SunRocket VoIP *Everybody is reporting that this is DEAD!* (Free phones, extra number, etc.)

[stuman74]

Originally posted by: iamme
just got an email saying the equipment has been shipped to my parents and should arrive tomorrow.

I got an e-mail today as well. Looks like it's supposed to be delivered tomorrow.

 

[georgepa]

quasarsky-

That link did not work yesterday. It stopped working Sunday evening. You may have looked at a cached page. The deal died Sunday night. You can try calling SR's sales and maybe find someone who'll give it to you, but I doubt that is possible. They do give out free phones upon call-in, but a second year free is a different matter. You may have missed it.

I expect the deal to pop back up throughout the year, though, perhaps as early as next week as an Easter Bunny promotion. You may want to check back periodically.

 

[AirMail1]

Can anyone comment on the fax capability/quality over SunRocket?

I was hoping to use the second "virtual" number as a dedicated fax line. (though not with a fax machine but using a dial-up modem and fax software on my PC.

 

[stockjock]

My Number finally got ported over after 3 months!! So, I went out to my phone switch box and unplugged the incoming line and plugged the gizmo into a phone jack and Voila...my whole house is now wired for my Sunrocket VOIP Phone. It's working great.

 

[SoulAssassin]

got my email back from member services re: $99/yr promo I didn't actually send it until yesterday so they got back to me w/in 24 hours. Promo is good to go and I won't have to pay a phone bill until January 2008.

 

[iamme]

Originally posted by: stockjock
My Number finally got ported over after 3 months!! So, I went out to my phone switch box and unplugged the incoming line and plugged the gizmo into a phone jack and Voila...my whole house is now wired for my Sunrocket VOIP Phone. It's working great.

yikes, it took that long?

can anyone else comment on how long the number porting took place?

 

[Lucky]

number porting is the only thing that keeps me from trying this service.

 

[georgepa]

Airmail-


"Can anyone comment on the fax capability/quality over SunRocket?

I was hoping to use the second "virtual" number as a dedicated fax line. (though not with a fax machine but using a dial-up modem and fax software on my PC. "


Faxing works well with SR, using a standard fax machine. The dial-up modem approach is probably the approach with the most work to set up, although I've read about some success with that. If you plug a line in be sure to bring transmission speeds way down to give you the best shot at success. I use a fax machine for incoming and outgoing, using distinctive ring for incoming (2nd number.) Works quite well. Others have signed up for free fax-to-email services like www.k7.net. Completely free, you get a local Seattle #, forward your signature number to that and all incoming faxes will go from your local fax # (the signature number) directly to email as a pdf file. For outgoing you could still use your fax modem or standalone machine.



SoulAssassin-

"got my email back from member services re: $99/yr promo I didn't actually send it until yesterday so they got back to me w/in 24 hours. Promo is good to go and I won't have to pay a phone bill until January 2008."

That means that they are still honoring the $99 deal for existing customers. That's great to know for those who are thinking of adding a year to their already existing contracts. The way I see it, you can't go wrong or lose. That money is fully refundable should you not want or need Sunrocket service anymore. If you DO go on after your current year expires, you simply can't beat $99 for the year.


Re: Number porting. It usually takes between 3 weeks and 4 weeks for a successful number port, from my observations. Mine took a little over 3 weeks. Sometimes things happen to make the process take longer. If it took 3 months there was definitely something crazy holding up the port. To speed up the process you could start the port and then, after a couple of weeks, follow up with SR at their headquarters. The person you should call at SR headquarters about number porting issues is Carrie barr.

Her direct phone number at sunrocket is 1-703-394-4188.

From what I understand she is working exclusively on number porting issues. She seems to get to the bottom of holdups and clears them up right away. Calling her directly instead of going through Level 1 speeds up the process. Sometimes holdups can be something rather stupid, such as the POTS provider the transfer is coming from denying the transfer because there is a distinctive ring account on it. I have also seen it held up because a divorced couple had both names listed on the account, but only one person was cancelling it. Dumb stuff like that.

Call her at the number listed to find out about your specific account. I understand she usually picks up the phone directly, instead of it going to voicemail. Alternatively you could email her with a "finding out about my port status" request at carrie.barr@sunrocket.com

 

[stuman74]

My Gizmo will arrive later today and I plan to hook it up tonight after work.

I plan on making sure it works well for a few days. I am currently a Vonage subscriber (since May 2004) so I'll hopefully be able to provide to you all a good side-by-side comparison.

If SunRocket does work out well, I hope it doesn't take as long to transfer my current Vonage number to it (since it's not a POTS line). I figure it should be like a cell phone which can be set up and transferred almost instantly. For reference, when I went from POTS to Vonage, it took jsut under 3 weeks to transfer the number.

 

[georgepa]

stuman-

You are aware of the cancellation penalty with Vonage, right? How far are you into your 1-year contract with them? Even though you pay by the month I would call it a contract, as you pay a $40 cancellation fee if you have not been with them for at least 1 year.

 

[stockjock]

Let me comment on the Number porting...when I signed up I told them to port my number (at least I thought I did)...anyway, after it was taking so long I finally emailed Sunrocket and they said they never received a request to port the number....anyway, after we got it settled it took the normal length of time...about 30 days.

