Q :? With VOIPo, 911 calls can be made if the network is down
Source: Flickr Chris.Violette
a: 911 works a little differently with a VoIP service as it does with traditional landline. When you place a 911 call with a traditional phone line, the phone company sends the physical location of your phone and a call back number to emergency services. Because a VoIP line is not connected to a physical location like a traditional phone line, VoIP companies have no way to know exactly where your phone is.
To provide emergency workers with the right address, VoIP services are required by the FCC to maintain a register of the physical address associated with each number. For this to work, you must remember to submit your address when you sign up and update this information each time you move or take the VoIP account to another location with you. For example, if you take your VoIP adapter with you on holiday and want to use it for emergency calls, you must enter your temporary address in the system when you arrive at your destination, or emergency services will assume you are always at home and can send help there.
Since VoIP relies on your internet connection to make a call, you will not be able to call 911 if the power is off or if your network is down, which may be a consideration serious for some customers to think of a VoIP service. As many people get a VoIP service for its great long distance rates and also maintain a cell phone plan to call on the road, many VoIP customers simply plan to use their cell phones as backup devices in case they should call 911 during a power outage or other interruption of service.
More questions about the VoIP service? Check our detailed comments, the FAQ section, or previous blog posts.