37 replies to this topic

[dustbowl diver]

While I hope the QOS with Vonage has improved in the last year and half, they were one of the worst companies I have ever had the opportunity to deal with, for a number of reasons. Additionally, my brother and his family were set to move to Hong Kong and after almost 8 weeks of trying to get the proper equipment and all that goes with it, they gave up and went another route. Since my brother travels internationally pretty frequently, many of his colleagues are going with 'Skype'.

Sounds like you have received plenty of great suggestions, just had to drop in my 2 psi about Vonage!!

[peterbj7]

My opinion of Vonage a few years ago wasn't particularly flattering, but I can't fault it nowadays. I had a minor technical issue a few days ago and phoned them for assistance, and their help was direct, pertinent, focussed and effective.

[WreckWench]

Don't have a clue about VOIP or whatever it is but BB and I just got new Verizon Blackberries and they are replacing both our Internet Air Cards. In addition I am dropping my land line but keeping the number for my Blackberry. This will enable each of us to drop some service on our main cell phones but still have a 2nd line each for about $15 more a month. The G3 network kinda feels faster than my Broadband card.
Anyway I can't see why they couldn't work with ya.

Funny you should mention this...it was just suggested that I think about a new blackberry with data and use it for emails and quick board check ins...I know YOU use your devices to check the board and do emails. And while not probably the faster nor most elegant...it seems to work ok for you and might give me that extra degree of connectivity I need. Plus I gotta get a new celfone so maybe this is the solution on that front and partially solves some of the other issues.

Thanks again for all the great input!

This new one seems a lot faster than my old one. Actually I'm using it right now with my laptop plugged into it as a modem.

Yes that is sort of what was suggested to me by Harleyguy1963....go that route like you and Bubbles and just avoid the laptop.

What carrier are you using Bob? I know they have Verizon in SC so that would work. Beth do you every use your blackberry as a modem so you can access your regular computer?

[WreckWench]

While I hope the QOS with Vonage has improved in the last year and half, they were one of the worst companies I have ever had the opportunity to deal with, for a number of reasons. Additionally, my brother and his family were set to move to Hong Kong and after almost 8 weeks of trying to get the proper equipment and all that goes with it, they gave up and went another route. Since my brother travels internationally pretty frequently, many of his colleagues are going with 'Skype'.

Sounds like you have received plenty of great suggestions, just had to drop in my 2 psi about Vonage!!

Thank you John. Hopefully they have better service stateside....however there are other companies out there besides Vonage and it seems there are companies that RESELL service of Vonage's network...I guess that is what they call it these days..... LOL!

[WreckWench]

I agree 100% and just sent a PM to the Wench. The security issue also comes into play quickly!

That too. I have seen too many VoIP projects end in disaster from slick sales people. The same ones who cringe when they try to sell to me and I ask about their QoS...

How do I verify this? While I'm adept at looking smarter than your average trust me...we are way out of my comfort zone in faking this and since it will be a reality hopefully soon...I need to get my arms around what to do regarding the move of the SD offices to SC.

[divzac]

WOW! Some great info...thank you all.

Primary goal is to keep the 214-350-7003 number. The secondary is to keep good quality of service so I can conduct business and third is to not pay more than I currently pay or less if at all possible. (I'll need a fax, like the idea of possible 'local' numbers i.e. a SC number but not really needed and think some of the softphone features may be nice but need to be more educated.)

Currently I am bundled with AT&T for voice, internet and celfone.

Skype kept me sane at times while on the boat for 75 days in a row. I called everywhere I wanted and STILL have the 10.25 balance that I basically started with. I ONLY used my WIRELESS connection on my laptop. The link was via satalite reciever. (of course, cord would not reach land) I think I paid a couple of bucks to have MY NUMBER shown for caller ID.

[WreckWench]

Skype kept me sane at times while on the boat for 75 days in a row. I called everywhere I wanted and STILL have the 10.25 balance that I basically started with. I ONLY used my WIRELESS connection on my laptop. The link was via satalite reciever. (of course, cord would not reach land) I think I paid a couple of bucks to have MY NUMBER shown for caller ID.

What did you use for your wireless connection on the laptop?

[pir8]

Don't have a clue about VOIP or whatever it is but BB and I just got new Verizon Blackberries and they are replacing both our Internet Air Cards. In addition I am dropping my land line but keeping the number for my Blackberry. This will enable each of us to drop some service on our main cell phones but still have a 2nd line each for about $15 more a month. The G3 network kinda feels faster than my Broadband card.
Anyway I can't see why they couldn't work with ya.

Funny you should mention this...it was just suggested that I think about a new blackberry with data and use it for emails and quick board check ins...I know YOU use your devices to check the board and do emails. And while not probably the faster nor most elegant...it seems to work ok for you and might give me that extra degree of connectivity I need. Plus I gotta get a new celfone so maybe this is the solution on that front and partially solves some of the other issues.

