911, no joke

Within the last 6 months, Voice over IP (VoIP) has suddenly gone from a relatively obscure business-to-business service to a mainstream alternative for consumer telephone service. Since VoIP uses the Internet to transmit telephone voice signals, it is more flexible and economical than the traditional dedicated lines we're all used to with the public telephone network. Digital carriers such as Time Warner Cable and Vonage are now pitching low-cost land line service (usually between $25 and $40), either as part of a broader TV / Internet package or as a stand-alone item.

I've been skeptical of VoIP for home service, based largely on unreliable connections during VoIP's early days, but its time seems to be arriving quickly. I like the idea that your VoIP number follows your router (and IP address) rather than a physical address, and most plans have a nice array of services and calling options, probably because everything is computerized from the ground up.

It's tempting, but the whole PC dependence doesn't sit well with me. Foremost, it requires a constant Internet connection, meaning any broadband outage takes out the phone as well. And how useful is an IP phone during a blackout? Not much, unless you have a backup power source. Then there's the whole problem with 911 access, which works best when the police can respond immediately to a known address. Ask me how I know ...

Tonight the doorbell rang around 11pm, an APD officer performing the required follow-up to a 911 call from my house. Apparently Rachel had accidently dialed 911 while trying to return dial a 917 number. I had no idea that 911 "worked" when dialed in conjunction with a slew of other numbers, but apparently it's a stubborn ol' emergency line. Unlike Flavor Flav, we got immediate response, and a new appreciation for the consequences of sloppy dialing.

The Texas Attorney General (bless his heart) is currently suing Vonage for misrepresenting the 911 disconnect in their VoIP service. But after tonight's encounter, I'm beginning to think this might be a benefit rather than a hindrance. I'm generaly an analog guy, but this might be one aspect of my life that's worth turning digital. Time to explore some options and find out.