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General discussion

Broadband Phone Service

Mar 3, 2005 8:44PM PST

Has anyone tried the Broadband phone service, "Vonage" or another one like it? I am wondering how good it really is and what all you need to get it going if you already have a broadband connection.

Thanks,
Dave

Discussion is locked

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AT&T CallVantage
Mar 26, 2005 1:03AM PST

I'm a happy customer as well! I'm not sure if you got the same deal as me but I did not have to buy any equipment and the first month was FREE.
This service has features GALORE at the website. I love the e-mail notification of voicemail. I'll never go back to SBC.

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Thanks Rick
Mar 31, 2005 11:23AM PST

Rick - I signed up for CallVantage, hooked it up today...everything worked fine except for all the other phones in the house. The instructions provided only tell you to get a phone that acts as a base unit with multiple portable phones, or call AT&T for inside wiring - which I'm sure cost big bucks. Then I read your post and hooked my phones up like you describe, and presto! Thanks!!!

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Still Paying too much
Apr 24, 2005 11:53AM PDT

I got PACKET8 service, and have been very pleased with their service. I pay only 19.95 a month plus tax for unlimited US and Canada calls. The main reason I got the Packet 8 service was the cost to call Thailand. My wife has family there, and we went from .27 cents a minute to .05 cents a minute for the same destination. I had Road Runner offer their VOIP service, but when I asked them about the long distance they were about .25 cents a minute, and cost me almost 10 dollars more a month. There are alternatives coming up everyday, but you need to see which will meet your needs. I am waiting for the availability of E911 in my area to include this into my service. I am very pleased with the choice I made.

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Broadband Phone Sewrvice
Mar 26, 2005 3:16AM PST

Hi Steward, Try Skype at www.skype.com it's a Free Download Cheers Shirgor

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re: Broadband Phone Service
Mar 28, 2005 5:17AM PST

I have had Vonage for 8 months and love the service BUT the customer service is HELL, absolute HELL. I rarely have problems with the service and the few times I did (either because my DSL was down or their system was) it always redirected the calls to my regular phone line. I don't recommend getting rid of your regular phone though just for this reason (or redirect calls to a cell phone if you always leave it on which I don't).

I never had problems until a month ago when I switched my DSL service from dynamic to static IP. I've since been on the phone with at least 20 idiots from Vonage for 2+ hour phone calls and STILL it doesn't work. Also, just getting into their customer service phone system is a chore at best. I often cuts me off as I'm pushing the many, many buttons you need to wade through before you're dumped in the queue. Once someone answers, the background noise of all the other customer service folks is often so loud I can hardly hear this person talking. I'm 24 hours away from canceling the service and just get a 2nd phone line for home (which is much more $$$). I have a case into their 'best' (supposed) escalation team and we'll see what happens.

Deb

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VOIP is a good alternative to MaBell and AT&T
Apr 26, 2005 9:58AM PDT

I have been on VoIP since December. I had some problems porting my number over, but part of it was my fault for not faxing the correct forms to them quicker. Once they had my paperwork, I got my phone switched to the VOIP in 2 weeks. I like the service, I see no difference in quality from my location. I am saving a lot of $$ now, since dropping MaBell and AT&T. Packet8 is only 19.95 a month for Unlimited calls and Unlimited long distance anywhere in the US and Canada. I am happy with the service, they do not have E911 available at all locations yet, but it is coming. Look at the services available and see if they meet your needs. I am very pleased with their service. WWW.packet8.com

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Broadband phone, I use Packet8
Apr 28, 2005 8:37PM PDT

I have had Packet 8 for sometime now, I have broadband on Insight Cable. I find the phone service great, have NO complaints, and the price - for calling any state, and canada - $19.95 per month. with all the extras, it is great, recommend it for anyone.

