911 on VOIP

Many households and businesses are switching to VOIP (Voice Over Internet Protocol) to save on their phone bills and add new capabilities such as video conferencing. While these technical advantages have developed extensively over the years, allowing VOIP to compete with more established phone provider options, there are still other considerations with new phone technology, including its ability to handle emergence 911 calls.

Standard, land line phones allow individuals to call emergency services by calling 911 – those phone calls are, in turn, tracked to the exact location and crews can respond immediately. Whether you are managing services for your household or business, it’s important to understand the capabilities of your 911 service.

The particular emergency service capability of a given provider depends on the options they offer. Major providers, such as Vonage, offer 911 service in most major counties, but the service must be activated and confirmed before it goes into place. Always make sure that you look into the particular options with your phone provider, so that you can enable the ideal service offering for you.

The major reason for activation is that the VOIP providers are required to confirm your physical address, so that emergency services have the proper information if contacted during a call. Unlike traditional phone lines, VOIP services can be operated from anywhere – the utility of 911 responder services is that they know of your location in any circumstance. Make sure you take care of these issues in advance, so that you can be prepared in case a situation arises.