Voip

POOLMANinCT

hi guys
anybody using VOIP (voice over internet proto) ie: vonage

looks like has some $ and can keep phone #s phone comp wont let you retain in the event you move out of town.

pros? cons? im looking at vonage

ty
ray

mickeyco

I'll assume you're talking about VOIP over cable tv lines, you can do it with dsl (I do for long distance), but then you have to pay for the telephone line anyhow. I worked for AT&T on their VOIP system years back when this service started. It works great but you will lose phone service the same amount of times you lose cable tv service, so if you have a lot of cable outages in your area it might not be the way to go. Another problem with VOIP was being able to use 911, I'm not sure if that has been completely fixed or is still a problem, but I'd look into myself and not take the sellers word, being able to call 911 is no big deal till you really need to.

If you're getting VOIP for long distance to specific people you can actually do it yourself with programs like Skype, MSN Message and others. I use an old one called internet phone, if both users have the software you can call each other using USB phones or regular phones with USB adapters (you can even just use your PC's mic and speakers). Aside from the price of the software (if not free) and equipment (USB Adapter/ USB phone/phone) there's no monthly fee and it sounds fine, it's really great if you call people in other countries.

slickshift

Yes
I've used VoiP for a few years now

I used to use Vonage
An occasional echo or dropped call was normal
Maybe once a month (maybe twice)
A redial usually fixed it
(as it's all one charge, there's no charge to re-dial a number)

Vonage had many features that were a bit over-kill for my needs
(voicemails get turned into files and e-mailed to you...stuff like that)
But it was pretty cool

I had a business phone, a dedicated business fax, three computers (plus a wireless notebook and a print server) and TV all over the cable with no problems really (I did a bandwidth check before considering it-I had plenty)

The only thing was, my internet provider would re-assign my IP address every other week
Some safety feature or something
They would re-assign it (the same one) on Sunday nights
At some point after that, my network would slowly collapse (starting with the wireless)
A power cycle (off/on) would always solve the problem

There was a work-around, but honestly it wasn't a big deal to shut down the comps and modems on Sunday before bed and re-boot Monday AM
All incoming calls went to the cell phone, and incoming faxes were held till the fax was back online
I never bothered with the work-around

Since then, I've ditched the fax, and my internet provider has gotten into the VoiP game
I get it directly from them now
It's a little more than it would be with Vonage, and there's less features (which I really didn't need anyway), but the voice quality is much better, I never get drops or echos, I don't have to power cycle, and it's all in one bill now

Landline phone service out here is horrible with the storms etc...I'm pretty much out in the ocean here
(That's one of the reasons DSL was out of the question for me-it's over the phone lines)
But with the VoiP I've had way more continuous service than my landline neighbors
It's not surprising for them to be out a few days a month
I can't remember being out in the last year

The 911 thing is fixed
You can't sign up for Vonage w/o signing up for, or signing off 911

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Originally Posted by ModernStyle I have never used this crap before and I pray to the paint gods that I never have to use it again, I would rather use Behr

slickshift

Not sure what you mean, but I was able to bring my black box out of state, and hook it up to high speed there, and talk/fax just like I was still in the office, even though I was thousands of miles away
Incoming calls were still considered local to the callers

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Originally Posted by ModernStyle I have never used this crap before and I pray to the paint gods that I never have to use it again, I would rather use Behr

Nathan

Use it for the price.... not for the service.

Here is my experience with them: http://www.contractortalk.com/showpo...15&postcount=7

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Nathan

"He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain that which he cannot lose." - Jim Elliot

dougchips

We use Vonage for our home phone. Reception and problems are generally a cable problem. We have good cable so almost no issues. I had several issues when I used tem for a fax line. If you tell them that you use it for business they will charge you more (hint). Cut our phone bill in half