VoIP Questions?

[ricoba]

I don't want to get a land line in our Vegas house, but I'd like a traditional phone, with a 702 area code instead of using my cell phone (area code 310).

I have tried to research Voice over Internet Phones, but I am confused. Most of the companies I have never heard of though the rates of $5 to $10 per month look good on paper. This is the review page I found (but not sure it's a reliable source).

I have heard of Vonage, but it's rates are about the same as a basic land line provider. Plus I have read it's hard to get out of the contract. I am also aware of Magic Jack, but the reviews seem to be really mixed about call quality etc.

Ooma, seems expensive to start up since you have to buy a $200+ box.

What I want is clear call reception and a cheap monthly plan, I don't need a lot of extras, but I see most plans have lots of extras added in, so that is OK.

Any suggestions, advice or help would be appreciated.

TIA

 

[ace2000]

Have you checked with your internet provider? Chances are they'll have the best quality. We use MagicJack and love it, especially for the price.

 

[kherbold]

voip.. magicjack

Magicjack ..... the only way to go

karl

I don't want to get a land line in our Vegas house, but I'd like a traditional phone, with a 702 area code instead of using my cell phone (area code 310).

I have tried to research Voice over Internet Phones, but I am confused. Most of the companies I have never heard of though the rates of $5 to $10 per month look good on paper. This is the review page I found (but not sure it's a reliable source).

I have heard of Vonage, but it's rates are about the same as a basic land line provider. Plus I have read it's hard to get out of the contract. I am also aware of Magic Jack, but the reviews seem to be really mixed about call quality etc.

Ooma, seems expensive to start up since you have to buy a $200+ box.

What I want is clear call reception and a cheap monthly plan, I don't need a lot of extras, but I see most plans have lots of extras added in, so that is OK.

Any suggestions, advice or help would be appreciated.

TIA

 

[ricoba]

Have you checked with your internet provider? Chances are they'll have the best quality. We use MagicJack and love it, especially for the price.

Yes, it's COX cable and they have an intro rate of $10 for three months then it goes up to $34 per month for premier and $20 for basic. So all the VoIP providers on the page I supplied can beat that rate. I just want to know if anyone uses them or what are the options.

RE: Magic Jack, the reviews really seemed to be mixed, some like yours are great and others are really bad??????

 

[ace2000]

Yes, it's COX cable and they have an intro rate of $10 for three months then it goes up to $34 per month for premier and $20 for basic. So all the VoIP providers on the page I supplied can beat that rate. I just want to know if anyone uses them or what are the options.

RE: Magic Jack, the reviews really seemed to be mixed, some like yours are great and others are really bad??????

Don't know the difference with the premier, but $20/mo is not bad for a non-magic jack solution. Also, magic jack is so cheap, it wouldn't hurt to try it out.

 

[ampaholic]

Another vote for ...

MagicJack - once you get used to dialing the full 10 digit number it is great. good call quality, few failed connects and the voice mail is sent to you as an email attachment.

I am really getting fond of the voice mail as email - and MagicJack is great for previewing calls if you are online it pops right up on your screen.

 

[JulieAB]

Tried magic jack and didn't like to have it tied to my laptop all the time. Also dropped calls, though portability is nice.

We got ooma but I think it was $120 or something about 2 years ago. I have an older white unit, so no monthly fee. I see random deals on them, check slickdeals.net and fry's electronics, even ebay.

Of course, this is assuming you'll be paying for broadband at your house too?

 

[vacation.memories]

Tried magic jack and didn't like to have it tied to my laptop all the time. Also dropped calls, though portability is nice.

They've got a solution for this now that does not need a computer. No computer necessary and still at a great price.

I don't think anyone is going to argue that magic jack is going to win a quality contest, it's just a great product for the price.

 

[Ken555]

Ooma, seems expensive to start up since you have to buy a $200+ box.

What I want is clear call reception and a cheap monthly plan, I don't need a lot of extras, but I see most plans have lots of extras added in, so that is OK.

Any suggestions, advice or help would be appreciated.

TIA

Costco and Amazon sell Ooma, last time I checked I think Costco had it (at a store) for only $150. You only pay taxes on the line on a monthly basis, and the line works until the box itself no longer functions. They sell premium services such as a second line, cheap international calling, etc - but you don't need any of that. I have an Ooma line which works great and costs me ~$3.50 per month in taxes. It's also portable, as it simply needs an Ethernet connection (don't expect VoIP systems to always work in hotels/timeshares, though).

Many VoIP providers sell for $10-25/mth with unlimited calling (which Ooma includes), so depending on which other you are considering Ooma can easily pay for itself fairly quickly.

 

[timeos2]

We moved to a cable based (TimeWarner) VOIP solution about 5 years ago. It was great - lower cost than traditional line & fully featured with voicemail, call forward, etc. It got to about $35/month or what a land line would have cost.

I happened to be in the Verizon store - I love looking at the various smart phones & plans - and saw a strange standalone box that said something about home phone. I took a chance as I wasn't previously aware of that option - and ported our 35+ year old landline number that everyone we know or want to deal with has to the Verizon unit.

It uses the cell network for your "landline" calls. Has all the features of VOIP / bundles but only cost $20/month as a new line OR you can add it to your existing cell plan for $9.99/month.

It has been great. It even comes with battery backup so if the power goes out - unlike the cable bundle IP solution - it still works! It was so good we ended up changing our business line over as well. The only limitations seem to be no fax use & it may not get along with a security system (you have to check on that). But it has been extremely reliable, inexpensive and I'm glad I came across it. See if your area Verizon offers it.

 

[wackymother]

There's also Obi. A bunch of people have recommended that one to me. The only downside of VoiP is that some of these units do not provide Enhanced 911 calling.

