VOIP SunRocket Internet Phone Service $199 for 15months = $13.27/month

[astrosfan90]

Originally posted by: ttown
I suspect gamers or other bandwidth intensive users (like file-sharers) would be most likely to notice.

You know, I expected to notice a drop in framerate or a spike in latency when making calls and playing World of Warcraft at the same time, but I never did. I even went out of my way to test the limits of it, running WoW on my desktop, my fiancee's laptop, TeamSpeak on a third laptop, and making an international call on my SunRocket line. No drop in quality on any of them.

Might be a fluke, I might just have a ridiculously lucky connection. I'll have to check the speeds one of these days and report back in (I tend not to post much from home, as my at home time is dedicated to gaming ).

Cliffs Notes: No bandwidth issues while running games and other bandwidth-intensive programs on two different computers and using SR at the same time.

 

[georgepa]

ttown-

I believe he is referring to cable VOIP which uses the existing cable line as a backbone, rather than broadband. As such the reliability goes up some, but so does the price tag (usually between $40 and $50.) There must be a separate cable line going to a phone box ATA adapter in that setup.

 

[laketrout]

Originally posted by: Robor
When I called national support earlier there was a message about the outage. Apparently the outage is over because I rebooted the Gizmo and my incoming calls work but still no CallerID.

Did you actually talk to someone about the caller ID or does it just not work? How does the outage alert work. If anyone calls they get to hear all outages or was that ocne you spoke to someone? They are supposed to be on the website too I believe.

ps - georgepa, would love to hear about the firmware upgrade if you get nay info.

 

[astrosfan90]

Let me ask a really silly question. What exactly is the firmware and what does it do? I really don't know much about the gizmo and how it works, so be gentle.

 

[georgepa]

Astrofan-

Sunrocket is generally plug and play, which is why all you had to do was plug the gizmo in, turn it on, and then pretty much forget about it. Well, the gizmo gets its commands from the firmware that Sunrocket loads on it. There is actually a way for you to look at the gizmo setup screen. Here you can actually make a few changes to customize SR. Of course, if it works fine for you, there is no need to mess with it. Back to firmware: Almost all SR users have firmware version 4.35. There is new firmware being beta tested right now. Nobody knows what changes it has in it, but we can pretty much be sure from what SR customer service has been telling people that the port 2 change (making port 2 a completely separate line) is in there. Usually firmware is being "pushed" to your gizmo, so you would not have to do anything but wait until your gizmo is updated remotely with the latest firmware.

If you want to look at your gizmo settings and check whether you have the latest firmware in your gizmo:

Plug an ethernet cable into the LAN port of the gizmo, the other end into the ethernet port of your computer. Go to a web browser. In the URL area type just the following:

192.168.251.1

You will see the gizmo login page pop up. Type the word welcome into the sign-up window and hit the ENTER button. Now you can see your gizmo's current settings and check out what firmware is loaded.

 

[georgepa]

Sunrocket is updating the gizmo firmware.

The new version is 4.56.63. No info on what changes have been made is available yet.

http://www.broadbandreports.com/forum/remark,14224256

 

[astrosfan90]

Originally posted by: georgepa
Sunrocket is updating the gizmo firmware.

The new version is 4.56.63. No info on what changes have been made is available yet.

http://www.broadbandreports.com/forum/remark,14224256

Thanks for the explanation--let me make sure I got it right:

It's basically software loaded remotely by SR onto the gizmo without my ever having to do anything, which enables the hardware (gizmo) to perform whatever new functions SR is implementing?

And re: the new firmware, from what I was told my CS recently they're testing a failover system, so I would venture a guess that would be included--if in fact I understand this right and that's how they'd do that.

 

[Megaplay]

Question that my have been answered sorry.
Is it better to port your number at sign up or to get everthing make sure it works then port your number?
Looking to sign up this weekend

 

[astrosfan90]

Originally posted by: Megaplay
Question that my have been answered sorry.
Is it better to port your number at sign up or to get everthing make sure it works then port your number?
Looking to sign up this weekend

I don't know for sure, but I would think it would be just as fast to do it at sign up as later on. Call the customer service line and ask them, they're usually happy to answer questions like that. I've started just calling them up with questions about the service when I have them (and they aren't answered here). They're always happy to explain it to me.

