Community Newsletter: Q&A: The advantage and disadvantages of using VoIP
- 10/26/07 9:46 AM
Should I get VoIP?
by bbya2064 - 10/12/07 6:11 PM In reply to: The advantage and disadvantages of using VoIP by Lee Koo (ADMIN)
VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol) is becoming increasing popular as it is more cost effective in both residential and business uses. Here in Canada I use VoIP with DSL with a company called Comwave. I was un-happy at the beginning (2ish yrs ago) but it was new at the time so the wrinkles had to be ironed out. Now I'm very happy with the service and I'm sure I will be down the road.
First off; your internet connection:
Your with Comcast Cable. I'm assuming it's a fast connection. (5Mbps/800Kbps?) you need to be particularly aware of your upload speed. I do great with 512Kbps upload any less and it would be a problem. Latency is also an issue; check speedtest.net and do a speed test. if it show latency as above 200ms you may have degraded call quality.
Second; the VoIP company.
Shop around, not only to find the best price but the best customer service and a good reputation. I started out with Vonage and hated their customer service and paying $40 plus taxes a month. (I talk 3000 local mins a month and 500 Long distance mins). My current provider for the last 1.5 years has been Comwave. I pay $25 including taxes per month, and customer service picks up with a real person in about 15 seconds. Don't be afraid of looking around and changing companies. Be sure not to lock into a contract until your sure you'll be happy with the service and the company.
Third; Equipment:
Most, if not all companies give you a VoIP box for a deposit. You return the box if you cancel your service and you get a check in the mail for your deposit. Also, get a battery backup to connect your cable modem and the VoIP box so you can keep communications during a blackout.
Fourth; Porting your current number;
I opted for this 2 months after starting Comwave. I signed a 2 year contract got the number ported for free and $10 off a month for the 2 year term. Keep in mind that you will miss out on a home phone for a day or two so be sure to have a cell around for this time.
Fifth; Having VoIP go through the whole house:
With VoIP you get one phone jack for one phone. This is a problem for some (including me). If you want the whole house wired for VoIP you'll probably have to do it yourself. Here is a great article discussing this: http://www.oreillynet.com/etel/blog/2005/04/telecom_tips_wiring_your_home.html.
It show wiring your line two for home phone but that involves rewiring all the jacks in your house. I moved the DSL to line two, and the home phone stayed on line 1. I ran a phone cord to a jack a BAM! you have phone throughout the house.
To conclude, do your homework before you buy. Look for ratings, and reviews. Compare prices, call customer service. Make sure that you have enough Upload capacity and prepare to save ALOT of money on home phone. I save $480 a year on home phone!
Good Luck,
Bernard
Switching from cable to VoIP
by Watzman - 10/12/07 6:22 PM In reply to: The advantage and disadvantages of using VoIP by Lee Koo (ADMIN)
I've used both Vonage and our cable company (Time Warner).
There is nothing wrong with VoIP and it might save you a lot of money. I am using it, I've had it for years, and I like it. But read my comments below. I had Vonage for a year-and-a-half, switched to the cable company only because they offered me a pacakge deal that they are now about to reneg on, and I might go back to Vonage.
When you get VoIP, you will get a "VoIP Box" that provides your VoIP phone service. If your provider is the cable company, they may give you a separate box, or they may give you a new cable modem that has the VoIP box in it. If you go with Vonage or another VoIP provider, it will definitely be an external box (sometimes combined with a router, but I really recommend keeping it separate, see below).
The VoIP box has a "phone jack" (technically known as an RJ-11 jack) on it, and that becomes your new source of phone service. You can plug a phone or phones into that jack (the same phones you use now), and they work just like they did before. But with a bit of rewiring (one of my items below), you can also drive your entire house's phone wiring from this jack, and then your entire house has VoIP phone service that works just like your wired "phone company" service did. You can also keep your existing phone number. But while it all works just like your phone service does now, there are a lot of things to consider, and many of them are not at all obvious to people who don't really understand this stuff.
Here are a list of things to consider before making this decision:
First, your phone service will be only as reliable as your internet service. Now that can vary a lot, but if your internet service is not reliable, you will have a problem with any VoIP, regardless of the VoIP provider (and, conversely, if it is reliable, you shouldn't have a problem). One question to think about: When your internet service does go out, how will you call the cable company to tell them it's out? (the usual answer is either "go next door" or "use a cell phone" .... but what is YOUR answer?)
