VOIP / Google Voice - Who do you use?

[Pheran]

I use Ooma for the home landline, under $5 each month for the taxes. It sure beats the $30+ per month I was paying Verizon.

 

[Modelworks]

I use callcentric. Rates are low and service has always been great.

 

[AnonymouseUser]

I use callcentric. Rates are low and service has always been great.

I was fully prepared to go with Callcentric over voip.ms despite them being a little more expensive. What finally pushed me to voip.ms was their ability to create subaccounts and configure multiple devices for the same number (something most people don't need). Callcentric has a much better website than voip.ms, and slightly higher customer satisfaction overall. I still have a free number with Callcentric, though.

 

[Puppies04]

I own a ventrillo server so when I want to talk to someone abroad I just give them the logon details, for anything else I use my mobile.

 

[Modelworks]

I was fully prepared to go with Callcentric over voip.ms despite them being a little more expensive. What finally pushed me to voip.ms was their ability to create subaccounts and configure multiple devices for the same number (something most people don't need). Callcentric has a much better website than voip.ms, and slightly higher customer satisfaction overall. I still have a free number with Callcentric, though.

I think the thing that impressed me with callcentric is that at the time I signed up I was using an adapter that they didn't have on the website and even though they had zero experience with the unit their engineers took the time to check the traffic and to determine exactly what I needed to look for in the settings to change, it took several hours of altering settings before it all worked but they were quick with replies throughout the process. Most companies would have just said, use this adapter instead, but callcentric didn't.

Some people get confused with their pricing because they don't bundle unlimited calling as one rate, you pay differently for incoming and outgoing, which for me works really well.

 

[Mixolydian]

I switched my parents' landline over to Vonage. It seems to work OK, and only costs $9.99/month + taxes, as opposed to the $75/month they were paying before.

 

[sdifox]

I've been using MagicJack for a couple years and like it. As long as I'm not bandwidth starved (i.e. downloading a bunch of stuff), then it works well. I paid $75 for 5 years of service about a year ago.

setup qos and guarantee voip has its bandwidth needs and you are done.

 

[AnonymouseUser]

I think the thing that impressed me with callcentric is that at the time I signed up I was using an adapter that they didn't have on the website and even though they had zero experience with the unit their engineers took the time to check the traffic and to determine exactly what I needed to look for in the settings to change, it took several hours of altering settings before it all worked but they were quick with replies throughout the process. Most companies would have just said, use this adapter instead, but callcentric didn't.

Some people get confused with their pricing because they don't bundle unlimited calling as one rate, you pay differently for incoming and outgoing, which for me works really well.

Yeah, their customer service is on the ball. I asked some simple questions about their pricing and got responses almost immediately. voip.ms has been similar, though not quite as timely. They both have lots of configuration data available on their website for many devices, but Callcentric has the edge there as well.

 

[Anonemous]

Obi 110

 

[kalrith]

setup qos and guarantee voip has its bandwidth needs and you are done.

I'll look into that. Thanks!

 

[Red Squirrel]

Speaking of voip, anyone know where I can buy a phone number and sip trunk without it being an actual voip service? I've been wanting to play around with voip phone switching. Basically I want someone to be able to call the number and it routes to my own switch. I'd use Asterisk.

I know I could use my land line for that, but I rather not mess with it.

 

[RossMAN]

I was fully prepared to go with Callcentric over voip.ms despite them being a little more expensive. What finally pushed me to voip.ms was their ability to create subaccounts and configure multiple devices for the same number (something most people don't need). Callcentric has a much better website than voip.ms, and slightly higher customer satisfaction overall. I still have a free number with Callcentric, though.

Just curious, why do you need this feature?

 

[AnonymouseUser]

Just curious, why do you need this feature?

