Disconnecting the Landline

     The one thing that has always kept me from discontinuing my landline and using my cell phone alone has been the fact that I didn't want to have to hunt all over the house for my ringing cell phone, which is usually in the charger, and then try to unplug it, swipe the screen to open the pad, and answer the phone – by then my caller would have long gone to voicemail. I guess I'm part of a generation that likes to pick up when friends and family call, if I can. I checked around assuming someone had invented a device to connect my cell phone to my house phones. My local Best Buy, the RadioShack, and even my cell phone carrier, had never heard of any such technology. The local Radio Shack guy was so cocky about his own knowledge he said that such a thing didn't exist. On my own, I finally found it, and it was an inexpensive solution.

     The new Cobra Phonelynx, which is only $35.00 at Amazon.com, was easy to set up: plug-in the power for the Cobra unit, unplug your phone from the wall and plug it into the side of the Cobra Phonelynx . It paired effortlessly to the Bluetooth on my cell phone, a first-generation Droid. I now have my cell phone charging right next to the Cobra unit, and have found call clarity to be excellent on all four of my regular cordless home handsets. Caller ID works too. When you make a call from one of your home phones, you press talk and get a real dial tone, then after you dial there is a short delay and then a beep which signals your cell phone is dialing the number.

     When I am away from home, I turn off the Bluetooth on my cell phone to save the battery; later, coming in from the garage, I turn on the Bluetooth again and within 30 to 45 seconds, the PhoneLynx has automatically reconnected, and all my home phones are ready to both make and receive calls.

      I contacted my cell phone provider and increased my minutes since I'd be using my cell phone for all calls, but after cancelling my basic AT&T connection, there was a net savings on my phone expenses every month. I purchased this thinking, "Oh well, if it doesn't work, I've only wasted $35," but have ended up so pleasantly surprised to have gotten such a great piece of technology, and at such a low price! It's rare when adopting new technology saves money; new technology usually ends up costing more.

     I've also been careful to alert my daughter when she comes into the house that she needs to use her cell phone to make a call if I'm gone, since the house phones will be dead. The Cobra Phonelynx can pair with two cell phones, but when I offered to pair her cell phone to my house phone using the Cobra unit, she didn't want her personal calls from her friends coming through the house phone where I might pick them up. Huh, go figure. I thought kids liked new technology.