A landline, for the Wi-Fi era

A WiFi landline for kids that just works.

The home phone you grew up with - same handset, same dial tone - running over your home Wi-Fi instead of a copper wire the phone company doesn’t sell anymore.

How a Wi-Fi landline works

Three steps from box to dial tone

1

Plug it into your router

The Bridge adapter or Modern Kit connects to your home Wi-Fi the same way a smart bulb or thermostat does. No technician visit, no special wiring, no copper line.

2

Pick a real phone number

You get a real ten-digit number from a real US area code. It rings, it can be called from any other phone in the world, it shows up on caller ID. No app, no proxy.

3

Hand the handset to your kid

When the phone rings, your kid picks up. When they want to call grandma, they dial. That's the whole interface. The Wi-Fi part stays invisible - they just use the phone.

Why now

The landline mostly disappeared. The need for one didn’t.

Most US households used to have a phone in the kitchen. The kid called a friend, the friend’s parent picked up, and there was a small chain of polite “may I please speak with…” before anyone even started talking. That whole social texture rode on top of one boring piece of technology: a home phone.

The major carriers have spent the last decade quietly retiring copper landlines, especially in cities. The replacement they offer is “everyone gets a cellphone.” That works fine for adults. For an 8-year-old, it means the choice is “smartphone” or “no phone.”

A Wi-Fi landline puts back the third option. It uses the home internet you already pay for, costs a fraction of a cell plan, and gives your kid a real number friends and family can dial directly - without a screen in their bedroom.

How it compares

Wi-Fi landline vs copper landline vs cellphone

Three takes on the home phone problem. Each has trade-offs.

FeatureRing Ring (Wi-Fi)Copper landlineKid cellphone
Available in 2026YesMostly retired by major carriersYes
SetupPlug into Wi-Fi, ~5 minutesRequires a copper lineSIM, account, contract
Real phone numberYesYesYes
E911Yes - verified addressYesYes - GPS-based
Works in a power outageNo (Wi-Fi-dependent)Yes (copper carries power)Until the cell tower or battery dies
Cost per month$0–$8.95$30–$50+ if you can still get it$15–$30+ kids plan
Your kid carries it everywhereNo - stays at homeNoYes
Phone has a screenNo (BYO analog phone or basic Wi-Fi handset)NoYes

Want the philosophy behind the screen-free choice? Read screen-free phone for kids. Want the price-led overview? Affordable phone for kids.

What it costs

A Wi-Fi landline for less than a streaming subscription

Free tier

$0/mo

Starter Plan: in-network Ring Ring calls inside your child’s Trusted Circle. No outbound calls to regular numbers.

Bridge adapter

$49

One-time. Plugs into Wi-Fi on one side, your existing analog phone on the other. The phone you already own becomes a Wi-Fi landline.

Modern Kit

$59

One-time. Self-contained Wi-Fi handset, no separate phone needed. Best when you don’t already own an analog phone to pair.

The paid plan ($8.95/mo) adds outbound calls to any number. Month-to-month, cancel anytime.

Frequently asked

About Wi-Fi landlines

What is a Wi-Fi landline?

+

A Wi-Fi landline is a home phone that uses your internet connection to make and receive calls instead of a copper phone line. The user experience is the same as the landline you grew up with - pick up the handset, dial a number, talk to a person - but it rides on your existing home Wi-Fi instead of a separate phone wire from the wall. Technically it's VoIP (voice over IP), but for the kid using it, it's just a phone.

Do I need to be technical to set it up?

+

No. If you've set up a smart speaker or printer on your Wi-Fi, you have the relevant skills. The Bridge adapter and Modern Kit both connect to Wi-Fi from a short setup flow on your phone - no router configuration, no port forwarding, no IT help required.

Do I need a special internet plan?

+

No. Any home internet works - cable, fiber, DSL, even fixed-wireless. A phone call uses about the same bandwidth as a single voice message playing back, so you don't need a fast plan. If your home Wi-Fi can stream music, it can run Ring Ring.

What about a power outage or internet outage?

+

A copper landline kept working during outages because the phone company sent power down the wire. A Wi-Fi landline cannot - if your internet or power is out, the phone is out too. For most families this is fine (everyone has a cellphone for emergencies), but it's worth knowing. We recommend having one cellphone in the house as a backup, the same way most landline households did in the late 2000s.

Does 911 work?

+

Yes. We collect a verified service address when you sign up for the paid plan, and 911 calls route to the local dispatcher for that address with the address attached, just like a copper landline. Real E911, not "we'll do our best."

Can I keep my old phone number?

+

Number porting is on our roadmap but not live yet. Today, every Ring Ring account gets a new local number from the area code you pick at signup. If keeping a specific number is critical, contact us before you order so we can let you know where porting stands.

Why is this for kids specifically?

+

Anyone can use it, but we built it for the family-with-kids use case: a phone that lives at home, doesn't go to school, doesn't have a screen, and lets a kid call friends and grandparents without you handing them a smartphone. Adults can absolutely call from it; the more connected Ring Ring members in your child's Trusted Circle, the better the free tier works.

Bring back the home phone.

Pick a Bridge or a Modern Kit, plug it into your Wi-Fi, hand the handset to your kid. The whole setup takes about ten minutes.