[Lex Computer & Tech Group/LCTG] Moving landline to VOIP

[Barry Kort]

I have long had a Google Voice number which rings my smartphone when it is
on WiFi and rings any of my desktop machines when they are online with a
browser tab open to Voice.Google.Com.  I like Google Voice on my
desktop machines because it's hands-free (same as using Zoom).

If I don't answer an incoming call on Google Voice, it rings my Verizon
landline.  Either way, Google Voice can leave a recorded message if I don't
answer.  Google Voice also sends an e-Mail notification for missed calls
and for SMS text messages.  Any voice messages on Google Voice are also
transcribed to text.

Google Voice is free and allows me to keep my older model smartphones in
service without a cell phone number. Google Voice only serves North America
(1+ numbers), not overseas.

Barry

On Sun, Oct 15, 2023 at 10:19 AM Stan Rose via LCTG <lctg at lists.toku.us>
wrote:

> Harry,
>
> Like Alan, I have a Panasonic wireless phone that does what is described.
> I don't know if it is the same model, KX-TG7845, because mine is probably 7
> or 8 years old. I'm attaching the manual.
>
> It does what I think you want, namely act as an extension to your cell
> phone. I don't think you need an actual land line.
>
> The problem I had with it was that when I walked out of the house and got
> in my car, the Bluetooth was still connected to the Panasonic base so it
> wouldn't pair with the car. In that particular car, if it didn't pair when
> first starting up, it wouldn't automatically pair later. Because of that, I
> unpaired my cell from the Panasonic base. That was an older car and I
> haven't tried it with a more recent model. Perhaps a newer cell phone would
> pair with multiple "bases"? That might have been an original Motorola
> Droid!  Also, I suspect if I had located the Panasonic base further from my
> garage, so the Bluetooth connection would drop before I got to the car,
> that would have solved the problem. If you are going to use it without a
> landline, then you can locate the base anywhere
>
> Perhaps I'll give it a try again with my Galaxy S22 ultra and 2021 BMW X3.
>
> BTW, my local phone company, AT&T/Bell South, is discontinuing support for
> POTS landlines and I had to move to another solution. I am using OOMA,
> which I am very happy with.
>
> Stan
>
> On Sun, Oct 15, 2023, 9:33 AM Harry Forsdick via LCTG <lctg at lists.toku.us>
> wrote:
>
>> Alan,
>>
>> Thanks for this information.
>>
>> Does this ring the Panasonic "landline" phone if a call comes in to your
>> cell phone? Or only the reverse -- ring your cell phone if a call comes in
>> on the Panasonic "landline" phone?
>>
>> In our case we don't want to have a "landline".  Rather we would like to
>> buy some portable phones installed in various places around our house so
>> that even if we didn't have our cellphones in our pockets we could answer
>> the cellphone if we were near one of the fixed locations where a Panasonic
>> (or any other) phone was located.
>>
>> I suspect this isn't the way these bluetooth Panasonic phones were
>> intended to work, but I hope I am wrong.
>>
>> Thanks,
>>
>> -- Harry
>>
>>
>>
>>
>> Harry Forsdick <http://www.forsdick.com/resume/>
>> Lexington Photo Scanning <http://lexingtonphotoscan.com/>
>> Town Meeting Member Precinct 7 <http://lexingtontmma.org/>
>> harry at forsdick.com   46 Burlington St., Lexington, MA 02420
>> <https://goo.gl/xZXT2F>
>> (781) 799-6002 (mobile) <callto:17817996002>
>> www.forsdick.com
>> click <http://forsdick.weebly.com/home/my-websites> to see my other
>> websites
>>
>>
>> On Sun, Oct 15, 2023 at 8:44 AM Alan Millner <armillner48 at gmail.com>
>> wrote:
>>
>>> Our Panasonic cordless phone system ( our landline) has bluetooth
>>> connection to our cellphones, so we can answer a cell call at any of its 6
>>> handsets, if the cell is sitting near the base unit on its charger.
>>>
>>> Alan Millner
>>> amillner at alum.mit.edu
>>> home 781-862-7893. cell 781-999-4346
>>> 48 North St., Lexington
>>>
>> ===============================================
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-- 
The Process of Enlightenment Works In Mysterious Plays.
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