Tin Can vs Pinwheel Home: Wi-Fi home phones for kids, compared
A Wi-Fi home phone plugs into a wall outlet and makes calls over your home internet. Both makers call theirs a landline, but neither needs a phone jack. It is a home phone, not a cell phone. We compared Tin Can and Pinwheel Home using each maker's own pages, checked October 2026, and we haven't tested them. Each line below reports what the maker's pages say; the 911 section and each phone's own page link every line to its source. Where a maker doesn't say, or its pages disagree, we say so.
Side by side
| Tin Can | Pinwheel Home | |
|---|---|---|
| Phone price | $100 | Spark $68 (regular $79); Classic $79 (regular $99) |
| Free plan | Can 2 Can: free calls to other approved Tin Cans, and 911 | Pinwheel Circle: free calls to other Pinwheel Homes |
| Paid plans | Party Line Plan: $9.99 / month, adds approved external numbers | Friends & Family $6.99 / mo; Unlimited $9.99 / mo |
| Who can call | Approved contacts only, in and out, set in the parent app | Parent-approved contacts only, incoming and outgoing |
| Power | Plugs into any standard wall outlet, per Tin Can | Wall outlet, through the ATA; no battery; corded handset |
| Moving it or using other Wi-Fi | If moved, its emergency address must be updated, per its terms | Address must be updated via support each time it is moved |
| Can call 911 | Yes, on both the free and paid plans, per Tin Can | Product page: all plans; terms: free plan only if elected |
| If the phone is moved | Registered Location must be promptly updated | Contact Pinwheel support to update it; allow at least 12-24 hours |
| Parent app | Tin Can companion app, on iOS and Android | Pinwheel Caregiver Portal, on a phone or computer |
Each answer is short for the maker's fuller statement on the phone's own page. Prices change, so confirm them with the maker.
Before you count on it for 911
Here is what each maker says about calling 911 from its phone, in full, with the pages it says it on.
Tin Can
- Can call 911
- Tin Can says 911 calling is supported on both the Can 2 Can and the Party Line plans. Its own pages word the set-up differently: the product page says "911 is always enabled", while its FAQ says 911 services have to be enabled to activate the device, and the product page's quiet-hours answer begins "If you have 911 enabled". Tin Can recommends always having an alternative means of contacting emergency services.Source: faq.tincan.com/category/emergency-basics, tincan.kids/products/tin-can
- How 911 finds you
- Per Tin Can, the emergency address is configured at the time of set-up so emergency services can route help to the right location.Source: tincan.kids/products/tin-can
- If the phone is moved
- Per Tin Can's terms, if a device is moved to a new location the Registered Location must be promptly updated, failing to do so may result in emergency services being dispatched to the wrong address, and there may be a delay before the new address is available to route emergency calls.Source: tincan.kids/policies/terms-of-service
- When 911 may not work
- Per Tin Can's terms, 911 will not function if the device loses power, the internet connection fails or is unstable, or the account is suspended or terminated, and the service may not support 911 in all locations or at all times. They say 911 calls may be routed to a national emergency response center rather than a local public safety answering point if the current location cannot be validated, and that emergency calling may not function outside the United States, Australia, and Canada. Tin Can says calls to 911 will connect even during Quiet Hours.Source: tincan.kids/policies/terms-of-service, faq.tincan.com/category/emergency-basics
Pinwheel Home
- Can call 911
- Pinwheel says on its product page "Emergency calls available on free and paid plans" and lists 911 calling in the free Pinwheel Circle plan, and its help centre says all Pinwheel Home phones can dial 911 when connected to the internet. Its terms say something narrower about the free plan: paid plans include 911 Dialing, while the free plan "offers 911 Dialing only if you affirmatively elect it", and its 911 Notice says plans that limit dialing to selected numbers "may not offer 911 dialing". Pinwheel's own pages therefore disagree on whether 911 works on the free plan without the parent electing it.Source: pinwheel.com/kids-home-phone, support.pinwheel.com: Pinwheel Home Setup Guides and Features, pinwheel.com/termsofservice, Pinwheel's 911/E911 Notification, Disclosures and Terms, Pinwheel's US Voice Service Schedule
- How 911 finds you
- Per Pinwheel's 911 Notice, the caregiver registers the physical location (validated street address, floor and unit) for each line, completing the initial registration in the Caregiver Portal; with E911 the telephone number and registered address are sent to the local emergency center, and where the center has only basic 911 the operator may not have the callback number or exact location. The notice says provisioning 911 Dialing may take additional time following activation, during which emergency calling may not be available. On a plan without an assigned telephone number where 911 Dialing has been activated, a temporary callback number from a shared pool is used.Source: Pinwheel's 911/E911 Notification, Disclosures and Terms
