Whether we really need tech gear for work or simply desire it for its "coolness" factor, an underlining reasoning behind technology is that it can make our lives easier. Occasionally, technology can also save you money, helping you trim monthly utility and entertainment costs. Here are a few devices we recommend…
Ooma Telo - $175
Eliminate your Landline Telephone Bill
A lot of us have cut the landline, relying solely on a cell phone. That makes your cellphone a good cost cutting measure, saving you $20/month without those landline charges. Sometimes, however, you require a proper phone, whether it be for work conference calls or for a home security system. Don't buy into the claims of IP phone services such as Vonage; I recommend the cheaper option, like an Ooma Telo. The Telo hooks up to your router and a normal telephone handset, allowing you to make voice calls all over the country. The Ooma is every bit as capable as Vonage service, and if you stick to the basic plan (unlimited US calls, caller id, call waiting, voicemail) your bill will be a flat $3.77 — no joke! It'll pay for itself in no time.
GSM Module for Alarm System (Security Monitoring Service) - $99
Eliminate Landline Requirements
If you have a security system, then a service provider, such as ADT, may claim to require a landline. However, these security providers often have a wireless option available now. Call and ask about a GSM module.
A GSM Module has hooks up to your security system and has a cellular antenna to communicate with cell towers for updates, calibration, and emergencies — all the reasons these services have required landlines in the past. It won't go out during a power outage and will still be functional if your internet goes down. These typically cost $99.99 and sometimes have a nominal monthly fee of $5. Use your negotiation skills to get the device for free or get one without the service charge. Calling near the end of a contract term works best for this tactic.
Tablet or Antenna - $50 - $400
Cut your Cable Bill
You may have seen my post for cutting the cable bill. You can do it. Acquire a tablet if you don't already have one, and connect it to streaming media services to get your content. A proper antenna will also help ensure you get all the free broadcast television you need. Outdoor models (like this one) are more powerful than the indoor units and will give you dependable reception even in a rainstorm. Cutting cable has never been easier.
Nest Thermostat - $249
Cut Down The A/C Bill
You might have noticed a trend here — devices that cut down the costs of household utilities. One of the biggest monthly expenses is the electricity required to run the A/C. Install a Nest thermostat in your home to easily program your thermostat to be efficient and turn off when you are not in the house — you can even do this remotely over your iPhone.
The device can even track motion to set a schedule automatically. One little known feature of the Nest is "Airwave." When the A/C turns off, this feature keeps the fan running to use air left in the tank for cooling. There's not a smarter thermostat on the market.
Wireless Router - $50
Free Wireless Access
This may be obvious, but you really need a reliable wireless router. This will give you the flexibility to take full advantage of services and features for mobile devices as well as give you the ability to be a good host for guests who might require it when they visit. If you didn't cut your cable, your provider will likely offer you a package that gives you 'wireless internet throughout your home' for about $5 a month. Guess what, all they're doing is giving you a wireless router you can buy for about $50, or even less if you acquire one through Craigslist. They're not that hard to set up, and they'll pay for themselves in about a year's time. The internet isn't going away any time soon.
Cloud Music Services - varies
Extra Hard Drive Space
Time is money, and so is hard drive space. A lot of users have their drives loaded down with music they've been carrying around since their high-school days. If you're already a subscriber to cloud-based services like Spotify, Rdio, or iTunes Match, use them to store your music and get back some hard drive space. Free services like Google Music and Amazon Cloud Player are also available. The songs stream wirelessly and reliably, and you won't even know the music isn't coming from a hard drive. Don't just delete your music though — store the files on DVDs or CDs, or even better yet, a few USB drives for backup.
All these technologies are reliable and I personally use them every day to minimize my month-to-month bills — with the exception of the Nest, which I'll be getting soon.
Do you use any tech or devices that save you money?
(Images: 1. Chris Perez 2. Ooma 3. Maximum PC 4. Chris Perez 5. Nest 6. D-Link 7. Apple)
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More and more people are going without landlines. We've never had a landline. Our parents do, but we don't. When we moved into our house, we covered up a lot of the phone jacks because we knew we wouldn't use them and the one in the kitchen is being tossed entirely because we figure either people have cordless landline phones or they won't be using it either.
What I have found, though, is that a lot of people with kids have a landline. This makes sense. If there's an emergency, you want your kids to be able to call someone.
