Pinwheel Home, a Wi-Fi home phone for kids: what Pinwheel says
Pinwheel · Wi-Fi home phone · Pinwheel's own pages, checked October 2026
Each fact below reports what Pinwheel's pages say, with a link to the page it came from. We haven't tested this phone. Where Pinwheel doesn't say, or its pages disagree, we say so.
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- What it is
- 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.Source: pinwheel.com/kids-home-phone, pinwheel.com/termsofservice
- Sold in the U.S.
- Per Pinwheel's terms, Pinwheel Home is available within the United States; they say it is not currently offered to customers in Canada or in the United Kingdom. Its shop page for Pinwheel Home lists "Free Shipping".Source: pinwheel.com/termsofservice, pinwheel.com/landlines
- Screen, texting, internet
- 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".Source: pinwheel.com/kids-home-phone, pinwheel.com/termsofservice, Pinwheel Privacy Policy (linked from its terms)
What it costs
- Phone price
- Pinwheel lists the Pinwheel Spark at $68 against a "Regular Price" of $79, and the Pinwheel Classic at $79 against a "Regular Price" of $99, on its shop page.Source: pinwheel.com/landlines
- Free plan
- 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.Source: pinwheel.com/kids-home-phone, support.pinwheel.com: Pinwheel Home Setup Guides and Features
- Paid plans
- Per Pinwheel, Friends & Family is $6.99 / mo and adds calls to up to 5 external numbers, and Unlimited is $9.99 / mo and allows calls to any external number; both list a full 10-digit phone number and 15% off with multiple devices. Pinwheel's help centre says the 5 external numbers on Friends & Family are not permanent and can be changed at any time. Its terms say taxes and fees are charged on top and that it may also assess a "regulatory cost recovery fee" on voice services.Source: pinwheel.com/kids-home-phone, support.pinwheel.com: Pinwheel Home Setup Guides and Features, pinwheel.com/termsofservice
- Contract and fees
- Per Pinwheel's terms, there are no activation fees or early termination fees associated with the Pinwheel Home Subscription and you may cancel at any time via the Caregiver Portal. They say Pinwheel Home may, "from time to time", include a thirty (30) day free trial from activation, after which the plan chosen at onboarding starts and a paid plan is charged unless cancelled. They say subscription fees are non-refundable unless otherwise required by law or as set out in the terms, with a prorated refund of prepaid subscriptions if Pinwheel discontinues the Pinwheel Home service.Source: pinwheel.com/termsofservice
- Returns
- Pinwheel lists "Free Returns" and a "30-day Money Back Guarantee" on its shop page for Pinwheel Home. Its terms make all physical product returns subject to its Return Policy, which says a device must have been received within the last 30 days, be in excellent condition and have its original packaging; that policy is written around Pinwheel's phones and does not mention Pinwheel Home by name. The policy also says "Pinwheel reserves the right to decline any refund request for any reason deemed appropriate." The terms also give the Pinwheel Home handset and adapter a one (1) year limited hardware warranty covering manufacturing defects.Source: pinwheel.com/landlines, pinwheel.com/termsofservice, support.pinwheel.com: Can I get a refund For our US UK Australi…
Calling
- Who can call
- 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.Source: pinwheel.com/kids-home-phone, pinwheel.com/termsofservice, support.pinwheel.com: Pinwheel Home Troubleshooting Call Issues
- Phone number
- Per Pinwheel, Pinwheel Circle devices have a shorter Pinwheel Code rather than a full 10-digit phone number, and upgrading to a paid plan adds a full 10-digit phone number while the Pinwheel Code keeps working for other Pinwheel Homes; its help centre calls the code a "6 digit Circle Code". Pinwheel says a paid plan's 10-digit number can be moved to a Pinwheel mobile phone or ported out later, and that the free plan has no full number and cannot be ported out. On porting a number in, Pinwheel's pages disagree: its help centre says "Number porting in is not supported at launch", while its Voice Service Schedule says a customer "may elect to port an existing DID/ telephone number" in.Source: pinwheel.com/kids-home-phone, support.pinwheel.com: Pinwheel Home Setup Guides and Features, Pinwheel's US Voice Service Schedule
Where it works
- Connection
- 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."Source: support.pinwheel.com: Pinwheel Home Setup Guides and Features, pinwheel.com/kids-home-phone
- Power
- Per Pinwheel's help centre, the ATA plugs into a wall outlet and powers the phone, and Pinwheel Home "does not have a battery and does not need charging". Its terms describe the handset as a corded analog handset and say the service requires electrical power.Source: support.pinwheel.com: Pinwheel Home Setup Guides and Features, pinwheel.com/termsofservice
- In an outage
- 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.Source: pinwheel.com/termsofservice, Pinwheel's 911/E911 Notification, Disclosures and Terms, support.pinwheel.com: Pinwheel Home Setup Guides and Features
- Moving it or using other Wi-Fi
- 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.Source: pinwheel.com/termsofservice, Pinwheel's 911/E911 Notification, Disclosures and Terms, support.pinwheel.com: Pinwheel Home Setup Guides and Features
Calling 911
- 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
Parent controls
- Parent app
- Per Pinwheel, Pinwheel Home is managed in the Caregiver Portal alongside other Pinwheel devices, and its help centre says the portal can be opened "on your phone or computer". The help centre says activating Pinwheel Home needs the Pinwheel Caregiver Portal native app and a mobile phone.Source: pinwheel.com/kids-home-phone, support.pinwheel.com: Pinwheel Home Speed Dial Guide, support.pinwheel.com: Pinwheel Home Setup Guides and Features
