8 Popular Home Phone Calling Features

Back in the old days, all your home phone did was make and receive calls. These days though, the humble home phone has become a bit of a communications computer, capable of lots of cool stuff we used to only be able to dream of.

However, without the right home phone plan, you might be missing out on all of the cool calling features out there. If you're to add some features to your home phone experience, it may be time to shop for something new.

Here is a quick rundown of some of the most popular home phone features available here on WhiteFence:

• Caller ID – Know exactly who is calling before you pick up the phone and never deal with another telemarketer again

• Voicemail – Hear all of your messages wherever you are and say goodbye to your old answering machine

• Call Waiting – Never again miss another important call because you were already on the line

• Conference Calls – Get everyone together on one conversation instead of making lots of separate calls

• Call Forwarding – Have your calls forwarded to your cell phone or another landline while you are away from home

• Auto Redial – Easily redial the last number person you called even if you've forgotten their number

• Anonymous Call Rejection – Block calls from anyone that has chosen to block their name and number

• Speed Calling – Set up custom codes for all of your friends and family to make calls in a flash without your Rolodex

City Highlight: Moving to Cleveland

Every month, we try to highlight a city to show savings-savvy consumers how they can save money. Whether people are moving to a new place or just looking for deals for where they live, we hope these prove to be useful for shoppers that are trying to cut down on their monthly expenses.

This month, we take a look at the great city of Cleveland, Ohio. There are lots of great specials to be had with a Cleveland zip code at the moment, especially if you are trying to lock in a natural gas rate just before the temperatures start plummeting.

Here are some of Cleveland's best deals!

Natural Gas

• If you want to get a low natural gas rate before it gets too cold, check out Vectren Source natural gas service. You can find a low variable rate plan that starts at only 5.828 cents per therm.

Bundles

• AT&T is letting you save money with phone and high-speed Internet bundles that start at $29.20 per month. This deal can help save you up to $180 on your bills!

High-Speed Internet

• Order lightning fast Internet from the folks at Cavalier! You can get up to 8.0 Mbps download speeds for the low price of $39.95 per month!

TV

• DIRECTV is offering their Choice XTRA plan for as low as $34.99, which will also net you 3 free months of Showtime and Starz.
• DISH Network is running a special for the America Top 120 package, which has over 120 channels for only $24.99.

Phone

• Sage Telecom has great deals on home phone, starting at just $19.99. This well priced package will give you unlimited local calling as well as 200 free long distance minutes.

Some of these prices and specials may vary by area, and may change at a future date. To find out what you can save, visit WhiteFence and enter your address to get started!

Landline vs. VoIP

We've talked before about the cell phone vs. home phone debate, but today I wanted to break down the home phone space a little and discuss the pros and cons of the two types of home phone plans available: landline service and Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) service.

First though, let's define each category. Landline service uses telephone wires and poles to send and receive call data and is marketed by traditional phone companies. VoIP service, on the other hand, uses the Internet to send and receive call data and is offered by cable companies, VoIP-only companies as well as some of the traditional phone companies.

So, which is best? Let's break it down:

• Call Quality – When VoIP first came out, there were a few glitches here and there, giving landlines a clear victory in call quality. However, as the VoIP products have evolved and Internet speeds have gotten faster and faster, call quality has improved to a level where there is no noticeable difference in call quality.
  Advantage: Draw
  

• Requirements – Home phone service can be ordered by itself, but VoIP requires a high-speed Internet plan. If you don't have broadband service at your house this make VoIP service a much more expensive proposition.
  Advantage: Landline

City Highlight: Moving to Los Angeles

We all know that Los Angeles, California is the City of Angels, so naturally, everyone wants to move there, right? I mean, who wouldn't want to be near the epicenter of America's entertainment industry? If you want sports, you can check out USC football games or the Los Angeles Lakers, or even the Dodgers. On top of that, it's located in sunny California, which is statistically proven to be awesome.

It's true, Los Angeles has everything a mover could want in a new destination. That's why we've taken the time to put together a list of some of the best deals you can find in Los Angeles, to see where you could save money on your monthly bills. If you're moving or just thinking about switching, here are some of the best deals available to you:

Bundles

• AT&T is bundling Internet and TV packages for as low as $49.94 per month for both services. This saves you as much as $528 over the course of 2 years.

High-Speed Internet

• Order blazing fast 7.0 Mbps Time Warner Cable high-speed for as low as $34.95 per month!

TV

• DIRECTV is offering their Premiere package for free for 5 months with the purchase of NFL Sunday Ticket for this season of America's favorite sport.
• DISH Network is running a special for the America Top 200 package, which has over 200 channels for only $39.99.

Phone

• Sage Telecom is letting you dial on the cheap with unlimited local and long distance phone plans starting at just $29.99!

Some of these prices and specials may vary by area, and may change at a future date. To find out what you can save, visit WhiteFence and enter your address to get started!

Provider Highlight: Time Warner Cable

With so many different providers available here on WhiteFence, things can get a little overwhelming. To help you find the right companies for your needs, we showcase different providers and what t hey have to offer here on the blog. This time, we're highlighting Time Warner Cable.

