I ordered FIOS for our internet and TV. They have a package for internet/tv/phone, but that doesn't work for me. I only keep a "line" phone for 911 calls etc..
Fios guy shows up and starts to install a battery. I ask him why the fiber optic cable needs a battery. He says "that's so your phone line keeps power in a power outage."
WTF?
I ask him why I need a battery when the phone company is legally obligated to provide 48 VDC to keep my phone running.
He says "your phone is being converted to fios."
Me: "Wait, I didn't order FIOS phone."
Him: "Oh, that's ok, everyone gets converted to fiber optic."
Me: "How long does that battery last?"
Him: "6-8 hours">
Me: " Can you leave my phone line POTS and forget the FIOS phone?"
Him: "Yes"
Anyhow. If you know anything about POTS, you know 48 VDC. You know that you have a phone even if the power is off for a up to a week under FCC rules.
Verizon is trying to get rid of copper to the house. I can understand why. You don't know it, but if you ordered a new phone line in the last year (from Verizon) you got a fiber optic line strung to your house and your phone has a battery.
Me: "What about if the battery dies?"
Him: "You have a year warranty on it."
Me: "And after that?"
Him: "It's yours..."
So I got the battery out and googled it. It's about $65 bucks online.
Nice one Verizon.
If you specifically request a copper line, they have to give you one.
Otherwise, if you order a phone line from Verizon, you are getting a VOIP line and you don't even know it.
i've been mobile phone only for the last 15 years... no POTS, no FIOS, no VOIP, no nothin'...
Quote from: derby on December 09, 2009, 03:09:16 PM
i've been mobile phone only for the last 15 years... no POTS, no FIOS, no VOIP, no nothin'...
when the power went out for 3 days in NYC, my mobile phone died after 5 hours. fortunately, i could still use the house phone. it was nice to be able to call people to make sure everyone was ok and find a shower.
that's how i look at it.
it never rains in southern Kalifornia
Quote from: ducatiz on December 09, 2009, 04:25:33 PM
when the power went out for 3 days in NYC, my mobile phone died after 5 hours. fortunately, i could still use the house phone. it was nice to be able to call people to make sure everyone was ok and find a shower.
that's how i look at it.
you talking about that black out back in 03 or something?
Phone service was still running due to the 48dc line. but it was pretty jammed up.
reality is, if power went down, only big cities would get affected. Power outage is pretty common in some smaller areas. and some areas only have satellite phone to begin with....like where i crashed and there wasnt a single make the beast with two backsing person with a landline or cell phone that worked.
Quote from: He Man on December 09, 2009, 08:29:45 PM
you talking about that black out back in 03 or something?
Phone service was still running due to the 48dc line. but it was pretty jammed up.
reality is, if power went down, only big cities would get affected. Power outage is pretty common in some smaller areas. and some areas only have satellite phone to begin with....like where i crashed and there wasnt a single make the beast with two backsing person with a landline or cell phone that worked.
you crashed somewhere? ;D
power went out here several times over the last year, usually for a few hours max. once it was out for about a day and a half. that's the BS i am talking about.
plus, as i mentioned, it is up to you to replace the battery when it dies. $50 that i didn't have to spend to keep my phone up.
granted it's about once a year or so, but when will i find out the battery is dead? that's right, when i need it!
Maybe it was a better battery that was installed but I had fiber to home at the last place I lived and we had several outages of a couple of days and never lost the land line of high speed internet for that matter. I did notice that the speed was cut in half for the high speed internet during that time...perhaps to conserve battery life?
Quote from: ZLTFUL on December 10, 2009, 06:16:16 AM
Maybe it was a better battery that was installed but I had fiber to home at the last place I lived and we had several outages of a couple of days and never lost the land line of high speed internet for that matter. I did notice that the speed was cut in half for the high speed internet during that time...perhaps to conserve battery life?
i did ask the tech if i could fiddle with it and he said it was mine to do whatever i wanted. i might stick a deep cycle marine battery on the terminals.. it comes with a 12v/7.2Ah battery.. i have a marine battery that is like 60 Ah.. hmm.. maybe i'll stop being cranky about it.
i guess what gets me is they DID NOT tell me all this before coming out, moreover, i did not order any changes to my landline service.. the Fios phone service is an all-inclusive unlimited everything deal for $40-someeyed bucks.. we have the landline with zero service -- really -- no long distance, no regional, and metered local calls.. it costs $8/month to keep dial tone just for 911 calls and the alarm system.
CyberPower battery back up?
Also, the 6-8 hrs you speak of... was that total standby time or talk time?
There is another possible problem with having your phone on the FIOS. Some alarm systems will not work on VOIP.
I think there are two things here:
1. If you order FIOS with FIOS Phone, Verizon comes out and converts your phone to fiber (VOIP) and you get charged for it.
2. If you order FIOS withOUT FIOS Phone, Verizon comes out and converts your phone to fiber (VOIP) and you do not get charged for a FIOS phone (same rates/plans apply).
This may be fine for people who use their phone a lot. The FIOS/VOIP plan is a decent package.
However, for someone like me who wants it to work like POTS and stay that way, it's assrape. The last thing I need is for the power to go out and my phone doesn't work AND its incompatible with my alarm system.
They should be telling people.
Hmm, I have had FIOS for almost five years. I'm still on the same battery and the "replace battery" indicator light (yep, that's how you can tell if you need to replace it before it dies ;)) is not on. So much for the outrage and assrape.
and for the heck of it I opened it up and got the model number for the battery. I can get a "like" battery for $19.95 or an OEM for $28.50. Or if I had to replace it today (which I don't) it would have cost me .33 to .47 a month. Damn verizon! [laugh]
ok, assrape is obviously too strong.
point is, if they had swapped out my phone, there is a chance my alarm system phone would not work. and when would i find that out?
moreover, i simply don't want that setup for my landline.
as far as replacing the battery, i looked online and got prices of about $50. i have no way of knowing if your setup is the same as mine, but thanks for the info.
Quote from: ducatiz on December 10, 2009, 06:21:49 AM
we have the landline with zero service -- really -- no long distance, no regional, and metered local calls.. it costs $8/month to keep dial tone just for 911 calls and the alarm system.
You don't need to pay anything for the 911 service. All you need is the line run into the house. When I lived in VA (Alexandria & VA Beach) all I had was my cell phone. I kept a cheap $5 phone plugged into the land line in the bedroom and turned the ringer off for 911 use in an emergency. I tested it at both houses when I moved in and once a year until I left (Dunno about your area - but both cities didn't have a problem with me testing the line as long as it wasn't often and I was professional about it). It worked every time and I would ask for an address associated with the call and they were always spot on.
his alarm system needs it though.
hate comcast.
hate directv.
love verizon.
easy choice for me, love my FIOS.
Any new recommendations/comments...
B and I are seriously constidering Fios instead of Cable in our new place.
after hassling with them for a few weeks about the network config, we got it. i am happy with them now, no complaints
I used to work for ADT in tech support. FIOS will work with an alarm system, if it is connected correctly to the alarm.
Vonage however does not work with alarms.
I've been on fios for two years now. Battery backup kicked in twice during that time. Lucky for me, the power was never out for more than 3 hours.
I keep a small generator around and will power the fios box with it if need be.