Internet phone recommendations?
#1
09-07-07, 06:42 AM
Internet phone recommendations?
Hello - About six months ago I dropped landline phones and went with ViaTalk for internet telephone. They rate an "OK" for the amount I'm paying them monthly. ($14.95 for month to month). But about 20% of the time it just doesn't work. I'll pick up the phone and get no dial tone or calls will roll to my cell. These aren't long outages. I usually just have to hang up and pick up the handset again to get a dial tone. But it's just annoying. And you're never really sure if incoming calls aren't just getting routed into the ether. I've danced around with the tech support guys a few times and I think they've done all they can do to tweak the router. I'm running this across a RoadRunner cable modem with business class bandwidth.
Does anyone have a recommendation on another Voip provider? I didn't go with Vonage right off because they want to lock you into a contract right away and I figured that if the service sucked I'd want to jump to another provider. Does anyone have rock solid Voip?
Does anyone have a recommendation on another Voip provider? I didn't go with Vonage right off because they want to lock you into a contract right away and I figured that if the service sucked I'd want to jump to another provider. Does anyone have rock solid Voip?
#2
09-07-07, 10:23 AM
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#3
09-07-07, 03:57 PM
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I don't think there is such a thing as "Rock solid" Internet phone..
If the Internet is down, for any reason, so is your phone.. That's why I stayed with a landline.. When the eastern US blacked out a few years ago, my phone still worked..
If the Internet is down, for any reason, so is your phone.. That's why I stayed with a landline.. When the eastern US blacked out a few years ago, my phone still worked..
#4
09-08-07, 06:56 AM
Originally Posted by AxlMyk
I don't think there is such a thing as "Rock solid" Internet phone..
If the Internet is down, for any reason, so is your phone.. That's why I stayed with a landline.. When the eastern US blacked out a few years ago, my phone still worked..
If the Internet is down, for any reason, so is your phone.. That's why I stayed with a landline.. When the eastern US blacked out a few years ago, my phone still worked..
#5
09-08-07, 08:56 AM
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I have 3 land lines at my office. Last week the electric company was brush hogging under the power lines (the weeds and whatever was literally 5 feet tall), and mowed over the phone pedestal. 24 hours from Thursday at 4:30pm to Friday at 4, before a holiday weekend.
I still had internet on my cable modem. I've been thinking of adding another line, so I may go with the cable companies phone, for redundancy.
I still had internet on my cable modem. I've been thinking of adding another line, so I may go with the cable companies phone, for redundancy.
#6
09-09-07, 12:20 PM
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Voip
I have been using this service at home for about 6 months now, and it seems to work well.
https://www22.verizon.com/ForYourHome/VOIP/VOIPHome.aspx
https://www22.verizon.com/ForYourHome/VOIP/VOIPHome.aspx
#7
09-09-07, 03:55 PM
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Internet phone recommendations?
During a previous move I was required to have a land line to use the security access to our apartment. We both had cell phone numbers that our friends and family used.
We moved again and continued a land line to be listed in the directory and receive telemarketers calls (LOL) at the rate of about $17.00/month for 300 minutes. We have been there for a year and rarely get any "real" calls on the land line and have cancelled it. It will be a pleasure to only have only one primary number each for my wife and I and a second number for business. We also get free minutes for calls to our kids plus nights and week-ends. - It is cheaper and much more convenient.
When traveling in eastern and western Europe a few years ago, where ceel phone services and features are much better, I always wondered why there were so few land lines. - Now I know why.
I do not expect to ever have another land line unless I live where there is no cable and I have to downgrade to get a land line for DSL cable.
Dick
We moved again and continued a land line to be listed in the directory and receive telemarketers calls (LOL) at the rate of about $17.00/month for 300 minutes. We have been there for a year and rarely get any "real" calls on the land line and have cancelled it. It will be a pleasure to only have only one primary number each for my wife and I and a second number for business. We also get free minutes for calls to our kids plus nights and week-ends. - It is cheaper and much more convenient.
When traveling in eastern and western Europe a few years ago, where ceel phone services and features are much better, I always wondered why there were so few land lines. - Now I know why.
I do not expect to ever have another land line unless I live where there is no cable and I have to downgrade to get a land line for DSL cable.
Dick
#9
10-03-07, 10:31 PM
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You could try your cable companys "digital phone" service (if avail.) which is the same thing as VoIP, they just give it a fancy name. I assume it's more stable than a stand-alone VoIP provider, but I wouldn't know since I've never tried it...
If you go that route you might want to buy a battery backup or UPS (uninterruptible power supply) for the VoIP 'box' if it's going to be your only telephone line in the house.
If you go that route you might want to buy a battery backup or UPS (uninterruptible power supply) for the VoIP 'box' if it's going to be your only telephone line in the house.
#10
10-04-07, 06:57 AM
Digital phone is NOT the same as VOIP. It is very different. They use extra bandwidth space on the cable to send a different signal. You can have one without the other or both at the same time. They do not interfere with each other on the cable line or use the same bandwidth space.
