For my freelance web business I’m using a cellphone, however you have several choices for your business and home phone service today. Here are some of the phone choices to consider:
| Service | Initial Cost | Monthly | 3 Year Cost |
| Land Line | $29-$129 per phone | $45-$65/mo. | $1,649 to $2,469 |
| Cell Phone | $29-$199 per phone | $25-$95/mo. | $929 to $3,619 |
| Internet Phone | $50 VOIP box, $19-$69 per phone | $0/mo. | $69 to $119 |
I have used all three of these choices, and I can tell you that the final option of using an Internet phone is my preferred choice today. Now, let’s look at the pros and cons of each choice.
Land Line – Pros
It’s familiar, the same kind of technology that your parents used. It works when the power goes out, and you can dial 911. Need some limited mobility, then use a cordless phone.
Land Line – Cons
It’s the most expensive option, which is why over half of USA households have switched to option #2, the cell phone instead of a land line. They are the largest in size, and will not fit into your pocket.
Cell Phone – Pros
You probably have an old cell phone lying around the house, so why not use it for your home phone number? Cell phones are small, pretty reliable, and SmartPhones are feature-rich. You can still dial 911 and get help. They are small and portable, easy to carry in your pocket.
Cell Phone – Cons
Still a bit pricey, especially for ocasional usage. Fragile when dropped and they don’t like water. During peak usage, your cell phone service can be spotty to non-existant.
Internet Phone – Pros
Most homes and businesses already have a broadband Internet connection, so it’s easy to connect. They are flexible and have features like voice mail that can be accessed from any web browser. The monthly cost of $0.00 is very attractive.
Internet Phone – Cons
You cannot dial 911, so for emergencies have another device to call for help. You have to set things up to get the free monthly price.
How to Spend $0.00/month
You’ve read this far, so you should be curious about what I’m using to get free monthly phone calls:
- Google Voice, free from Google, we’ve ported our Home phone number to this web-based system which was a one-time cost of $20.00, otherwise you can choose a free phone number that is in your local area code.
- VOIP (Voice Over Internet Protocol) Box – Obihai makes a $50.00 box that plugs into your Internet and local phone.
- Vtech cordless phone, just $19.00 at Fry’s,
To setup Google Voice you can follow a tutorial at Obihai.
After you unbox the Obihai box, you’ll want to go to the web and create an account, follow this tutorial.
Finally, you need to tell the Obihai box about your Google Voice account, and follow this final tutorial.
There you have it, I’m making free phone calls for my home phone number, the sound quality is better than a cell phone, and the voice mail indicator even works on this Vtech phone. From my web browser I can also see or hear my voice messages as well, very slick.