A tablet just for TV is one of the silliest things I've ever heard. Instead, you can get a fairly cheap desktop and a couple of cables to hook it up to your actual TV (as long as your TV isn't super old). Add a wireless mouse and keyboard as additional "remotes" and you can use your TV for everything from Hulu and Netflix to Youtube and gaming. Both Netflix and Hulu have a ton of HD content, and it's much better for your neck, back, and ability to have people over to watch TV to be sitting on the couch instead of huddled around a tablet.
@mosfette - But I can take my tablet anywhere.
@mosfette you could do all of those things with a tablet hooked up to a TV. From a setup standpoint its much simpler then a HTPC. Or just buy a tv with googletv built in or a googletv set top box (99$).
Believe it or not -- brace yourselves, youngsters -- there are people who need landlines because there is no cell reception where they live. There are people who cannot get TV by antenna. And there are those who live without air conditioning and turn on the thermostat only when the furnace is needed...and turn it off manually when we leave the house.
Well, at least we had the wireless router thing figured out long ago.
(I suspect the motion sensor in that thermostat would be confused by pets in the home.)
$175 for an Ooma?? I bought an ATT cordless phone system with Bluetooth that is WAY more efficient, cleaner and cheaper. It works fantastically for the exact same purposes listed.
I've been landline-free for years, but I've been thinking about getting a landline for use when the wildfires get to close to my home and an earthquake hits. This telephone option sounds pretty good; I'll be investigating this.
Are you getting a kickback for promoting those Ooma Telo things, or do you have something against Vonage?
Why would you consider ANYTHING that is connected to the internet as "home security"? When the internet goes out, so does the phone!
And by the way, if you have Vonage and don't make very many calls they will send you a special offer of $9.99 (includes taxes, fees etc.) for LIFE, and their FREE box pays for itself instantly. No Joke!
@RMF325, landline phones are useful for emergencies because they work when the power's out. The Ooma isn't going to do you any good then unless you have a generator. But if you have cell reception and you can charge up your phone, why would you need the Ooma? Unless your local cell tower burns or falls over, you're good to go.
@Rural and rueful - I think the motion sensor can be set up higher so it detects movement from a person, not a pet. Unless someone had a 5 foot tall pet...
I was living in Japan when the earth quake and Tsunami happened. The power in mainland was on and off for weeks with snow on the ground. No one could get a signal on their cell phones and almost all internet conductivity was on and off. The only communication devices that were working were land lines. Don't knock them. Even when we had typhoons, cell phones would work one min and not the next. There is an advantage to being hard wired in. I wish I could find a company out here in the southwest that would hard wire me in a land line. All they have anymore are digital phones which wire into my modem for the internet. Not very reliable.
I love the idea of spending $1,000+ to cut your monthly bills. And when I say "love"...
Everyone in our culture is looking for a get-rich-quick scheme where a little extra elbow grease can save you a lot. Should you invest in a programmable thermostat? Absolutely! Should you "invest" in a $300 gizmo that turns up the heat or light when you walk in the room in order to save $10 on your bill? Hm, let's do the math... I suppose these are intended to cater to those of us who are really wealthy, though, in which case they're fantastic ideas!
I guess I am not really seeing (or maybe you just aren't stating) how some of these things actually save you money..
The Nest Thermostat looks great and has a few features, but how much will it save you over just learning how to actually program your thermostat? even if you have to buy a programmable thermostat, you can get one much cheaper. I hate to sound like Hybrid car nay-sayers (I own two Hybrids myself), but how long does it take to re-coup the cost of the Nest v. just learning how to use your thermostat?
Wireless Router - I am assuming you meant to tie this in with Cutting The Cable.. otherwise, I don't see how providing your guests with internet saves you money. Of course, if you have a neighbor who doesn't password-protect their wireless, THEN it can save you money! :)
Cloud Music Services - again, I wonder how much money this actually saves... I like to think I have a lot of music, but not so much that I have to buy extra storage (which is fairly cheap these days anyhow).
Sorry in advance if I am sounding too negative...
One thing - I was living in an apartment community during one of the recent "black outs" around the country when a couple of days in, while everyone else was doing without telephone services (and all other electrical services.) I sat quietly inside my apartment calling various friends who were not effected by the outage and was happily calling various agencies to see where we were in getting our power back on.
There were no cell phones which were working. We all spent time outside talking about our situation. And all I spoke to stated they only had cell phones and of that group all reported their cell phones were dead.
So until I can get reliable input from someone who know that landlines are not more helpful in times of black outs (which have been going up in recent history) Do not plan to get rid of my landlline.
@Stevie Russ - Where were you where blackouts took out cell phone towers? I know there were very powerful storms that damaged cell towers in other areas, but in DC we lost power for several days and our cell phones were our only connection to the outside world because we didn't have a landline, and it was more efficient to tweet a message and get one back or send a text to check in with family members and friends.