Keep in mind, too, that your current provider has a lot to do with how fast the number port is. SunRocket can file a petition requesting the number right away, but after that it's not in their hands, it's up to the current provider.

Good luck with it, and I'm sure you'll be happy with the service. Let us know how it goes!

 

[GTFan]

Originally posted by: astrosfan90
Thanks for the explanation--let me make sure I got it right:

It's basically software loaded remotely by SR onto the gizmo without my ever having to do anything, which enables the hardware (gizmo) to perform whatever new functions SR is implementing?

And re: the new firmware, from what I was told my CS recently they're testing a failover system, so I would venture a guess that would be included--if in fact I understand this right and that's how they'd do that.

Yes, firmware is just software that runs on a device, such as DVD players, home network routers, VOIP gizmo's, etc. to enable that device to do its job. Most folks don't even know what it does or care because it's built to be reliable (mostly) and not updated often for most devices. SR loads new firmware to enable new features or fix problems in the gizmo. They probably get all their new firmware code from the gizmo manufacturer, Telco Systems, and push it out as needed without changing any of it.

Someone on dslreports mentioned that the failover issue cannot be fixed with new gizmo firmware since it has something to do with how SR's VOIP servers handle calls and registration with the gizmo, but we'll have to see.

 

[SLEEPER5555]

ok my gizmo doesnt have an area for these settings, there is no sip or codecs tab. WTF!

Originally posted by: georgepa
gibster-

The bottom post in this thread gives the gizmo tweaks that for some make faxing more reliable. I have had no issues with my older HP Laserjet 3150 All-In-One but I implemented the exact same tweak on a Brother Intellifax that was more or less "hit or miss" and it works well now. Try the gizmo tweaks and, if you could, let us know here how you fared with it. Keep in mind this works only if you have expanded access to the gizmo, not the "Welcome" screen.


http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,14031947

I'll just quote the appropriate section here so others (who kept expanded gizmo access) interested in tweaking for their faxes may benefit:



_____________________________________________________________
The settings that I saw(before the password change) that were modified by SR upper level tech support that made faxing work were:

Sip tab:
Uncheck T38 fax support

Codecs tab:
Turn silent suppression on for all codecs
Use fixed jitter buffer at 80 ms

On your fax machine:
Disable error correction mode(SR actually told me to turn on error correction and it did work. I turned it off to test if it would work without error correction. It did and was much faster without the error correction)

Reboot gizmo after changes!

This is what was done to correct my faxing issues....each fax and SR line is an individual and the results may vary.

My setup:

Linksys cable modem w/Charter HSI(3/256)>Gizmo>Router
Gizmo Line 1 to HP 7210xi all in one fax machine line in
Fax machine Line out to Panasonic 2.4 Ghz wireless expandable phone system w/8 stations

Fax number is set to double ring and fax machine is setup to answer double rings on the first ring.
_________________________________________________________________________

The posters "erikw2" and "mph300" had SR customer service perform these tweaks for them, but since mph300 noted and reported the changes you could go in there and make the changes yourself to avoid waiting. From previous posts, however, I understand that erikw2 simply called CS (Level 1) and someone performed the fax tweaks for him right on the spot without the need to open a ticket for upper level techs, so if you are uncomfortable making changes to your gizmo setup you may want to try that route.

 

[georgepa]

sleeper-


Keep in mind this works only if you have expanded access to the gizmo, not the "Welcome" screen.

 

[georgepa]

sleeper-

So, if you don't have expanded access like some of us do you need to call SR's customer service and tell them to make the changes for improved faxing.


astrofan-

That sounds like great news. If they are "testing a failover system" that means they may be done with the fix and are testing it to make sure it works for all. I hope it is on a simulring basis because I could really use that added functionality during 99.9999% of the time when failover is not really needed.

 

[Robor]

Originally posted by: laketrout

Originally posted by: Robor
When I called national support earlier there was a message about the outage. Apparently the outage is over because I rebooted the Gizmo and my incoming calls work but still no CallerID.

Did you actually talk to someone about the caller ID or does it just not work? How does the outage alert work. If anyone calls they get to hear all outages or was that ocne you spoke to someone? They are supposed to be on the website too I believe.

ps - georgepa, would love to hear about the firmware upgrade if you get nay info.

I spoke to someone about the CallerID issue. It still isn't working right. Some calls are ID'ed but most are "Outside Call". On top of that, my own CallerID when I call others comes up as "Out of Area".