Time Warner Cable is one of the nation's largest communications companies. They started off as just a cable company, but they now offer cutting-edge broadband and home phone along side their television service. Time Warner is also one of the biggest names in bundles, with a wide range of bundles that has contains the perfect solution for everyone.

Here are some things to look out for when shopping Time Warner:

• The Speed You Need – Time Warner broadband plans go up to 15.0 Mbps, which means you can surf the Web and download files with lightning-fast speed.

• All of Your Favorite Channels – Get up to 200 channels of TV when you go with Time Warner Cable TV.

• Unlimited Calling – When you order home phone service with Time Warner, you can get a package loaded with unlimited local & long distance.

• PowerBoost – To make your downloads even faster, some Time Warner Internet plans come with PowerBoost service. This new technology gives you an extra boost of speed when you start to download large files.

• Freebies – Right now when you shop for Time Warner TV service or bundles, you can find plans with three FREE months of DVR service and set-top box rental!

Ready to start shopping for Time Warner packages? Just head over to our Time Warner Deals page and enter your address to see what's available in your area.

Provider Highlight: Qwest

Here at WhiteFence, we offer so many providers that things can get a little confusing. That's why we like to take a moment every now and then to highlight one of providers. Up this week is Qwest!

Founded in 1996, Qwest has grown into one of the nation's largest telecommunications companies. They offer reliable home phone service and blazing-fast broadband service over an incredibly advanced network. Their network is actually so large that it spans a whopping 173,000 miles!

Here are some cool things about Qwest to keep in mind while you shop:

• Bundle and save – Not only can you bundle your Qwest home phone and broadband services together, but you can also add TV service from DIRECTV to your order.

• Unlimited calling plans – Every Qwest phone package on WhiteFence comes with unlimited local calling! If you have friends and family across the country, you can order a plan with unlimited long distance starting at just $35.00 per month.

• Lighting-fast speeds – Qwest broadband packages on WhiteFence are available in speeds up to 20.0 Mbps! Now that's fast.

• Great promotion terms – When you shop for Qwest service here on WhiteFence, you'll notice select packages qualify for a special six or twelve month promotion term.

• No landline required – If you're just interested in broadband service, you can order a Qwest Internet package on WhiteFence that does not require you to have a phone line.

Ready to start comparing offers from Qwest? Head over to our Qwest deals page to get started now!

City Highlight: Moving to Baltimore

A few months ago we started to do a feature on the blog that highlights different cities around the country, and the deals that people can find. The idea is that anyone moving to or currently living in these locations can get better deals that help them to save on their home services like home phone, TV and Internet.

For this week's feature, we're going to be taking a look at the great city of Baltimore, home of the Orioles, the Ravens and the Washington Monument. Check out the list below to see a list of the best deals in the area!

Cell Phone vs. Home Phone

Life sure does change quickly these days. Just a few years ago, it seemed that literally almost every house in the country had a landline. However, with the rapid rise of the cell phone, people are now starting to question whether they need to keep home phone service and many people have already ditched their landline. It's not just young people either, my own mom has cut the cord!

While cell phones are great, there are still plenty of reasons to keep your landline. With that in mind, I put together a list of the pros and cons of keeping the landline and pulling the plug:

• Reliability – Cell phones suffer from dropped calls, busy networks and other issues that keep them from being 100% reliable. In contrast, when was the last time you dropped a call from your home phone? Home phones are just more reliable right now and that matters, especially during an emergency.
  Advantage: Home Phone

• One Number – One benefit of going cell-only is that there's only one number people need to know. This cuts down on phone tag and lets people get in touch with you faster, no matter where you are.
  Advantage: Cell Phone

City Highlight: Moving to Atlanta

Summer is almost officially here, which means that the time for people to start moving is fast approaching or already underway for some people. One of the more stressful parts of any move is connecting all of your utilities and home services. Getting everything set up can sometimes be a hassle, especially if you're new to the area and don't know what's available.

Last month, we did a piece highlighting the best deals on home services in the Chicago area. This time, we wanted to do the same thing for another destination: Alanta, Georgia. Hopefully this list will be helpful for anybody moving to or in the Atlanta area.

Check out the list below to see the best specials!

City Highlight: Moving to Chicago

Over the last few months, we've incorporated a variety of unique topics and features into the blog, including WhiteFence 101 tutorials, FAQs, and Provider Highlights. One of the new things that we want to start doing is highlighting specific cities around the country, and show what deals are available for each of them. This should be of great use to anyone moving to that area or even people that already live there and want to save some money on monthly bills.

Our first city on the list? Chicago. I admittedly don't know much about Chicago, but I have friends that live there or are from there, and they seem to be mostly alright people, minus that bizarre love of socks, bear-like animals and bulls. But regardless of whether or not I've been there or understand their fascinations, I've been able to do some digging around inside the WhiteFence engine to find some great deals for Chicagoans.

If you live around the area, you'll definitely want to check these out and see where you can cut some spending out of your expenses.