Second, 911 service MAY not work the same with VoIP as it does now with wired conventional phone service, the 911 operators MAY not know where you are, who you are, or where you are calling from UNLESS you take some extra steps to "register" your phone number and address together (which should always be possible). The cable company MAY do this for you if they are your VoIP provider. But be sure you know what the story is, and if an extra 911 registration step is required .... definitely be sure that you take those steps. Such extra steps were REQUIRED for Vonage (whose VoIP box was portable), they were not required for the cable company (whose VoIP box is part of the cable modem and is NOT portable). VoIP box portability in and of itself may be higly desireable, sometimes it is even the entire reason for getting VoIP (which rules OUT the cable company as a VoIP provider for those applications), but it definitely merits some extra attention with respect to 911 service.
[Postscript to this item: It is ok to dial 911 to TEST this issue ... just tell them immediately after they answer "there is no emergency, this is a test call ...." and then verify that they know who you are and where you are calling from (or, possibly, that they don't). Test calls should be made at odd after-hours (2am in the morning is good), because there have been situations in which VoIP 911 service worked properly during "business hours" but did not work properly during non-business hours.]
Third, do you need unlimited calling? My cable company rate is $39; Vonage is $25, both with unlimited service. BUT, Vonage has (or at least had) a $15 per month rate with limited 500 minutes per month of service (and a few cents a minute surcharge for any time over 500 minutes). Note that this is not "long distance", this is ANY outbound calls (even local). Still, the Vonage $15/500 rate was by far the least expensive rate for me, we never use over or even close to 500 minutes per month (but families with teenage girls will probably find that a different set of rules applies to them).
Fourth: Vonage is facing a patent lawsuit injunction that could shut them down, totally, lock stock and barrel. I'm giving serious thought to going back to Vonage, but won't do it until/unless this is resolved (they just settled a patent case with Sprint, but their case with Verizon is the really big issue).
Fifth: If you use VoIP from a provider other than your cable company, the impact on your cable Internet speed while talking on the phone may be significant. If you use VoIP from your cable company, you MAY get "extra" bandwidth as part of the package, so that your Internet bandwidth is less impacted by use of the phone. This may be an issue if anyone in your household is a "gamer". It is unlikely to be a serious issue otherwise.
Sixth: If you use VoIP and want to have all of your phones in your entire house just like you used to with no changes, someone is going to have to disconnect you home's phone wiring from the [wired] phone company and connect it to the VoIP provider's VoIP box (either a separate box or part of a new cable modem that the cable company will give you if you use their VoIP service). If you go with Vonage or a non-cable company VoIP provider, you are on your own in getting that done. If you go with your cable company, one of three different situations may exist: A.) The cable company will send out a technician to do it at no cost to you ...or... B.) The cable company will send out a technician and bill you ...or... C.) You are on your own. This is a one-time thing, in any case, it's not difficult, but the average layman can't do it themselves. So maybe you talk to some kind of "Geek squad" or "Fire Dog" or "Nerd Herd" type outfit about doing it for you if you can't do it yourself (for a fee). If you are "semi-game", Vonage may have some instructions to help you take a stab at doing it yourself. HOWEVER, this is not a major issue if all of your phones are "cordless" phones that run from a single base station that will be plugged directly into the VoIP box. But, in that case, seen the next item.
Seventh: In the event of a power failure, you lose your phone service ..... UNLESS you install a UPS on ALL of your networking equipment. This means the cable modem for sure, at a minimum. It may also involve other equipement as well, whatever is required to keep your Internet infrastructure running. Things that might need to be kept powered would include the cable modem, a router, the VoIP box and any "distribution amplifiers" that the cable company may have installed (these could be in your basement or other odd places and you might not even know about them), not to mention your telephones themselves if they require AC power (cordless phones usually need power for the "base station"). Note: you do NOT need to keep your computer runnning, although if you are going to buy a UPS anyway, most people would configure it to do so. This might mean multiple UPS' (I now have EIGHT UPS' in my house .... UPS' are not just for computers any more). Also, if you have to buy one or more UPS' for this purpose, get BIG ones, and note the next few sentences. The issue here is not UPS capacity .... none of this stuff needs more than a very small UPS in terms of actual VA or watts capacity. The issue is the size of the batteries and the duration of service while on batteries. You want UPS' with BIG BATTERIES, or multiple batteries, e.g. lots of run time. However, you only get that in large capacity UPS'.
Eighth: You can keep your phone number, but in both of my experiences in doing this, getting the number switched took a LONG time (4 months and 6 months, respectively (by the way, it was supposed to take 10 days .....)). In both cases I kept the old service until the switch was complete, and there was no charge from the "new" carrier until the number finally moved.
