Internet Phone help

[fifthearth]

I've been thinking about switching to phone systems that're supported by DSL's or Cable... has anyone on here tried it ? good/bad aspects ?
I've searched online and found sites like vonage.com and the package looks really tempting !!!
any personal experiences, and suggestions will be great !!! thanks !

 

[0ctan3]

check out this month's [or last month's? read it last week]
edition of PC magazine, all of the major VOIP packages are compared.
seems like a very, very good thing, except I don't use the phone very much at all.

wait- just found an online copy of it: http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,1759,1630778,00.asp

 

[lemansnsx]

check out this month's [or last month's? read it last week]
edition of PC magazine, all of the major VOIP packages are compared.
seems like a very, very good thing, except I don't use the phone very much at all.

wait- just found an online copy of it: http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,1759,1630778,00.asp

Also reviewed recently in "Computer Shopper" and the article included at least one other company - Packet8.
"voip reviews" typed into Google gives several good hits.

 

[steveny]

I just switched mine over to road runner on Monday. There where a few bugs for the first few days but they have all seemed to work themselves out. A friend of mine also switched to road runner and he has said the phone echoes on his end but I have yet to hear the echo on my end.

 

[Acura NsX Pilot]

I have it with cable and so far so good....only thing is when your cable is down so is the phone and you have to keep your modem on for it to work.

 

[fifthearth]

Thanks for the helpful info... I'm looking into it more
the power issue is one main one, since it runs through high speed connection, no power = no phone line .... but I guess everyone has cell phones to use for emergencies now.
Echoing is an issue too, most phone card companies have this VoIP and echoing is a big problem... I am guessing it might be some backbone filtering that's not done right



pj

 

[nkb]

I switched a few months ago to Vonage, and am saving a ton of money. I have the unlimited $30 plan, so all LD calls are included.

In addition, I make weekly calls to Germany to my family, and the rate is a ridiculously low 3 cents a minute.

By going to cable modem (I had Verizon DSL before), and getting rid of Verizon and MCI as my providers, I am saving every month.

As far as quality and reliability, I have had minimal problems with the quality of calls (no more than regular phone service), and, as long as the cable modem is up, there are no problems. If power goes out, my wife and I have our cell phones.

A couple of points to keep in mind with internet phone service:

1. 911 is not true 911 service. You don't go to a true 911 operator, instead they connect you to a call center, that then calls the approriate party (fire, police, etc). You have to set your location when you set up your account, since you can have any number you want, and they wouldn't be able to tell where you live.
2. There will be some issues. This is still very new technology, so there will be some bugs. I had trouble reaching my voicemail for a couple of days (fixed a while ago), and wasn't able to dial extensions when reaching a general number of a business (happened recently, and was fixed soon after).
3. YMMV: My service works pretty well, but one of my friends had some service issues that were never fully resolved. I believe he switched the AT&T's internet phone service, but I'm not sure how that went.

All in all, I am happy, and, I would recommend it.

 

[Russ]

Update: Vonage

I took the Vonage plunge last month and so far I've been very pleased with their service. The audio quality is louder and clearer than my old Verizon phone line and I've had no service interruptions. The call and voicemail options are impressive. You can have voicemails emailed to you as .wav files. You can set it up to ring your cell phone simultaneously with your home phone, so you only need to give out one contact number if you wish. Plus you get all the other cool VoIP stuff (i.e. your choice of area code etc.)

The best thing was - unlike every other utility I have ever used (phone/oil/electric) - Vonage recently lowered their prices. Premium service, which includes unlimited calls to the US and Canada, is only $24.99/mo plus about $3.00 in taxes (which is $10.00/mo less than OptimumVoice). It used to be $29.99. I was paying ~$57.00 with IDT after taxes for unlimited to US only and fewer features. Plus if you sign up with an email coupon you get two months free. You can't beat it IMHO.