Community Newsletter: Q&A: The advantage and disadvantages of using VoIP
- 10/26/07 9:46 AM
VoiP is great
by bill1020 - 10/13/07 8:04 AM In reply to: The advantage and disadvantages of using VoIP by Lee Koo (ADMIN)
We have used VoiP inout home for over 2 years and have had nothing but great service, consistently cheap phone bills and no problems. We use Vonage and our bills every month are 24.99 plus tax so like 26.50 a month and we can call everywhere in the U.S. and many countries free.
From the VoiP router I plugged a line in an ran it to the main junction block of my existing phone service, from the tel co. I then disconnected the phone companies line from the outside. I was told you must do this because of voltage in that line. I then connected the line from my VoiP router to the block all you need is a wire stripper and a screwdriver. Now all the phone jacks in my house are wired to Vonage. I simply plug a phone corded or cordless into the jack and i have phone just like if Ma Bell were there but without all the costs and problems.
The features included are fantastic something the phone co will get you like 3 to 5 dollars a piece for each of them are free.
The only caveat is that the 911 service is differebt and requires set up. this takes about 2 minutes and works just fine after the set up. I unfortunately did test it because a friend of mine accidently set my shed on fire. 911 right to the emergency dispatch no worries.
I would and do recommend VoiP to everyone especially Vonage because of my personnal experience with them as a company
Vonage Sucked
by evileddy - 10/13/07 8:12 AM In reply to: The advantage and disadvantages of using VoIP by Lee Koo (ADMIN)
I had Vonage and quit because if you were uploading anything online and got a phone call they couldn't hear you. I switched to our cable company's VOIP which I love since it uses a different frequency and is unaffected by anything I do online and has virtually every bell and whistle you can put on a phone. I would switch my cell if they ever ofeered that the service has been so good.
No issues with VOIP
by zipherup - 10/13/07 8:19 AM In reply to: The advantage and disadvantages of using VoIP by Lee Koo (ADMIN)
I do not consider myself a computer person but I bought a VONAGE router and hooked it up myself. If your internet service is reliable I would say that VOIP is the way to go. There is really no difference in voice quality no matter where you call. The only drawback may be emergency calling (911). You have to register the number that is dialed when using 911. I have Vonage for 2.5 years now and overall I'm a happy customer.
You cannot beat the Price of combined ATT package
by dan herrman - 10/13/07 8:22 AM In reply to: The advantage and disadvantages of using VoIP by Lee Koo (ADMIN)
Triple play is the the phrase and that is what "com-casting for more of your dough" is offering. However when I called to cancel my ATT landline I was met with a very helpful person who not only gave me a better deal but now I have more HD channels with my ATT DISH (I heard their Fiber Television is unbelievable but we will not have it in our neighborhood until next spring).
Whether Verizon or ATT they both are fighting to keep customers so before you think of switching to a VOIP and have to deal with all the issues facing Skype and Vonage call your OLD telephone company becasue they are not so old anymore.
The cable companies are about to go through another network upgrade to compete with the "OLD" TELCOS because the TELCOS have upgraded their networks with the latest gear.
PLUS if you use either verizon or ATT Wireless you get even a better deal.
Read the fine print my friend as the cable companies are still the cable companies, rate hikes every year and the service as good a Fry's electronics!
Finally the most important thing to remember is that comcast is just taking your line to the street and then switching you over to the ATT world class network or verizons old MCI worldcom network.
Look at the stock of the the TELCOS, they are taking off because the insiders know that the cable companies are just the cable companies and at&t is AT&T!
VOIP- Good or Bad
by fipper - 10/13/07 8:39 AM In reply to: The advantage and disadvantages of using VoIP by Lee Koo (ADMIN)
VOIP can be a good thing, if its an all in one solution from a single vendor. My company tired Vonage (in two locations) we cancelled it within 60 and 30 days.
For VOIP to work well, you need enough Dedicated Bandwidth for the service. This means a big enough pipe for the voice service to work without being interrupted by other services (like data or video).
