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Broadband: VOIP reliability and ease of use?
Still not for non-geeks
by badsponge - 4/7/06 12:27 PM In reply to: VOIP reliability and ease of use? by mike62I have Vonage. It's not as reliable as POTS, but I still prefer it because of the cost. Sometimes people tell me I sound like I'm on a bad cell connection, and sometimes I can't get a dial tone. I have to reset the router to make it work again. It's annoying, but I don't mind when I think how much money I'm saving. My ISP is Charter with 5mb down/512kb up, so I know speed isn't a problem.
Overall, I'm happy with it, but I wouldn't recommend it to someone like my mother-in-law who can't deal with technical issues herself.
Vonage is great and consider Skype for international calls
by jfischer316 - 4/7/06 1:56 PM In reply to: Still not for non-geeks by badspongeYou don't have to be a geek to use VOIP, but you should be able to power off and power on your equipment, in case it freezes up. I haven't had to push the reset button on anything yet.
Now that Verizon is offering DSL broadband Internet for $15 a month, it is harder to decide between the options. Cable Internet is faster, but usually the bottle neck is the speed of the Web server you are connecting to, rather than your connection speed to the Internet.
If you don't have or want cable tv, and can get low cost Broadband Internet from your phone company, keep your land line. If you have cable tv anyway, get cable Internet, dump your land line and get VOIP, especially if you also have a cell phone as a back up. It is great to be able to get all the extras, like caller id, free long distance and voice mail, without having to pay extra. And the best thing is that I don't get any telemarketing calls! (I chose not to transfer my land line phone number.)
I have had Vonage for six months, with Comcast Cable Internet, and it works great. I have the $15 per month for 500 minutes plan. Call clarity is as good as a land line. However, of course, if Internet service goes down, VOIP doesn't work, so I also have a cell phone. Since the phone plugs into the router, phone service still works even if your computer is down (or even if you don't have a computer.)
My sister has Sunrocket, which is very inexpensive, especially if you pay for a year in advance ($199). She is happy with it.
For International Calls, consider Skype. The basic Skype service only works between computers. You both have to have your computers on and Skype software running. I usually call with a regular phone first and then talk on Skype. Sometimes there is a bit of an echo and sometimes it is as good as a land line phone. And it is totally free. If you have a computer microphone and speakers or headset, it is very easy to set up Skype. Some of the most non-geeky people I know are using it. www.skype.com
Since I needed a wireless router for my laptop anyway, I purchased the Linksys WRTP54G wireless router and got a big rebate from Vonage. I like that it comes with quality of service capability to give voice calls higher priority than computer web browsing, but I can't tell if it has made that much difference. If you already have a router, you can get a box which plugs into your existing router to give you the phone connection.
I was also concerned that my cordless phone might conflict with my WiFi wireless internet connection. This hasn't been a problem. I can have both right next to each other and they work fine.
Thanks for the comments on wireless
by whjacobs - 4/12/06 8:43 PM In reply to: Vonage is great and consider Skype for international calls by jfischer316I am also using Vonage with Comcast and so far it is everything they promise. I appreciate your comment on the wireless phones because I am about to purchase some myself and wondered if it may be a problem so close to the wireless router, linksys phone adaptor, and computer.
is Verizon $15/month going to work for VoIP?
by rbrown43 - 4/13/06 9:39 AM In reply to: Vonage is great and consider Skype for international calls by jfischer316I have Verizon $15/month plan, but I don't know whether it will work for VoIP since the speed concern(down 780K/s, up 130K/s), do you know anybody use the same broadband service for VoIP?
780K should be plenty and then some
by IndustryVet - 4/17/06 7:44 AM In reply to: is Verizon $15/month going to work for VoIP? by rbrown43Check the pages of the service providers you are interested in (Vonage, Packet8, etc.) and they will specify the download speed necessary. By my recollection, they'll all work on any broadband, but are iffy on dial up, so you should be fine.
If you have a router, make sure you put the VOIP router FIRST off the cable modem as they have a packet priority scheme that will ensure your voice gets the bandwidth first and your PC second if you end up downloading something at the same time.
Good luck!
SunRocket
by Owen64 - 5/1/06 1:26 PM In reply to: Vonage is great and consider Skype for international calls by jfischer316I just decided to ditch my local phone company (Qwest) in favor of VOIP, and have decided to try SunRocket. Their annual plan is a flat $ 199, which works out to be under $ 17/month (no "additional taxes and surcharges"). I'd looked at Vonage and Packet8, but the price of SunRocket sold me. Had wanted to try VOIP a long time ago, but couldn't justify the cost of DSL or Broadband, since I'm on the computer at WORK all day and don't spend lots of time on it during the evening. However, I'm getting ready to do some training for career purposes, which can only be delivered via a Broadband connection, so have decided to make the switch to Broadband and VOIP. Need I tell you how excited I am to be able to dump my local phone company???! I'll save about 50% on my "home" phone now!
SunRocket
by eiringo - 4/7/06 2:49 PM In reply to: VOIP reliability and ease of use? by mike62I chose it based on cost, $199/15 months unlimited calls ($13.27/mo.) and 100 free minutes/mo. overseas, plus free phones and their connection "gizmo". Check for even better offers from time to time.
