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Need some help deciding on VONAGE/SKYPE/PACKET8/SUNROCKET or (???) somebody *other* than Verizon......

redgtxdi

redgtxdi

Diamond Member
OK, so I've cut my home phone down 'til I'm all the way down to just *basic* phone service & I'm still paying $36.99 by the time it's all done.

This whole weekend TV did a good job of throwing Vonage in my face for $24.99. Plus, I guess I can call anywhere in the country, eh?


Should I go this route?? I feel like a fool giving Verizon $36.99/mo. for a phone line I use so rarely......(though I *do* still use it).

Any advice here? TIA! :thumbsup:


9/17/06......UPDATE.......................NOW W/ POOOOOOLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL!!!! 😎
 
I got in on the Sunrocket $199 for 2 yrs deal. Have had service for a month and the quality has been just as good as regular phone for me. I also like how you can manage your account/voicemail/etc online.

Even their standard $199 for 1 yr is about a little over $16 a month which blows away verizon's crap (I switched from them as well).
 
I have been thinking of dropping my service for something cheaper also. I pay about $50 bucks when its all said and done...including unlimited long distance.
 
Hmmm..........I think I've *heard* of Skyrocket, but unfamiliar with this whole VOIP stuff as it is.........(I assume that's what Vonage/Skyrocket are, correct?)

I've read only a little & I've heard complaints of reliability, but really......we use our home phone so rarely that I just don't know if it ain't worth the risk of reliability...(I mea we always have our cell phones if it's an emergency), but that'd allow us to call relatives long-distance, etc. w/o using up cell minutes PLUS......we can't even make long-distance calls right now from home since I killed long-distance service.

And, yes, I've already debated going "cell only" but I just don't think I can make that leap. The home phone is still juuuuust used enough to justify having it.
 
check out ******. .their bridge is 29 bucks and you can get free incoming service with a local number. haven't tried it yet but it sounds promising.. i have vonage now and it's ok, i'm just cheap and will give voicestick a try.
 
I assume you mean "voicestick"????


Looks like whatever you typed the first time was a *naughty* word??? 😀
 
Why not just drop it all-together?

My kitchen phone is just there to hide the wallplate 😱

It's not even plugged in, and even if it was, it's disconnected at the patch panel from when I tore up my home phone system to convert it to ethernet. I need to reconnect it...
 
Hmmmm..........."packet8"........have to check it out!


For the person who recommended my local cable/internet provider...........



I have Adelphia (errr....now Time Warner) and they offer $44.95 for first service and then $5 drops for any other service added. Right now I have cable TV and internet. So after another 2 $5 price drops I could add digital phone for $34.95/mo.

Now, obviously that's better than VZ since I'd *get* unlimited long-distance, but still not as good as any of the independent offerings.....(Vonage, Skyrocket, Packet8, etc.)

So I guess no-joy for TW cable??
 
OK........looks like I already learned something............

VOIP uses VOIP phones *only*???

(Or can you still use a regular phone w/ some type of converter??
 
Originally posted by: redgtxdi
OK........looks like I already learned something............

VOIP uses VOIP phones *only*???

(Or can you still use a regular phone w/ some type of converter??
Click to expand...

depends how you hook it up. I just took the house wiring and plugged it into the VOIP modem as opposed to the verizon line. granted, I'm no longer using VOIP because of quality/availability concerns w/ my isp.
 
Originally posted by: redgtxdi
OK........looks like I already learned something............

VOIP uses VOIP phones *only*???

(Or can you still use a regular phone w/ some type of converter??
Click to expand...

You can use normal phones with most (all?) of them. You just usually get a router to plug into your broadband. We have Vonage at our house and we have had virtually no problems with it. It has lots of nifty features that you can configure yourself from a web page.

I've not tried the VOIP service that our ISP has just started offering, so I don't know how it compares, but the Vonage has thus far been good.
 
