The OFFICIAL VOIP internet telephone thread

[destinyschild]

Hi, I wanted to start a thread on VOIP.

Vonage has a decent deal on 500 minutes/month for 14.99/month. The equipment is free. What do you guys think? Anyone who has the other VOIPs?

 

[bendit]

taxes and fees bring it to $20 a month
please link to this "deal" so we can uncover the hidden fees

 

[tsrich]

We have that Vonage package, and our monthly bill comes to $19.13 with all fees and taxes included. It was much closer to $15 when we started in 2004, but the govt has been adding fees to the line since then. Vonage has documented each one since. I can't blame them for passing the fees along.

We've been very happy with our Vonage service. Back in 2004-2005 we got some echoing, but now the service is very solid.

The only thing I'd worry about is their financial state and the ongoing patent dispute. Either could cause problems down the road. For now we're sticking with Vonage, but if either of those issues gets worse, we may move to one of the bigger carriers like Earthlink - who has more money to fight the big boys in patent court.

 

[Ricochet]

I'm interested to see whether Vonage can even survive this patent infringement lawsuit. Last I heard they can't add new customers while the suit is being disputed in court.

 

[Harmattan]

What about Skype? I know it's not as versatile as Vonage, but can't beat unlimited outgoing calls in NA for $29.95 a year. Only drawback is you pay extra for a # and V-mail (I actually like people not being able to call me back ) Has saved me a bucket full of $.

Also, it's got some neat add-in programs (multi-player card games, call recording etc).

 

[argoldst]

I originally used lingo but hated that. Switched to sunrocket almost 2 years ago and love it. Great service and cheaper than everyone else.

 

[tw1164]

I recently (May) dropped Vonage for Viatalk. I was able to get my phone# ported to Viatalk. It was a pita to cancel Vonage.

 

[msapute]

Sunrocket has all taxes and junk fees included. I have the $199/2yrs deal, comes down to about $8/month + $3 international call credit per month.. that comes down to $5/month.. nothing beats it so far

 

[Ryland]

By price alone I should have hopped to Sunrocket instead of Vonage and I am currently in a 1 year contract with Vonage. Oh well.

 

[TheTony]

Sunrocket is fairly decent, but their customer service does have room for improvement. I think they're working on improving their billing system, which is the source of my gripes.

 

[whistleclient]

check out Voicepulse

more features than many of the VOIP providers, really good customer service.

review link

 

[MiataPaul]

I had Vonage for 3 years. They did have to add more an more taxes. I was very happy with the service and voice quality, but I had an excellent Cable modem connection. (Optimum) They do have a 9.95 plan as well for those that don't need many min. They offered it to me when I was goiong to cancel. It is really designed to "park" a phone number, but it had I think 200 min. I dropped my Cable and Cable modem so it was not worth it to me. I get fairly good cell phone coverage so that is what I use. Never had a reason to use there 911 support, that is there weakest link.

 

[imported_smartadze]

I don't know what happened to my old login info, but worth re-registering to add a nickel's worth.

I have over 5 years' experience with Packet 8. I had one account as my primary home number, and another box/number that I took with me for my work when overseas. Unlike Vonage (in my experience), Packet 8 will work great all the way down to a bandwidth of as little as 60 or so (download), which is common for the over-loaded satellite connections in the camps in mid-east. Just choose a local number (any area code) and family can call you for 'free'. Packet 8 has lots of great features, great customer service, waive start-up and first month free, and a final bill around $26 with all fees and 911 surcharges. Another plus: their boxes have the ability to provide an IP address and act as mini-routers - you don't need a router unless you have more than 2 other hard-wire connections.

My P8 service started to decline late last year, with lots of dropped calls and echoes etc. I started pinging their servers and got response times in the 160's and up, whereas it had been 80-90 in years past. Trace-RT analysis shows lots of new stops all over CA (their primary servers are in San Jose, whereas home is in TX). Good suggestion: whatever provider you are considering, ask Tech Support for a server address and ping the crap out of it at prime call times, and do a 'TraceRt' (trace route). Choose accordingly.

I finally gave up on P8 and got a local 'Cable' digital phone to go along with my hi-speed internet as a package. They offered me a deal I couldn't refuse, because they are on the lookout to switch over existing VOIP customers (so mention it prominently). It's more expensive (hard to figure with the package deal, but along the lines of $40), but I ping in the low-teens and the service is MUCH better in terms of clarity and dropped calls and echoes. Downside: local cable digital phone is stuck at one adress (your service address) so I still need a VOIP for overseas.

 

[Pulsar]

I've had voip for going on a year now through Sunrocket. It's worked extremely well. I also got in on the 199 for 2 year deal with 3 dollars of free international per month.

