We just switched to Vonage and for the most part it seems OK. One of the reasons we switched was because we could have a second number in the UK - meaning family can call at UK rates.
However we have found some bugs. Amongst these it appears you can't call some 1-800 numbers as the system struggles to distinguish between US and Canadian 1-800 numbers. (This Vonage's explanation btw).
I'm curious if anyone has any experience of Vonage or VOIP generally - good or bad. If the system has issues we might want to jump now before we get in too deep...
We are with LINGO and for the most part it's great. You occasionally get a delay (tends to happen when you make local calls rather than transatlantic for some reason) and sometimes you get cut off, but for $20 a month I'll live with it. grin
Debs x smile
I tried Vonage for three months. I wouldn't go back to them if they paid me. I had quality issues with them from day one, international calls were terrible, US calls were just as bad, echo and wobble. I ended up just switching to a cell with a decent international plan.
Although I imagine there are people who get decent quality and service from Vonage, I've never met any of them.
I was at a VoIP conference in Boston earlier this year...
Two issues to consider. There is some regulation glitch that Vonage are not required to provide 991 numbers. So making it your only phone is risky (Please check this could have changed).
I also read an article where a local US phone company 'blocked' internet calls over their wire lines. They got fined for it I recall - they are angling for a fee from the likes of Vonage for use of their network - there maybe legal battles ahead.
I use Skype - which works from your PC. There is no fee for using this but the need to be at your PC when making calls ot to receive them is the biggest snag.
I just use cell phones, me and the wife have a phone for $80 a month for 1000 minutes, we never use more than 4 or 500 and I use onesuite for calls to the uk at 2c a minute. I really cannot make a case for having any other phone VOIP or landline.
I use Skype too but I have a Linksys CIT200 cordless skype phone so I am not tied to the puter. Of course puter has to be on for it to work but I just leave puter on! I got it while it was on sale at Staples for $99, I think it is usually about $115. I have a UK London (0208) number set up on it too so peeps can call me at UK local or long distance rates. It's more or less a prepaid phone. You put 10 Euros in your account (about $11.50) and as you use it the balance goes down. PC to PC calls are of course free. You also get voicemail, call forwarding, caller ID for most calls.
Performance wise, it varies. Some days you think you are in the next room to the person and others it sounds like you are both in a metal dustbin, but you can get echo on regular phones too when calling internationally. You can't make 911 calls on Skype either but as I have regular landlines for my business I can use those. I wouldn't have it as my only phone, you have to have at least a cellphone in case of emergencies/puter going *poof* or whatever. I do recommend it tho as a service. Calls to the UK cost about 1c a minute, but it's the having a UK number which I think is the best part.
Sarah
I've had vonage for about six months now, transatlantic is fine, local and long distance is also great.
You need to be able to follow directions and perhaps have a look at a forum if you get issues, but NONE are impossible to fix with a slight tweak of the software.
The technology is not new, and is getting better as people get better net connections.
We have a cheap($7.95 a month ) land line for the 911 stuff, but I would not go back to paying $80-90 a month for the phone.
We BOTH have cell phones and i can call uk for cheap by paying a $3 month fee when i need to just pay about 20c a minute as and when . the two phones cost $76 a month total.
plenty of minutes and unlimited to phone on same company . can call anywhere in US .
No land line here and NO extra charge for NOT being in the phone book , no telemarketing calls
Cell phone way to go .
Vonage look ok and seem to have taken onboard a lot of the past criticisms and improved the service. They still don't offer the same options as a standard telco but I would imagine they are working on it. If your equipment is all plugged into a UPS, the telco line about losing phone service in a powercut becomes moot.
Skype looks interesting and sounds quite solid from the reviews I saw of it.
My phone bill is only about $30 a month or less so not worth me changing over from Qwest.
We've had Vonage for a few months. I use it for my business. We still have a $14 a month land line in the house which I use for 1-800 calls and for calling the UK through onesuite.com (still cheaper than Vonage).
We were planning to give up the land line (since we also have 2 cell phones, so 4 lines in total...) but I have an electronic key that updates each night via the phone line and apparently it won't work with Vonage so we'll keep the normal line for a bit longer.
No landline here. Just cellphones from NTelos for $40 a month unlimited minutes anytime. We use Onesuite for calls to UK at 2.2c a minute. Can it get any cheaper than that?
I just signed up with Sunrocket for $199 per year, cancel anytime with no termination fee. They give you $3 per month for international calls, works out to 100 mins to UK. Call quality has been great so far. Telling ATT to naff off was fantastic, they can rot in hell with all the taxes and fees.
Verizon get it next twisted
I am with lingo too, and I love them.