CrazyPaul

I was told by a VP installer not to throw the TTY away because when the internet is down, you can't call 911 by VP so in that case, the TTY would be useful. Alot of no-common-sense deaf people got rid of their TTY since they think they don't need to keep it any longer because they have a VP which is connected to internet.

BTW, one of my deaf co-workers got fired because when he tried to call in sick, his internet was down so he couldn't use VRS and he didn't have a TTY that he got rid of some time ago. But luckily, a few weeks later he came back to work after the union president fought for him who is on probation for TWO YEARS.

In other words, if you can't call in sick by VP because your internet is down, your employer will tell you that it's your problem.

So don't throw your TTY away just in case.

Deafness

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Frisky Feline

um what about cell phone that have IP relay or text?

Jane B.

That would probably be OK as most of the time the internet providers for you computer, VP and cell phone are different companies.

DO be aware the IP stands for Internet Protocol. Thus, it can be down at times. The same way with text messaging.

CrazyPaul

What if it's stolen, broken or lost?

The guy who was fired had a cellphone but it was broken.

Frisky Feline

some people do not have dial up connection service (telephone only). most of them chose the cables internet connection. so TTY is useless when the cable internet connection go down. eh.

sequoias

Wirelessly posted (sent from a smartphone. )

Well, my tty got lost/stolen. The reliabity with internet and my phone is very stable. I don't think it is a problem. Landline phone lines can go out.

Frisky Feline

oh i couldnt remember what word is for landline phone lines lol thansk!

Bottesini

We haven't had a landline for years.

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CrazyPaul

Home phone services RARELY go down unless there's a big earthquake or tornado in your area.

Cable internet services frequently go down. That's a fact. My brother-in-law who used to work for the cable company said that the cable internet connection sucks. What's more, the guy who got fired has the cable internet (Time-Warner) which was down when he tried to call in sick. He was pissed off.

So my point is that the TTY which is connected to a home phone service should be kept as a back-up. I heard that some federal government agencies such as IRS don't accept VRS calls, only TTY calls accepted.

rockin'robin

Yeah...I still have my old TDD or TTY...and it still works...I do use it occassionally, and do have some friends that don't have a VP (can't afford Internet)....so it all works out good!

Reba

Our cable/internet goes out during heavy storms and sometimes when the cable company is doing maintenance of the lines.

Cell phone use is sometimes not available in certain areas around here. During heavy use times, like emergencies, it might not be available.

Our landline phone has been always available, even during and after Hurricane Hugo. Also, on our landline phone, we receive automated reverse 911 notifications for emergency announcements from the Sheriff.

Sometimes we have to use the landline TTY for Deaf contacts who don't have VRS available.

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sallylou

My home phone goes out all of the time. Not that I use it. It's hard to use the cell phone after an emergency (like a hurricane) and then email is the best way to contact people. I don't know anyone who has TTY. I've seen the clunky machine before. Guess that if your have room to store it, there's no harm in that.

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Reba

I still have a TTY because there are some deaf people who don't have internet services, and that's the only way they can contact me. I know several who use TTY.

I'm surprised that your home phone goes out all the time.

rockin'robin

"Clunky machine"?....Not mine. It's an Ultratec. Lots smaller than my Dell computer screen, fits nicely upon my desk with my computer and my VP.

sequoias

Wirelessly posted (sent from a smartphone. )

Well my cable internet only went down once or twice in over a year of usage. It only lasted several minutes. Nothing stays 100% reliable anyway. I haven't seen my phone go offline since for a long time.

rockin'robin

My guess is you don't use Comcast, huh?....But anyhow, whenever ours goes out, I make a note of it...and call Comcast and tell them I'm due a refund. They take it off my bill....I'm not about paying for services that I don't receive! And they've gotten a LOT of calls and complaints from me. So whenever I have "threatened" to use another company...they automatically give me a big reduction on my bill in order to keep me, since I've been with them for 20 years, give or take....

rockin'robin

For those of you who do use the TTY....have you ever had any problems calling long distance and and telling the Relay operator that ur carrier is Comcast?....

Since the Relay uses Sprint, they block any Comcast long distancfe calls!...The Relay operators have a hard time trying to use Comcast, and many times have had to call their Supervisors over to to be able to make the call....

It's taken me a long time to be able to make a long distance call thru the TTY Relay using Comcast! And I've complained about it for years, to no avail....Sprint wants you to use Sprint and not another carrier....

sallylou

I have the kind of phone that has DSL. Maybe the phone goes out because of the cable? The cable company is putting in new lines so many that will help the situation.

Sometimes, the mysterious phone outages can be from toothly little critters known as squirrels. We have a ton of them.

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rockin'robin

Mostly, whenever our Internet goes out, so does the phone...but the TV is still working with cable....sometimes it's the other way around. My guess was that it was with old wiring (?)....Then again, critters can do much damage too.

SneakerNet

I just use pigeon to delivers message for me and trained to poop on boss. <grin>

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Bottesini

When we did have a landline, it didn't work if it even rained a little. It was a huge waste of money for us.

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Frisky Feline

We don't have landline phone as well. We don't use it.

posts from hell

Never used a land line in YEARS.

This does not regret me taking my TTY to a shooting range.

Jane B.

At the time I pulled up this page TTY | eBay from Ebay just as an example of the different ones there was quite a range. I think the smallest one there for backup use is the Ultratec Compact TTY which folds in half the long way for storage.

I am sorry that this one proved to be so delicate that it was taken off the market.

Computers Live: Krown PocketComm TTY/VCO

I have two because they don't seem to stand up to the bumps and bangs of being carried in a woman's purse compared to clipped to a man's pants waistband. I used one from the time they came out in 2003 until this year when I got tired of doing an exchange or having repairs done to the tune of about $100 US per year. When in good shape, they work well with a cell phone.

Jane B.

DSL is a technology from the phone company (such as AT & T's landline division) commonly used for higher speed internet service for your computer. If you have DSL there could be a problem with old phone cable but NOT the type of cable that carries cable TV from a company such as Charter.

posts from hell

ok, i just find the idea of all of the above going amok very very very very slim.

And that is when a disaster hits. Most likely all phone lines will be busy anyways.

if power was out you might not be able ot use TTY.

Comical reasons.

sequoias

Yeah I don't use Comcast. I use Mediacom cable. I think Comcast gets a bit more outages than what I have. I pay $45 a month for 12 mbps connection.

Smithtr

I am surprised i notice it seem son throw on actually chareg I know not easy I am pretty frustrated on tty hard to now easy complication i know not easy I am pretty lots of complication how feeling!

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Frisky Feline

a while ago before Irene came, the high level management in my dept just spreaded out the words and suggested if anythng go wrong with the communication then use text according to " noted from teenagers to parents, duh*

it made me smile. lol

GuySmoke420

I never toss my old TTY. I happy now. I using comcast cable modem for phone in-build battery back up.

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