VoIP Question

[Gunslinger08]

I'm thinking about getting a home phone, but I really don't want to pay $40/month for something I'll use pretty rarely. I'm looking into VoIP, but the room where my router is located is out of the way and I don't want to keep the phone in there. Do any of the VoIP providers offer a Wifi phone? It'd be nice if I could also access the voicemail through the handset.

 

[nickbits]

A few options:

You could plug a regular cordless phone into the VoIP adapter--no need for a WiFi phone
Vonage has WiFi phones--called soft phones
TMobile has $10/month VoIP if you have a TMobile phone

Personally I am using Skype ($60/yr Sub+SkypeIn) and so far works great. The phone adapter is a bit odd in that you have to dial the country code and hit * after but you can't beat the price.

 

[Gunslinger08]

If I used a regular cordless phone, wouldn I have to go to the VoIP adapter to listen to my voicemail? Or do most VoIP providers offer the "call your own number for voicemail" feature?

 

[nickbits]

With the Vonage adapter, you dial #123 (I think) and it takes you to voice mail. It also has the "voice mail" dial tone so if your phone has a VM indicator it will light up correctly.

I think you can access VM with the Skype adapter but so far I've just used the compter.

 

[boomhower]

You could also get a DECT phone with multiple handsets. I have a Uniden with four handsets and a digital answering machine for $50. You can check the machine from the handsets and they have intercoms. DECT doesn't interfere with WiFi, its 1.9Ghz.

 

[Rumpltzer]

Yeah, I started looking at Vonage last night. I have a very basic land line with Verizon (no long distance, no voice mail, no caller ID) and I have a cell phone. I use the land line when AT&T Mobility flakes on me, my family uses it when they come from overseas, and my land line number is the one that I give when businesses ask for a phone number. It's my SPAM phone number.

Anyway, Verizon raised the price by 20% ($20 has become $24) and I'm irritated. I did some research and found that Vonage has a referral program where they give you two months free and no sign-up charge (you still pay $10 shipping) if someone refers you and you sign up through the proper Web site.

There's also a discussion on another deal forum Web site where people are saying that you can get unlimited calling for $20 + tax and fees if you just call and threaten to cancel within 30 days (the deal was $15 + tax and fees but that promotion ended). Given that I'd get long distance (not meaningful to me), voice mail and caller ID (I'd like to have it) for $2 more than my basic Verizon line, I'm pretty interested.


Oh, and I called Verizon just now. I explained my dilemna to the nice lady and asked her to reduce my phone bill back to what it was. She says she can't do that, but she offered to "save me money" by signing me up for FIOS Internet and TV.

 

[Muadib]

After paying my Verizon bill yesterday, I spent the morning looking at voip alternatives. I was going to try Magicjack, but the fact that they install software on your pc & make it damn near impossible to remove, screamed trouble to me. I decided to give Vonage a try, and signed up last night.

They were able to port my current number, but it takes about a week to do. I didn't bother calling Verizon, because Vonage tells you not to. If it works as well as the Xbox 360 chat does, then it will serve me well. If it sucks, I'll be sure to post.

 

[Gunslinger08]

Is there any VoIP service that I can plug into a phone jack that will provide service to all jacks in the house? I'd really like to stop paying $10 a month to Dish Network because I don't have a phone line or ethernet at my receivers.

 

[pm]

Is there any VoIP service that I can plug into a phone jack that will provide service to all jacks in the house? I'd really like to stop paying $10 a month to Dish Network because I don't have a phone line or ethernet at my receivers.

As far as I know, they all do.

Go out to the phone box outside and disconnect the phone line back to the phone company office. Then plug in the output of VOIP box into any phone jack and then all the other jacks in the house should be live on the VOIP line. The key is the first bit where you disconnect the outside line, the VOIP box doesn't have enough power to drive the lines outside the house, and just having it try makes it so nothig works. But once it's unplugged outside, everything should be fine.

 

[bruceb]

I was about to suggest the same thing, but PM got to it first .. That will definitely work fine.

 

[aphex]

I was a Vonage user for 5 years, overall I was happy with the service until recently, I think my adapter was on its way out. To be honest, in the five years I had vonage I don't really recall a time when it never worked, in fact, dare I say it was more reliable than my old POTS service.

Started researching new adapters, Vonage made a decent offer for a free one, but then I'd have to recommit to another 2 years, something I didn't want to do. They also just raised their prices on the low end plan, bringing my average monthly cost up to around $24 w/ taxes. Ended up coming across OOMA on Amazon, $200 for the box, no monthly bills, 3000 minutes a month. Its a Peer to Peer phone service, it calls out using other people with OOMA's home phone line (those that kept their local service). They don't have to pay for switching (like Vonage and the other VOIP's) so they can get away with offering free service. Arguably its not the safest (using other people's lines) and the box is only good as long as the company stays around, but my break even point is about 9 months, so as long as they stay around at least that long, I'm golden. Anything after is just icing on the cake as I don't have a phone bill any longer.

So far i've been VERY impressed with OOMA. Sound quality is noticeably cleaner than Vonage and the Ooma box itself is just pure sex. I've got mine going through a Wireless Bridge about 20 feet (and a different floor) away from my router and it works like a charm. I was also happy that I was able to snag a kickass phone number when I signed up last week (ends in 1001).

Anyway, I'm still new to Ooma so I can't give a full lengthy review, but this far its been quite impressive. Enough so that I'll likely cancel Vonage all togeather at the end of this month (right now its just forwarding to my Ooma)

 

[Gunslinger08]

I looked into Ooma, but they don't have a number on my local exchange so it would cost most people money to call me.