😱 What is your BACKUP when you lose CELL SERVICE?

[Spring2025]

Gone are the days when a Landline was around.

Gosh, even the Public Telephone Booths have disappeared.

Do YOU have a way to make and receive calls "especially" during an emergency IF you LOSE CELL PHONE SERVICE? ‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌🤔‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌

If YES, what is it...

[1] Some comments have suggested using their Landline, yes - I guess some locations still have them.  ‌‌‌‌‌‌👍‌‌‌‌‌‌

[2] I have posted two suggestions I located on the Internet. Any OTHER SUGGESTIONS or feedback on ones suggested?

Thanks,

Nicole ‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌👵‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌

[Spring2025]

[2/11/25] Still have NO idea what I will do with NO cell reception.

*** Got a chance to "panic" last year 2024 when one cell phone "died" = needed a NEW BATTERY. ***

Hmmm, maybe MY SOLUTION is having 2 cell phones from DIFFERENT CARRIERS (T-mobile & Tracfone).

Lol, GRATEFUL for hanging onto my VERY OLD Samsung Galaxy J3 when I got a NEWER version [A11].

But I did promise my daughter I would UGRADE the J3 (had since 2018) this December 2025 as the J3 is getting VERY SLOW. The A11 is a Tracfone.

I am on her T-mobile plan for J3. Tracfone has a MONTHLY LIMIT versus T-mobile does NOT.

[sc10]

Doomsday Backup Plan:

1) Power outage

    a) Backup generator

    b) UPS power supply

    c) Long extension cord to your neighbor with a generator

    d) Inverter

2) Internet outage

    a) Cellular hotspot

    b) Ask your neighbor to share his WiFi

    c) Go to you neighborhood fast food place or local public library to use their WiFi

3) Cellular outage

    a) Use Wifi calling to call and text

    b) Get a free Google Voice account and use that to call and text with WiFi

    c) If your cell phone is unlocked, have backup simcard or esim to supply your cell phone and hotspot data needs. Make sure your simcard or esim is not from your existing cellular network. 

[Spring2025]

[2/16/25] @sc10 , thanks for suggestion(s). This one  would work for me. 👍

YOU WROTE: Make sure your simcard or esim is not from your existing cellular network. 

ME: Maybe a cheap throwaway prepaid cell with my T-mobile cell.

[Tempest332]

Well, I had tornadoes & bad storms go through my area back on the 6th, & just got my power back yesterday morning.  As I am on a VOIP I didn't have the phone, a backup battery would have only sufficed for around 24 hours.  Upon the power coming on, I found I still did not have internet or telephone, no worries outages in the area... or are there?   Found my modem is dead with no power lamp, but 120v coming through the power cord, so whatever happened happened during the storm as I shut off my breakers for a soft power return for when it came on.   Still without Phone/Internet at home, so bear this in mind when going for VOIP, I only needed to phone the power company to get a estimate for power return, they said 8 days, but it turned out to be only 6.  Whatever happened also seemed to take out the video signal on my Blu-Ray player, which was hardwired to the network.  

[sc10]

Sounds like your cellular service was still available but limited because short of backup power. If you had an inverter as my previous post suggested, that could keep your cellular hotspot going. When your power was back, that would be even easier to keep hotspot on.

[sc10]

You can add one gadget to your back up arsenal. That is an inverter. Inverter can turn your car AC battery power to 120V output to power modem and cell phone charger. Once you have power, you can do one or more of the followings to send out your SOS instead of relying on smoke signal!

1) Power you modem and voip equipment.

2) Charge you cell phone, smart phone or flip phone.

3) If it is a smart phone, you can use hotspot to provide wifi sign for your voip, and computer.

[Tempest332]

Was charging my flip phone at work (as I use it in lieu of my desk phone anyway which had been in storage since COVID, when I lost my cube, to take a bench in a lab).  I had a nice generator I inherited  which I thought were outlawed by my HOA, + lack of storage in my house for it.  I had something in my basement that was a booster for a vehicle with outlets, though I understand the internet was down anyway.

I exchanged my modem yesterday, but only was able to get my tablet to work on the internet, the phone option still is not working along with my Roku.  I guess thats going to be my weekend project. 

[Spring2025]

CHECK YOUR WI-FI SETTING BEFORE YOU HAVE AN OUTAGE!!!  👍

If your service goes down, your phone will connect to the internet if you’re on WiFi. And, if you make one change in settings, calls and texts will go through.

