When the power goes out, you should already know who you’ll call and where to find the numbers you’ll need. You should also know whether your phone will still work. Community Phone works without internet and includes a 26-hour backup battery. In an emergency, there’s nothing that needs to be turned back on.
Whatever kind of home phone you have, follow this guide to plan for an outage.
Put your outage plan beside the phone
Write down the information you would want if the power went down tonight. Keep it near the phone, where anyone in the house can find it.
| Write this down | Number or answer |
|---|---|
| Power company outage line | |
| Electric account number | |
| Phone service support | |
| Family contact | |
| Alarm or medical-alert provider | |
| Other device provider |
The outage number and account number are usually on your electric bill or power company’s website. Community Phone customers can write (866) 969-4886 as their phone service support number. If another device depends on your phone line, add its support number too.
Decide who calls who
Sometimes a family’s outage plan can boil down to one sentence: one person checks on a loved one — especially one who lives alone — and everyone agrees in advance on how the family will share updates.
Community Phone works without home internet, so nobody needs working Wi-Fi to make or receive calls.
Keep your number with a reliable phone service that works without internet.
Check alarms and other devices
A security system, medical-alert device, fax machine, or other equipment may have its own power requirements. Even if your home phone is working, other devices may not be.
Call the company that supplied the device and ask:
- Does this device depend on my phone service?
- What happens to it during a power outage?
- Does it have its own battery, and how long does that battery last?
Put the provider’s number on the plan beside the phone. Then you’ll know what to expect during an outage, how long the battery should last, and who to call if the device stops working.
Know what keeps your home phone working
To understand how your home phone will behave in an outage, check two things: what powers the equipment in your home and how the call reaches the network. Different services handle those jobs in different ways.
With Community Phone, the 26-hour battery powers the Phone Base in an outage, while industrial-grade antennas connect it to nearby phone towers. No home internet or copper phone lines needed.
Traditional copper phone lines
A corded phone may keep working because a traditional line carries power from the phone company. But a damaged line or failed equipment can still end service, and copper phone lines are being retired across the country.
Internet-based phone service
The equipment in your house needs electricity, and the internet connection still has to be available. The FCC’s emergency guidance says broadband phone service will not work during an electrical outage without a battery or another backup power source.
Community Phone
Community Phone removes the need for working internet and traditional phone lines. Its industrial-grade antennas pull in the strongest local tower, so calls stay clear even where cell phones can’t hold a signal.
The 26-hour backup battery is built into the Phone Base. It takes over when household power goes out and recharges when power comes back.
See how Community Phone works.
Make a plan with someone you love
You can help the people you love stay independent and connected. You and a loved one can fill out their phone outage information together. Put your number near the top, check the phone in their home, and agree on when you’ll call during an outage.
With Community Phone for Loved Ones, they keep the familiar phone and number they already use. There’s no new tech for them to learn, and you’ll still be able to reach them when the power goes out.
A note for cordless phones
Cordless handsets need their own wall power, so we recommend keeping at least one corded phone plugged into the Phone Base. That way there’s a working phone in the house during an extended outage.
Your outage plan only works if your phone does
The numbers, check-in schedule, and provider contacts beside the phone are only useful if someone can make and receive calls.
Community Phone is a home phone that just works. Its 26-hour backup battery means you can make calls even when the power goes out. There’s no home internet to restore and no phone line to repair.
You still need an outage plan. With Community Phone, your home phone won’t stand in the way.
