POTS is an abbreviation for Plain Old Telephone Service that refers to a traditional landline. Prior to the FCC 19-72A1 Telecom forbearance order in 2019, the FCC required by law for telecom companies to maintain their copper lines for emergency purposes. POTS lines are powered by the telephone company and are not tied into the end users’ power therefore making the POTS lines 911 code compliant. Follow this link to read the entire FCC Forbearance Order 19-72A1: https://docs.fcc.gov/public/attachments/FCC-19-72A1

POTS Replacement, a.k.a. Plain Old Telephone Service Replacement, refers to the transition from traditional analog landline telephone systems to modern digital/internet-based communication technologies. This mandatory migration affects legacy systems such as elevators, fire alarms, security systems, fax, and other mission-critical equipment that depend on voice service.

VoIP is an acronym for Voice over Internet Protocol that describes the method to place and receive phone calls over the internet. Most people consider VoIP the alternative to the local telephone company. In VoIP calling, your analog voice signal is converted into a digital signal and transmitted over the internet using data packets. The call is then sent to your VoIP service provider, who then routes it to the internet modem, where it’s converted back to a voice signal and accessible by connecting your phone to the built in ATA (Analog Terminal Adapter).

VoLTE is an acronym for Voice over LTE (Long Term Evolution) and is the standard for wireless, high-speed communication for data terminals and mobile phones. You use VoLTE every day and you may not know it! All the major mobile carriers use this standard. Voice calls are sent over 4G LTE networks and use the same towers that your smartphone uses today. And most importantly, VoLTE will continue to provide service during a power outage. Cell towers have backup generators that failover during a power outage. VoLTE is the protocol WaveFi Tech utilizes to provide e911 Compliant Voice service to your emergency phone.

LTE is an acronym for Long Term Evolution which is the wireless broadband standard for mobile devices and data terminals that can send more data over the internet with increased speed and precision.

The easiest and most cost-effective way is to subscribe to WaveFi Tech’s Wireless e911 Compliant Emergency Voice Service for Residential Elevators.

WaveFi Tech’s Wireless e911 Compliant Voice Service achieves 911 code compliant status by utilizing 911 compliant hardware that connects to the already 911 compliant cellular VoLTE service plans.

The hardware that WaveFi Tech uses is the ATEL V810VD 4G cellular router that has a built-in battery backup and a built-in SIM card slot that lives inside the battery pack compartment behind the rechargeable battery pack. The SIM card issued by the cellular carrier is provisioned with a VoLTE plan specifically designed for the Wireless e911 Compliant Voice Service for Residential Elevator phone use case. The VoTLE service maintains voice and data connectivity during a power outage and is delivered to the 4G router that has failed over to the battery backup. These two essential components certify this service as e911 compliant.

No. The equipment rental is part of your monthly connectivity fee. We maintain this equipment and have remote access for monitoring. We replace faulty equipment at no cost. For example, if the router is damaged by lightning, the rechargeable battery wears out or the entire unit needs upgraded, we swap it out immediately.

Yes. Other use cases for this service include alarm + security panels, fire alarm panels, septic alarm panels, pool safety phones and rental cottage emergency phones.

Yes. We can port your phone number over from your existing service provider which may take up to 10 days to finalize. A temporary phone number will be used to keep the phone line active during the porting process. We will need your current phone number, your account number and PIN number from your existing provider to complete the port.

No. WaveFi Tech’s Wireless Emergency Voice Service is a stand-alone service and works independently.

WaveFi Tech processes all the billing and provides all support in-house. You can reach us by phone or email. Office: (252) 722-9283 | Billing: billing@wavefitech.com | Support: support@wavefitech.com

Absolutely! It is possible to dial 911 and place an emergency phone call using a non-compliant VoIP service.

The short answer is you can’t.

There are two components to making VoIP 911 code compliant:

  1. LTE Failover – When a power outage occurs the internet service is interrupted which will cause the VoIP service to fail. The only way to achieve internet connectivity continuity during a power outage is to implement a cellular failover router that can detect an internet service outage from your main internet source (WAN) and automatically failover to the secondary internet source (LTE) which will continue to provide internet service to the ATA (Analog Terminal Adapter) that is connected to your emergency phone.
  2. Battery Backup – The cellular failover router and the ATA (Analog Terminal Adapter) will need to be connected to some type of battery backup or UPS (Uninterrupted Power Supply) that will provide power during a commercial power outage ensuring that your emergency phone lines remain active during the event.

Yes. Below is part 9 of the Federal Register document, “Ensuring Continuity of 911 Communications”. Follow the link to view the entire document: https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2015/10/16/2015-24845/ensuring-continuity-of-911-communications

9. As discussed in greater detail below, we require that providers of non-line-powered facilities-based, fixed, voice residential service, including fixed wireless service intended as POTS replacement, offer, at the subscriber’s option and expense, a backup power solution that provides 911 access for 8 hours in the event of commercial power loss. Within three years, providers must also offer a 24-hour backup power solution. We also require covered providers to explain at point of sale how the subscriber may extend the provision of backup power during longer, multi-day outages through devices such as solar chargers, car chargers or mobile charging stations and to direct customers to sources of such equipment. No provider will be required to install backup power unless requested by, and at the expense of, the subscriber, and no subscriber will be forced to purchase unwanted equipment. Rather, our rules will ensure that subscribers who so elect can obtain backup power simply and conveniently when activating a covered service. In addition, in order to ensure that consumers are adequately informed in determining whether to make this election, we adopt disclosure requirements designed to ensure that subscribers are aware of the backup power options available for their service, including installation and other usage instructions. We also encourage, but do not require, providers to conduct tailored outreach to state and local disaster preparedness entities to ensure that consumables associated with their backup power technical solutions are well understood so that communities may prioritize restocking and/or recharging in support of extended power outages.