As far as hooking up my SunRocket - open box to working was about 10 minutes. I had zero problems dialing out or dialing in on my SunRocket line right away. It's been since my number was ported over that the CallerID issue started.

 

[Robor]

Quick question - can I log into my Gizmo and do any sort of management or check settings/firmware version? If i connect to it via a browser it says...

"This unit is password protected

Please enter the correct password to access the web pages"

EDIT: I should mention that I did try using "welcome" and failed to get in.

EDIT2: Okay, I learned that I need to be plugged directly into the LAN port of the Gizmo to access the management page. Haven't tried it yet but will later.

Another thing I noticed is if I am on a call and do a 3-way call I can not disconnect the 3 way caller with the flash button. Say I hit their answering machine and don't feel like leaving a message - if I want to disconnect them I have to hangup completely and call my original call back. I thought just hitting the flash button would disconnect the 3rd line but it doesn't. I found this out after my brother picked up and asked why my friend and I were having a conversation on his answering machine! Is it that way for everyone else?

BTW - I was on the phone with Sunrocket support and must say that I'm impressed. Number one, they noticed that I had a ticket open and apologized for not getting back to me earlier. Number two, they didn't blow off any of my questions and found solutions/answers or said they would research the issue and call back. Number three, at no point did I feel like I was being rushed. Impressive!

 

[SLEEPER5555]

and how does one get this "extended access"

 

[boggsie]

<-- asleep at the wheel

 

[astrosfan90]

Originally posted by: RoborBTW - I was on the phone with Sunrocket support and must say that I'm impressed. Number one, they noticed that I had a ticket open and apologized for not getting back to me earlier. Number two, they didn't blow off any of my questions and found solutions/answers or said they would research the issue and call back. Number three, at no point did I feel like I was being rushed. Impressive!

Yeah, CS is where I think SunRocket really shines. One other thing about them that stood out to me is that I never feel like the CS rep is reading off of a sheet of paper to me. A lot of other companies have pre-prepared things their reps read (most noticeable when you have to speak with their reps multiple times and hear the exact same things over and over), but with SR I've never felt like that was the case.

I'll defer to others on your questions, as I'm not really sure. For the 3-way calling issue for sure you could probably get a better answer from CS than any of us here, by the way.

 

[agrall]

Has anyone switched to SunRocket from Vonage? Do they both have similar feature sets?

I have been very happy with Vonage, but SunRocket is a little cheaper - You get 2 free phones and an extra phone number...

 

[FoBoT]

i got my gizmo today

i plugged it up in about 10 minutes. would have been 2 , but i had to setup a static ip and DMZ for it

my wife got my mother in law to call on our "signature" atlanta phone number (local call for her) and she had a good first call. she didn't complain at all, said it was just like a real phone.

we only got monthly for now, i want my wife to test it before i pay for a whole year. we have only had our WISP setup for a couple weeks and i am concerned about dropped packets and general quality of service

p.s. incoming calls for both numbers worked immediately

 

[imported_fatman]

Originally posted by: SLEEPER5555
and how does one get this "extended access"

check very bottom of page 49, posted by ravenmagneto, he explained the details of how. At least I got that "admin access" by his post.

If you still have question about it, PM me and I have a small html file can do the same thing, so you don't need to setup a cgi server...

 

[SLEEPER5555]

there is no page 49 i am currently on page 14 as i have 100 posts per page. thanks for trying though but maybe you can clarify

 

[boggsie]

Originally posted by: SLEEPER5555
there is no page 49 i am currently on page 14 as i have 100 posts per page. thanks for trying though but maybe you can clarify

Originally posted by: ravenmagneto
If sunrocket changed your superuser password and the password previously listed does not work simple use this page hack I made to get in.

CGI Script Source:
http://zefie.com/files/sunrocket.txt

You will need to put this on your own hosting and rename it to .cgi

Technical explaination:
AC-211 Config file sets the password in the form of a CRC16. on your Gizmo login page, the test you type is converted to CRC16 then matched against the CRC16 in the gizmo. If it matchs you get in.

