VONAGE - does anybody here use Vonage VoIP service? | FerrariChat

VONAGE - does anybody here use Vonage VoIP service?

Discussion in 'Other Off Topic Forum' started by Doody, Nov 27, 2003.

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  1. Doody

    Doody F1 Veteran

    Nov 16, 2001
    6,099
    MA USA
    Full Name:
    Mr. Doody
    http://www.vonage.com/

    i'm totally sick of my local telco's uselessness in billing, support, answering questions, etc. etc. etc.

    and now that my numbers are portable, i'm interested in portability-ing :)

    trying to find a human being who uses this stuff.

    anybody?

    doody.
     
  2. Artherd

    Artherd F1 Veteran

    Jun 19, 2002
    6,588
    Bay Area, CA
    Full Name:
    Ben Cannon
    Doody- I haven't had a voice land line in over a year. I'd like to Cell-ise the fax too actually. Why bother when cell calls are unlimited LD with my corp plan? (of course, I pay $160/mo... but I get 'em in the end.)

    34/mo looks good for the same thing from VoIP. Grab one of the Cisco phones and go nuts. (they work rather well actually.)

    Best!
    Ben.
     
  3. Ricambi America

    Ricambi America F1 World Champ
    Sponsor Owner

    One year after this original thread, I just installed Vonage. Anyone else using it for VoIP?

    So far, the sound quality is perfect --- and for unlimited telephone anywhere in the US for 24/month, it seems like a GREAT deal. I'll be wiring it into my security system today, and working though some 802.11b kinks... but so far, THUMBS UP.


    -Daniel
     
  4. Doody

    Doody F1 Veteran

    Nov 16, 2001
    6,099
    MA USA
    Full Name:
    Mr. Doody
    i signed up for vonage earlier this year. sent it back within the 30 day return period. couldn't get a decent quality call on it. messy setup. unimpressed with the support people. spent an inordinate amount of time trying to make a go of it.

    also tried Free World Dialup recently. all sorts of similar problems.

    the best solution i've found thus far is Skype. i got a $30 logitech usb headset and as long as you don't need people to call IN to you, you can get SkypeOut and call to any PSTN number (as well as Skype-to-Skype, of course).

    my business partner and i are on opposite coasts. we use Skype all the time and we're constantly impressed with it.

    fwiw.

    doody.
     
  5. Ricambi America

    Ricambi America F1 World Champ
    Sponsor Owner

    Doody -

    Funny you should mention Skype. I use SKYPE all day long at the office. My consultants are scattered all over the place -- and often times in Data Centers where there's no good cellular service. But just about everybody has a broadband connection!

    Skype absolutely rules for VOIP - PC-to-PC communications. I'm using a dinkly little Labtec headset, and it works flawlessly.

    -Daniel


    p.s. I'll keep folks posted on Vonage. Maybe since it's a year more "advanced" since you tried it, some of the kinks have been worked out. I'm on a Linksys PAP2 VoIP module, FWIW.
     
  6. brendon0

    brendon0 Formula Junior

    Dec 13, 2003
    611
    Tampa FL
    Full Name:
    Brendon
    YES. Ive been using vonage for the last 4 months. Here are my pros
    and cons:

    Pros:
    Cheap.
    -Easy to install.
    -All features work as advertised.
    -Most of the time really good phone quality.
    -Voicemails are forwarded to my email box.
    -I can plug my box into any broadband connection, and my
    phone rings, even out of state.

    Cons:
    -During busy internet times, over my cable modem, the quality sucks,
    its just about impossible to send a fax after 5pm.
    -The message waiting indicator doesnt work right.
    -Customer service? Huh? Ive waited over an hour to get a dumb
    response from these retards.
    -Some people compain of really low volume from me, yet i can hear
    them just fine.
    -Cant do squat on the internet while your on the phone, even checking
    email kills the quality of the call. Do nothing, and the quality is fine.

    Im actually fixing to switch back to regular phone service in the next
    couple of months just due to the fax issue.
     
  7. LetsJet

    LetsJet F1 Veteran
    Owner

    May 24, 2004
    9,334
    DC/LA/Paris/Haleiwa
    Full Name:
    Mr.
    I use Vonage for a business line. It was my only option to get the number that I requested. I have noticed that I have a problem w/international dialing and sometimes the quality isn't as good as POTS. Other then that it's been good. I imagine these issues will be addressed in the near future. Further, I want to support competition in voice technology.
     
  8. Ricambi America

    Ricambi America F1 World Champ
    Sponsor Owner

    Wow. My experience couldn't be more different. I'm sucking down huge bandwidth surfing the web and still having crystal clear Vonage calls. I'm on TWC RoadRunner, and usually clock about 1.5 megabits.


     
  9. cab7104

    cab7104 Karting

    Mar 25, 2004
    237
    Rochester, NY
    Full Name:
    Craig
    I have considered Vonage as well. Going to school in Rochester, with my cellphone number based in New Jersey, I would like a local number and an actual phone rather than cell. I have toyed with the idea, but decided that it was not worth it for me. I really wish that T-Mobile had service that was good, because they have the plug your phone in at home thing that allows your cell phone to ring on a land line. Oh well.

    As far as the varying quality with cable modem, that has to do with the way that cable works. It is a shared line, and if more people are in your area, your bandwidth will decrease and so will your VO-IP phone service.

    Thats just my .02

    Craig
     
  10. Doody

    Doody F1 Veteran

    Nov 16, 2001
    6,099
    MA USA
    Full Name:
    Mr. Doody
    your existing phone won't work with http://phonelabs.com/ ?

    doody.
     
  11. cab7104

    cab7104 Karting

    Mar 25, 2004
    237
    Rochester, NY
    Full Name:
    Craig
    I had looked for a device like this several years ago, and the only one who offered it was T-Mobile. I guess that this would work. Now I have to look into it further. Thanks Doody ;)

    Craig
     

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