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VOIP - MYBroadline.com in Florida
Jun 7, 2005 8:48PM PDT

This service (MyBroadline) in Florida started out very well but after one year many of our callers heard an echo in the line. This was reported and the problem could not be fixed so we swithced to Packet 8 having no echo. Here with Packet 8, I lost caller ID with name, can only use 2 phone extensions (had 4 before), faxing is a problem (no problem before), and Packey 8 offers call forwarding that you change via there web site. However, the response time to update the call forwarding is not always efficient. MyBraodline charged 3.5 cents a minute for long distance calls(continental US) where Packet 8 is free. Both companies charge $20 a month. I am thinking about switching again to AT&T whoes service is $30 a month offering all the same features as my first company (MyBroadline). Oh - Initial start-up fee for Packet 8 is $50. Oh, and the Packet 8 customer service is extremly POOR. It took over 3 months to switch the service of witch they said they had internal reorganizing problem.

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earthlinks free voip
Jun 8, 2005 11:27AM PDT

has anyone tried it yet??

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There are other VOIP Providers
Oct 13, 2005 9:58PM PDT

Sorry for this late reply, but I haven't checked the forum for a while. We bought a condo in Florida last year and decided to switch to VOIP (also on the advice of a very knowledgeable friend). After some research, we found Lingo (www.lingo.com) had more features at a lower cost than any other provider. The voice quality is good, too. That was before the big players got into it at much higher prices.

At first, we had a lot of difficulties - dropped calls, echoes, poor service, and the #1 problem: very willing tech support, but of little help. Most of the time, the problems got fixed in minutes to days. One problem continued through last April, when we left for Massachusetts, so we do not know if it was in the condo or in the service. It has not occurred here in MA.

We forwarded the FL calls to our phone in MA and have had no problems since. The Florida problems might relate to the cable or other interference there. Even cell calls have problems in our condo building.

On the plus side, we save a huge amount on the phone bills and I use the free Canada calling a lot. There is an E-911 feature but you should be aware that all ALL E-911's are different from the conventional 911 in that you have to tell them where you are since the phone is portable to ANY broadband connection in the world!

In short, I am satisfied with the service I have, and all of the extra phone company features are free (call forward, call waiting, fax, E-911, etc).

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I am using vbuzzer
Aug 17, 2005 7:44AM PDT

I found a new IP service provider: www.vbuzzer.com, very sweet, the price is amazing, $2.49/mo for unlimited local call and 30 days trial, I tried several local call the quality is reasonably good. And with a phone number free, but only Toronto number now. That's exactly what I need. I don't plan to have a land phone now. Cell + Voip is enough!

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Sound quality is not good.
Jan 26, 2006 3:21AM PST

Lately, due to a large volume of vbuzzer users calling at the same time, its sound quality is very bad. This situation prevents you from using vbuzzer phone as your main home phone.

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INVIVNI Broadband Telephone Service
Aug 23, 2005 2:57PM PDT

I switched to INVIVNI (http://www.invivni.com) because the call quality was better than the other providers I tried. They let you test the service for 30 days risk free to make sure it works before you port your number.

Thier support staff is really reliable and have answered all the questions I had.

Just my $.02!

Marshall

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Using VOIP
Aug 23, 2005 11:53PM PDT

I've used Vonage VOIP for well over a year as my primary phone service and have been well satisfied. I also have a FAX as well as a 1 866 number. Total cost is about 40% of what I was paying a regulated carier. Quality is generally better than previous obtained from SBC.A few flukes but nothing bad. Wired it into the regular house wiring so service is at every phone,
Bill

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Bad Day with Vonage
Aug 28, 2005 5:58AM PDT

We've had Vonage for about 6-8 months. Worked up until a month ago. the problem is not really with Vonage but with ISP. Vonage made changes to the service that affected fax support. Eventually I figure it out with no help from Vonage. The folks at Vonage customer support in India are unable to do anything more than read from a script. At times they are unable to speak english. If you are lucky enough to get to 2nd line support in the US the connection is very poor. Surprising for a phone company. When they get frustrated in the US they hang up. Then you have to go thru India again, repeating the exact same staeps you took to get to 2nd line support. I will try other VOIP providers. I do not mind over seas CS but I do mind very bad CS.

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att callvantage
Oct 13, 2005 9:06PM PDT

Has gotten much better than when I first got it as far as not breaking up and is now a very rare occurance...I did have a problem with my inbound calls going automatically to my voice mail and not ringing through...the online help responce was was longer than the 48 hours stated.When they did get back to me I was told they could not help and I needed to call AT&T.
Once I talked to a tech it was an easy fix....that is the only problem I have had in the last seven months and it is hard to beat $33.00 a month as my total phone bill for unlimited USA and Canada.

