We have the Verizon Home Connect service at our stick and brick house. This trip we took the base for the phone along and the router for the Verizon service. Works a treat. Both run off a small inverter when driving or parked. We are now using it on the road and parked as well. Just like a cell phone when traveling or parked at no extra cost from the $20 we pay every month anyway. That, plus our trac phone, and we get along fine without smart phones.

We have a similar device here in Canada...Rogers Rocket Hub, works just as you say for us...Unfortunately, its a lot more than $20/month...but is very handy on trips

georgelesley wrote:We have the Verizon Home Connect service at our stick and brick house. This trip we took the base for the phone along and the router for the Verizon service. Works a treat. Both run off a small inverter when driving or parked. We are now using it on the road and parked as well. Just like a cell phone when traveling or parked at no extra cost from the $20 we pay every month anyway. That, plus our trac phone, and we get along fine without smart phones.The nice thing about the Home Connect is it a full 3 watts which allows you to get a much stronger signal. Great for those fringe areas. We have one for S and B and love it. At times we cannot get a signal on our cell phones but have full bars on the Home Connect.

Ok so other than bringing your home phone on the road with you (and getting a stronger signal, although I have no idea how that would be possible) what does one of these things do that a normal cell phone can't do?

Halmfamily wrote:georgelesley wrote:We have the Verizon Home Connect service at our stick and brick house. This trip we took the base for the phone along and the router for the Verizon service. Works a treat. Both run off a small inverter when driving or parked. We are now using it on the road and parked as well. Just like a cell phone when traveling or parked at no extra cost from the $20 we pay every month anyway. That, plus our trac phone, and we get along fine without smart phones.The nice thing about the Home Connect is it a full 3 watts which allows you to get a much stronger signal. Great for those fringe areas. We have one for S and B and love it. At times we cannot get a signal on our cell phones but have full bars on the Home Connect.Sorry to burst your bubble . It is only .6 watts still stronger than most smart phones that are about .3

The home connect requires 12v dc. You can get the dc power plug at radio shack and make a 12v dc adaptor.I use the home connect at my Arizona winter home for my security system which also is 12v dc. I have a large Optima battery for backup in case of a power failure.Have a similar system for my summer home in the Northwest.I also like the home connect as you just disconnect the telephone company connector at the service box then plug the home connect in any telephone outlet and all of the phones in the house work just like they did when connected to the telephone company.

Verizon "Home Connect" service | Good Sam Community

1492
Moderator
Oct 05, 2014
Gulfcoast wrote:
Can you use a cordless phone with this device? It would be good to carry around the yard.

Yes, you can. Though I don't have Verizon Home Connect, I do use both wired and cordless with my CallCentric Voip.
georgelesley
Explorer
Oct 05, 2014
Class A DP 1 wrote:
You can take this phone and use anywhere? or anywhere that you have a wifi connection?

Anywhere I can get a signal. No wifi required. Just like a cell phone, which it basically is. Even kept our original phone number.
Gene_Ginny
Explorer
Oct 05, 2014
oops, a few posters were faster than me.

Gulfcoast wrote:
Can you use a cordless phone with this device? It would be good to carry around the yard.
Yes, it is a box with an RJ11 phone jack. Anything you would plug into a home phone jack you can plug into this.
Class A DP 1 wrote:
You can take this phone and use anywhere? ...
Anywhere there is Verizon cell phone service.
Class A DP 1 wrote:
... or anywhere that you have a wifi connection?
Has nothing to do with WiFi.

I switched my home phone / landline to the Straight Talk version for $15 per month. Straight Talk and Verizon Home Phone are the same unit. It is a 12 volt DC cell phone with a pair of RJ11 jacks on the back and an antenna. They connect to any Verizon tower.

I had planned to take my "home number" camping with us until I found that call forwarding it one of the features at no extra cost. I can just forward the home number to one of our Tracfone cell phones. :C
Gene_Ginny
Explorer
Oct 05, 2014
Just an added thought. I was paying $57 per month for my landline from Verizon when you add in all the taxes and "extras" like $7/mo for the ability to make long distance calls. Now for $15+sales tax I get unlimited nationwide calling, call waiting, 3 way calling, answering machine if mine fails, and call forwarding which all would have cost extra with Verizon.
georgelesley
Explorer
Oct 05, 2014
Gene&Ginny wrote:
Just an added thought. I was paying $57 per month for my landline from Verizon when you add in all the taxes and "extras" like $7/mo for the ability to make long distance calls. Now for $15+sales tax I get unlimited nationwide calling, call waiting, 3 way calling, answering machine if mine fails, and call forwarding which all would have cost extra with Verizon.

We did the same math and that is why we now have the Verizon Home Connect. More features, less $$, more flexibility, a no brainer as the saying goes.
MrWizard
Moderator
Oct 05, 2014
the home connect
is a cellular system for the home
you can use any residential phone even cordless base,
what you can't do, is stick in your pocket and go out to dinner

it replaces a landline, and you can use in the RV, even when you change locations
it will not replace the cellphone you carry when you leave home
and goto the mall the swap meet, or out to dinner
strollin
Explorer
Oct 05, 2014
In my case, I was paying $22/month for a landline and the wiring within my house developed a problem so that my phones no longer worked. The phone company wanted a minimum of $75 to troubleshoot the problem. For $10/month, I added the "Home Phone Connect" device to my existing cell plan so I saved the $75 plus I am about $12 ahead every month.
MrWizard
Moderator
Oct 05, 2014
yeah..its a great landline replacement
cmarq
Explorer
Oct 05, 2014
Rather than hooking up our home connect in MH each time we go out I just use *73 and you cell number it will forward your calls. *72 turns call forward off.
charlysmom_dad
Explorer
Oct 05, 2014
Since this works on cell service, do you still have wifi, for your computer, in your home?
I've thought about getting rid of my home phone, but I still need the lines coming in to my home for wifi. Phone company would charge more for just wifi, without phone service, so I just keep things as is.