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05/19/2005 06:23:54 PM · #1 |
Does anyone use Vonage or a similar "Broadband" Phone service?
I just watched a story on the news that they are now required to provide 911 service.
Just curious.....
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05/19/2005 08:08:58 PM · #2 |
I just recently signed up with Vonage and I LOVE it. Sound quality is amazing. From the beginning, Vonage has stated that they provide 911 functions but you need to enable it since they do not know the physical address of the phone (the service is portable). Basically, you need to complete an online form (or call) and tell them what address goes with your phone #. That's it.
The only other thing that confused me was the IP address of the phone adapter but I tried to setup the stuff pretty late and brain was on cruise control. The next morning it hit me that the IP address of the adapter was not on my LAN therefore was not able to see the outside world via my Airport router. Once I fixed that, it was all good. The price is amazing for all the features you get. If you sign up, use me as a referral and you'll get a month of free service! :) PM me if you wish to do so, heheheh!
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05/23/2005 02:12:35 PM · #3 |
Vonage is Amazing! Where else can you call anywhere in the us and canada and have your complete phone bill come to 24.95
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05/23/2005 02:23:33 PM · #4 |
I would like to use it but was told they only have a 3 port router. I have four computers so I need one more port. Any thoughts on this?
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05/23/2005 02:37:11 PM · #5 |
got it. love it.
the box i have goes between the cable modem and the router, so you can use whatever router you want to.
i like that a) you can turn voicemail off and b) it will email you when you get a voice message at home, and then you can listen to the message from your computer at work. creepy, kinda, but very cool.
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05/23/2005 02:38:20 PM · #6 |
Originally posted by muckpond:
the box i have goes between the cable modem and the router, so you can use whatever router you want to.
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They didn't tell me this.....guess I need to do more research.
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05/23/2005 02:40:28 PM · #7 |
Just for the record my phone bill from Bellsouth is $27.99 a month. I have no call waiting/caller id. or long distance.
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05/23/2005 04:11:20 PM · #8 |
Originally posted by rex:
I would like to use it but was told they only have a 3 port router. I have four computers so I need one more port. Any thoughts on this? |
I signed up on friday. Verizon p!ssed me off one time too many (at at $72 a month at Verizon for about the same thing Vonage will give me for $29, it was not that hard a decision anyway)
Anyway, this is on its way to me. I understood it would just plug into an open port on my hub...it appears to be a router, and as i have a router (with wireless, so i can't give that up) it might be interesting to hook it all up. It will work, i'm sure of that. I can always put a hub before the two routers...
As for your concern, you can add hubs - and have as many as 256 computers. this is more what you need. Around $32
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05/23/2005 04:20:13 PM · #9 |
Originally posted by rex:
Just for the record my phone bill from Bellsouth is $27.99 a month. I have no call waiting/caller id. or long distance. |
So you can't reach out and touch anyone, huh? My problem is i live in a rural area, so if i need much of anything by phone it falls into some gray area, not local, not long distance, just expensive. And of course my wife's job and my best friend live in that expensive zone. I'd spend $50 a month on calls just to two numbers.
Verizon started at unlimited package last year, $54.95 a month. Unlimited everything, and it inclued caller ID (really cool, but not worh $7 a month for it alone), call waiting, forwarding, and other crap. By the time the taxes, 911 fees, etc get in there, it come sin to me at a tad over $72 a month. Yuk.
Vonage claims to give me all that, and voice mail (emailed to me if i want!) and for about $29 a month (with taxes, according to their website..we'll see). The $43 a month in savings is gonna get me a new lens!
Drawbacks:
-911 - you ahve to tell them (the vonage website) your address. It may take longer for your address to show up at 911 centers
- if the net or electricity is down, no phones.
-You cannot (supposedly) plug in all the phones in your house. Only 2. I remain skeptical, i bet you can plug in more, perhaps 4. The solution to this is to get one fo the wireless phones that you can add eztensions to. I was getting one of those anyway, so no biggie. (OK, cost..5.8Ghz, 2 phones $120. Each additional phone is $50) Beware of some 2.4Ghz phones as they will interfere with 802.11G wireless networking.