Just talked with my cousin in Ireland and it was better, if anything, than my old land line.
You need a min. of 90 kbps - 128 upload internet broadband speed. Download speed is not important. Cable and probably DSL providers will almost certainly provide that and more. Test all factors at:
http://www.myvoipspeed.com/pc/index.html
Connection is little more than plugging in a regular wall phone, 1, 2, 3 and done.
Service reps. are in the Philippines, our ex-colony, so English is pretty good to perfect or in Canada. Tech reps are US based. If Service can't satisfy you, ask for Tech in Virginia.
A cheap cell phone backup service is comforting. Also, it's not for places with lots of electic service problems or irratic ISPs. They cause the problems, not VOIP.
VOIP not as good as advertised
by sheree1022 - 4/7/06 4:06 PM In reply to: VOIP reliability and ease of use? by mike62I have VOIP here at work and at home (Vonage) and in both places there are a lot of problems - lots of hissing and static noises. Also a big one - the connector. The one I have at home is a Linksys but basicly you attach it to your router, the same way you attach your computer to the router. This way the computer and VOIP connector have the same bandwith and the same priority when it comes to the network. However if you download a lot of files, music, videos, etc you will have a problem as your computer will eat up most of the available bandwith while downloading and leave little for your VOIP. Vonage has a setting for Bandwith that helps somewhat but not enough. Now here at work we plug the VOIP phone into the Network and then your computer into the phone which gives the phone priority for network bandwith. This setup seems to work A LOT better however I haven't seen these kind of connectors for home use.
DON'T put Vonage behind the ROUTER!!!! NO NO NO
by IndustryVet - 4/13/06 7:34 AM In reply to: VOIP not as good as advertised by sheree1022Vonage explicitly states you should install their router as the FIRST router to let it manage quality of service. I had mine behind my router and experienced latency. Switching it to be the first router off my cable modem and then attaching my wireless router to it cured all my problems.
I would believe this to be true with any VOIP service: if they have to pass through another router, you are unavoidably adding latency to the transmission.
computer network behind VOIP
by Brad Hansen - 4/20/06 9:02 AM In reply to: VOIP not as good as advertised by sheree1022> Now here at work we plug the VOIP phone into the Network and then your
> computer into the phone which gives the phone priority for network bandwith.
> This setup seems to work A LOT better [than my home VOIP setup] however
> I haven't seen these kind of connectors for home use.
What you've described as your work setup is exactly how AT&T CallVantage works at home. You connect the CallVantage router directly to your cable/DSL modem (preferably with the modem in "bridging" mode) & then connect your computers and other network devices to the CallVantage router. That way the VOIP software in the router ensures that there's enough bandwith reserved whenever you're on a call. I've had two PCs downloading video simultaneously without impairing my CallVantage VOIP call.
Full disclosure: I work for AT&T, but have nothing to do with CallVantage (other than being a satisfied paying customer).
Router Question?
by ghdavis6 - 10/17/07 2:31 PM In reply to: computer network behind VOIP by Brad HansenHi... I enjoyed reading your write up on AT&T VOIP service. In it you mention that it's a good idea to have your router in "Bridging Mode". What exactly does that mean if you don't mind?
Thanks
George Davis
I Think It's Good
by lstouten - 4/22/06 12:12 PM In reply to: VOIP not as good as advertised by sheree1022While it is true that downloading files, music, etc will use significant bandwidth from your internet connection, I talked on my Vonage line for 1/2 hour while two other computers in my home were online playing games, which are notorious for using huge amounts of bandwidth, and my own computer downloaded emails intermittantly and I had no problems with phone quality. Much to my surprise, I must have an excellent internet connection. One thing I will say is internet connection is very much dependant on the number of users in your area, if there are a lot of people using the service you could get a significant decrease in quality in all areas of VOiP
BroadVoice, the best deal around!!!
by onnob - 4/7/06 4:22 PM In reply to: VOIP reliability and ease of use? by mike62I have had BroadVoice VoIP now for 2 years and am quite happy with it. I have the unlimited plan for about $20/mth. It allows me to call unlimited (i.e. free) throughout the US and about 20 or so other countries. Of course there are minor annoyances once in a while, but for that price I am willing to put up with that. On the whole it works fine. BroadVoice also has the most features, free call-waiting, free conference call, etc., etc. If you have trouble with the connection it also might be your interent provider. For comparisons check www.dslreports.com
Broadvoice, still the best deal around?
by spacezero - 6/25/07 9:00 AM In reply to: BroadVoice, the best deal around!!! by onnobI am considering switching to Broadvoice from a voip provider that will remain nameless. Is Broadvoice still a reliable service? I definitely like the fact that it will be cheaper and I can port my number.
Woo Hoo! to switching to an inexpensive provider, if it is reliable.
satisfied with vonage
by Gillette - 4/7/06 7:48 PM In reply to: VOIP reliability and ease of use? by mike62I have used Vonage for almost a year and am quite happy with it. Since everyone in our family has a cell phone, we use the $15 per month 500minute option.
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