The landline question

Whether your buzzer genuinely needs a home phone line, what a building means when it says it does, what a line costs you for one job, and what happens as the copper gets switched off.

Getting a home phone from Bell or Rogers for the buzzer
What a carrier can and cannot do about your buzzer, the question to ask your building before ordering a line, and what each answer means for your order.
4 min read
Your building says you need a landline. What to ask next.
Many buildings do not need one. The one question that tells you if yours does, the exact wording to send, and how to get the buzzer calling your cell instead.
5 min read
Your buzzer is dialling a number that no longer exists
A not in service recording at the panel usually means the stored number was cancelled. How to confirm it, and what to have the building store instead.
4 min read
Cancelling your home phone without losing the buzzer
The order to do it in, what to confirm with your Toronto building first, and how to make sure the door still opens on the day the line goes dead.
4 min read
Bell is retiring copper phone lines. What happens to your buzzer?
Bell is moving homes from copper to fibre. Which apartment entry systems depend on a phone line, what to ask your building, and what changes for your unit.
4 min read
Do you need a landline for your buzzer in Toronto?
You do not need a landline for a Toronto buzzer whose lobby panel dials out. How to check what your building actually runs before you order a phone line.
4 min read
Hardwired or dial-out: which Toronto intercom do you have, and can it ring your mobile?
A handset on your wall, a panel that rings your home phone jack, or a panel that dials a number. How to tell in a minute, and which one can reach your mobile.
5 min read
Will a VoIP line work with your apartment buzzer?
VoIP works with a lobby panel that dials a phone number, if the number is local and the door tone gets through. When to ask the building first, and what to test.
5 min read