What instances do you use your home phone where you couldn't have used your cell phone? I went a couple years without a landline and the only problem I had was that I had to pay by credit card over the phone the first time I phoned for pizza. After that, they trusted me. I'd drop my landline in a heartbeat now if I could.
 
If you really don't use your phone much, go with Vonage's $15/month plan. Gives you unlimited incoming minutes (people calling you), and 500 outgoing minutes (you making calls), which for most people is more than enough. Still has all the fancy features of the $25 plan, just cheaper. Get a free adapter and all that.

I've used Vonage for a long time now, going on 2 years or so, and never had any huge issues with it. Now and then I'd have a problem with my router messing with the Vonage box, but that was on my end, not theirs. Once in a while it'd give me an issue where I could make calls but couldn't receive them, but resetting the box always fixed it.

Their tech support is basically non-existent, so if you do have a huge issue it'll take a while to fix it, but I haven't heard of many people having problems. Most of the mainstream VoIP companies seem to be about the same in that department.

If you're up in Canada, you can try Acanac.com (Canaca), I've heard decent things about their VoIP services.

Edit:
Acanac also has US service (I used their web services while in the US) for VoIP, about $20/month, decent selection of area code and numbers.
 
Originally posted by: Bryophyte
What instances do you use your home phone where you couldn't have used your cell phone? I went a couple years without a landline and the only problem I had was that I had to pay by credit card over the phone the first time I phoned for pizza. After that, they trusted me. I'd drop my landline in a heartbeat now if I could.
Click to expand...


Well, typically the reason for the land-line is like the grandparents calling the grandkids, relatives who just know our land-line, etc. When giving phone #'s to certain agencies, we just give 'em our land-line to avoid cell abuse.......(easy to dump people to voicemail at home, not so much when you're cell phone's blastin' away at work & you're always lookin' to see who it is).

Plus, land-line phones are more comfortable on the ear & stuff when you're kickin' back in bed talkin' to great-grandma 2,000 miles away & cell reception ain't the best in the family-room.....stuff like that.
 
Originally posted by: Bryophyte
What instances do you use your home phone where you couldn't have used your cell phone? I went a couple years without a landline and the only problem I had was that I had to pay by credit card over the phone the first time I phoned for pizza. After that, they trusted me. I'd drop my landline in a heartbeat now if I could.
Click to expand...

My wife talks on the phone way too damn much and cell phones are a rip off. So we go with a combo... a cell plan with limited minutes and VOIP.

Oh yeah, and cell phone coverage at our house is crap (zero bars). We live in some coverage hole.
 
Originally posted by: Bryophyte
What instances do you use your home phone where you couldn't have used your cell phone? I went a couple years without a landline and the only problem I had was that I had to pay by credit card over the phone the first time I phoned for pizza. After that, they trusted me. I'd drop my landline in a heartbeat now if I could.
Click to expand...

i don't think there's any instance... unless you want a catch all phone number... which you could use skype for, heh. or if you have no cell service in home. or are paranoid about accessability 🙂
 
I would never trust a company that cant pronounce its own name. Why do they pronounce it "von-age." When i make a call i dont use a "fon" i use a "fone." Thus, the name should be pronounced "vone-age."
 
Skype sounds cool, but being that there are too many parents/grandparents involved I'd have to steer clear. (If I were still a bachelor, though I'd be totally all over it!)


So between Vonage/Sunrocket/packet8.........any big advantages/disadvantages between the 3???

(Looks like Sunrocket hits you w/ $39.95 equipment charge. The other 2 don't??????) 😕
 
Originally posted by: redgtxdi
Skype sounds cool, but being that there are too many parents/grandparents involved I'd have to steer clear. (If I were still a bachelor, though I'd be totally all over it!)


So between Vonage/Sunrocket/packet8.........any big advantages/disadvantages between the 3???

(Looks like Sunrocket hits you w/ $39.95 equipment charge. The other 2 don't??????) 😕
Click to expand...

I use sunrocket, $13/mo or so, service has been good, I dont remember any equipment charge.😕
 
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