Long-distance communication has been the most significant part of technological evolution, the importance of long-distance communication holds the same significance for us as the invention of the wheel did for early humans. Because the wheel modernized the transportation segment, and similarly communication mediums further reduced those distances making the world a global village. The credit of this marvel of technology goes to Alexander Graham Bell who made the first voice call in 1876 which completely transformed how we used to perceive distances.
It’s not like there were no means of communication before the invention of the telephone. But all these mediums used very slight sounds or visual signals which need to be translated to formulate the actual message. This was both time-consuming and needed expertise. However, what the telephone did was transmit human voice from one end to another so no other thing was needed and two parties were able to have a direct communication line.
This technology was so popular that we are still using the telephone to this day. Landlines are being offered by major providers but now the current home phone system comes with a twist. It is not based upon the traditional hardwired landlines, but its underline structure is based on the internet through a technology called VoIP. Many big brands use this technology in their home phone services, Spectrum Voice is one of them that makes use of VoIP infrastructure to provide a residential home phone connection.
Apart from the home phone, the field of communication has progressed a lot in the past couple of decades, and it’s only because of this technology that mankind now has modern marvels of digital communication like the internet and cellphones. Talking about cell phones they are considered an upgrade over traditional phone services and landlines. However, as much as it is considered an upgrade we think that both of these technologies have their own benefits and niche in which they can work together and it shouldn’t be like one replacing the other. That is why we have written this topic to compare these two technologies and identify their strengths and weaknesses.
Home Phone in a Time of Cellular Connectivity
Whenever people think of a home phone a traditional phone set comes to their mind with a mechanical dial. This is an entirely flawed representation as home phones have become quite modern now, not only in their physical representation but in their workings as well. We explained the VoIP technology above on which most home phones work today, it is an internet-powered technology that has given cell phone-like features to the traditional home phone. Users now have the cordless functionality with modern telephone sets and they are no longer hardwired.
VoIP home phones are plugged into the internet modem and provide advanced functionalities like call blocking, caller id, voicemail, conference calling, and E911. Some of these features are not even present in our cell phones. And to be very honest cellphones are now being used for a lot of other different activities apart from calling because of them being too feature-heavy and having excessively strong hardware. So, for purely calling purposes we still think that a regular home phone is the best bet. In order to show that we have drafted some key differences between a mobile and home phone which users can see below.
Differences between a Home Phone and Cellphone
From cost to portability, there are some very critical differences between a home phone and a cellphone and it is according to a user’s preference that what kind of service they want to go with. But these differences clearly indicate that both of these services have their own benefits which are not interchangeable.
Price
Coming to the cost of these services, there are no two opinions on the matter that cell phone charges are often way too much in comparison to home phones. Where cellphone carriers charge consumers variably according to their subscribed services, number of connections, and the monthly usage, even on fixed plans. While on the other hand, home phones come with a fixed monthly price and most providers offer options like unlimited local and long-distance calling at this fixed monthly price. Without any hidden charges or changes in tariffs, home phones don’t offset a user’s budget and they get all promised services and talk time at a fixed monthly price.
Plus the international calling charges are also very economical with a home phone, something which is quite expensive in a cell phone service. Not to forget that even the monthly price charged by landline providers is often half what mobile carriers charge from their customers.
Portability
Well, this is one of the factors where cell phones shine, and it is only because of the portability option that most people consider keeping cellphones over home phones. Since cellular technology works over wireless transmission through cell towers people can get cellular connectivity on the go. In contrast, most home phones are either hardwired through landlines or works over VoIP technology in which these telephone sets are connected to internet modems. In both these cases, the portability is compromised, the only option for home phones users is to get a cordless phone set but even that gives them a range of a few meters which they can use within a house or a closed vicinity.
Reliability
To summarize, home phones are more reliable than cell phone service, allow us to explain. Cell phones work on the wireless transmission which is based on a network of cell towers. Wireless transmission is prone to external interferences like weather disruptions, electromagnetic interferences, and technical issues over receiving device and cell tower ends, plus the problem of coverage area. On contrary, landlines are fixed wired networks, and home phones work over those fixed telephone wire networks that has been built and modernized over a century ago.
Most of the country is covered with telephone lines so the idea of limited coverage area goes out of the picture. Plus these lines are resilient to outside interferences and works even in case of a power outage. Even modern VoIP phones have battery packs to keep them powered up during outages. However, landlines are one step ahead in terms of reliability with no external interference, dependence on power, or being unfazed by issues of coverage areas and signal drops making them very much reliable than cell phones.
Conclusion
Although, no one undermines the excellent technology mobile phones have that has allowed people to remain connected with one another even in remote places. But, this doesn’t mean that the cost-effectiveness and reliability of home phones should be completely ignored.
Home phones are great means of emergency contact and secondary line. While cellphones can be carried by everyone and should be the primary means of communication. This shows that both these services should work hand in hand for the betterment of society instead of getting in competition and trying to take over one another. Since both cell phones and home phones have very beneficial advantages towards society.