@PI - I've been in situations before where the storm took out the power lines (no internet) as well as damaging the cell phone towers.
I guess everyone were I was had not plugged their cell phones in recently, including myself.
So........once enough (or too much) time had gone by, they and myself no longer able to use our cell phones.
to use these the landline in the situation that there is a power/cellular outage, you need an old school phone (i.e. not a cordless one that has a power adaptor)
STMASON you are correct, restating your conclusion, an "old school phone" is the type of phone I have (along with a cell phone), and it was quite helpful.
Thanks for filling in the blank I left.
@PI - I'm in Northern VA and we had really spotty cell service after the storm and could barely get any calls to go through. A landline would have come in handy!
@Kaz - I was able to get a Nest earlier in the year for my parents... and they love it. They are in their late early 60's, semi-tech savy, but they never set the clock on their VCR; I bet lots of people are like that.
My parents tell me they are saving $25-$50/month (Texas summer) in electricity costs. They purchased new windows in their house so the savings are not entirely due to the Nest, but even if it only saves $5 a month, thats 4 years until they break even.
And they are certainly more aware of their energy choices. They love seeing the little green leaf pop up when they move the temperature up one or two degrees; I've heard similar things said about driving a Hybrid.
Pi - you are exactly right. Those of us with children often opt for landlines not only so our kids don't hog our iPhones but also in case of a serious emergency, 911 will know where to send the responders. GPS and location information is not immediately available when you call 911 from a cell phone (as far as I understand), but our landlines are connected to our street address, so in case of a fire (or worse), responders will be able to fund us quickly.
We were out of power for four days after the late-June storm in the DC area and neither landlines nor cell phones worked. Even the old school phones won't work if the line is dead. The cell service eventually came back before the power and the phones did, but it was spotty for quite a while.
For a short while I thought it was nice that we were saving $$ on electricity we weren't using, but the huge grocery bill to replace everything we lost in the fridge and freezer negated any savings there. :-)
Does anyone recommend purchasing your own approved Cable modem rather than renting the provider modem for $5/mo?
I'm switching to Comcast Xfinity from Wide Open West internet and thought of purchasing my modem for $85. But I'm worried of obsolesce and future compatibility.
Thanks for all the ideas, even if some may not be as great as their manufacturers like to claim! I like the idea of cable-cutting, as I was enchained by Comcast for many years, and would like nothing more than to see them taken down!!!
@FighttheFuture - I bought a cable modem on Amazon for about $85. I just checked Comcast's list for compatibility and bought the most up-to-date one I could find (Motorola SB6121 SURFboard DOCSIS 3.0 Cable Modem). I have had no problems with it at all.
I LOVE my landline; what will you all do if you lose your cell phone (or drop it, and break it, or it gets stolen). I bought the telephone in 1995 for about $45.00 and pay about $23.00 a month for service. I get Internet service from the telephone company, which is $20.00 a month.
Also, I don't watch television, so have no cable bill. I don't have air conditioning, so don't require a device to turn it on and off.
Landlines might stay active and powered during an emergency, but even then I don't know anyone with a simple wired phone that would work in these situations anyway. In this day of cordless phones, they wont work in an emergency anyway.
The Ooma connects to google voice. It's about $45 for the device, and intra-US calling is free (while Google voice calls are free anyway). International calls are pretty cheap, and no monthly fees.
There are a slew of devices that can do Hulu+, and Netflix. The new Gen3 AppleTV is about $100, and there are Roku boxes and others that can. An older Gen2 (still a black hockey puck) AppleTV can be rooted and you can install XBMC on it, which gives a lot of options. Actually there are a lot of XBMC options, check them out.
For security, we use Simplysafe, which has always used GSM and monthly monitoring is cheaper. that SDT I'd suggest getting a second keyfob though, it's incredibly poorly designed, and you'll want to leave the one USB keyfob at home.
@FightTheFuture-I too bought a cable modem from Amazon and it was a cinch to set up. Comcast kept raising the price to rent one, so buying my own has paid for itself in less than a year.
I have a Mac, so no router needed. I get my internet connection with a USB modem connected to the cellular network. When I need wifi, I just share the connection through Airport. One less device with two fewer wires on the desk.
Buying a tablet just for video viewing is a silly idea. Firstly, the screen is quite small to do all your viewing. Secondly, they're rather expensive. It'd be much more cost effective to instead use that money on a new (larger, better quality, etc) monitor for a current computer.
I just keep the thermostat a few degrees cooler (or warmer depending on season) that I would ideally desire.