Ninth: If you go with a VoIP provider other than the cable company, OR if the cable company gives you an external VoIP box rather than an integrated combination cable modem and VoIP box, you will need a router (and possibly a wireless router if you need WiFI wireless internet). If you find yourself in this situation, do NOT get a router with a built-in VoIP box, keep the VoIP box and the router separate. It means one more box, but it will cut down on a lot of hassle if you change your phone service or VoIP provider in the future.
Tenth: If you make international calls, be sure to check the International rates. I don't make such calls, but Vonage was dirt cheap for International calls (free to many countries and a penny or two a minute to others) while the cable company charges between 40 cents and $1.00 per minute depending on country. Obviously, that is a huge difference .... for people who make international calls.
There, I think I've covered everything. Hope that this helps.
Barry Watzman
VoIP or Lanline
by steppenwolf - 10/19/07 5:36 PM In reply to: Switching from cable to VoIP by WatzmanEXCELLENT AND WELL INFORMED COMMENTARY!!!
I learned a lot from it.
Thanks a lot.
Steppenwolf
Additional information
by MindMatters - 10/19/07 6:39 PM In reply to: Switching from cable to VoIP by WatzmanI have been on VOIP for over two years. First with Packet 8 which had good rates and features, then the infamous SunRocket which went bankrupt. I am now using ViaTalk. A Google search will get you some 200 companies, most are start-ups and do not have a track record. They all seem to have a few cleaver features unique to themselves, i.e. ViaTalk comes with two outgoing lines but only one number (incomming line). This enables two seperate conversations if at least one is called out. Some offer blocking incomming numbers with no caller ID and a code that you can give someone who chooses to withhold their ID but can dial that code when they call you and get arround that block. All the ususal features, voice mail, call forwarding, follow-me forwarding, distincitive ring, etc are usually included.
If you have the seperate interface (box) instead of it being built in to your modem, you can take that box with you when you travel, connect it to the internet anywhere in the world and make & recieve calls as if you were at home. There are "cordless" VOIP phones that have the "box" built in and anywhere there is WIFI available, you have your phone....anywhere in the world....even on an airplane/train if it is offered.
Versitiltiey and far less expensive are the high points of VOIP. My prediction is that within 5 - 10 years internet will be available via some sort of WIFI everywhere in cities and highways and VOIP, TV, and internet will be all in one and vertually everywhere.
VoIP and land lines
by geocar27 - 10/19/07 6:44 PM In reply to: Switching from cable to VoIP by WatzmanWatzman's reply was excellent. Many of the replies mention that VoIP phone service is lost if the cable connection or ISP is down. I have Comcast VoIP, bundled with internet service and TV cable, but I have kept my fax on a land line. This way if everything else goes down I can use the phone on my fax machine for phone service.
Re: Switching from cable to VoIP
by jusalone - 10/19/07 6:52 PM In reply to: Switching from cable to VoIP by WatzmanI have seen this for yahoo messenger and absolutely refuse to use it. For one thing the voice for Yahoo messenger was great. They still have it in the chat rooms. I hate the idea of having to pay for voice when it was free. Not extra expense on my phone bill. Being disabled and on limited income.
Disconnecting Phone Service
by rsonnenberg - 10/19/07 7:10 PM In reply to: Switching from cable to VoIP by WatzmanWhen I used Vonage, I found it quite easy to disconnect our house from the phone service. Vonage provided excellent information on this. It involves unplugging a phone wire from a jack that is located in the box outside the house. Vonage suggested taping the wire and leaving a note so the phone company doesn't plug it back in without asking you (which seems unlikely anyway). Then all you have to do is connect the vonage box to any wall phone jack, and the vonage signal then works on any phone outlet in the house.
Skype Option
by lalasrj - 10/19/07 8:07 PM In reply to: Switching from cable to VoIP by WatzmanI've been using Skype (Skype-out) for couple of years and works excellent. Skype-out allows to place calls but not to receive. I only paid $14.99 for the entire year, have unlimited local and domestic long distance calls (in the US). I have friends outside of US and I call them for just US$0.024 per minute... too cheap! and quality is excelent. Skype also offers Skype-in (to receive calls), voice mail, and others.
Just keep in mind that telephone service should meet your needs. In my case my friends don't call me -we email each other-, we have cell phone for emergencies (say at the road) and I usually use it to communicate with my wife, we do not need to send and receive faxes; then Skype is the perfect option to me.
I do have a landline ($8.00 per month), because I made one big mistake: got a 3-year contract wired home security system. My home security systeme does not work through Skype, BUT I will switch in 2 months to the wireless (and get rid of landline) home security system for half of the price for what I pay now for the wired one. So again, if you are considering to go VoIP, make sure you get what you need, and not what worked for someone else.