When you add VOIP if the VOIP provided is not the Internet Service Provider (ISP - your DSL or cable internet provider), you will have problems unless your computer is doing NOTHING while you are on the phone. The VOIP Provider will give you a device to connect your DSL or Cable modem and your phone line connects to it. This device allows the VOIP provider to control and adjust the bandwidth the phone and data can use, BUT this is only good within your home. Once the signal gets beyond your home (onto the outside wire for the ISP service) its up to the ISP provider to control the signal.
In a nutshell, the inside device can control how much bandwidth the outgoing signal can use (Voice will have enough to go out) and the rest is leftover for the computer to use. But, the inbound signal is controlled by the DSL provider, not the VOIP provider, so the data can overrun the signal and cause the voice to lose information.
End result: A choppy voice conversation. Just like a cell phone in a bad area. Typically, the other end can hear you find, but you cannot hear them fine.
When your ISP controls all signals over the wire (Voice, Data, Video), they have control of the indevice and the external device so they can control the inbound and outbound signals. The result is no choppy voice. The Voice will always have a strong signal and come through clean.
So, if the Cable provider is providing Video, Data, and Voice, you should get a good clean signal. I cannot speak of Comcast, but I have a friend using Cox Cable and it works just fine.
If your Voice Provider is separate and wants you to just add it to the existing ISP service, I would avoid them. This this type of solution, your voice works great until your computer starts to perform some heavy tasks (like download MS Updates in the background). This data will demand all the bandwidth of the outside wire and your voice will become choppy.
Regarding 911 - Most cable and DSL companies have ways to handle 911 issues. Typically, you register your information with the provider (via website) and they transmit that information when you dial 911. But, if the cable or dsl service dies, so does your phone line. You no longer have a phone in the home. So, if you need to dial 911, or make a regular phone call, make sure you have a cell phone handy.
Summary:
Pros:
If your provider (Cable or phone utility) provides all services on the wire (voice, data, video) you will get good voice quality.
Cons:
If your provider (non cable or phone utility) does not provide the data or video signal, you will most likely get poor voice quality unless the other signals are doing nothing during your voice call.
If the service does dead, your phone line goes dead. You cannot make 911 or general calls.
Hope this helps and was not too technical.
Mike
Voip and phones
by D C FRANCIES - 10/13/07 9:05 AM In reply to: The advantage and disadvantages of using VoIP by Lee Koo (ADMIN)
I have been using skpe for the past six months.This is an excelent product and cheap I use it for sms and all out goig phone calls.Now I have skpe in with a skpe number so persons phoning in to me only pay local rate charges.Also NO LINE RENTAL another saving.I had a cheap phone to start with it was fine.I have just bought a skpe usb phone from ebay that looks an acts like my normal house phone It rings the same as my house,and it only cost £10.00. Vonage works out a dearer option.With sms my messages showed my skpe number but you can change it to to your mobile number through skpe at no charge.Go for skpe and you won`t regret it.You can also forward skpe calls and sms`s to your mobile when away from your computer and voice mail is free.If you sign up to skpe get SKPE PRO it is the best option,It is so simple to use.
Using VOIP, Comcast Internet Phone
by Dekalb_Danny - 10/13/07 9:06 AM In reply to: The advantage and disadvantages of using VoIP by Lee Koo (ADMIN)
Hi Maria,
I have been using their service for quite awhile now. It is great. Yes, it is a great deal. Why are more people not using it? The same reason so many people don't do a lot of things, they are just complacent. They don't like change. It scares them. I have their triple play option, digital cable tv, high speed (6 megabits) internet, and internet (voip) phone service. Now, it's not cheap. They have one of the best systems and they make you pay premium dollars for it. If you are new, you can get a great deal for 6 months or even a year sometimes. A deal like $100 a month for all three services. Once you get past that deal you will have to pay about $160 a month for the same services. That's what I pay. If you can afford it, and you use it a lot, it's worth it. Look at it this way. My son calls his friends at the rate of about 100 hours a month. Just the regular phone charges would exceed $160. I hope I haved helped.
