Panic (911) buttons with no subscription
January 18, 2024 4:32 PM Subscribe
I’m looking at these little devices, which appear to be very small cellphones with speakerphones that dial 911. Since carriers are required to support 911 regardless of subscription it seems like they would work anywhere with cell coverage. Too good to be true?
Best answer: Yes the one you linked apparently doesn't work at all anymore. The Verizon support for these 3G calls has been shut off now, and Verizon was the last one. If you want to search for a working device you should find one that says it supports "Voice over LTE" which is sometimes abbreviated VoLTE.
posted by fritley at 5:29 PM on January 18, 2024 [2 favorites]
posted by fritley at 5:29 PM on January 18, 2024 [2 favorites]
My understanding is that any operable cell phone must be able to call 911, regardless of activation or data plan. For less than the price of that device, you could get a Tracfone or similar and never activate it.
posted by Rock Steady at 11:31 AM on January 19, 2024 [1 favorite]
posted by Rock Steady at 11:31 AM on January 19, 2024 [1 favorite]
Response by poster: The primary draw of the original device was battery life. I have yet to find another solution with anything close. Something that has to be charged constantly is a non-starter.
posted by Tell Me No Lies at 2:34 PM on January 19, 2024
posted by Tell Me No Lies at 2:34 PM on January 19, 2024
This thread is closed to new comments.
posted by kickingtheground at 4:59 PM on January 18, 2024 [4 favorites]