The goofiest thing? Vonage shipped the adapter via DHL from Ohio to a PA post office and then it will be mailed to me...
Cost to get started?? Call VOnage on the phone - $9.95 total. FIrst month free, no activation, no hardware to buy. THe 9.95 is shipping.
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05/23/2005 05:01:52 PM · #10 |
Originally posted by Prof_Fate:
-You cannot (supposedly) plug in all the phones in your house. Only 2. I remain skeptical, i bet you can plug in more, perhaps 4. |
someone was telling me about this the other day. supposedly there is a really easy way to make it so that if you run the "out" line from your phone modem to a phone jack in your house, the rest of the jacks from the house will work via the modem (i.e. via Vonage). i haven't had the opportunity to research it, but it seems like it should work, as the phone jacks are just dumb 2-way wires.
:)
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05/23/2005 05:05:32 PM · #11 |
This is my setup:
Internet>Cable modem>Airport>Phone adapter>Phone
If your router supports NAT (Network Address Translation) and most do, you can assign your phone adapter a private IP address (192.168.1.10 or something like that) like I did and then assign the other computers on your LAN their own private IP addresses. My laptop is connected via wireless.
So, in your case, your network would look like this:
Internet>Cable/DSL modem>Router>Switch>various computers and your Vonage phone adapter.
Also don't forget that Vonage added Puerto Rico in case you know people there. It's included in your plan just like Canada.
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05/23/2005 05:11:56 PM · #12 |
We use Vonage at home, but mainly for long distance cost control. It is perfect for this application. When I travel for business, I call home on the cell for one minute to say that I am in the hotel room. Then, I hang up, and my wife calls on Vonage. The cost savings are terrific, especially when compared to calling OUT from a hotel room. Hotels charge outrageous amounts for long distance services. This is a valuable service to me and the quality is nearly equal to the telephone company.
With many close relatives out in Vancouver and California, as well as spread throughout the province, this service makes it easy to just call and say, hello, or just chat, or whatever. It saves us $200 to $300 per month. So, you can appreciate that we are fans of the service.
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05/24/2005 12:15:46 AM · #13 |
Originally posted by muckpond:
Originally posted by Prof_Fate:
-You cannot (supposedly) plug in all the phones in your house. Only 2. I remain skeptical, i bet you can plug in more, perhaps 4. |
someone was telling me about this the other day. supposedly there is a really easy way to make it so that if you run the "out" line from your phone modem to a phone jack in your house, the rest of the jacks from the house will work via the modem (i.e. via Vonage). i haven't had the opportunity to research it, but it seems like it should work, as the phone jacks are just dumb 2-way wires.
:) |
I've been reading up on Vonage tonight because I think we may get it when we move. Here's a FAQ from their website: can I use multiple phones with your service? (Short answer: yes)
Glad to hear good reviews though. It seems like a definite deal since the cheapest plan comes bundled with way more than the phone company's basic plan and is cheaper, too. |
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05/24/2005 12:46:36 AM · #14 |
I live in Kansas and now am completely free of SWB!!! Yeah! I love Vonage and Cingular is my cell service. With Vonage I can take my phone with me ANYWHERE! There are so many advantages to Vonage that I can not begin to tell you. Email me at mylaptop@gmail.com if you have specific questions or you want to use me as a referal ;)
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05/24/2005 01:17:45 AM · #15 |
Originally posted by mrsmaxsmart:
Email me at mylaptop@gmail.com if you have specific questions or you want to use me as a referal ;) |
I'm already first in line for that. :D :D
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05/24/2005 01:45:28 AM · #16 |
I want broadband too, or vonage...please.....My bellsouth is so expensive about $80. a month and we only have stinky slow dialup!! Though I love that commercial where the neighbor wants to book his vacation and ends get a vacation all right for breaking in to use someones broadband....
My post should be put in rant..Oh well thats what I get for living miles out here in the boonies....:)
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05/24/2005 02:28:05 PM · #17 |
OK...my phone adapter (aka router) arrived. It took me longer to fiddle with all my wires behind my desk that to make it all work.
