Your ReliaRing phone service uses the internet to make and receive calls. That gives you a lot of flexibility, but it also means 911 works differently than it does on an old-fashioned landline. This is important safety information, so please read it carefully and share it with everyone who uses your phones.
Important safety notice. Internet-based 911 (also called E911) has real limitations compared with a traditional landline. By using ReliaRing you accept these limitations and agree to keep another way of reaching emergency services available — such as a mobile phone.
The one big difference: your address is registered, not detected
On a traditional landline, the phone company already knows the exact address of the copper wire in your wall. When you dial 911, that address is sent automatically.
An internet phone can be used anywhere there is a connection, so there is no wire that tells 911 where you are. Instead, emergency responders are sent to the emergency address registered for the person or phone that called. If that address is wrong, or you are calling from somewhere else, help may go to the wrong place.
Who uses which address
Every caller on your account has an emergency registration: the emergency address and callback number a 911 call from them sends to the dispatcher.
- Company default — the address used for anyone who has not set their own. You confirm it during setup.
- A person's own address — each user can have their own, for example a remote worker's home office. For someone who moves around, it is their current address: the place they confirmed most recently.
- Extensions without a person (a lobby or warehouse phone), shared phone numbers and SIP trunks can each have their own address too.
The Coverage tab of Emergency (E911) shows every user, extension, number and trunk with the address and callback number a 911 call from it would send. Anything without a usable address is marked as a gap.
What to know before you rely on 911
- The registered address is what responders see — not your actual location if it is different.
- 911 needs power and internet. During a power or internet outage, your ReliaRing phones cannot reach 911. Keep a mobile phone charged as a backup, and consider a battery backup (UPS) for your internet equipment.
- Calls may take a moment longer to connect. Internet 911 calls can route through a national emergency call centre before reaching your local 911 dispatcher (the Public Safety Answering Point, or PSAP).
- Working somewhere new? When you sign in to the web phone from a new network, we ask "Where are you right now?" so 911 uses your current address. 911 always works whether or not you answer. If you cannot confirm your address, dial 911 from a mobile phone — it can share your live location.
Why we finish 911 setup before you can call out
Before your account can place outbound calls, an administrator completes the short Set up emergency calling flow: confirm the company address, choose who gets alerted, check where your people call from, acknowledge the VoIP 911 limitations, and (optionally) place a 933 test. Calls to 911 and 933 always go through, even before setup is finished.
This is required by regulators in Canada (the CRTC) and the United States (the FCC). See Registering and Updating Your Emergency Address.
Dialled 911 by mistake?
Stay on the line and tell the dispatcher it was a mistake and that you are safe. If you hang up, the 911 centre may call you back — or send someone to check on you — so please answer if they do. Your notification group is alerted either way, and a very short call is marked as a possible misdial in their alert.
Your responsibilities
When you use ReliaRing, you agree to:
- Register accurate physical street addresses (a P.O. box is not acceptable), including the floor, suite or room.
- Update an address right away when you or a team member moves.
- Tell everyone who uses your phones about these 911 limitations.
- Keep another way to reach emergency services, such as a mobile phone.
Read the full policy
The complete emergency-calling policy, including the legal terms you acknowledge, is always available at reliaring.com/legal/e911.
Related articles
- Registering and Updating Your Emergency Address
- Which ReliaRing Products Need 911 Setup
- Testing Your 911 Setup Safely with 933
- Moving Offices: Updating Your Emergency Address
For a real emergency, always dial 911.