POTS Phone Lines
POTS phone lines, known as “plain old telephone service” have been around for more than a century. Some people refer to it as “twisted-pair” but however you referred to it, it means the same thing. These are the phone lines traditionally found in homes and small businesses. In essence, you plug-in a regular non-feature phone and get a dial tone. There is no VoIP system, no PBX or Internet connection required with POTS lines.
In today’s digital age, why are POTS line still relevant? A great question, and for several reasons. The most fundamental reason is their simplicity. It is a true phone connection, plain and simple. There are many applications today that simply need to make a phone call without use of the Internet or other services.
Fax Lines
Millions of companies continue to use fax machines. Let’s face it, they work well for their designed purpose. True, many things are sent today’s email attachments, but often sending a fax of a paper document in hand is the simplest solution.
Most fax machines are designed to work over a POTS line. They scan the image on the paper, convert it to a phone signal and transmit to the other side. Most digital systems do not support this. For that reason, even companies with voice over IP systems will often have one or more POTS lines dedicated to fax machines. These POTS lines can serve a redundant purpose. Should your Internet and voice over IP system go down, these fax lines can be used to send and receive phone calls.
Alarm Phone Lines
Another common use for a POTS line is with an alarm system. With a home or business alarm, the system needs to communicate with the central office that receives alarm alerts. These calls are placed over phone lines. Some systems use POTS lines, cellular or combination.
Again, POTS lines have the advantage of working with the Internet is down and many alarm systems can continue for a long period of time when the power is out using a standby battery. If the system needs to call out, that phone call can go over the pots line which does not require separate power. This can provide a more reliable way for your alarm system to communicate with the alarm monitoring company.
Credit Card Machines
Many businesses, particularly retail stores, use credit card swipe machines to accept and process credit cards. Some of these machines only use POTS lines. Others use a combination of POTS lines, Internet and cellular. But what happens if your stores in a location that does not have a strong cellular signal? What happens when the Internet goes out?
We’ve all heard her stories of businesses unable to transact business for a day because the Internet was down and they could not run credit cards. If those credit card processing machines had a secondary connection with a POTS line, they would have been in business. For the relatively low cost of the phone line, they would’ve saved hundreds of thousands of dollars in sales.
Elevator Lines
Buildings with elevators required to provide a telephone in the elevator for people to use in case of emergency. This would not be an Internet phone, a battery phone or cell phone that would not likely have strong reception in an elevator shaft. Most commonly, these are phones connected to a pots line, considered the most reliable phone line, allowing those in an emergency situation to call for help.
If individuals are stuck in your elevator and unable to call for help, the liability may be significant. Having a reliable pots line connected to that phone allows you to protect the employees and visitors to your building and potentially reduce your liability.
Call Today for Information
If you would like more information on securing a pots line for your business, whether you need one line or 1000, call our office today. You can reach us at (631) 846-1154 or complete the form on the right side of this page. Our carriers provide excellent rates, fast service and the reliability you need. Call us today!