Danny
VOIP service
by rranaker1 - 10/13/07 9:08 AM In reply to: The advantage and disadvantages of using VoIP by Lee Koo (ADMIN)
You are being wise to research the VOIP service being offered by any company. I have used the service of another company's VOIP for sometime and been generally pleased. But, the service offered by my local cable is not the one I chose. Here are but a few of the pro's and con's of VOIP.
PRO's
Unlimited local and long distance calls
Depending on the amount of calls you usually make, could be cheaper than current service
CON's
Services actual cost may not be as advetised eg: my local cable advertises a $29.95/ month. But. That's for only six months and I must rent their modem at $7.00/month and if I want Caller ID I have to pay another $1.oo/month, plus taxes and various other government fees. So as you can see the "$29.95" has increased quite a lot.
If you have a security system, the system may not work with the VOIP you choose. Need to check with your security provider.
When the broadband service is down, no phone
When your power is out, no phone unless you have a battery backup on your modem
These are just a few of the things to consider. If your are willing to put up with the negatives and/or will save significant money, I say go for it.
VOiP
by davidallenakins - 10/13/07 9:17 AM In reply to: The advantage and disadvantages of using VoIP by Lee Koo (ADMIN)
I'VE USED AND CURRENTLY HAVE VOIP IN THREE LOCATIONS (TWO IN TE US AND ONE IN MEXICO). I'VE TREID THREE SERVICES: ICONNECTHERE, PACKET8, AND VONAGE. I DISCONTINUED USE OF ICONNECTHERE BECUASE OF EXTREMELY POOR CUSTOMER SERVICE REPSONSE TIME AND NON-PORTABILITY ISSUES. PACKET8 IS RELIABLE, BUT HIGHER FOR INTERNATIONAL CALLS. VONAGE, WHILE HAVING DEAD TIMES AND SOME SMALL ISSUE AT TIMES, OFFERS FAR SUPERIOR SERVICE AND LOWER COST INTERNATIONAL RATES.
YOU'LL NEVER HAVE TO LOOSE A VOICE MAIL WITH VOIP; I USE VOICE MAIL TO KNOW THE ANSWER BEFORE RETURNING CALLS. MY COST FOR PHONE SYSTEMS WHERE I USE THESE SEVICES HAS DROPPED 90% (FROM $1200 MOTHLY TO $120 MONTHY). I USE A HARD LINE, WHEN POSSILE, FOR BACK UP (I.E. POWER GOES OFF OFTEN IN REMOTE HARSH AREAS) AND STILL ENJOY HUGE SAVINGS. PERSONALLY, VOIP IS THE SECOND MOST PRODUCTIVE TOOL OF THE ADVANCEMENTS MDE IN THE 25 YEARS I HAVE BEEN USING COMPUTERS…
1. EMAIL
2. VOIP
3. INFORMATION ACCESSIBILITY
VOIP service through Comcast
by Judi1939 - 10/13/07 9:25 AM In reply to: The advantage and disadvantages of using VoIP by Lee Koo (ADMIN)
I recently dropped AT&T after 4 or 5 years of regularly begging BellSouth and later AT&T to make DSL internet service available in our area. Comcast ran a promotion about 4 months ago and most of my neighbors and I switched to them. I didn't subscribe to cable t.v. as I am happy with DirectTV, but do have telephone service and broadband internet through them. My husband and I are happy with our service and the fact that we are getting more from Comcast (love the broadband!) for less money. It has been our experience that Comcast VOIP is just as good as AT&T phone service.
Voice over IP (VOIP)
by Naxman - 10/13/07 9:27 AM In reply to: The advantage and disadvantages of using VoIP by Lee Koo (ADMIN)
This is a great service as long as you are a casual internet users. With a DSL Line I have overloaded the line with my data needs and created a choppy transmission just like a cell phone when trying to communcate over voice simultaneously.
