Internet Phone Service

[Cerise]

I was considering switching to Vonage http://vonage.com/help_vonage.php?

I need a land line for a fax machine for my job so I'm stuck with the monopoly known as Windstream (formerly Alltel) in my town. With DSL service my monthly phone bill is just under $100 which seems a little steep to me ($60 for basic phone service, minimal long distance).

Vonage starts at $15/month + $10/month for a dedicated fax line. I know what they say about sounding too good to be true, but is anyone here on the VoIP?

 

[Inkara1]

Is VoIP really a good idea when used with DSL? It seems like it makes more sense for cable internet users.

 

[spike]

I'm on the verge of getting Vonage or a similar service from http://tomatovine.com.

I went cell phone only a while back but I get spotty reception in the house so I think I still need a land line at times.

 

[chcr]

I was considering switching to Vonage http://vonage.com/help_vonage.php?

I need a land line for a fax machine for my job so I'm stuck with the monopoly known as Windstream (formerly Alltel) in my town. With DSL service my monthly phone bill is just under $100 which seems a little steep to me ($60 for basic phone service, minimal long distance).

Vonage starts at $15/month + $10/month for a dedicated fax line. I know what they say about sounding too good to be true, but is anyone here on the VoIP?

I have Vonage. As for it sounding too good to be true, it's exactly as advertised. I have the 24.95 unlimited plan, but no fax line. However, I think Inky is right. Don't you need to keep a land line turned on for DSL (I have cable internet)? Maybe you've already looked into relative cost. If you kept the basic land line and used Vonage for long distance (free to the US, Canada and much of Europe now) and your fax line, would it still end up being cheaper than what you have now? It might be.

 

[Cerise]

From Vonage website:

"We can do this because we use your existing high-speed Internet connection (also known as broadband) instead of standard phone lines."

OK so I'm no tech geek here---and I think it's slowly sinking in to my head--- you still pay for the residential access line to keep the DSL hookup + the VoIP charges---so like you guys said there's not much of a savings unless you have the cable. Hmmm. The commercials make it seem like it's a miracle product for everyone. Damn---will I never escape Alltel/Windstream's clutches???? Just when I thought I was out they pull me back in.....

 

[highwayman]

From what I understand there is no 911 service for vonage...

 

[chcr]

From Vonage website:

"We can do this because we use your existing high-speed Internet connection (also known as broadband) instead of standard phone lines."

OK so I'm no tech geek here---and I think it's slowly sinking in to my head--- you still pay for the residential access line to keep the DSL hookup + the VoIP charges---so like you guys said there's not much of a savings unless you have the cable. Hmmm. The commercials make it seem like it's a miracle product for everyone. Damn---will I never escape Alltel/Windstream's clutches???? Just when I thought I was out they pull me back in.....

I don't know. The savings could make it sensible anyway, it depends on your circumstances. Add up everything you pay now, and then add up everything you'd pay if you switched to Vonage. Be careful to include everything (taxes and fees make my $24.95 Vonage bill almost $30.00 a month in reality), then compare and decide if it's worth the switch. It was easy for me but it's going to take some digging for you.

Since your DSL comes in on your phone line though, you have to keep a phone line for it to come in on.

Oh, and all commercials overhype their product. Vonage less than a lot of them (but I hate that damned song).

I don't know where you live, but there are other alternatives as well.

 

[Gonz]

911 is limited but they're "working on it"

This reminds me of the "choice" we have in our natural gas provider. We can pay one company to sell us gas & still have to pay the local monopoly to bring it.

If you can't drop whoever you don't like, altogether, it's not much of a choice.

 

[chcr]

Our (Vonage's, I guess) 911 service required us to specify a specific "911 provider." I haven't had to test it but it's supposed to work. OTOH I did have to sign a disclaimer saying I understood the problems involved.

 

[Winky]

Why hasn't anyone pointed out to the Lady the obvious solution?
*hint*I need a land line for a fax machine for my job*hint*

By the by, internet phone stuff is a gimmick

besides if you are paying for a cel phone you’d never want it anyway.

 

[highwayman]

Keep in mind that a dedicated fax line still can be used as a regular line...

 

[Cerise]

I live on a county road with hills on the east and west of me and I get little or no reception with a cell phone, 'cos trust me, if I could dump Alltel, I would do it in a heartbeat.

 

[Cerise]

Keep in mind that a dedicated fax line still can be used as a regular line...

I have a seperate phone number for the fax but it rings on my regular line---two short fast rings.

 

[Winky]

Doh OK
well then yer screwed
and not in a fun way

 

[Cerise]

I live just outside of a town with a pop. of 230,000 and one company supplies the landline phone service to the entire area---so yeah, I don't enjoy it too well.....but you can imagine the Public Service Commission takes more than a few complaints about the business---namely hold time to their 1-800 # and in dealing with local customer service centers.

 

[chcr]

I've never lived anywhere where one company didn't supply all the landline phone service, including Tucson. I understand what you mean about customer service though. I used to have my WAN at work through BellSouth here and when there was a problem it was inevitably our equipment rather than their lines. Later I'd get a fairly cryptic phone call that there "may have been" a switch problem but they showed no downtime on the line. Of course by then it would be working. Now I have a managed Verizon WAN and they usually notify me before I know the store is down.

 

[Inkara1]

I'm pretty sure you can get DSL without phone service... but just like getting cable internet without cable TV, expect to pay out the ass for it.

 

[paul_valaru]

For the 911 you have to specify the address you are using the phone from, cause that is what will appear on the 911 operators screen.

 

[Gonz]

In Los Angeles I used to have a chioce for phone service. If I wanted Pac Bell I could live in the red zone. If I wanted GTE, I could move to the yellow zone.

Nice chioce.

 

[Inkara1]

AT&T used to offer local phone service here in California, as an alternative to SBC. The ex-wife's family took advantage fo that... it was a way to get around having to pay a big phone bill off to turn the phone back on. But AT&T pulled out of that... then SBC bought out AT&T and changed its name to AT&T.