use cell phone to make landline calls

[pcnerd]

Does Verizon sell a device that allows one to make landline calls using one's cellphone? What is it called? What does it cost? Can I hook it up myself? Would I lose my landline number or would it be forwarded to my cellphone? Can I switch from digital voice to copper phone lines? If I'm able to do that, would that eliminate the need for battery backup of the digital voice? Would that be cheaper than digital voice? Is it possible to hook up my router via an ethernet port instead of coax cable? There is an ethernet port on the ONT. I'm thinking about getting an Apple Airport Extreme & the Apple forum people don't recommend daisy-chaining a FIOS router to an Apple router. It's my understanding that the TV programming information comes over the coax cable, so I'd have to have room on the table for both the FIOS router & the Apple router. What will it cost me to make these changes?

[gs0b]

Wow, that's a whole lot of unrelated questions in one paragraph.  You might have better luck asking each set of related questions in a different post.

You should also know that this is a peer-to-peer forum; you're talking to other users here.  If you want official answers from Verizon, you need to contact them directly.

I can take a stab at a few of your questions:

• I've never seen a device that lets cell phones make calls over landlines.  I've never heard of demand for such a device either.  You might be thinking of a "femto cell," which is a device that creates a small cell base station in your home and routes calls over the user's broadband data connection.  Calls may or may not be billed depending on the carrier.  This is quite different than what you asked about.  I don't believe Verizon offers femto cells; check their web site or call them.
• The ONT can provide internet WAN service over Ethernet or MoCA coax, but not both at the same time.  Set-top-boxes use a MoCA LAN on the coax for guide, VOD and other data services.  Using the Actiontec router with a coax WAN is the easiest way to make everything work.  You can make TV work with an Ethernet WAN connection, however it requires a bit more work and maybe equipment.  In most cases, it makes sense simply to install the desired router behind the Actiontec.  This page discuss the pros and cons of many different ways to install routers:
  http://www.dslreports.com/faq/16077
• Depending on what you decide to change, there may be no cost.  You'll need to contact Verizon to find out the specifics.

Good Luck.

[ract]

Yes, that is a lot questions; but they highlight the practical differences one must consider if switching from copper line phones and Comcast cable to FIOS.

If your house is totally without power, you can still use your copper line phone and get a cable TV signal via Comcast.  Of course, you will need a small battery powered TV to view.

On the other hand, with FIOS, there is no service of any kind except for phone for a limited period of time.  The time given by Verizon is 8 hours.  It has never been clear to me whether you can stay on the line for an extended period of time during this 8-hour window or whether only a few shorts calls can be made.

Getting Verizon to take you off FIOS and back to copper will be extremely difficult as Verizon's grand plan is to eliminate all copper lines.  I have Freedom Essentials instead of Digital Voice.  Don't know if it is cheaper, but you could ask.  It is still FIOS though.

I have an Airport Extreme connected to one of the Ethernet LAN ports on the FIOS router and it works fine.

[pcnerd · Accepted solution]

I have an Airport Extreme connected to one of the Ethernet LAN ports on the FIOS router and it works fine.

Interesting. I have corresponded with techs on the Apple forum & they don't recommend daisy-chaining an Apple router with a FIOS router. They tell me that the Apple router must come first, but how can I do that? I found out elsewhere on this forum that I can use either the ethernet port on the ONT or the coax cable, but not both at the same time. So, how did you connect the 2 routers? Did you use bridge mode? Why did you connect 2 routers?

[pcnerd]

Interesting. I have corresponded with techs on the Apple forum & they don't recommend daisy-chaining an Apple router with a FIOS router. They tell me that the Apple router must come first, but how can I do that? I found out elsewhere on this forum that I can use either the ethernet port on the ONT or the coax cable, but not both at the same time. So, how did you connect the 2 routers? Did you use bridge mode? Why did you connect 2 routers?

Please answer my questions.

[pcnerd]

I've never seen a device that lets cell phones make calls over landlines.

Verizon makes a device called the "home phone connect" that allows one to use the Verizon wireless service to make landline calls.

http://www.verizonwireless.com/b2c/device/home-phone-connect

[jsk22]

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@ract wrote:

If your house is totally without power, you can still use your copper line phone and get a cable TV signal via Comcast.  Of course, you will need a small battery powered TV to view.

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With cable, power must be supplied to their node that serves your neighborhood.  If there is no power to the node, then you won't get a signal.  You would only get cable service if the node was in an area that had power and your house was without power.