In settings under cellular, turn on “Wi-Fi” calling. When a wifi signal is stronger than a cell signal, the call will be placed over the internet. But, you’ll need to change this setting when you have a cellular network signal. You may not be able to change the setting in SOS mode.

It’s important to make the changes before there’s an outage. Because all of the providers have had issues in the past, and all will likely have outages from time to time.

https://www.waka.com/2024/02/23/what-the-tech-how-to-prepare-for-the-next-cell-phone-service-outage/

[Tempest332]

I did try that with my "smart" flip phone, yet it does not have that setting to convert over to Wi-Fi on it. 

[Spring2025]

ANYONE OWN A WALKIE TALKIE/RADIO OR SATELLITE PHONE?  🤔  I DO NOT!  👵

How to communicate without cell service?

[1] Walkie talkies or multi-pack handheld radios may be an option to communicate short distances.

[2] Satellite phones are an expensive but reliable way to communicate when power is out and can be purchased online.

Thanks,

Nicole  👵

[Tempest332]

I have a Amateur Radio License, there used to be an Autopatch to phone for emergency uses via certain repeaters.  Never used it, nor had the need to. 

My license is currently expired but within a grace period, government now charging for renewal (used to be free), Not the money, but they have made the process difficult without online pay services. 

I haven't been on the air in over 20 years, the crowd has changed, I no longer cared to talk with them, but really I found less wanted to talk with me.  Kind of the reason I see little use for a phone, but it's still a necessary evil.   

[ChrisO233922]

renew your ticket! you worked hard to get it! Even 2 meters can be enjoyable with so many repeaters that are free to use.  6 meters and 10 meters are hot right now. As I've been told- "The sky's the limit!". 73

[Tempest332]

Dunno if I'm going to bother, still figuring on how I can pay the FCC within 10 days of my online application, if payment not received & processed within 10 days of application, application gets closed, wash rinse repeat!  Have till November.

For what became very simple (a few clicks of a mouse), they've made it even more complicated then even 22 years back when I did my first renewal.    

2m has become pretty much dead here, when I got my ticket it was very active.  All kinds of nets, & such.   Still have my rigs though not set up, Sunspot cycle for 6 & 10 I imagine.  73's     

[Spring2025]

@Frozenoem , sounds like I need to move to Maine!!!  Nicole 👵

---

[*** @Frozenoem wrote:

In my area rural Maine mountains, we still have 2 pay phones in town, great for AT hikers . And most have landlines as well as, cells that connect through wifi when towers aren’t happy.  

Twice this year towers have stopped working.  

Froze  ***]

[sc10]

I wonder why I am seeing this message everyday for a while now. The same message is also on another thread?

[Spring2025]

And your point is what @sc10 ????

Why does it matter, just IGNORE what posts you I guess DO NOT approve of.

The AARP Moderators are doing their job and letting us (members) KNOW what can be posted.

*** Do you work for AARP - nope, just a regular person like me ***  🙄🙄🙄

Now go ENJOY the rest of your day. 

And I will be posting it again tomorrow just so you can post about it/lol  🤣😂

Do I have the time to TRACK what OTHER members post?

Nope, TOO BUSY...  👍👍👍

[GailL1]

@Spring2025 

I don’t know how you read and post but many of us use the RECENT POST summary on the opening page so we see all the post regardless of the board it was posted on - we see them all.  I don't subscribe to any of the post or the boards.   I get nothing via email from this site or any other unless it is from management and then they send it directly to me on one matter, whatever that might be.

So the way you are keeping your post at the top of all the boards because you post the same things over and over and over again and make them show up on top - then we see every one of them over and over and over.

Sometimes when I look at this list of RECENT POST in the morning, all I see is post from @Spring2025 - over and over and over - usually asking a question or the same question over, over and over.

I see a whole [ipad] page of post from @Spring2025 - or another of your ID synonyms.  Now some of the boards are the same.  

I understand that your motives might be to encourage others to add into the post but I don’t think that is working - never has since I’ve been here [since 2008].

We see, what we see, day after day; sometimes hour by hour and it just gets monotonous to the eyes [and brain]

No offense

[DirkB349973]

I keep getting the same posts showing up in my emails with no new information. I wondered why that was happening. I thought it was an AARP site bug.

[Spring2025]

Oh my goodness @DirkB349973 , please UNSUBSCRIBE from this thread = NO more emails received!!!  👍👍👍

Now can we please move pass this...  🙃🙃🙃

[Spring2025]

[1] @GailL1 , I had this SAME discussion with AARP Moderator @Underbat when some OTHER members posted this SAME thing.