With cable you have less control individually over what the capacity of your line is, as you are actually sharing that resource with your neighbors. To their credit, most cable companies have a huge bandwith capacity so its not likely a casual user will disrupt his/her network but if there are others in your neighborhood heavily using the internet service it is possible that could cause a bandwith overload. Typically the cable company will also trace this back to the source and caution that "hog" to not do that or seek an alternative connection.
The service is cheap and does work great as long as you don't overload the bandwith.
VOIP
by chuburnaman - 10/13/07 9:28 AM In reply to: The advantage and disadvantages of using VoIP by Lee Koo (ADMIN)
Maria,
In the past VOIP companies like Vonnage had issues with Echoes on calls and delays in individuals conversation. This made using VOIP challenging and irritating to all on the phone call. With the True cable companies getting involved they appear to have conquered these issues. I have many friends and family whom have their service and are very satisfied. Especially with their discounts on cable TV and Internet services they get by bundling.
I have used the Comcast internet connection to use other VOIP service SKYPE for international calls and could not hear the difference in quality of voice.
If you are at all concerned, I would make sure to ask them about their money back guarantee. Seems they indicate if you are not satisfied for 30 days they will refund all monies and pay to have your old service reinstated.
VOIP
by mturnb - 10/13/07 9:37 AM In reply to: The advantage and disadvantages of using VoIP by Lee Koo (ADMIN)
I've been using VOIP for about five years now. It's cheaper than the phone company, not even counting the free long distance. It also helps keep the price of my cable/internet service down. I will probably continue to use VOIP for the forseeable future.
Now for the downside. Make sure that you have an alternate phone source. If electricity goes out, you will lose your phone service which is not the case with the phone company. If cable service goes out, you will lose phone service. This is not as big of an issue as it was when cable first came out but Brighthouse in Kissimmee has this very annoying habit of dropping cable service in the wee hours of the morning for service, figuring that everyone is asleep and it won't bother them to lose cable/internet/phone service at that time. Unfortunately for me, I was working the overnight shift from home when I lived there and would just lose everything right in the middle of my shift. There was never any warning for this scheduled maintenance.
That all given, if you don't need to have your phone 100% of the time (or even 99.99% since the phone company can't guarantee 100% reliability), then I would say go ahead and get VOIP.
VoIP during power outages
by cyberDJ-2038765336053745013836 - 10/13/07 9:51 AM In reply to: The advantage and disadvantages of using VoIP by Lee Koo (ADMIN)
Its scary how good VoIP is for what it is.
I used Vonage until I had a problem with the service (no dial tone).
I then switched to Earthlink's trueVoice service.
The only thing you must worry about VoIP is power loss.
The cable and DSL companies didn't bother to allow for redundant power in the event of a black-out the way the hard-line phone companies did 100 years ago.
Even cell towers have UPS and generator power.
The cable service feeding your house is running on the same electricity your house uses so an outage in the neighborhood kills your VoIP as well.
Most people have cell phones so make sure you have it handy when the power goes out. You won't be able to make a call otherwise.
VOIP use
by thom19 - 10/13/07 9:56 AM In reply to: The advantage and disadvantages of using VoIP by Lee Koo (ADMIN)
Hi. I've used VOIP for almost 4 years. My service is with Voicepulse and costs $15 per month. I've been very happy with this service. They also have a $20 package that has a few extras.
Three negatives-1) No internet connection=no phone service
2) No electricity=no computer=no phone
3) No phone book listing anywhere
Advantages-1)No phone book listing anywhere
2)low monthly charges that are always the same
3)many nifty features
4)really customizable
There is some hardware needed to buy, but its a one-time deal.The hardware connects your computer to your phone lines, and you use regulare phone handsets.You can call ANYONE youcould call before with NO charge to anywhere in the US, Peurto Rico, and Canada(maybe more).
I have been really impressed and satisfied.
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