Anyone of ya'll use Vonage?

[IflyaBoeing737]

Does anyone have an opinion on VOIP like Vonage? I'm considering it to save some money.

 

[lowecur]

Yup, just got mine up and running. Only disadvantage is you need your phone base right by the computer. I have 3 other headsets that go with the base that I keep at various locations in the house. Clarity is great, plus you get caller ID, call forwarding, and conference calling. I like it so far.

 

[barbarian4]

I got it when I started doing int'l long haul and it's great, it's hard to beat 3 cents a minute calling Hong Kong form your home phone. I know a lot of people who use skype and like it alot also.

 

[ExpWayVis31]

I'm going on my second month with Vonage, so far I'm liking it very much. I have a Panasonic answering machine w/3 wireless hand sets, but you can also wire it in to your existing home wires.

Potential problems:It doesn't work in a power failure, but a battery back up for your cable modem and router will fix that. Also your home alarm system will not be able to dial out so you would have to keep your land line.

One of the best features is that it will simultaneously ring both your home phone AND a second number of your choice, which in my case is my cell phone.

 

[SeaSlam]

Another thing to consider especially if you've got young kids is when you dial 911 in an emergency, your home address WILL NOT appear on the operators screen. I've been told this is because it's an "internet address" and not a physical location.

 

[chazman]

I use it also and love it so far going on my second month.

The 911 thing is not an issue becasue you register your address with Vonage and they submit where you want the rescue crew to go when you dial 911. It is not automatic, you have to register a specific address and verify it about 5 times before it becomes active.

Lowcur needs to look into wiring it to his house. I have my base station setup at the other end of my house. If you plug the VOIP router into an existing phone jack the rest of the house is powered by Vonage (As long as you disconnect your land line from the outside of your house first). Works great.

LOTS of features for the flat rate of 24.99 a month. You pick your area code where you want, doesn't matter to a VOIP router.

You can get your voicemails via email if you want.

Dual ring feature is way cool, as mentioned earlier.

The power outage/internet outage thing is the only drawback. They have a very reliable solution in place called network unavailability number. If your router is offline for any reason you give them a number (mine is my cell number) to ring instead. So essentially if your internet is out, or your router is unpowered, your calls will be automatically forwarded to the number of your choice.

If anyone has any questions PM me and I will be glad to help you out.

Chaz

 

[lowecur]

Thanks Chaz, I'll have to try it.

 

[Tina Fey's Scar]

How's the audio quality? Is there any lag? Does it sound exactly like a landline phone or is there a digtal garbled quality to it?

 

[patq1]

Potential problems:It doesn't work in a power failure, but a battery back up for your cable modem and router will fix that. Also your home alarm system will not be able to dial out so you would have to keep your land line.

I was going to sign up when I move into my new place but I didn't think about the alarm. Oh well... thanks for the heads up!

Pat

 

[Darby Crash]

I have had Vonage since October 2004. Overall the service is good. All the features do not always work as advertised. When your cable goes out, which is rare, you can have your calls forwarded to another phone. I have them forwarded to my cell phone. This has happened to me three times in six months. My calls did not forward one of these three times. Caller ID is also a problem. When you call some people they see "Vonage Holdings" and your phone number. Some people have ignored my calls because of this. Sound quality is usually great, but sometimes it hesitates about 20-30 seconds to place the call. Sometimes it can get annoying and I'm a pretty patient guy. On the other hand, customer service is the absolute worst I have ever experienced. I have called numerous times and sent numerous emails (which is how they do most of their customer service) regarding these incidents. The first email was sent Jan. 29. I have followed up 5 times since and have received an automated reply saying they have my request to speak to a technical support person and will get back to me shortly. I have not received a single call or any further help. Basically you get what you pay for. Overall service is good, but be prepared to pull your hair out if you have technical problems.