We currently use the call forwarding "ring all phones at once" feature for our business line to ring business, home, and mobile at the same time. This is great for receiving calls anywhere we may be. It's not helpful for making calls, though, as we don't want to expose our home number, nor do we want people associating too many numbers with our business. The call forwarding feature is great, but at times can be a PITA.

So, the subaccount feature lets us register the same number on multiple devices, one at home, one at work, and any softphones if we ever need another. Without the subaccount, only the last adapter/softphone connected will receive incoming calls (outgoing still works on all).

For now we use the GV number for making business calls from home, which we almost never use for anything else so don't care if we expose that number, but would prefer to use the business number so it is recognizable. We'll also be able to make personal calls at work without exposing our work number.

Did any of that make sense?

 

[RossMAN]

Did any of that make sense?

Sort of, I also have a need for alternative phone numbers but that's what a prepaid cell phone is for.

If it weren't for this feature, would you have gone with CC?

 

[AnonymouseUser]

Sort of, I also have a need for alternative phone numbers but that's what a prepaid cell phone is for.

If it weren't for this feature, would you have gone with CC?

Yes. Callcentric has a more user-friendly website and slightly better customer satisfaction than voip.ms. Service with both has been excellent so far.

 

[Kelemvor]

We currently use the call forwarding "ring all phones at once" feature for our business line to ring business, home, and mobile at the same time. This is great for receiving calls anywhere we may be. It's not helpful for making calls, though, as we don't want to expose our home number, nor do we want people associating too many numbers with our business. The call forwarding feature is great, but at times can be a PITA.

So, the subaccount feature lets us register the same number on multiple devices, one at home, one at work, and any softphones if we ever need another. Without the subaccount, only the last adapter/softphone connected will receive incoming calls (outgoing still works on all).

For now we use the GV number for making business calls from home, which we almost never use for anything else so don't care if we expose that number, but would prefer to use the business number so it is recognizable. We'll also be able to make personal calls at work without exposing our work number.

Did any of that make sense?

Couldn't you use your business number as your GV number and just use that to make all your calls? Can call from your cell or wherever.

 

[sourceninja]

I use google voice and my cell phone. I give out the google voice number, no one has my cell phone number.

 

[drebo]

I use myself. It's 100% free.

 

[hclarkjr]

i use vonage and pay about $35 month for it. i don't have any other phones including cell phone

 

[Kelemvor]

i use vonage and pay about $35 month for it. i don't have any other phones including cell phone

$35/mo? Sheesh. You're getting ripped off.

I consider Vonage similar to Monster Cables. It's a brand people have heard of so they sign up and pay the high price, but they don't know that they're really getting screwed.

 

[amdskip]

Obi110 with Google Voice

 

[lokiju]

I am able to work from home often if I want and found not having a landline was becoming annoying as it meant holding a cell phone to my face, putting it on speaker phone or using a headset often for long duration calls. It just wasn't as comfortable as using a home phone.

I have Google Voice already, ported my cell number to it a few years ago when it was in beta.

I found this Obihai device that was the perfect solution.

You set up your Google Voice account to it and it uses your home internet connection using a ethernet connection (no wifi) and then lets you hook up your home phone.

So far I've had no noticeable issues.

I forward my work number to my Google Voice number and whenever someone calls me, it rings at my house phone.

People say it sounds fine and would never know it wasn't a landline.

 

[AnonymouseUser]

Couldn't you use your business number as your GV number and just use that to make all your calls? Can call from your cell or wherever.

There are far too many complaints about GV for me to put all my trust into it, and eventually Google may start charging for GV. I can use voip.ms, Intalk, Callcentric, etc, from my Android phone as well.

 

[SunnyD]

http://www.anveo.com/

 

[Kelemvor]

So it looks like the Obi100/110 paired with Google Voice might be the way to go.

$50 for the box and free unlimited calling after that (unless GV starts charging for calls). And it hooks up to my local phones so I don't have to use anything related to my computer.

Just then have to port my number over which might cost another $50 to go through tmobile or something.