911 on WiFi

[avenue]

Please DO NOT try this out.

I read that WiFi calls will always be routed over the cellular network.

What if the network is not available? In that case, do you think the 911 call would be routed over WiFi? I'm sure there are people getting this that don't have Sprint service indoors, and although routing the call over cellular might be best under some circumstances, if the network isn't available the call should be able to go through WiFi instead of it not going through at all.

This is just something that I thought of.. It's important so I hope however they have it set up works.

[AndroidFoneFan]

Please DO NOT try this out.

I read that WiFi calls will always be routed over the cellular network.

I would have to wonder. It may be how RW has it set up for Law Enforcement easy location of the emergency call.
And this may be true no matter what. Since by law active and non active cells have to be able to make 911 calls, so wifi or not, 911 calls probably would all go through the cell towers.

[avenue]

I meant 911 calls over cellular. Regular calls should be over Wifi.

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[billm261]

911 calls use your GPS location (irregardless of your settings) so if you were in a location without cell service the GPS "should" still be working.

I'd imagine that your routed call over wi-fi includes your GPS coordinates.

They could also obtain your location from the IP address you are calling from but that would take some time.

Great question.

[AndroidFoneFan]

911 calls use your GPS location (irregardless of your settings) so if you were in a location without cell service the GPS "should" still be working.

I'd imagine that your routed call over wi-fi includes your GPS coordinates.

They could also obtain your location from the IP address you are calling from but that would take some time.

Great question.

This is true for phones that have GPS on/in them. Not all phones are GPS capable. The purpose of the phone making the 911 call would also be to set the call through the cell tower system, this enables triangulation on the call to get emergency assistance in close proximity to the caller. I am not sure how close they can get through the cell tower triangulation, but if providers can use the cell towers to simulate GPS service on phones that are not GPS capable then they should be able to get pretty close.

[jebr]

911 would default to any available (CDMA, for Republic) cellular tower, as I presume is required by law. Thus, if there would be Verizon or a smaller CDMA provider available indoors, it would use that.

[GSMinCT]

911 calls use your GPS location (irregardless of your settings) so if you were in a location without cell service the GPS "should" still be working.

I'd imagine that your routed call over wi-fi includes your GPS coordinates.

They could also obtain your location from the IP address you are calling from but that would take some time.

Great question.

Worst comes to worst, if there's no cellular and no GPS, getting through to 911 so you can tell them where you are would be a lot better than not being able to get through!!!

[avenue]

911 would default to any available (CDMA, for Republic) cellular tower, as I presume is required by law. Thus, if there would be Verizon or a smaller CDMA provider available indoors, it would use that.

You're correct! I completely forgot about that. Also, from what I've read, Republic roams everywhere Sprint does, which means there is Verizon roaming.

Worst comes to worst, if there's no cellular and no GPS, getting through to 911 so you can tell them where you are would be a lot better than not being able to get through!!!

Yeah, if there isn't any cellular available I hope it will work. The least they can do is send you to a national 911 call center. I think I read Vonage used to be that way (or maybe still is).

[GSMinCT]

You're correct! I completely forgot about that. Also, from what I've read, Republic roams everywhere Sprint does, which means there is Verizon roaming.



Yeah, if there isn't any cellular available I hope it will work. The least they can do is send you to a national 911 call center. I think I read Vonage used to be that way (or maybe still is).

They could just send it to the semi-regional one like cell phones used to. The IP address is good to within a couple of towns.

[Guest 214]

They could just send it to the semi-regional one like cell phones used to. The IP address is good to within a couple of towns.

NENA and federal regulations have stopped that. Now its required that VOIP systems communicate regular land based tandem switches for call routing to the appropriate E911 PSAP forwarding and has to be registered, Nomadic E911 is supposed to solve the mobility problem but its not effective. Best bet would be to default to cellular and hope the PSAP has Phase II E911 and if no GPS signal it could at least revert to tower triangulation using AFLT