 

[Robor]

stuman: When I switched from Verizon POTS to Sunrocket it took about 3 weeks for my number to be ported. IIRC, when I switched from Sunrocket to Vonage it took about the same. I left Vonage because of the outgoing CallerID not passing my name (and sometimes number) and the $28/month price. BTW, if you're planning to leave Vonage plan to a) listen to someone ask you why you want to leave and want to troubleshoot the issues b) be threatened, I mean made aware, of the $40 cancelation fee and c) be on the call for a while. When you call Vonage and enter in the menu options to cancel your service you're dumped to standard tech support - which can't do the cancelation. From there you have to be transferred or dial the cancelation dept number directly (and sit in a hold queue again of course). I politely told the tech that I entered the options to cancel my service and I should've been passed to someone who can take care of it. As far as I was concerned my Vonage account is canceled and anything beyond the current month and $40 cancelation fee would be disputed on my credit card. I sent an Email to Vonage sales and support depts detailing that experience. Oh, and if you do want to leave Vonage make sure you call during business hours. That dept isn't open after hours or on the weekends. Isn't that convenient?

george: Thanks for that number. I have no idea what the status is of my number being ported. When I resubscribed they had a hard time getting my account reactivated. I've still got a 703 area code number and my old Sunrocket numbers don't work. I gave her a ring and left a message.

All: I've had my Gizmo in place for several days without any issues. Granted, I don't use my phone that much and no one is calling my current Sunrocket number because it's a 703 exchange so I don't know if I'd be missing calls yet.

 

[jono8]

I just switched from a Netgear WTG624 router to a Linksys WRT54G with DD-WRT firmware so I could take advantage of the QoS features of the linksys router. I have my gizmo behind the router in both setups, and I have noticed that with the Linksys, the gizmo occaisonally drops its connection (the voice light goes off). Rebooting the gizmo will solve the problem. (I think this is similar to what Robor's been experiencing...) I have the gizmo in the DMZ in hte linksys (didn't do that in my old setup), and am using the same cables as before. the gizmo was assigned a static IP in both setups as well.

i've read that you're suppose to use a crossover cable, but I've always just used a regular ethernet cable to connect the gizmo to the router. Could that be the problem?

I'm thinking (unfortunately) that it's a problem with the linksys, but i'd appreciate it if anyone has any other ideas.

 

[ttown]

Originally posted by: jono8
...snip...
i've read that you're suppose to use a crossover cable, but I've always just used a regular ethernet cable to connect the gizmo to the router. Could that be the problem?

I'm thinking (unfortunately) that it's a problem with the linksys, but i'd appreciate it if anyone has any other ideas.

I don't have the Linksys -- nor am I up-to-date on any issues with the firmware -- but: Yes, that could definately be an issue.

I suspect the "autosensing" feature of the router that detects/adjusts for cross-over vs. straight-through cables is firmware controlled. (Hardware techs: feel free to correct me)
Should be an easy test.

 

[iamme]

maybe a dumb question: can i use any phone w/ the gizmo and voip?

we have a 5.8GHz Uniden setup already.....can i just use those?

 

[RideFree]

Originally posted by: iamme
we have a 5.8GHz Uniden setup already.....can i just use those?

You sure can...

 

[iamme]

arg....no VOIP light. tried connecting gizmo directly to cable modem and via router to no avail. spent 30 minutes w/ tech support and he gave me a ticket number to "upgrade" my situation. i'm going to call back now.....

 

[dchakrab]

Glad to see this came back in a new thread. That other one was getting a little cumbersome.

Glad to report the last outtage seems to have passed me by. Or maybe I didn't notice it...I don't use the phone much at all. For infrequent use, you can't beat the price, especially if you have a cell phone (I don't). The feature I use the most is probably voicemail forwarding to email...that's a real lifesaver when I'm at work.

Robor: Sorry to hear you're having problems. Have you tried asking Sunrocket to check the firmware version on your hardware? Might just be as simple as a firmware upgrade.

Crossover vs. regular Cat5 cables: Crossover or straight through won't matter *if* the router port autosenses, or has a crossover / uplink switch. This could be hardware (a hardwired uplink port) or firmware controlled, as far as I know. Most newer routers will autosense, so it shouldn't be a problem.

Note: Uplink != WAN.

I've had several terrible experiences with their support in the past, but my understanding was that they improved a lot after moving support to Canada. The last time I called in, their tech support didn't do a bad job, and I had follow ups via email and telephone. Huge improvement from late '05, when I first signed up.

Improvements were enough that I updated my review, since I get so much traffic from people looking for Sunrocker user experiences...added a note with the final verdict that Sunrocket's a good value for the money. If you need rock solid reliability, you might not get it with Sunrocket...but you won't get it anywhere else for this price, either.

Once I finally give in and get a cell phone, I'll be happier, but for infrequent phone use it can't be beat.

Oh, and for whoever asked about international calling: I call India fairly frequently, and it's not too bad. Like a phone card, basically...there's often a little lag, and you might need to raise your voice a little. Connection varies, and that's true for land lines to India as well...too many factors to consider on an international line, so I'm not sure how much Sunrocket influences that.