- If the phone is moved
- Per Pinwheel's terms, the initial service address is registered in the Caregiver Portal, but any change must be made by contacting customer support, and the address must be updated every time the device is moved to a new location. Its 911 Notice says to allow at least 12-24 hours before the new Registered Location is available to emergency personnel, and that if a line is moved and dials 911 without the update, 911 calls will not be routed to the appropriate emergency center. Pinwheel reserves the right to charge its reasonable costs per call when 911 Dialing is used without a registered or updated location.Source: pinwheel.com/termsofservice, Pinwheel's 911/E911 Notification, Disclosures and Terms
- When 911 may not work
- Per Pinwheel's 911 Notice, 911 Dialing does not function in a power failure, in an internet or broadband outage, or when the account is disconnected or suspended, and cannot be used from a location outside the United States. The notice says a 911 call from an invalid, non-provisioned or improperly provisioned number may be routed to the E911 provider's 24/7 Emergency Call Routing Center instead of the correct local answering point. Pinwheel's terms say calls to and from emergency services are permitted at all times and are not subject to the caregiver-approved contact list.Source: Pinwheel's 911/E911 Notification, Disclosures and Terms, pinwheel.com/termsofservice
Common questions
Can a kids' Wi-Fi home phone call 911?
Tin Can: Yes, on both the free and paid plans, per Tin Can. Tin Can says 911 calling is supported on both the Can 2 Can and the Party Line plans. Its own pages word the set-up differently: the product page says "911 is always enabled", while its FAQ says 911 services have to be enabled to activate the device, and the product page's quiet-hours answer begins "If you have 911 enabled". Tin Can recommends always having an alternative means of contacting emergency services. Pinwheel Home: Product page: all plans; terms: free plan only if elected. Pinwheel says on its product page "Emergency calls available on free and paid plans" and lists 911 calling in the free Pinwheel Circle plan, and its help centre says all Pinwheel Home phones can dial 911 when connected to the internet. Its terms say something narrower about the free plan: paid plans include 911 Dialing, while the free plan "offers 911 Dialing only if you affirmatively elect it", and its 911 Notice says plans that limit dialing to selected numbers "may not offer 911 dialing". Pinwheel's own pages therefore disagree on whether 911 works on the free plan without the parent electing it.
Does a kids' Wi-Fi home phone work without a monthly plan?
Tin Can: Can 2 Can: free calls to other approved Tin Cans, and 911. Per Tin Can, the free Can 2 Can plan provides calling to other Tin Cans (and 911), is included with every device and needs no subscription. Tin Cans can call each other as long as both numbers are approved in the app, and calling approved external numbers takes the Party Line subscription. Pinwheel Home: Pinwheel Circle: free calls to other Pinwheel Homes. Per Pinwheel, the free Pinwheel Circle plan lets the phone call anyone with a Pinwheel Home, and Pinwheel lists parent-approved contacts and 911 calling as included (its terms qualify the 911 part, as set out under Calling 911). Pinwheel says a Circle phone cannot call or receive calls from Pinwheel mobile phones and watches, which need a paid plan, and that even another Pinwheel Home user must be an approved contact. Its product page says "If you choose Pinwheel Circle during setup, you can upgrade at any time." In its help centre's list on upgrading plans, Pinwheel says both "You can start on Pinwheel Circle and upgrade later" and "Creating a child account for Pinwheel Home on Circle is not available yet", and doesn't say what the second covers.
Does a Wi-Fi home phone work when the power or internet is out?
Tin Can: No calls, including 911, without power and internet. Tin Can says that if you lose power at home the Tin Can will not be able to call 911, because it requires a power source and an active internet connection to make or receive any calls, including emergency services. Its terms say the customer is responsible for maintaining backup power or an alternative means of accessing emergency services in an outage. Pinwheel Home: No service in an outage unless ATA and router have backup. Per Pinwheel's terms, the service requires electrical power and broadband Internet and will not function during outages unless the user supplies battery backup for both the Pinwheel Home adapter (ATA) and their internet router. Its 911 Notice says that following a power failure the device may need to be reset or reconfigured before the service, including 911 Dialing, can be used. Its help centre says that if the internet is down Pinwheel Home cannot place any calls, including emergency calls.