[2] Any questions ABOUT MY POSTS, please PM him.

[3] And YES you mean't to offend as usual.  👍 My response to you posting NO OFFENSE/lol  😂🤣

[Frozenoem]

In my area rural Maine mountains, we still have 2 pay phones in town, great for AT hikers . And most have landlines as well as, cells that connect through wifi when towers aren’t happy.  

Twice this year towers have stopped working.  

Froze

[Spring2025]

@Tempest332 , @sc10 , @DirkB349973 , @cat0w and OTHER FOLKS! Have you guys heard about this LANDLINE SERVICE? 📸  See attached screenprint from my daily Google News, thanks!  📸

[DirkB349973]

The phone in the picture is sitting right next to a router so it’s probably an Internet phone. I was reading about the copper lines that used to carry our phone calls and how they are being retired. In my area, Century Link owns those lines. I think they’re trying to get everybody onto fiber, which means internet phones. I think the days of the old Bell telephones may be over. if you need a back up, you may need another cell plan. That could mean a second phone or maybe there’s some trickery you can do with Sim cards so that you would have both services in one phone. I know some of them like Mint Mobile are pretty cheap. if you are concerned about health issues, maybe you want one of those necklaces you wear where all you have to do is push the button.

[Spring2025]

Lol @DirkB349973 , the ad said NO internet or copper wires. Anyway, yes I will look into those "necklaces" as I am on my daughter's T-mobile plan. Nicole  👵

---

[*** DIRK @DirkB349973 wrote:

The phone in the picture is sitting right next to a router so it’s probably an Internet phone. I was reading about the copper lines that used to carry our phone calls and how they are being retired. In my area, Century Link owns those lines. I think they’re trying to get everybody onto fiber, which means internet phones. I think the days of the old Bell telephones may be over. if you need a back up, you may need another cell plan. That could mean a second phone or maybe there’s some trickery you can do with Sim cards so that you would have both services in one phone. I know some of them like Mint Mobile are pretty cheap. if you are concerned about health issues, maybe you want one of those necklaces you wear where all you have to do is push the button. ***]

---

[Tempest332]

@Spring2025  You keep changing your name.

My dad had something similar to that from AT&T , the box actually was a Cell Phone, then it plugged into a phone jack turning your house wiring & existing landline phones into a cell phone.  It was 19.99/month at the time at the beginning of 2021 when I had to turn it off.   You did use your "copper" house wiring if you wanted extensions but you could plug a single land line type phone directly into the box. 

I would had opted for this, but already had the VoIP installed.  The price of a basic landline with touch tone was nearing $45/month, with call limitations of  5 miles to my south, 8 miles to my east a mile to my north & 12 miles to my west, all else was toll or long distance. I lost touch with a few  over they years because of these limitations. 

@DirkB349973 are you sure that box is a router or possibly what I was speaking about above?

[Spring2025]

Thanks for your feedback @Tempest332   Thanks, Nicole  👵

---

[*** @Tempest332 wrote:

@Spring2025  

My dad had something similar to that from AT&T , the box actually was a Cell Phone, then it plugged into a phone jack turning your house wiring & existing landline phones into a cell phone.  It was 19.99/month at the time at the beginning of 2021 when I had to turn it it.   You did use your "copper" house wiring if you wanted extensions but you could plug a single land line type phone directly into the box. 

@DirkB349973 are you sure that box is a router or possibly what I was speaking about above? ***] 

[Tempest332]

Did you ever inquire on pricing?

[Spring2025]

@Tempest332 , the ad just popped up again for 2nd time on my Google News Feed. They have way too many PRICES, but attaching the 2 MAIN ones. 📸  Screenprint Attached  📸

[Their ad link] 

The link above gave me an "error" message 1st and 3rd time. 2nd time was okay. Not sure why.

---

[*** @Tempest332 wrote:

Did you ever inquire on pricing? ***]

---

[Tempest332]

Quite a bit more than the deal AT&T was giving my dad, I had it turned off in December of 2020, he had it for at least 2 + years & still was $19.99/month. 

I wonder if it varies by area too. 

Yes, this is the same technology, it converts home phone (and wiring) into the  cell phone network (but you can't use a cell phone, you use your old landline phones).   It also had a battery backup within the box for power outages, but if you were using a cordless that needed base power you would need an additional battery backup.