- Quiet hours
- Pinwheel says parents set calling hours, and its terms say caregivers manage calling schedules via the Caregiver Portal. Its help centre says parents can control what hours calls are allowed, set call schedules, and use bed times so late night calls do not ring. Pinwheel's terms say calls to and from emergency services are permitted at all times.Source: pinwheel.com/kids-home-phone, pinwheel.com/termsofservice, support.pinwheel.com: Pinwheel Home Setup Guides and Features
- Call history
- Asked whether call history can be seen in the parent app, Pinwheel says "Yes! You can see incoming and outgoing calls, including whether they were blocked or went through."Source: pinwheel.com/kids-home-phone
- Voicemail
- Per Pinwheel's help centre, voicemail is included and already set up with a default voice prompt, is checked by dialing *0 on the Pinwheel phone, and is not accessible from other devices. Its terms say voicemail messages, where available, are recorded and stored by its third-party VoIP provider, SignalWire, and its privacy policy says voicemail audio is not recorded, stored, or retained by Pinwheel.Source: support.pinwheel.com: Pinwheel Home Setup Guides and Features, pinwheel.com/termsofservice, Pinwheel Privacy Policy (linked from its terms)
- Call recording
- Per Pinwheel's terms, "Pinwheel does not record or store call audio", and its privacy policy says voice data is transmitted in real time to enable phone calls but is not recorded, stored, or retained by Pinwheel. The terms say voicemail messages are the exception: they are recorded and stored by Pinwheel's third-party VoIP provider, SignalWire.Source: pinwheel.com/termsofservice, Pinwheel Privacy Policy (linked from its terms)
- Children's data
- Per Pinwheel's terms, because the service may collect personal information from children under 13, "including voice data and usage information", it complies with COPPA and obtains verifiable parental consent from the caregiver, who must be a legal guardian, before activating any Pinwheel Home device. Its privacy policy says data collection is limited to call logs (phone numbers, timestamps and call duration), the caregiver-managed contact safelist, voicemail metadata (message timestamps) and device connectivity and service status data, and that children's data is never used to profile or market to children. Per the terms, parents and guardians may review, modify, or request deletion of their child's personal information by contacting Pinwheel.Source: pinwheel.com/termsofservice, Pinwheel Privacy Policy (linked from its terms)
Common questions about the Pinwheel Home phone
Can the Pinwheel Home phone 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. 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.
Does the Pinwheel Home phone work without a monthly plan?
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.
How much does the Pinwheel Home phone cost per month?
Per Pinwheel, Friends & Family is $6.99 / mo and adds calls to up to 5 external numbers, and Unlimited is $9.99 / mo and allows calls to any external number; both list a full 10-digit phone number and 15% off with multiple devices. Pinwheel's help centre says the 5 external numbers on Friends & Family are not permanent and can be changed at any time. Its terms say taxes and fees are charged on top and that it may also assess a "regulatory cost recovery fee" on voice services. Per Pinwheel's terms, there are no activation fees or early termination fees associated with the Pinwheel Home Subscription and you may cancel at any time via the Caregiver Portal. They say Pinwheel Home may, "from time to time", include a thirty (30) day free trial from activation, after which the plan chosen at onboarding starts and a paid plan is charged unless cancelled. They say subscription fees are non-refundable unless otherwise required by law or as set out in the terms, with a prorated refund of prepaid subscriptions if Pinwheel discontinues the Pinwheel Home service.
Does the Pinwheel Home phone work in a power or internet outage?
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. Per Pinwheel's help centre, the ATA plugs into a wall outlet and powers the phone, and Pinwheel Home "does not have a battery and does not need charging". Its terms describe the handset as a corded analog handset and say the service requires electrical power.
Can you take the Pinwheel Home phone to another house or on vacation?
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. 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.
Who can call the Pinwheel Home phone?
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 the Pinwheel Home phone need a phone jack?
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."
Does the Pinwheel Home phone record calls?
Per Pinwheel's terms, "Pinwheel does not record or store call audio", and its privacy policy says voice data is transmitted in real time to enable phone calls but is not recorded, stored, or retained by Pinwheel. The terms say voicemail messages are the exception: they are recorded and stored by Pinwheel's third-party VoIP provider, SignalWire. Asked whether call history can be seen in the parent app, Pinwheel says "Yes! You can see incoming and outgoing calls, including whether they were blocked or went through."
Can you return the Pinwheel Home phone?
Pinwheel lists "Free Returns" and a "30-day Money Back Guarantee" on its shop page for Pinwheel Home. Its terms make all physical product returns subject to its Return Policy, which says a device must have been received within the last 30 days, be in excellent condition and have its original packaging; that policy is written around Pinwheel's phones and does not mention Pinwheel Home by name. The policy also says "Pinwheel reserves the right to decline any refund request for any reason deemed appropriate." The terms also give the Pinwheel Home handset and adapter a one (1) year limited hardware warranty covering manufacturing defects.