Dave.

-------
Dave A. Chakrabarti

Sunrocket Review

 

[TheTurk]

Here is IRONY.

I have Sunrocket service, yet I have to use my cell phone to make a call. Why, when I use Sunrocket, the calls bouncing like someone keeps lowering and increasing the sound level constantly.

I have to keep complaining to the CS every week . Mind you that I only use this service perhaps 2 times a week just for long calls, if I can use it that is.

So my friends, STAY AWAY from Sunrocket no matter what some affiliates here tell you. This service is getting worse and worse. I guarantee, it will get worse when they sign up all these zillions of new customers with those great deal promotions and cannot handle the volume.

I would the first to praise this company if there was anything to praise. I simply cannot stay read the forum and warn you guys.

Greetings from here....

 

[TheTurk]

Originally posted by: georgepa
stuman-

You are aware of the cancellation penalty with Vonage, right? How far are you into your 1-year contract with them? Even though you pay by the month I would call it a contract, as you pay a $40 cancellation fee if you have not been with them for at least 1 year.

You know what my Friend Georgepa?
I have been reading your postings on Sunrocket, you sound like you have some shares in this company, or you are the lawyer for them..

Just interesting....

 

[SoulAssassin]

Originally posted by: TheTurk
Here is IRONY.

I have Sunrocket service, yet I have to use my cell phone to make a call. Why, when I use Sunrocket, the calls bouncing like someone keeps lowering and increasing the sound level constantly.

I have to keep complaining to the CS every week . Mind you that I only use this service perhaps 2 times a week just for long calls, if I can use it that is.

So my friends, STAY AWAY from Sunrocket no matter what some affiliates here tell you. This service is getting worse and worse. I guarantee, it will get worse when they sign up all these zillions of new customers with those great deal promotions and cannot handle the volume.

I would the first to praise this company if there was anything to praise. I simply cannot stay read the forum and warn you guys.

Greetings from here....

Yaaaaawn.....it works great for many but not for all. Other than when I've been blasting torrents with my full upstream traffic I've never had an issue. I was one of the first to signup in January 05 and other than the fact that some of the customer service is now offshored and I'm no longer talking to a person in Virginia, I couldn't be happier. To each his own and always remember you can cancel anytime w/out penalty.

 

[stuman74]

I just hooked up my Gizmo. Setup went flawlessly. Got the green light in less than a minute. Called the setup number and activated my voice-mail. Can't receive calls yet, but the installation note in the box said it could take 10 days. Sound quality on a few test calls out from the SunRocket line were at least as good as my Vonage line.

 

[georgepa]

Turk-

You know, we keep having these ridiculous posts come along every once in a while. Make no mistake about it: Your STAY AWAY messages are beyond ridiculous. Let people make up their own minds, for crying out loud. They are adults. There is a 31-day free trial with this service. What that means: You can't go wrong. If you don't like it, cancel before the 31 days are up, but keep the phones as a free gift and don't pay a dime for any phone calls you made. Your warnings don't serve the unsuspecting VOIP newbie, they are meant to prevent someone trying out for themselves if it works FOR THEM or not.

Either an axe grinder or another Vonage-fan thread-crapper. :disgust:

 

[georgepa]

stuman-

What is your SR area code and exchange? There is one local CLEC that causes a delay for incoming to work. I could check the CLEC you're on to see if you indeed have to wait for incoming to work.

Be sure to call SR and activate the "signature message screener" for both numbers, in case you want to use that little program on your computer to screen voicemails and intercept the call as needed.

 

[iamme]

update: yesteday when i received my package, i called in once because my VOIP light wasn't coming on. spent 30 minutes on the phone with the guy while he had me try everyone combination of connections. nothing. he told me to keep the gizmo hooked up for about 10 more minutes and call in, if it didn't turn on. he said he'd upgrade my situation, so i could speak to a higher up 'engineer'.

no light, so i called back. i told the tech support guy i wanted to talk to the next level engineer. however, the tech support guy swore that the previous tech had skipped a step and that could be the problem. i was VERY skeptical, but i figured i'd humor him. he swore there was nothing wrong with my gizmo and that he could get the VOIP light on, so i trusted him. 30 minutes later, still no light. during the time he even tried to blame my ISP, saying i should give them a call. at the end, he said he'd get an 'engineer' to call within the next few hours.

i waited, but had to leave for the night, so i never got a call. the next day (today), i give them a call to see if i missed their call. i had a sneaking suspicion the tech support dude would try to fix the problem himself, despite me telling him that i'd spent an hour with 2 guys yesterday. he kindly asked me to unplug my cable modem and i kindly told him that i would not. i told him that i'm not switching anything around today and i wanted to speak with an engineer. he told me that hadn't tried to call me yet, so keep waiting. he said they'd call within 72 hours (even though the previous guy said 24 hours).

so, basically, i'm still not hooked up and it seems my gizmo isnt' working properly. if anyone has any hints here, that'd be great. at this point, i trust the knowledge here more than the tech support guys over at sunrocket, lol.