Here's what the FCC has to say about that:
http://www.fcc.gov/guides/voip-and-911-service

I think Magic Jack and Obi do not have Enhanced 911, and Ooma does, which is why I'm planning to get Ooma over one of the others. If you have children or elderly people in the house, or if you need quick access to emergency services (and who doesn't?), this is something to consider.

 

[capjak]

Have Magic Jack for 1.5 years works great.

 

[wfillion]

Another thumbs up for Magic Jack. Was $40 for first year and $15 per year (for 5 years) after that. I also like getting my calls as wav files in email.

 

[bogey21]

......... $15 per year (for 5 years) after that.

I have been 100% cell phone for over 10 years now and if I wasn't on the go so much, I'd probably jump at $15 per year!!

George

 

[Bucky]

I've used Vonage for many years now with basically no problems. I pay $17.01 per month for the 300 minute plan. More than enough for us.

 

[ricoba]

Thanks for your replies.

I think that right at this point the Ooma may be what I am looking for. The outlay upfront is $199 on Amazon, but I didn't realize that once you get the device it's basically free.

How about the other smaller VoIP providers listed in the link I used, like phone.com or ring central etc? Anyone use one of those? They seem to be the same as Ooma but without the big outlay of cash...just curious, cuz sometimes I think these "review sites" are nothing more than direct marketing sites.

 

[gomike]

get an ooma, cant believe people still pay for vonage when ooma is free

 

[dioxide45]

get an ooma, cant believe people still pay for vonage when ooma is free

Ooma isn't really free, you have to pay for the Telo equipment up front. Got an e-mail or something today as my wife said that Costco is currently selling the Telo for $149.99. So that is better than what we paid for a couple years ago. I think we paid $199, but the going rate was $249.

You can pay a monthly fee of $9.99 for Premier (which we do) that gives a number of other features; calls to Canada included, free minutes on the mobile app (which doesn't work for us at the moment ), blacklist features, a second number. The blacklist feature is well worth the $10 a month. There is also a monthly tax of something like $3.25 that we now have to pay. This is the same fees that are charged on other land based systems.

We do love Ooma except for the currently non functional iPhone app.

 

[JulieAB]

That's why I got one of the refurbs, old white one. No taxes! I have paid nothing for 2 years. :whoopie:

 

[Timeshare Von]

We love our Magic Jack. We have even taken and used in during our recent trip to Ireland. It works great!

 

[Ken555]

That's why I got one of the refurbs, old white one. No taxes! I have paid nothing for 2 years. :whoopie:

Ooma collects taxes on every account based on your locale. Or are you referring to something else?

 

[Ken555]

get an ooma, cant believe people still pay for vonage when ooma is free

+1

If you have Vonage, consider switching to Ooma. You'll get more for much less, once you figure out how much you're saving each month (which, at $18 or $25 per month, won't take long to do).

My Ooma, which admittedly I don't use much at all, is now just over two years old and working fine. It's no longer in warranty, which means if it breaks I just buy a new one. But I'm only paying a few $$ a month so I figure it's already paid for itself a few times by now, so I won't worry if I need to buy another at some point. Now if I was only able to get rid of my land line I'd be thrilled, which was the original idea, but my alarm company won't support it on Ooma (and I don't really blame them).

 

[Ken555]

Ooma isn't really free, you have to pay for the Telo equipment up front. Got an e-mail or something today as my wife said that Costco is currently selling the Telo for $149.99. So that is better than what we paid for a couple years ago. I think we paid $199, but the going rate was $249.

You can pay a monthly fee of $9.99 for Premier (which we do) that gives a number of other features; calls to Canada included, free minutes on the mobile app (which doesn't work for us at the moment ), blacklist features, a second number. The blacklist feature is well worth the $10 a month. There is also a monthly tax of something like $3.25 that we now have to pay. This is the same fees that are charged on other land based systems.

We do love Ooma except for the currently non functional iPhone app.

You might want to look into their annual option for Premier, as I believe it will save you some over the long term, if you paid up front for a year.

I tried their iPhone app when they first released it over a year ago, and it didn't work then, either. I haven't bothered to try it since.

 

[Ken555]

Thanks for your replies.

I think that right at this point the Ooma may be what I am looking for. The outlay upfront is $199 on Amazon, but I didn't realize that once you get the device it's basically free.

How about the other smaller VoIP providers listed in the link I used, like phone.com or ring central etc? Anyone use one of those? They seem to be the same as Ooma but without the big outlay of cash...just curious, cuz sometimes I think these "review sites" are nothing more than direct marketing sites.

Consumer VoIP accounts are, overall, almost the same. I've worked with ring central before for business accounts, and they work well. There are many others that offer excellent service for business accounts, and charge about the same as the consumer options...but you can't just order one line so it won't work for home use only.

I'm an advocate for Ooma because I use it, I've installed several, and they work well. When I've had to call their support, it's about what you should expect...outsourced, a bit of a wait, etc. I think most of these consumer services will have the same type of support. Ooma has a well designed website for managing your account, and their box offers some options as well (such as one click button for listening to voice mail). Some of the better services require VoIP phones, which you'd likely need to buy...Ooma and Vonage and the like allow you to use any phone you want (though you should know VoIP phones typically provide better sound quality).

I'd suggest going to Costco and buying an Ooma and try it. If you don't like it, just take it back. It's that simple.

 

[Beefnot]

Does Ooma transcribe voice mails as text messages? That is admittedly a feature thay I get with vonage that my wife and I dont ever want to be without again. We get emails with the voice mail attached as a .wav file and transcribed in the body of the email. I love being able to read my voice mails.