Why replacing POTS lines is a smart property upgrade for building safety

When people think about smart properties and smart buildings, they usually picture modern access systems, cameras, or automation platforms. They’re not usually thinking about phone lines. Yet many commercial buildings still rely on analog Plain Old Telephone Service (POTS) lines as part of their core building connectivity.

These lines often support critical building safety systems, including fire alarm monitoring, elevator emergency phones, and security panels. Because of that, replacing POTS lines is not just a telecom task, it’s an opportunity to upgrade legacy network infrastructure and improve life safety across a property.

The hidden role of POTS lines in building safety

In most commercial buildings, POTS lines are not used for everyday conversations. Instead, they quietly serve as dedicated communication paths for systems that protect occupants and support emergency response.

Examples include fire alarm panels that report to monitoring centers, elevator phones, area-of-refuge emergency phones, and security alarms.

For decades, these systems worked reliably because analog copper networks were stable and predictable. As carriers retire copper infrastructure, that reliability is no longer guaranteed. Many property owners first notice reliability issues when an inspection reveals a communication problem or a carrier sends a disconnect notice.

Why regulations still matter even when POTS is not explicitly required

It is easy to assume that if fire and life safety codes do not specifically require POTS lines, then any replacement will be acceptable. In practice, regulations focus less on the type of network and more on how it performs.

Fire alarm and emergency communication standards, including widely adopted editions of NFPA 72, emphasize that communication paths used for life safety signaling must be continuously supervised, remain reliable when something goes wrong, and be supported by adequate backup power.

When a legacy POTS line is replaced with a digital alternative, those expectations do not disappear. Local authorities increasingly look at how replacement solutions behave during power outages, network interruptions, and routine testing. For smart properties, this makes POTS replacement a compliance sensitive infrastructure change rather than a simple line swap.

Smart buildings depend on intentional connectivity

Smart buildings are not defined by new technology only. At their core, smart properties rely on connectivity that is intentional, monitored and resilient.

For building safety systems, that means communication paths that are not affected by tenant IT changes, issues that can be detected early through supervision, predictable performance during emergencies, and consistent oversight across multiple locations.

Legacy POTS lines met many of these needs by default. Today, smart properties must achieve the same outcomes using modern connectivity while avoiding unnecessary complexity.

From legacy networks to smart property infrastructure

Replacing POTS lines does not change how fire panels or emergency devices operate. What changes is the infrastructure that powers them. In a legacy environment, safety systems often relied on copper lines with very little visibility into their status. Problems were discovered only after a failure occurred or during an inspection.

In a smart property environment, digital POTS replacement is designed to provide better monitoring and earlier awareness of issues. Connectivity is built for modern carrier networks, supported by backup power, and managed in a more consistent way across an entire portfolio. The goal is to move from reactive troubleshooting to preventive and proactive infrastructure management while keeping life safety systems simple and familiar. Even routine testing is improved. While traditional testing required going to each location and testing, POTS replacements – like Ooma AirDial – feature remote device management that makes it easy to check in and manage multiple locations remotely.

Why power and supervision matter more than the network type

While IP and cellular networks are more reliable than aging POTS lines, not all IP and cellular networks are created equal. Building safety depends far more on how the connection is engineered than the technology on the label.

A smart property approach to POTS replacement includes line supervision to detect failures quickly, backup power that lasts through required outage periods, dedicated connectivity for life safety systems, and clear responsibility for monitoring and maintenance.

Modern codes and guidance allow digital communication paths, but only when these safeguards are in place. Without them, a digital replacement can introduce more risk than the POTS line it replaces.

Where purpose built digital POTS replacement fits in

As copper networks are retired and expectations around reliability increase, purpose built digital POTS replacement services like Ooma AirDial have emerged. These solutions are designed specifically to support life safety and emergency systems in smart buildings.

They help properties upgrade legacy network connectivity while preserving the analog signaling behavior that fire panels and emergency devices expect. The focus is on reliability and simplicity so that life safety systems do not become IT projects.

Life safety in the age of smart buildings

Changes in fire and alarm communications are happening alongside broader regulatory shifts. Federal rules such as Kari’s Law and RAY BAUM’S Act reinforce the expectation that building communications support faster emergency response and accurate location information. Together, these trends reflect a growing recognition that building connectivity plays a direct role in life safety.

For smart properties, this reinforces the importance of treating all safety related communication paths as critical infrastructure, even when they are largely invisible during day-to-day operations.

POTS replacement as a smart building safety upgrade

For modern smart buildings, replacing POTS lines is not just a routine like-for-like upgrade. It is a strategic infrastructure decision that affects occupant safety, inspection readiness, operational visibility, and long-term resilience.

Building owners and property managers who approach POTS replacement as part of a smart property connectivity strategy are better positioned to reduce risk, improve reliability, and future proof their buildings.

In a smart building, upgrading legacy networks that support building safety is not optional. It is foundational.