Thanks again for all the great input!

This new one seems a lot faster than my old one. Actually I'm using it right now with my laptop plugged into it as a modem.

Yes that is sort of what was suggested to me by Harleyguy1963....go that route like you and Bubbles and just avoid the laptop.

What carrier are you using Bob? I know they have Verizon in SC so that would work. Beth do you every use your blackberry as a modem so you can access your regular computer?

I am using Verizon, actually right now I am on the BlackBerry but later tonight I will tether it to my laptop and it will be just that much betterer.
Still working on using this keypad though.

Edited by pir8, 07 April 2009 - 10:07 AM.

[Racer184]

#1 You need good internet service.

Throughout much of the USA, it is no longer necessary to pay for "dial tone" (regular telephone service) in order to get DSL. So those of us that don't want cable tv, will find (in this part of the country) that DSL is cheaper than cable modem.

#2. Vonage and Skype do not use the International Standard for VoIP. They have their own. That's ok as long as you want to stay with them.

#3 There are numerous companies (like me) that provide VoIP service which use the international standard; this means you can buy your equipment once and if you don't like the company, you can switch your devices to another company (not true of vonage and skype).

#4 Service.
If you don't mind talking to a script reader in India, then go with any company. If you
want customer service, than you need to be picky.

#5 Majic Jack and others that work through your computer.
This may not be cheap. If you have to leave your computer on 24 hours a day, figure $21 per month just for the electricity (at our rate here in s.e. Florida) for your 250 watt desktop computer. If you leave your computer on 24 hours a day then this does not matter.

An "ATA" (analogue telephone adapter), often built into the 'wireless router' allows you to plug in a 'regular telephone', your cordless phone etc. and these things only use about 3 watt of electricity.

#6 Features
Any VoIP company worth looking into will give you for free:
conference calling
call waiting
*69 (return call)
caller blocking
voicemail to your email
call forwarding
call other customers unlimited 24 hours per day for free.

#7 "Service dependent" VoIP
Around here the cable company is pushing their telephone service. It's pretty good and cannot complain about it. The only downside to this company is that you must use it with THEIR cable system.

#8 (converse of #7)
Most VoIP services do not care whether you have plugged your device into a cable modem, a DSL modem, ISDN, or two tin cans and a string.

#9 QoS.
Well.... the general answer is yes. If you have several users of your internet service in your home, you need to use a QoS device or buy a router with QoS built in. I am single so I have not problem running with no QoS device.... I am smart enough to not try to upload 200 megabyte videos while making a phone call... and I don't play online games. But if you do have kids at home or the spouse wants to play games, then you need to get a QoS device and set the priority to your telephone device.

#10 Fax is an "iffy situation" with VoIP.
Sorry, but the I.S.O. did not really consider fax machines when the standards were written. I send LOTS of faxes over my 'traditional' fax machine and my VoIP service. Even my credit card terminal does its dial-up fine. But there are some fax numbers I need to dial that just won't go through.......

These days you can usually scan your document and then send it as an email. However some companies refuse correspondence that way (I don't know why). Many of my suppliers will accept nothing other than a dial-up fax document. So I have "email-to-fax and fax-to-email" service. I scan the document, then email it to "faxthroughemail" address and then it is automatically sent to a 'regular' fax machine. My suppliers are happy. Then when they 'reply' to me with a fax, it goes to that fax number... it is automatically converted to a .pdf document and then sent to me by email.

(Note to those small or large businesses that want to send faxes. There are " FoIP " companies ! FoIP means "fax over internet protocol".... It works great ! But unless you are sending LOTS of faxes, its probably cheaper and more convenient to keep your analogue telephone line for faxing.)


#11
The most common problem people have (around here) is if their cable modem or their DSL modem is "old" (6 years or so) and it just needs new firmware installed; then VoIP works great.

And # 1.
If you do not have reliable, consistent internet service where you are, then don't mess with VoIP.... it won't be worth the inconvenience.

Where has "Netmage" been? To the best of my knowledge he is happy with the independent

VoIP company he is using.

Netmage? You here ?

[WreckWench]

I am so amazed at the wealth of knowledge that our members have....thank you all!

[Landlocked Dive Nut]

#10 Fax is an "iffy situation" with VoIP.
Sorry, but the I.S.O. did not really consider fax machines when the standards were written. I send LOTS of faxes over my 'traditional' fax machine and my VoIP service. Even my credit card terminal does its dial-up fine. But there are some fax numbers I need to dial that just won't go through.......

For my office, the faxes work fine over VoIP, but my credit card machines did NOT like it at all! I ran into nothing but dead-ends with my Merchant Services provider and their equipment options, so I ended up installing a stand-alone traditional phone line just for my credit card machine!!!

