Being on call varies tremendously depending on the environment. I've been on two different on-calls, and they couldn't have been more different. On-call #1.

Being on call varies tremendously depending on the environment. I've been on two different on-calls, and they couldn't have been more different. On-call #1. Averaged one page every week or two. Pages typically resulted from a failed automated process, which was scheduled to avoid running in the wee hours of the night. Most pages could be handled remotely, in about 10-15 minutes. For issues that required going in, even if the root cause couldn't be determined, the system could be brought to a safe state with further troubleshooting done the next day. If there was an overnight issue, you were not expected in until the afternoon, and supervisors would actively tell you to go home and sleep if you were there in the morning. On-call #2. Averaged 3-5 pages per day. Pages occurred at random times during the day or night, with little to no predictability. All pages could be handled remotely, but typically took 1-3 hours to resolve. Issues frequently required creative problem solving, which was expected regardless of time of day. If there was an overnight issue, you were still expected to be on-site for the daily 7:30 AM meeting. There was a drastic different in quality of life between the two on-calls. The first was as you say, an on call with the expectation that most of the time nothing will go wrong. The second would be more accurately described as a "working nights and weekends rotation", rather than an "on call rotation"