Quick question about condominiums

[metallicat]

I can't get a straight answer out of my condo builder, so I am asking here. In buildings that use the phone lines to buzz people up to your apartment, do you NEED to have a home phone subscription through Telus or Shaw or whatever? Or can you simply have the phone plugged in to the wall?

[TheyCallMeBruce]

Originally Posted by oilers_fan

I can't get a straight answer out of my condo builder, so I am asking here. In buildings that use the phone lines to buzz people up to your apartment, do you NEED to have a home phone subscription through Telus or Shaw or whatever? Or can you simply have the phone plugged in to the wall?

you can just use your cellphone. No idea if it has to be telus or a specific carrier. Though I do not think that would be the case.

[Phanuthier]

Originally Posted by oilers_fan

I can't get a straight answer out of my condo builder, so I am asking here. In buildings that use the phone lines to buzz people up to your apartment, do you NEED to have a home phone subscription through Telus or Shaw or whatever? Or can you simply have the phone plugged in to the wall?

I buzz people up with my Rogers cell phone

[ken0042]

I've lived in older apartments that did require a landline, but I would imagine that with new technology it should be able to work with any phone.

[Winsor_Pilates]

New ones will work with any phone. Your builder likely isn't giving you a good answer because he doesn't know. They will outsource this to a company late in the construction stage, and that company would be the one to ask.

[metallicat]

I move in in two weeks, so I want to know if I have to go ahead and get a land line. I'd rather not. New phone numbers in Edmonton do not start with the traditional "4". Plus, the added cost. I would prefer to simply increase the minutes on my cell phone.

[Winsor_Pilates]

I'd say the chance of you needing a phone line is 5% tops.

[metallicat]

I hope so...thanks guys.

[ken0042]

Just to elabourate on what I had in the past that required a landline- it would only run to one phone in the apartment, so to me that would indicate that it was hardwired from the entrance to each apartment.

I can't see them doing that now; it would make a lot more sense to have the entrance unit connect to the phone system and dial the number.

[taco.vidal]

Yeah I think old systems used to be hard wired to the individual suites. I havent had a land line since I moved out on my own over 10 years ago. One old apartment I rented, i had to have a phone plugged into the wall jack for the buzzer to work - but no land line needed from the phone company. Most new buzzers work that when the person enters the code to buzz up to your unit, it makes a phone call to the phone number associated with that code - and you can provide any number you want to the building manager to program it.

I have friends who have had problems though with using VOIP lines and cell phones but i think it was mostly due to incompetent people who set up the system and didnt do it properly. You can search and find a few discussions on the net about this.

[Muta]

I live in a new apartment building.

I do NOT need a land line to buzz people up. Just a phone and a connection into the wall. That's all.

[mykalberta]

You wont need it in a n ew one. The buzzer simply calls your number. Whether it be a cell phone or normal connection. Sometimes I forward my cell to my work number and I can still buzz people in.

[arsenal]

have my buzzer ring my cell phone has saved me a few nights of being locked outside. Greatest thing ever!
Plus its kind of fun buzzing ppl into the building when you aren't even there

[jammies]

Originally Posted by Phanuthier

I buzz people up with my Rogers cell phone

My old building manager saw me buzz myself in with my cellphone one day, and she was just amazed - and troubled. She couldn't figure out how I managed to "hack" the system to get it to work, and asked me not to tell anyone how I did it.

I just said, "Ummm.... ok" and had a good laugh. Thing was, they had about a month previously changed the buzzer system to a phone based one from a coded one, and I guess she didn't realize that cell PHONES would work with that. And the only reason I had to use my phone was because she wouldn't give me a second lobby key for my gf...

[Phanuthier]

Originally Posted by jammies

My old building manager saw me buzz myself in with my cellphone one day, and she was just amazed - and troubled. She couldn't figure out how I managed to "hack" the system to get it to work, and asked me not to tell anyone how I did it.

I just said, "Ummm.... ok" and had a good laugh. Thing was, they had about a month previously changed the buzzer system to a phone based one from a coded one, and I guess she didn't realize that cell PHONES would work with that. And the only reason I had to use my phone was because she wouldn't give me a second lobby key for my gf...

Wow

Its uh, like a, uh, phone...

[wooohooo]

I don't want to derail this thread but I think the questions been answered and I don't think its worthy to start another thread... But anyways, I live in a Low-rise apartment and in the winter the boiler is pretty much constantly on that its quite hot. Almost unbearably hot... like +23
Is there anything I can do or is it just like this?

[Winsor_Pilates]

Have you talked to your strata manager/building manager. If it can be lowered, and enough residents say something, I'm sure they would do it.

[metallicat]

I can use my cellphone, it was confirmed today. Just say NO to TELUS!

This works as a bump so the last question can be answered as well.