There's a big concern these days about securing personal information and avoiding falling prey to con artists and other people who seek to take out money from us. A lot of this concern is centered on the Internet, but our own home telephones can provide a way for con artists to get into our lives as well. In fact, there are a number of dangers that are associated with using the phone that include having to deal with stalkers and crank callers, in addition to con artists. Plus, many of us find even legitimate businesses calling us to be annoying as well!



The good news about all of this is that modern phone systems provide technology that can help you to filter out unwanted calls in a variety of ways. The bad news is that these features can be expensive when you get them through a conventional phone company. In fact, the rates that are charged by conventional phone companies have gone up in recent years even on the most basic calling plans that are currently available. This puts the more advanced calling plans- the ones with the security features that you want- out of reach for many people.

Fortunately, there are a few ways around these problems. Basically, you can take advantage of a service other than your conventional phone company to get phone service in your home. The options available to you include the possibility of using a mobile phone at home, using a VoIP service to take and place calls through your Internet connection, and getting phone service through your local cable TV company. Each of these has advantages, but the cable TV company option is the one that is has the fewest disadvantages.

The option of using your mobile phone at home may seem like a good one on some ways. Chances are that you have a mobile phone anyway and that it already has features like Caller ID and voice mail that can help you to filter out unwanted calls. The disadvantage is that mobile phones won't necessarily report your location to the dispatcher if you call 911 from one. This can make it tougher to get help in the event of an emergency, and that's a big disadvantage when compared to a normal land line.

The option of using a Voice over Internet Protocol (or VoIP) service to make calls over the Internet has a lot of attractive features, but it's probably not a good idea for most people. Despite all of the security features and value that many VoIP services deliver, they probably won't be 911 compatible either. In addition, they require you to have a high speed Internet connection in your home and since that would either by delivered over a phone line or by a cable TV company, it's probably easier and more convenient just to use the phone company or the cable TV company.

This leaves your cable TV company. It can deliver many of the calling features of a VoIP service (including the ones that will help you to filter out unwanted calls and know exactly who you're talking to when you do pick up the phone), is completely compatible with the 911 emergency system, and more affordable than the equivalent service from the phone company. An additional feature that makes the cable TV option extremely attractive is that most (if not all) plans include unlimited long distance to any number in the United States, and some extend that great deal to include Canada and Puerto Rico as well.

This makes the cable TV company a good choice for the phone needs of most people.