Originally Posted By: kschachn
Originally Posted By: zzyzzx
Originally Posted By: JHZR2
Originally Posted By: Nick1994
Why do people still have landlines?
AFAIK, 911 gets a more correct and distinct location if calling from a landline. If from VOIP, cell, etc., they ay not be able to pinpoint your location. May be very important in case of a home invasion or a choking incident.
When I ditched my land line, they tried to talk me into keeping it saying that police could potentially arrive faster. My response was that since I lived in Baltimore City, the police were not going to show up anyway.
It may get a better location because it is loaded into a database, not because the landline termination is somehow geolocated. If you sign up for a 911 service for a VOIP phone they will let you enter in your address which accomplishes the same thing.
It also happens when I turn on wi-fi calling on my cell phone. You have to enter in your location since it needs to be reported properly.
Its from 2006 but its a comprehensive description of the enhanced 9-1-1 system in the US.
This system was conceived and originated in the US.
http://people.howstuffworks.com/9-1-13.htm