I also turn off lights in rooms i am not in.
Sometimes....when it's yellow, let it mellow.
I don't have a television or land line.
My bill is still high. My dream one day is to get off the grid. At least as much as is feasible.
I take issue with the suggestion of putting your music on a service to free up hard drive space. Each of these services is different, each has a $ cost associated with, at least if you're using more than the "free" space offered, and moving music takes time. It doesn't make sense to do this unless you are at the point where you need to add memory to your computer or are about to purchase a new computer and will be spending more merely to accommodate what's already sitting on your drive. And if you're making this suggestion for music, why not for photos?
We have a old school phone in our kitchen. The ringer is turned off because we haven't given anyone the number so any call is a telemarketer. It's $13 a month and we think it's worth it for emergency purposes.
Might be worth finding a handcrank charger for cell phones for your emergency kit. (You DO have an emergency kit, don't you?)They don't usually work well if the phone is really dead but if you keep charging it after each use it can keep it going for a long time. Some also have a flashlight function.
and then there's always the vital function a landline can perform....calling yourself to find out where the @#$@ you left your phone in your house.
Rocketship bank, want!
When I see websites mention cloud music services, I rarely see them mention Slacker Radio. It allows you to play the vast majority of songs on demand and create playlists like Spotify. But, it also acts like Pandora and has playlists for different genres. $10 a month for unlimited streaming/skipping of all that is well worth it in my opinion.
We signed up for Vonage when it first came out and was about $15/month. We noticed over the years that the price kept increasing for one reason or another. We were over $20/month when we heard about Ooma. We have had it for a couple years, and the system has more than paid for itself. I refuse to pay outrageous prices for a smartphone, so I like to have guaranteed good quality for talking with family out of town. No long distance charges, No usage allowance, we have it hooked up through the phone lines, so it works on multiple phones throughout the house. We are very pleased with our decision to go with Ooma! Oh yeah...we haven't paid more than $4/month!
I didn't read through all the comments to find out if others have already suggested this but I've got some additional money saving tips. Instead of the Ooma, if you already have a Gmail account, sign up for Google Voice and you can make and receive calls using Google Talk. Call quality is fantastic, there's no limits on minutes, you can send text messages, have voice mail, and call both the US and Canada without additional charges. I've been using this for years as my land line. I also cut the cable bill several years ago, originally going with Boxee. They stopped providing installers for Linux and Windows so I've since switched to XBMC. While you could go with a Boxee Box or Google TV, XBMC is a much less expensive as well as cross-platform way of meeting your entertainment needs.
Landlines are just easier to use with kids. We have one on the main floor and we use that number as a kind of call center. It doesn't get misplaced, it doesn't have bad connections, and it is easy to hear. And woe is the child who doesn't answer it when I'm calling home to check up on them.
I've never had a landline, but my kids are 1 and 4, and I'm starting to think I need to get one. If something happened to me, it would be so much easier for my 4-year-old to pick up a regular phone to call for help (especially if I pre-programmed buttons). In the meantime, I am teaching him to unlock my phone (I turned off the passcode lock, unfortunately), and make a call.
@sistervashti, love your comment ... SO true! I've used Google Talk to call & locate my cell. Since my cable company/ISP raised the internet rates ... again ... I'm considering reactivating basic landline service (for emergencies) & DSL.
Love tech ... yet, the digital emphasis on everything concerns me. Digital is no help whatsoever in emergency situations & electricity outages. I hope the landline phone service industry doesn't tank under the smartphone craze. Last year, disconnecting landline & increased our mobile family plan minutes accordingly to save money seemed like a wise decision. But, recent power outages made me miss landline (almost had to charge my cell in my car) ... "smart"phone wasn't so smart in that situation. Shopping for the best emergency radio with cell charger capability while considering reactivating basic landline.
Hi " Pi " you are right. I have post your reply and I think you can look other security system that is most new technology and most new modern like security system. I am using this product and getting nice result.
I think you are right but in this time people looking for more smart technology so you can look modern security system for your child and can be happy :) but is is true that Landlines is easy to use
http://www.pioneertelephone.net/
This company is wonderful!! $8.25 per month for a landline and $2.7¢ for long distance per minute or 1.9¢ per minute when talking to another Pioneer user.
This company is based in Maine and is backed by the Citizens Utility Board.
I just signed on for long distance only....no code.
Now with the no frills local service I can't get rid of because it's intertwined with the internet, at least I can now call cell phones in my area...couldn't do it before because I'm no fool...I'm not paying $5 per month or whatever it is now just for the 'privilege'!