Can you take a Wi-Fi home phone to another house or on vacation?
Tin Can: Per Tin Can's terms, if a device is moved to a new location the Registered Location (the address it holds for emergency calls) must be promptly updated. Tin Can says it is sold and supported in the US and Canada, and on moving it within the home it says that after mesh set-up it can be moved back to "its usual spot". Its current pages don't say how to switch it to a different Wi-Fi network, or whether it can join hotel or other networks that need a web sign-in. Pinwheel Home: Per Pinwheel's terms, the physical address for each device must be updated every time the device is moved to a new location, and any change to the service address must be made by contacting customer support; its 911 Notice says to allow at least 12-24 hours for the update and that 911 Dialing cannot be used from a location outside the United States. Within the home, its help centre says the ATA does not need to sit next to the router when using Wi-Fi but must stay near the router or ethernet port when using ethernet. Pinwheel's pages do not say whether the phone may be used at another address such as a grandparent's, how to join a different Wi-Fi network after set-up, or whether it works on hotel or public Wi-Fi.
Does a Wi-Fi home phone need a phone jack?
Tin Can: Per Tin Can, it runs entirely on Wi-Fi with no phone jack required, on the home's 2.4GHz Wi-Fi band. Tin Can says it can work with mesh Wi-Fi systems, though setup may take an extra step. Pinwheel Home: Per Pinwheel's help centre, the handset and base connect with an RJ11 phone cord to the Pinwheel Home adapter (ATA), which connects to the internet over Wi-Fi or ethernet; the handset and base do not contain the Wi-Fi connection. Pinwheel says it connects to 2.4 GHz Wi-Fi only and supports WPA2 security, and that WPA3, WPA2/WPA3 mixed mode and 5 GHz only do not work. Its product page says "No phone jacks or cable companies needed."
Who can call a kids' Wi-Fi home phone?
Tin Can: Approved contacts only, in and out, set in the parent app. Tin Can says "Approved contacts only" and that the parent manages who calls in and out; it says only callers the parent approves can communicate with the Tin Can. Tin Cans can call each other as long as both numbers are approved in the app, and approved external numbers can call in if you have the Party Line Plan ($9.99 / month). In a Community Directory, Tin Can says families approved by the directory admin see other families in their Tin Can contact list, and parents can limit who their kids can call in the app. Pinwheel Home: Parent-approved contacts only, incoming and outgoing. Pinwheel says nobody can communicate with a Pinwheel Home, incoming or outgoing, unless they are an approved contact, and that because parents approve all contacts and set calling hours there is "no spam or cyber-bullying or ringing in the middle of the night". Its terms say calls are limited to caregiver-approved contacts and emergency numbers, that caller blocking is enabled by default, and that calls to and from emergency services are not subject to the approved contact list. Per its help centre, when both people use Pinwheel Home each must have the other added in their Caregiver Portal.
Does a kids' Wi-Fi home phone have a screen, texting or internet?
Tin Can: No screens, texts or algorithms, per Tin Can. Tin Can says "No screens, texts, or algorithms" and describes the phone as giving kids independence "without the risks of smartphones or internet access". Pinwheel Home: Screen-free; no SMS, MMS, data, app downloads, GPS or AI. Pinwheel says Pinwheel Home is "completely screen-free". Its terms say "SMS, MMS, and data services are not supported", and its privacy policy says it "does not support text messaging, app downloads, GPS location tracking, or AI features".
Each phone in full
Tin Can
Tin Can says it is "a screen-free, kid-friendly home phone that lets kids call and receive calls from approved contacts", and calls it a Wi-Fi landline. Per Tin Can's FAQ, its earlier Flashback phone has been discontinued and the Wi-Fi Tin Can is still available.
Everything Tin Can says about Tin CanPinwheel Home
Pinwheel describes Pinwheel Home as "A modern take on the old-school landline, designed for kids. Wi-Fi-powered, parent-managed, and completely screen-free." Its terms describe a VoIP-based home phone service consisting of a corded analog handset connected to a managed analog telephone adapter (ATA). Pinwheel lists the models as Pinwheel Home Spark, with a smaller, lightweight handset, and Pinwheel Home Classic.
Everything Pinwheel says about Pinwheel Home