Pager? Beeper? Useful?

[manlymatt83]

I own a business that basically requires me to be on call 24/7/365. I also like to hike in Summers, which means I’m typically keeping my phone on even if I’m usually out of service, hoping the urgent text message comes through when there’s really an emergency.

As Summer comes, I’ve been thinking of getting a beeper. A good ol’ fashioned one way (or two way?) beeper. My thoughts would be that I could keep my phone off and only turn it on if the pager goes off.

Two questions for those in the know...

Do pagers really work better than cell phones in low service areas? Simulcast? If so, that’s a win because maybe I’d receive pages in low service areas.

Second question - do the two way pagers offer any benefit? Could I potentially reply in an area where my cell phone doesn’t have service? Otherwise, it doesn’t make sense to get two way, as I could just turn my phone on if I get paged and pray there is service.

Thanks in advance!

 

[CurrentlyPissed]

Just get a courier pigeon, no data rates, and no cell service required.

 

[BUTCH1]

Yes, pagers are still popular with doctors and anyone who must be available. They use an FM signal and are much more reliable than cell service, specially in remote areas where cell towers are few and far between.

 

[tynopik]

if you're willing to pay for worldwide availability, I think Iridium (satellite) pagers are still available

 

[RadiclDreamer]

Yes, pagers are low frequency and have coverage pretty much everywhere. I use one for work and love its coverage.