I've never been so happy. 8 dollars a month with basically free international calls, compared to $50 with the phone company.

 

[Delta6Echo]

Great thread! So SunRocket is the best bet?

Any current deals I should know about?

 

[Pulsar]

Sunrocket is acknowledged as a good low priced provider, however their customer service is not good.

I've been happy, but I've never had to deal with customer service other than to request they port my number over.

 

[Pabster]

Originally posted by: Harmattan
What about Skype? I know it's not as versatile as Vonage, but can't beat unlimited outgoing calls in NA for $29.95 a year. Only drawback is you pay extra for a # and V-mail (I actually like people not being able to call me back ) Has saved me a bucket full of $.

That's my choice too. I don't need the ability to turn all the phone jacks in my house to VoIP, have no use for SIP, and Skype's price can't be beat.

 

[Luthien]

I use sunrocket and it is okay.

 

[destinyschild]

Skype seems to be the best deal. You don't need a landline if you get SkypeIn which is $60 per year and includes voicemail. The only thing is, it would be nice to have a cordless phone that works with Skype so that you don't need to be near your computer all the time. They're so expensive though. Does anyone have any experience with a Skype adapter, in which you can use your own phone?

 

[Pabster]

Originally posted by: destinyschild
Skype seems to be the best deal. You don't need a landline if you get SkypeIn which is $60 per year and includes voicemail. The only thing is, it would be nice to have a cordless phone that works with Skype so that you don't need to be near your computer all the time. They're so expensive though. Does anyone have any experience with a Skype adapter, in which you can use your own phone?

That is the most common gripe with Skype. I never bothered with any of the adapters but I've heard most of them work OK. I purchased a couple of the Linksys CIT400 (no PC needed) and they are fantastic. They are a bit pricey, but no more so than the higher end 2.4/5.8 regular cordless models.

If you don't mind having a PC running 24/7 (I assume most of us do...) the Linksys CIT200 is about $65 and works great as well.

 

[Schadenfroh]

Packet8 when I first got it years ago sucked badly, robot tin can call quality, now they have improved it to the point that it is just as good (if not better) quality wise as Bell South in my area, IMO.

 

[najames]

I have used VoicePulse for at least 2 years without any problems. Call quality is very good.

Now if I could just get naked DSL and get real ATT rates instead of jacked up old Bellsouth rates, I'd be happy. Bellsouth has been the new ATT for at least 2 months, but they won't honor any ATT deals and it SUX.

 

[GtPrOjEcTX]

I use Lingo, and I'm happy with it. Unlimited calls for about $22 a month after taxes.

 

[stockjock]

Been real Happy with SunRocket...rarely have any problems with them.

 

[ttown]

Viatalk has a deal now for 2-phone lines + 1 free year for $199 "unlimited"

I'm a new viatalk customer who recently switched from sunrocket due to unresolved billing issues.

Their current offer for $199 is:

2 phone lines
1 free year
no initial equiptment fee

* in addition to the $199, there's a recurring $2.50/month "recovery fee" that's imposed -- so in reality it's $229/year (or ~$130/year total for this current deal)

* "unlimited" isn't really UNLIMITED. I can't find the Terms now, but I remember when I signed up that 'unlimited' really meant something like "X times viatalk-customers Average monthy use". I think 'X' was 5 or something like that. Just beware if you plan on using your phone 24/7.

When I switched, i opted for the 'bring your own device" If you want viatalk to send you hardware, read the terms carefully and save absolutely everything.
I figured by the time I return it, a missing box, broken stand, blah blah blah -- it would be cheaper just to use my own hardware (I already had a SR voip adapter, but they run about $50 from amazon or newegg if you don't have one)

With the 2 phone-lines -- this deal is very similar to sunrocket and their annual plan.

Tons of features, like:
simultaneous ring
call hunt
network down forwarding (i tried it and it works)
custom call routing
call alarm (like an alarm clock, or set to remind you of anniversarys or dentist appointments)
and all the usual blocking; caller ID; etc.

From the FAQ, it looks FAX is an expensive 'extra' at $10/mo (egads!!) -- just FYI, as I know it's an issue for some.

FWIW, I've been a happy customer for about 2 months.

PM me for a referral# if you're in the giving mood. I don't think there is any benefit to you, but my account gets credited for something. (Haven't referred anyone yet)

viatalks special offers come and go -- usually for 2-years-for-the-price-of-1. This is the first I've seen for 2-lines + 2 for the price of 1.

http://www.viatalk.com/

They also have a $10/mo (+recovery fee) deal for 500 min/mo -- but not 2-phone-lines.