What my script does:
Downloads SunRocket General CFG file to read latest password, and bypasses the CRC16 hash just you can directly send the CRC16 to the gizmo. To get SuperUser access to your gizmo, just go to the page, and if the password is filled out already, verify your Gizmo is the IP listed and login

 

[georgepa]

FoBot-

I hope you used the code to bring monthly cost down to $19.95 and gives you the 2 free phones.

Paying yearly is no big deal. They give you a prorated refund if you don't like it and have to cancel for any reason, you still get to keep the 2 free phones.



agrall-

There is a huge price gap between Vonage and Sunrocket. Generally speaking Sunrocket's feature set is also better than Vonage's.

In direct comparison with SR Vonage has a lot of the same distinctions and features. I'll touch briefly on the things that are close to the same:

Customer Service: Vonage's is said not to be great, SRs is a little slow at times due to growing pains. Probably a tie.

Similar Features: Voice quality pretty much the same due to same voice codec used (g.711u); "Click to Call" via Contact List; Caller ID with name; 3-way Calling; Call Transfer; Call Forwarding; Call Return.

The differences:

Money:

If you choose Sunrocket's economical Unlimited US and Canada for $199 per year plan the monthly cost works out to $16.58. There are no taxes or fees added to that base price. If you choose to cancel for any reason you receive a prorated refund. Vonage's rate is $24.95 plus additional fees of $3.15 for a total of $28.10, almost $12.00 more.

More about money: SR includes a $3 "allowance" in international phone calls, Vonage does not. If you happen to place international calls your savings with SR over Vonage become greater.

More about money: SR includes 2 free 411 calls per month, thereafter it is $0.75 per call. Vonage charges $0.99 per 411 call starting from the first one. A savings of at least $2 per month if you use the 2 free 411 calls with SR.

More about money: SR includes a "Signature line" with the basic service free of charge. You get a second phone number to use as you please. It could be the number for a family member, you could use it as a fax number or you could assign it as an ANYWHERE number (set up this number in an area code you have friends, family or clients and allow them to call you dialing a local number.) Vonage charges $4.95 plus $1.50 phone number charge per month for that signature line. SRs signature line comes with its own voicemail box, Vonage's signature line is just another incoming line without voicemail box. Want to change the signature number from one area code to the next as your family moves or your needs change? SR does it for free, Vonage charges $9.99 plus tax.

More about money: With SR you get a free 2-phone set (Uniden) which is a cordless speakerphone system. Value is about $70. The phone system is yours to keep, whether you decide to keep the service or not. Vonage does not yet give phones away.

More about money: SR has no activation fees, no shipping cost, no setup fees and no cancellation fees. In contrast Vonage has a $29.99 activation fee, a $39.99 cancellation fee, $9.99 shipping cost.

Features pro and con:

Vonage's basic feature list includes a few items that I wish Sunrocket had:

1. Busy Redialing - You get a busy signal, hit #5 and your phone will ring you back once the busy number has been reached by the system.

2. Forwarded numbers can be rung simulataneously. SR has sequential forwarding, so if someone calls your home number and the phone rings a set number of times it then rings on the next number listed (say, your cell) then the next number. A lot of rings go by before you may become aware that someone is trying to reach you. With Simulring you can have a few numbers ring simultaneously.

SR has a few features that Vonage does not:

1. True E-911. Vonage is trying to switch to E-911 but currently offers a third-party 911 service.

2. Better voicemail notification - When new voicemail comes in SR can be set up to notify via e-mail and cell phone, and also via IM (Yahoo, AOL, MSN, ICQ,) pager and SMS.

3. Second signature number with its own mailbox included.

4. Signature Message Screener - Screen messages coming into your home from any computer (even at work) and, if desired, intercept the call by forwarding it to any number before the person leaving a message hangs up.

5. Call Blocking - With SR you can selectively block calls from numbers you define. A long requested feature for Vonage.

6. DND/Selective Forwarding - You can set SR to Do Not Disturb and get no calls, or set it to call people from your "VIP" or "Family" groups only.

7. Contact Lists - Define speed dials from your contacts and simply dial "*01" from your phone

8. Anonymous Call Rejection - Get rid of those anonymous calls you get on your phone.


Vonage does offer softphone support at an additional cost of $4.95, Sunrocket has apparent plans for future inclusion of this additional product as well as 7-digit dialing support and a low-cost or free "true" second line off the same ATA adapter.

 

[agrall]

Originally posted by: georgepa
FoBot-

I hope you used the code to bring monthly cost down to $19.95 and gives you the 2 free phones.

