Fluther: Is it at all possible to have internet without a landline?

Is it at all possible to have internet without a landline?

) April 24th, 2011
20 responses
“Great Question” (2

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I want to cancel my landline, as it isn’t really used and just a waste of money. All we use it for is for DSL. I just want to know about all the alternatives. What are my options?

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Topics: technology, internet, networks

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Answers

It is called Dry DSL.
Yes, you can get it from AT&T.

filmfann (52221

)“Great Answer” (2

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Your phone company may offer “naked” DSL without the landline, I pay $19.95/month for DSL with no phone. It is common these days.

Options depend on your location. Where I live I can choose among:
Clear 4G Wimax
Cable TV w/Internet
Satellite
DSL (with no landline)

jaytkay (25810

)“Great Answer” (1

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Where I live, we have the cable TV w/ the internet. We also get digital phone service but that is NOT a landline. We got rid of the landline years ago because as you said, it’s a waste of money and wasn’t being used. So why keep it?

We have Time Warner Cable and you can get “bundled” services or standalones, like JUST cable TV, JUST cable internet, or JUST phone. I think internet alone is around 50–60 bucks.

seekingwolf (10410

)“Great Answer” (1

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Yes you can connect with broadband. I don’t have a landline at all but have no problem connecting to the internet.

kitkat25 (516

)“Great Answer” (1

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Absolutely. I haven’t had a landline for 5 years. I have 3 different ways to connect to the internet at high speeds: My cable/broadband, wireless through my phone and an aircard (separate phone line with ups adapter for my laptop that runs me an additional $14 per month for unlimited connection anywhere)

Blueroses (18256

)“Great Answer” (2

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We have Comcast cable with the bundled services. No one has yet mentioned that you can often use unsecured wireless from your neighbor, if anyone nearby has it. My son did that for several weeks at his house before the cable was installed.

We stayed in a motel that shared a parking lot with a McDonald’s and we were able to tap into the McD wireless.

YARNLADY (46379

)“Great Answer” (2

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There are a number of options. You can get a broadband card/service from your cell phone carrier, cable internet, that’s what I have, a satellite internet connection but I haven’t heard very good things about it from the people I who have and I think there are providers who have a set up that allows you have a set up that allows you to get the internet through the power grid and the signal is sent through wiring system in your house but I don’t know quite how that works. And if Verizon’s FIOS is available you area that is another option.

lillycoyote (24865

)“Great Answer” (2

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@YARNLADY you closet rascal, you! I do leave my broadband unsecured (I have firewalls on my private info and don’t store anything really sensitive on pc anyway. I just think of it as being neighborly and I’ve appreciated finding an open connection many-a-time.

Blueroses (18256

)“Great Answer” (2

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Broadband. My family didn’t have a landline for years and still had internet connection.
Broadband sticks like these are available over here. Maybe some of the mobile phone network providers also supply them where you are.

MilkyWay (13745

)“Great Answer” (1

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@Blueroses Good for you, you good neighbor you. Something is currently wrong with my router and I am using my neighbor’s network; and, when I figure out what is wrong with mine, I will immediately do the neighborly thing and suggest that they really should secure their network. :-)

lillycoyote (24865

)“Great Answer” (2

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@Blueroses We do the same.

YARNLADY (46379

)“Great Answer” (1

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Our connection is kept open but I’m way out in the country and have a total of zero neighbours. If we did have neighbours though, I would have to secure the network.

seekingwolf (10410

)“Great Answer” (1

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Sure. I only had a landline for about 6 months (ever) but I’ve always had internet.

MyNewtBoobs (19059

)“Great Answer” (1

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I use a USB modem when traveling, not connected to any phone line. It is fast and will work anywhere a mobile phone works. I am in Australia but I would think USA has something similar.

rooeytoo (26981

)“Great Answer” (2

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Personally, I have had dry-loop DSL for years.

As for leaving your network unsecured so the neighbors can use it, I won’t go on too much about how bad an idea that is (mostly because I would get derogatory to the point of political incorrectness), but I will say that if you want to be neighborly then you can do so without putting yourself at major risk. Well, at least you can if your router has a guest network like mine. That would allow neighbors to use your internet connection while still encrypting your data well enough to not give every stranger who wanders by all of your account numbers and passwords.

Of course, sharing your connection still leaves you open to stuff like this so it is possible that stolen financial information could be the least of your worries. The RIAA is merciless, and the penalties for downloading child pornography are steep, so it pays to make sure that any such activity isn’t done on your internet connection.

jerv (31076

)“Great Answer” (4

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