Using your Vonage adapter outside the US and Canada

[T_R_Oglodyte]

So I read the exculpatory language in the Terms of Service about using your phone adapter outside the US.

But what's the real story? Does Vonage really care if the IP address your device is communicating from is outside the US and Canada? Do they do anything?

Or is this, as I suspect, just legal language to get absolve themselves of any liability if you're caught by the internet cops in some country that prohibits VoIP?

 

[PStreet1]

Don't know, but I do know use of Vonage is very, very common in Mexico.

 

[boyblue]

Or is this, as I suspect, just legal language to get absolve themselves of any liability if you're caught by the internet cops in some country that prohibits VoIP?

Exactly!

It's common in the Caribbean as well.

 

[riverdees05]

Does anyone have a primer on Vonage? It looks very interestings and am thinking about converting. Any experience among members? Are there the typical taxes, etc. that we see with our land line and cell phones? Can I use the phone in Missouri and in Tennessee, we have two houses now and will have for a few months.

 

[PStreet1]

We've had our Vonage line for over a year now, and it works beautifully. The charge is the same every month, nothing hidden until bill time. We haul it back and forth between houses with us. One nice feature is you get an email anytime there is a message. All you need is a high speed internet access; you don't even have to have a computer at each location--we do, but it isn't necessary.

 

[riverdees05]

I have high speed internet at both locations, is there a second modem for the phone?

 

[Lee B]

You get an adapter box that you plug into your high speed modem, then plug your phone and (optionally) your computer into that box. When the adapter box sees a good internet connection, it makes a dial tone in your phone when you pick it up. Dial 1+area code+number and talk as long as you want.

The most important thing to know is that you will depend on electricity as well as the internet. Regular phones often work when you have a power failure, unless they plug into a power socket too.

You can call any u.s. and Canadian phone number, wherever that number may really be, including mexico etc. My niece has a phone with a KY area code in China.

She uses AT&T. I have Packet 8 in my condo on Maui with a San Jose CA area code. So Vonage isn't the only provider, though they are the biggest advertiser.

 

[T_R_Oglodyte]

When we went to the Sunterra Po`ipu Point resort a couple of weeks ago, I brought along the Vonage adapter and a spare wireless router I've got. The resort has cable modem in the rooms.

I hooked up both the adapter and the router to the cable modem. My business lines are on Vonage, so I had my business phone and fax hooked up and available. My daughter and I then were able to use our laptops via the wireless router.

Worked pretty slick.

 

[fnewman]

I know someone who uses Skype (same technology) to talk to his son in Singapore, so I don't know why it wouldn't work.

 

[Bucky]

One nice feature is you get an email anytime there is a message.

OR, you can set it up in such a way that anytime someone calls your home number it simultaneously rings at another number. I have it set to ring to my cell at the same time it rings at home and I can pick it up at whatever location I want to.

Another feature is that if you lose power or internet access you can set it up to call another number. When we have power outages it just rings on my cell instead. Loaded with great features.

I pay just over $18 a month for 500 minutes anywhere in the US or Canada. Never came close to using the 500 minutes yet.