Paying yearly is no big deal. They give you a prorated refund if you don't like it and have to cancel for any reason, you still get to keep the 2 free phones.



agrall-

There is a huge price gap between Vonage and Sunrocket. Generally speaking Sunrocket's feature set is also better than Vonage's.

In direct comparison with SR Vonage has a lot of the same distinctions and features. I'll touch briefly on the things that are close to the same:

Customer Service: Vonage's is said not to be great, SRs is a little slow at times due to growing pains. Probably a tie.

Similar Features: Voice quality pretty much the same due to same voice codec used (g.711u); "Click to Call" via Contact List; Caller ID with name; 3-way Calling; Call Transfer; Call Forwarding; Call Return.

The differences:

Money:

If you choose Sunrocket's economical Unlimited US and Canada for $199 per year plan the monthly cost works out to $16.58. There are no taxes or fees added to that base price. If you choose to cancel for any reason you receive a prorated refund. Vonage's rate is $24.95 plus additional fees of $3.15 for a total of $28.10, almost $12.00 more.

More about money: SR includes a $3 "allowance" in international phone calls, Vonage does not. If you happen to place international calls your savings with SR over Vonage become greater.

More about money: SR includes 2 free 411 calls per month, thereafter it is $0.75 per call. Vonage charges $0.99 per 411 call starting from the first one. A savings of at least $2 per month if you use the 2 free 411 calls with SR.

More about money: SR includes a "Signature line" with the basic service free of charge. You get a second phone number to use as you please. It could be the number for a family member, you could use it as a fax number or you could assign it as an ANYWHERE number (set up this number in an area code you have friends, family or clients and allow them to call you dialing a local number.) Vonage charges $4.95 plus $1.50 phone number charge per month for that signature line. SRs signature line comes with its own voicemail box, Vonage's signature line is just another incoming line without voicemail box. Want to change the signature number from one area code to the next as your family moves or your needs change? SR does it for free, Vonage charges $9.99 plus tax.

More about money: With SR you get a free 2-phone set (Uniden) which is a cordless speakerphone system. Value is about $70. The phone system is yours to keep, whether you decide to keep the service or not. Vonage does not yet give phones away.

More about money: SR has no activation fees, no shipping cost, no setup fees and no cancellation fees. In contrast Vonage has a $29.99 activation fee, a $39.99 cancellation fee, $9.99 shipping cost.

Features pro and con:

Vonage's basic feature list includes a few items that I wish Sunrocket had:

1. Busy Redialing - You get a busy signal, hit #5 and your phone will ring you back once the busy number has been reached by the system.

2. Forwarded numbers can be rung simulataneously. SR has sequential forwarding, so if someone calls your home number and the phone rings a set number of times it then rings on the next number listed (say, your cell) then the next number. A lot of rings go by before you may become aware that someone is trying to reach you. With Simulring you can have a few numbers ring simultaneously.

SR has a few features that Vonage does not:

1. True E-911. Vonage is trying to switch to E-911 but currently offers a third-party 911 service.

2. Better voicemail notification - When new voicemail comes in SR can be set up to notify via e-mail and cell phone, and also via IM (Yahoo, AOL, MSN, ICQ,) pager and SMS.

3. Second signature number with its own mailbox included.

4. Signature Message Screener - Screen messages coming into your home from any computer (even at work) and, if desired, intercept the call by forwarding it to any number before the person leaving a message hangs up.

5. Call Blocking - With SR you can selectively block calls from numbers you define. A long requested feature for Vonage.

6. DND/Selective Forwarding - You can set SR to Do Not Disturb and get no calls, or set it to call people from your "VIP" or "Family" groups only.

7. Contact Lists - Define speed dials from your contacts and simply dial "*01" from your phone

8. Anonymous Call Rejection - Get rid of those anonymous calls you get on your phone.


Vonage does offer softphone support at an additional cost of $4.95, Sunrocket has apparent plans for future inclusion of this additional product as well as 7-digit dialing support and a low-cost or free "true" second line off the same ATA adapter.

Thanks for the tips... Sounds like it might be worth a try, although I did not know that Vonage had a cancellation fee.

Where might one find the code to make the monthly payment $19.95? I might like to try it monthly for a couple of months before I pay the annual fee.