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VONAGE
Oct 13, 2005 9:17PM PDT

I have had Vonage for about 8 months now, and I have found it is works fine on some days, and no so good on others. If you have a Home Security System, you can forget it. Vonage and any Home Security System are not compatible. I have had the Security Personnel out to my house on several occasions trying to fix the problem, which is, if the alarm goes off, the Security System will not call the Security Company to let them know someone has broken into my house. Also, everytime you call VONAGE Helpdesk, you get someone from Bangledesh, India. I am not prejudice, but I also need to understand more than 50% of the conversation. I am a Network Engineer by trade, and have been for over 10 years, so I do know what I am doing. Anyway, I am getting rid of VONAGE and I have already signed up for Sun Rocket. I have talked to a Friend and fellow Network Engineer, and he has not had a moments problem with the service, his Home Security System, and the best thing of all, the Helpdesk is Local in Winchester, Virginia. I will let you know how it works out.

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Vonage experience
Oct 13, 2005 9:58PM PDT

I have been with Vonage for most of this year along with two other co-workers who signed up at the same time. One of them has gone back to a traditional land line and the other and I are still using the VoIP.

Generally for me it has been acceptable. I have only had to call their customer service once, when I installed a new router after my existing one took a surge from lightning. It took some time to finally get someone who could help me and spoke acceptable English. I have since put my router and cable modem on a UPS in hopes of still having phones in a power outage.

One other problem that the co-worker who is still using Vonage has experianced is that his dial up modem on his TVo system cannot make a connection to update the programming schedule. He has worked with both vendors without reaching a resolution. I suspect that all modem services such as alarm systems as indicated in another post would experience the same problems.

Bottom line, I would do it again. I am saving about $50.00 a month over the land line phone charges. This savings offsets the occational inconveniance of broadband interuptions which can affect the quality of service. Just remember you are going from a single source of service with a land line, to multiple sources for the same service.

eJohn
http://www.pbase.com/ejohnw

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TIVO and Vonage
Oct 15, 2005 12:00PM PDT

You can bring your TIVO back on service by getting off of the telephone connection and installing a simple wireless network with an adapter for TIVO talking to a wireless access point on your Vonage provided router. See TIVO for compatible hardware.
I use a Linksys WUSB11 adapter connected to TIVO and a WAP54G Access point connected in the basement to my RT31P2 router. Advantage is yu get daily program updates and can download your PC stored Photos to your TV.

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Not That Great
Oct 13, 2005 10:23PM PDT

My parents and sister have Vonage and while they're both paying much less per month than they were with Verizon, I don't think either one is all that thrilled with their service. The sound quality is not all that great. Whenever I call either, there is an echo quality to the sound.

The biggest problem is that your phone service is reliant upon your broadband service. If cable goes out, as it does frequently especially in foul weather, then you are without phone service. My parents & sister have had to set up their phone so that if cable is out their phone calls get forwarded to their cell phones. That's an inconvenience if you're one of those who doesn't keep your cell phone on all the time or if you're one of the few who don't have cell phones.

I thought of switching but until all the kinks get worked out, I'll stick with a stand-alone service like Verizon.

Happy Kris

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Get your broadband problem fixed
Oct 13, 2005 10:31PM PDT

VOIP only works well when you have GOOD broadband. If you have echo, notify the VoIp provider as they can supress that. If your cable is bad in the rain, your cable needs repair. Why pay for bad service... demand new lines.

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VoIP works for me!
Oct 13, 2005 10:26PM PDT

I have switched to Vonage and I have cable broadband. I find the service acceptable, the features bountiful and the price fantastic. I replaced one Verizon line with minimal usage that averaged $60 / month with one unlimited voice line plus a 500 minute fax line for a total of $39 / month. I take advantage of the call forward feature, that can be set via the internat from anywhere. I also have 2 TIVO units that use the fax line to make their calls. TiVo requires that vonage turn off echo suppression on the line. I also was able to transfer my old phone number with no problem.
Remember that without power, you have no phone... but my cell serves as my backup.