Hook 'internet' on new router to any port on my current router. plug in the new router.
hook up a phone.
it works.
Pretty simple!
Now to finagle my fax machine...it picks up on the 4th ring. So my answering machine has been picking up on the second ring for years now. And i can monitor who is calling even if i don't ahve a caller id nadset nearby.
Well, with vonage voicemal i choose how long it rings in seconds...and i can't monitor the incoming all anymore.
Some adjustments will be needed...
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05/24/2005 04:41:26 PM · #18 |
I'd be on Vonage by now myself, but there appears to be one little glitch... My internet service is ADSL, which uses the phone line, and thus is tied to my phone number... so I'm faced with either dumping my DSL and going with another service (I'm not partial to what else is available, and besides don't want to change e-mail addresses) or changing our "home" number. Neither of them appeals to me. I'm waiting for SBC to offer VoIP in my area, they say by June, we'll see. Anyone got a better idea?
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05/24/2005 05:02:14 PM · #19 |
Originally posted by muckpond:
got it. love it.
the box i have goes between the cable modem and the router, so you can use whatever router you want to.
i like that a) you can turn voicemail off and b) it will email you when you get a voice message at home, and then you can listen to the message from your computer at work. creepy, kinda, but very cool. |
Which box did you buy? I have the Linksys PAP2 box and mine sits behind my router. Maybe you have multiple real IP addresses . Still, I can't imagine why it would sit between the modem and router instead of behind the router.
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05/24/2005 05:06:01 PM · #20 |
Originally posted by kirbic:
I'd be on Vonage by now myself, but there appears to be one little glitch... My internet service is ADSL, which uses the phone line, and thus is tied to my phone number... so I'm faced with either dumping my DSL and going with another service (I'm not partial to what else is available, and besides don't want to change e-mail addresses) or changing our "home" number. Neither of them appeals to me. I'm waiting for SBC to offer VoIP in my area, they say by June, we'll see. Anyone got a better idea? |
Fritz, I think you're SOL as far as Vonage goes based on what you've said. With xDSL, you need the phone line for your connection to work and can't kill your analog line to use Vonage. Ideally, you would need a different type of broadband connection like cable to fully maximize Vonage. In your situation, I think you either need to bite the bullet and get cable or wait for SBC to implement their own version of VoIP.
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05/24/2005 05:29:00 PM · #21 |
Originally posted by kirbic:
besides don't want to change e-mail addresses |
Get a gmail account. You can have Outlook or Outlook Express pull your gmail right off the web and you will never have to change your e-mail address.
Originally posted by kirbic:
or changing our "home" number. |
You can keep your same number...just have to sign a form and wait on your phone company to release it.
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05/24/2005 05:38:11 PM · #22 |
Originally posted by MrAkamai:
Which box did you buy? |
i just got the box that they sent to me when i signed up and hooked it up according to the instructions. the ethernet from the cable modem goes to the vonage dealie (technical, huh?) and then from that to my linksys router.
works like a charm.
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05/24/2005 06:01:43 PM · #23 |
I worked for a Cable company that offered VoIP in one of our properties. The thing to remember is 911 on VoIP is not a real 911 system it is a "911-type" service and there is a big difference. The main difference is "LOCATION". 911 and E911 lets the operator know what location you are calling from when you have an emergency where "911-Type" does not. So if you are unable to communicate with the operator or you were a medical alert pendant,etc. they may not offer the operator the location of the call.
Vonage price is good but make sure you read their TOS about 911 if you are concerned about it. Especially sections 2 of there TOS. Here is the link
Edit: the only way they know your address is by what you placed in your email to them. And all 911 calls are handled by a third-party that may or may NOT operate after business hours.
Message edited by author 2005-05-24 18:07:11.
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05/24/2005 06:03:23 PM · #24 |
For those that already have VoIP.. Can I ask - have you had any VoIP spam calls yet?
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05/24/2005 06:39:30 PM · #25 |
Originally posted by PaulMdx:
For those that already have VoIP.. Can I ask - have you had any VoIP spam calls yet? |
None yet. (knock on wood)
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