VoIP is an effective phone service based on modern technology. But does it outrun traditional or wireless landline service in terms of reliability and voice quality? That we’ll find out today, by comparing VoIP vs landline in detail.
Reliability, flexibility, and cost are the main things to consider when choosing a phone service for a business. And in this article, we’ll compare VoIP vs landline phone services in all these aspects to help you find the most suitable option for your business within a few minutes.
That said, let’s dive in.
What is a Landline?
A landline is a type of phone service in which there are telephones connected through a network of copper wires, an internet connection, or operate through cell phone towers.
There are different types of landline phone services that include analog and wireless landlines. The former type of landline is based on coiled copper wires (forming a wired connection) whereas, a wireless connection operates from cell phone towers.
Unlike a digital VoIP phone service, landline connections keep working even when the internet disconnects, as they are backed by a reliable copper wire or cell tower connection. Therefore, they’re more reliable in emergencies and power outages.
Advantages of a Landline
Though landline is a more traditional phone service, it still holds various benefits such as:
1. Top-Tier Call Quality
As landline phone systems are based on copper wires or cell phone towers, their call quality is unparalleled. Unlike VoIP phone service, the call quality over landline telephones is not affected by the internet speed or signals. Since copper telephone wires and wireless cell coverage support high bandwidth for data transfer, they allow high-quality voice calls without interruptions.
Moreover, as internet connections don’t cover metropolitan areas and suburbs across the US (and other parts of the world), the voice quality in these areas is poor. On top of that, the signals are cut off sometimes, leading to poor communication. Landlines have a competitive advantage in this regard.
2. High-End Reliability
As landlines are powered by wired copper or cell phone tower connections, they’re more reliable than VoIP services that are based on the internet. The stable connections of landlines enable smooth communication even in emergencies and disasters.
Therefore, a landline phone service is a more reliable approach for businesses that want to ensure 24/7 communication with their branches (or customers) even during emergencies.
Disadvantages of a Landline
Here we’ll look at the main disadvantages of a landline:
1. Less Flexibility
Unlike cell phones, a landline phone doesn’t give you the choice to communicate with your colleagues, friends, and family from anywhere. Instead, they require you to be at a certain place to use the landline telephone and contact someone. However, since Community Phone's landline phone service operates off cell towers, it enables you to have a more flexible service.
2. Lack of Convenience
Setting up a landline connection may not be as convenient as using a VoIP phone service. This particularly applies to the copper wired landline connections that require you to set up a wired connection to your landline phone. But as CommunityPhone’s landline is based on cell phone towers, it’s wireless and therefore, offers a quick 30-second setup.
Best Landline Phone Service – Community Phone
Community Phone is one of the best landline phone services across the US. Its wireless service operates off cell towers, meaning it doesn’t require you to have internet or copper wires. We at CommunityPhone offer a variety of unique benefits to customers while charging an affordable price. Our business landline services are feature-rich to make your business communications as seamless as possible.
Main Features
The main features of CommunityPhone are as follows:
- Unlimited calling across the US.
- Based on cell phone networks – no internet or copper wire is needed.
- Customizable dial menu for businesses to upload a professionally-recorded one.
- Get voicemail transcriptions to your email for convenient communication with customers.
- Route calls to a relevant colleague.
How CommunityPhone Works
CommunityPhone is different from most landline phone providers out there. Our phone services are based on cell phone networks. We have a landline base device that wirelessly connects to a nearby cell phone tower and connects to any landline phone you have.
The landline base device runs on electricity but also offers a battery that offers a 12-hour battery life to ensure phone communications even during power outages. Once you receive the device upon the order, there’s a 30-second setup and that’s it – you can start using CommunityPhone’s landline service.
CommunityPhone Benefits
Here are the main benefits of CommunityPhone:
- Quick 30-second setup
- The landline base device works even during a power outage, with a 12-hour battery
- User-friendly
- Designed for business communication purposes
- No internet or copper wire is required
What is VoIP?
VoIP stands for Voice over Internet Protocol – also termed IP telephony. It uses a broadband internet connection to allow users to make voice calls. In simple words, a VoIP phone service is based on the internet instead of cellular phone service or copper wires.
Advantages of VoIP
As a modern phone service, VoIP has quite a few advantages such as:
1. Modern Technology
VoIP is based on digital lines for communications. When you use a VoIP phone service to make phone calls, the voice signals are converted into digital signals, allowing you to use it on the latest headphones, smartphones, and other speaker devices.
2. Flexibility
The internet gives you the flexibility to start a voice call with someone anytime, from anywhere (provided that the internet is available). As a result, you no longer have to stick to a single place to make phone calls.
Disadvantages of VoIP
Though VoIP is an effective source of communication in the modern world, it also has some drawbacks like:
1. Poor Voice Quality
You see, the internet is not as stable as a landline connection. The fluctuations in the speed of the internet and low bandwidth are common problems internet users face. As a result, the voice signals in a VoIP phone service are affected, leading to poor voice quality.
2. Not That Reliable
VoIP phone systems are not as reliable as the landline systems because they’re based on the internet rather than a stable wired or wireless connection. As mentioned, the internet may run out in case of a disaster, power outage, or another configuration error – leading to minimal reliability.
3. Limited Geographic Locations
You see, the internet and cell phone towers rarely cover rural areas, subways, and mountains. As a result, VoIP is either unavailable in such areas or the voice quality is too terrible to use for business communications. Whereas, landline phone services work great anywhere.
Best VoIP Providers
Here we look at the top VoIP providers on the market.
For Business Use: RingCentral
RingCentral is a reliable business VoIP provider that’s based on effective cloud servers. The standout benefits of RingCentral include top-tier reliability (because of cloud infrastructure) and mobile-ready service for efficient calling across smartphones (both Android and iOS phones are supported).
For Residential Use: Ooma
Ooma is another leading VoIP provider best suited for residential use. It offers affordable prices and even offers a free plan. The key benefits of Ooma include its remarkable customer support that’s helpful, knowledgeable, and available 24/7 for your help.
Verdict – Landlines Beats VoIP
Though VoIP is a newer phone service to hit the market, landline easily beats it in terms of reliability and call quality, particularly with CommunityPhone’s enhanced wireless landline service.
At CommunityPhone, you’re no longer limited to using a copper wire to form a landline connection. Instead, you only need to set up the innovative landline base provided by CommunityPhone to back your business communications with a reliable and cost-effective connection. Most importantly, the wireless connection gives you flexibility as well.