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GlobalLinx VoIP
Oct 13, 2005 10:29PM PDT

I for one am a GlobalLinx user. I have a "videophone" and when calling another "videophone" we not only speak but also see one another. The service is outstanding and Packet8 also has other units, i.e., straight DTA box, Uniden all-house phone, and now a commercial product called Virtual Office.

My bill each month for unlimited local/us/canadian calling is $22.05... that's with taxes...

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Vonage
Oct 13, 2005 10:54PM PDT

I've had Vonage about a month. It's great. Things you should know. If you have an answering machine with your phone, Vonage voicemail won't work. Have a 5.8 ghz phone. Have cable or the faster DSL service. You'll love Vonage.

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Been using Vonage for 3 months
Oct 13, 2005 11:13PM PDT

I wondered about technical quality of Vonage before I signed up. Now that I've been using it for a while I am quite pleased.

Had several calls with an echo on the line in the first month or so, but not since then. I use my Vonage line as my primary phone line, leaving SBC land lines for my wife who also works from home.

As I live in a different phone area code than my primary sales territory, the ability to choose any area code has worked out nicely; my customers percieve me as being close by. And when I dial out into my sales territory I only need to dial 7 numbers. Cool.

Reliability has been excellent. Probably more a function of my broadband connection which has proven to be very reliable for the year that it has been installed (Insight Cable. DSL not available at my home).

Best of all, I never have to think about spending long distance money when I pick up the phone, so I never have to make that "do I really need to make this call?" decision when it comes to contacting a customer, or my brother who lives 2000 miles away.

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Don't forget the UPS
Oct 13, 2005 11:35PM PDT

I've installed Vonage in three corporate apartments at out-of-state project sites with a lot of success. The project managers who travel there can call headquarters and their own homes without racking up a huge phone bill for us. We use the $25 unlimited plan. I'm planning to use the $15 500 minute plan at my house.

I also helped a co-worker who switched from landline phone and dial-up internet to broadband and VOIP for the same price! In his case, Time Warner's VOIP was the best price, bundled with his cable TV and broadband.

In any case, be sure to put your network equipment (modems, routers) on a UPS (Uninterruptible Power Supply). Don't get the cheapest and don't load it up with other equipment. On the typical UPS, some receptacles are only surge protected, but not backed up by the battery. Be sure to put the network equipment in the receptacles that are on the battery side.

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VOIP - Home Security systems
Oct 13, 2005 11:55PM PDT

I didn't see anyone mention problems with home security systems tied in with their phone lines. My provider would charge $165+ to reconfigure from land lines to Voip. Something to consider.

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Vonage and ADT
Oct 29, 2005 7:05AM PDT

ADT wont work with Vonage..noway..no how. ADT tries to sell you a backup cellphone system called Call Guard..quite expensive and would not work in my location(near Baltimore)..not close enough to their tower!!!

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VOIP/Vonage is great, so long as....
Oct 14, 2005 1:26AM PDT

I've been with Vonage since the first year they offered their service. I was skeptical at first so I didn't port my existing phone number but instead took on a new number for the Vonage service. Anyway, Vonage has been great, so long as you have good and reliable broadband service. If you're considering switching to a VOIP phone (I recommend Vonage), you should first consider how reliable your cable or dsl service is. If you'd consider it so-so, I would avoid switching your phone to VOIP of any kind. If your service is great however, then you'll be really glad you made the switch.

I've sold how great Vonage is to many of my friends who have switched and all have had great experiences. However, my mom recently switched and has not had a positive experience, but that's because of her extremely unreliable comcast service.

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VOIP & Comcast
Jul 3, 2006 2:38AM PDT

Thanks for the input. I had Vonage and for the most part it was great, however, .... Comcast is my ISP and we are always having trouble - the quality of service from Comcast was so poor that I had to give up the VOIP. I was recently in Dallas, TX and helped a friend install Vonage throughout his home (tied into existing wiring, after disconnecting the NID). His service with Voange is terrific.

NOW - If only we could get consistency and quality with Comcast, along with a reasonable price, this world would be a better place.