depend on the web connection as seen during power outages. A landline would remain active until it was disconnected, which was useful in disasters.
- When you have decided to make voice calls using the Internet and also through such applications as Skype or Vonage for instance the quality of the call may change more frequently than the traditional landline calls used. Some of the factors that influence clarity are for instance heavy data usage.
When considering the benefits and drawbacks, consider which particular means of communication, for example, cell phones as opposed to landlines, each member of your household uses. Transitioning to wireless-only solutions provides a greater level of mobility and flexibility for households no longer dependent on a wired jack connection. But eliminating your traditional phone line means there is one less level of redundant access to have.
In sum, the answer is yes, you have many options today for obtaining a high-speed home internet connection today without having to purchase telephone lines. I hope this summary helps clear it up if and how it is possible to continue browsing the internet when your household disconnects its landline in the future. Please do not hesitate to contact me if you have any further questions!
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