[divzac]

Skype kept me sane at times while on the boat for 75 days in a row. I called everywhere I wanted and STILL have the 10.25 balance that I basically started with. I ONLY used my WIRELESS connection on my laptop. The link was via satalite reciever. (of course, cord would not reach land) I think I paid a couple of bucks to have MY NUMBER shown for caller ID.

What did you use for your wireless connection on the laptop?

My connection was via built in wireless thingy on laptop to the on board satelite via a wireless router. BTW there are hard wire connections available (for a small fee??) on the Spree but I only used the wireless router. Quality was perfect.

[Fordan]

(Disclaimer from the get-go: I work for a Cable-based ISP that offers telephony using VoIP protocols.)

In terms of QoS... Quality of Service is a wonderful thing. You're not going to get true QoS from a consumer ISP though. Having said that, most ISPs' networks are robust enough that QoS isn't needed for acceptable voice communication the majority of the time. The one place where the networks are usually weakest are at the "last mile," the connection from your home to the first piece of gear in the ISP's network. That's primarily because this is where the ISPs control the amount of traffic you send and recieve to restrict them to the volume you're paying for, so if there's going to be a bottleneck, this is usually where it'll occur. You can buy consumer routers that will manipulate the traffic leaving your house to make sure your voice traffic gets priority going out and so that downloads don't overwhelm the inbound voice. Some of the VoIP adapter boxes will sit in front of your router and do the same thing. This isn't true QoS, but it's generally good enough for most people.

I'm a huge fan of Skype. I don't think it's the sole answer here, if for no other reason than you can't transfer a phone number to it, you can only use the numbers they already have and will assign you. It is a great & cheap service staying in touch while travelling where cell phone use is expensive. If you don't set up an inbound number, there's no recurring charge, so you can toss $20 on your account, and use it $0.02 at a time, and as long as you use it once every 180 days, you keep the money on account. I do pay for an inbound number ($3/month, I think), and when I'm overseas and expect Internet access, I forward my cell phone to my Skype number, and use Skype for calls and voicemail.

Another option: check with AT&T to see how much arranging call forwarding without a phone line in TX would cost.

If you need a cell phone, and don't mind having the cell phone ring every time someone calls the SD number, that's a pretty decent option. One danger here is international roaming. As I understand it, when you power up your phone in a foreign country, it registers, and tell your home carrier to send calls destined for you to it for a period of time, like 24 hours. However, if you don't answer your phone and it goes to voicemail, it needs to forward the call back to your home provider for voicemail. This means you end up paying the roaming from the US to whatever country you're in, but you also end up paying for the call from where you are back to the US for the voicemail number.


It's hard to beat Verizon's coverage, but I've generally found them more expensive than their competition. I'm curious about Bubbles/Beth's international use of her phone, since Verizon uses CDMA, which isn't the world standard for phone use, GSM. I'm assuming her Blackberry must be both CDMA and GSM. AT&T and T-Mobile are the US' GSM providers. I currently use AT&T due to my iPhone, but had T-Mobile before. One thing I did like about T-Mobile was that they were a) cheap and b) had a liberal phone-unlocking policy, so that you could take it to a different carrier, or what mattered to me more: could take it to another country and buy a local prepaid SIM card to stick in it to avoid paying international roaming.

Have you looked at "find me" services? The concept got some attention with Google Voice, but the concept has been around for a while. Basically when someone calls one number, you can set up a list of rules and phone numbers that the service will call to look for you. That could be a home #, cell #, skype #, etc, so wherever you are, it'll "find you" and connect the call. Usually they provide other related services like voicemail and such. You'd have to find one you could transfer the number to; I like the look of Google Voice (transcribed voicemail in email!), but a) they aren't accepting new people at the moment, and b) they currently don't allow number transfers.

[Bubbles]

Beth do you every use your blackberry as a modem so you can access your regular computer?

It is my understanding you have to pay an additional $15/month fee to set up a Verizon BlackBerry to work as a modem.

I do have Verizon's mobile broadband service and use a USB modem for internet access. It works the same as an air card but I can use this modem on any computer. The install software automatically launches when the modem is plugged into the USB port on a computer for the first time.

Overall I have been VERY happy with Verizon. I switched to them from Sprint almost 5 years ago, and I think they have great customer service.

[Bubbles]

It's hard to beat Verizon's coverage, but I've generally found them more expensive than their competition. I'm curious about Bubbles/Beth's international use of her phone, since Verizon uses CDMA, which isn't the world standard for phone use, GSM. I'm assuming her Blackberry must be both CDMA and GSM. AT&T and T-Mobile are the US' GSM providers. I currently use AT&T due to my iPhone, but had T-Mobile before. One thing I did like about T-Mobile was that they were a) cheap and b) had a liberal phone-unlocking policy, so that you could take it to a different carrier, or what mattered to me more: could take it to another country and buy a local prepaid SIM card to stick in it to avoid paying international roaming.

I have the World Edition 8830 BlackBerry which supports both CDMA and GSM networks.