Re: Skype Option
by acidreign2005 - 10/20/07 2:27 AM In reply to: Skype Option by lalasrjAgreed. I have been using Skype service since they first released it. Very nice application.
I use it through my entire home.
- Skype-Out for outgoing calls (I live in Canada. I get calls all across Canada/US for a low fee a year).
- Skype-In for incoming calls (US Based # only. Canada not available yet... yet).
- D-Link DPH-50U (Skype™ USB Phone Adapter) with a few standard phone splitters and extension cords ran.
I receive and make phone calls as if I'm on a regular phone. Downside to my D-Link adapter is the dialing method... instead of dialing, for example "1-800-555-1212" you have to dial "001-800-555-1212-*", 001 to complete the country code, and * to activate the dialing sequence on the Skype application itself.
Other than that, Skype's been the most reliable service I've had since the slice bread store opened down the road :-P. Only seen 1 downtime in hmm... 1.5 years, and that was due to a glitch in the server and how many logins we're happening. Oh well, win some lose some.
question about the home security
by skb2 - 10/20/07 8:57 AM In reply to: Skype Option by lalasrjSorry for getting off the subject a little. I do have via talk and am very pleased. My question is what tye of security did you find without requiring a 'landline'?? Thanks
Answer to question about the home security
by lalasrj - 11/25/07 1:19 PM In reply to: question about the home security by skb2Thompson Security. It service in Texas but I don't know in other states.
Great Offer for the holidays on Home Security w/o landline
by lav1118 - 11/26/07 11:08 AM In reply to: question about the home security by skb2Go to this website www.CallingCheaper.com click on Home Security. They partner with a company that is backed by General Electric and they have millions of customers. $0 installation fee as low as $24.95 a month. As opposed to traditional landline companies that are $1800 to $2500 to install.
I suppose nobody really wants to save money!
by ArthurWebster - 11/26/07 11:35 AM In reply to: Great Offer for the holidays on Home Security w/o landline by lav1118It absolutely beggars belief that there are people out there trying to make expensive VOIP contracts sound attractive.
What is so difficult to understand about
FREE DOWNLOAD (no installation costs)
NO CONTRACT
NO MINIMUM MONTHLY CHARGES
NEARLY ALL CALLS AT A MAXIMUM OF 1c A MINUTE AND MOST CALLS FREE
All you need to do is go to www.voipbuster.com or www.voipstunt.com and get a fabulous VOIP service totally free. Only pre-pay for your calls ($10 will start you off and last quite a long time).
WHAT IS THIS INSANE RUSH TO PAY FOR A FREE SERVICE?
WHAT IS ALL THE FUSS ABOUT?
Verry informative
by prettyrick377 - 10/19/07 8:31 PM In reply to: Switching from cable to VoIP by WatzmanI realy didn't know a lot about vonage and was thinking about switching to vonage now that I know about their trouble with a law suit I think I'll wait untill it is over can you please keep me
informed my e-mail (prettyrick377@yahoo.com)
What IS all the FUSS about?
by ArthurWebster - 10/19/07 10:55 PM In reply to: Switching from cable to VoIP by WatzmanI have tried to read through some of these comments but have given up because nobody seems to be able to recognise that you can use VOIP without having to sign up with some hardware supplier. Why does everybody try to make something so simple, so complicated?
I have been using VOIP for over two years. Many of my calls are totally free or will cost me only €0.05 (for as long as I want to talk) using my landline telephone.
You don't have to choose which system to use - USE THEM BOTH!
You don't need any special equipment apart from speakers and a microphone or combo headset. Let's face it, you probably have those any way.
Calling all over the world, I spend less that $10 a month for telephone calls (I am a professional telemarketer so spend hours, every day, on the phone). A recent telephone call to USA from my land line telephone using VOIP lasted over 3 hours and cost me only €0.05 - and that was from Spain. This was a conference call and, if I had wanted to, I could have even saved the €0.05 by using my headset.
How did I get my VOIP supplier? - Free down load.
What do I pay? - Most calls cost a maximium of €0.01 per minute and I pre-pay €10 for my calls.
Incidentally, I also get SMS text messages to any mobile phone in the world for only €0.01 for up to 250 characters.
Contract? None required - it is a free service to use as I wish.
Other on-going costs - apart from a little electricity to drive my computer, €0.00.
Get real, folks! VOIP is a great and money saving addition to your resources - not some dreadful bogey man waiting to instal boxes and special phones while tying you into some wierd contract.
Want to know how I do it (ie - the sensible way to use VOIP)?
Down load Voipbuster or Voipstunt. FREE (I haven't given the url so there can be no suspicion that I am an agent trying to make a buck.)
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