View source for Radio communication technologies

==Telephone==
===Landline===
[[Landline]] [[telephone]]s are a somewhat difficult to predict method of communication. While the protocols and technologies are relatively reliable with a power source that operates even when the grid is down, the cabling infrastructure is fragile. Also, the very nature of landline phones makes them a strictly stationary form of communication.

===Cellular (CMRS)===
[[Cellular telephone]]s are a unique form of communication. The provide they private, point-to-point communication of landlines with the mobility of radio. Cell phones also offer text communication which has many advantages over voice in some situations. The difficulty with cell phones is their reliance upon complex infrastructure which may or may not remain active during an emergency.  The FCC refers to cellular/mobile phones as Commercial Mobile Radio Service (CMRS), and non US based people generally refer to it as mobile telephones as opposed to cellular, but it's all the same stuff.

===Satellite===
[[Satellite phone]]s are a relatively new technology with the advantage of being useful almost anywhere on Earth. Unfortunately they are expensive to purchase and maintain service, and while they should function longer than that typical cell phones after a disaster, if the disaster is not localized they too will eventually fail.

===VoIP===
'''[[Voice over IP]]''' ([[VoIP]]) is a method that takes your [[speech]], generally compresses it, and sends it via a [[TCP/IP]] [[network]] to another person who will decompress it and play the audio.  This allows you to make a [[telephone]] call over the [[internet]] instead of using the traditional "[[landline]]" telephone system.  Multiple locations in a major longer-term [[disaster]] ([[SHTF]]-[[TEOTWAWKI]]-[[PAW]]) situation and may be able to set up a [[Wifi]] link between the locations and they could use VoIP to utilize the same data link they have for voice traffic as well.  This would enable multiple concurrent telephone calls over the single link, providing both ends have enough equipment on hand to accomplish this.