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Subject: Vonage
Posted by: sarge33rd
- [2511422414] Mon, Feb 27, 2006, 20:52
Also posted the query on the poli-board...
Anybody here have 1st hand experience with it? Cable provider here in Killeen, isnt upto speed yet with their digital phone svc which we had in Austin. Looks to me like same-same but $10/mnth less. |
| 1 | RecycledSpinalFluid
Dude
ID: 204401122
Mon, Feb 27, 2006, 21:28
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My brother, my parents and a couple of co-workers (in other states) have it as primary lines. I haven't heard many complaints nor notice any differences in the call qualities.
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| 2 | sarge33rd
ID: 2511422414
Mon, Feb 27, 2006, 21:53
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thx RFS. Thats exactly what I was wondering about.
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| 3 | WiddleAvi
ID: 208422513
Mon, Feb 27, 2006, 22:40
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I have it and for the most part no problems. If I am downloading at high speeds my wife complains that no one hears her so I try and limit large downloads to late night.
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| 4 | sarge33rd
ID: 2511422414
Mon, Feb 27, 2006, 23:12
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ok, that doesnt pose a hassle for us, since we dont DL diddly squat.
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| 5 | katietx
ID: 5615158
Mon, Feb 27, 2006, 23:32
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To be a bit more specific about the phone thing - we have Windows XP Media edition. Use it just like a DVR, recording TV shows. So, I'm wondering if that would be considered a "large" download and if it would interfere with phone service. We do have a cell phone, but Vonage would be a LOT cheaper.
Also, sarge plays games online (Guild Wars specifically) - would that interefere as well?
TIA
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| 6 | WiddleAvi
ID: 248361620
Tue, Feb 28, 2006, 08:27
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I don't really play games online but if I am downloading music or videos then my wife says that when she is on the phone people tell her they can't hear her. I don't think it's the download size but more the download speed. But if it's a small file it take 10-30 seconds to download. If I downloading a large file at high speeds then we are talkin hours. I really don't know what kind of bandwidth the DVR or online gaming takes up but when I am downloading it's going at 100-200k per second and that causes issues.
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| 7 | sarge33rd
ID: 2511422414
Tue, Feb 28, 2006, 10:53
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I dont think the gaming aspect will be an issue. I do have a few concerns though if we're using the pc as our DVR. I'm thinking that streaming viseo/audio requires substantial bandwidth, which would restrict what would be left for the phone. May have to just give it a try and see what happens. *shrug*
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| 8 | Guru
ID: 501282712
Tue, Feb 28, 2006, 11:52
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You might want to wait to see how stable your internet connection is. Sometimes, it takes awhile to get the weak spots out of a cable modem connection.
Frankly, I'd never want my phone service to be dependent on my cable internet connection. Although my cable connection has been rock solid for the past several years, we do occasionally have power outages related to storms. At those times, our normal phone service is usually still working, and I can use my (battery powered) laptop to get dial-up access at those times. If phone service is dependent on a computer connection, then I'd lose phone service everytime I lost either electric service or cable servce.
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| 9 | Boxman
ID: 6122413
Tue, Feb 28, 2006, 12:34
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I had heard they have issues with 911 calls. Something along the lines of not being able to trace the call back where it came from. This info is a year or so old, hopefully things are different.
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| 10 | sarge33rd
ID: 2511422414
Tue, Feb 28, 2006, 13:49
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We thought about that in Austin, and still used the cable providers phone svc. At $35/m with unlimited long distance free and my family living in Iowa...there was tremendous appeal there. Yes, we lost out i-net a cple times but nothing too severe. And if storms here knocked that out, it would most likely also knock out our electricity. Since we have electric heat...we'd be staying elsewhere in those circumstances anyway.
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| 11 | katietx
ID: 5615158
Tue, Feb 28, 2006, 21:41
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We have a back-up cell phone for that reason as well. In Austin, Time Warner didn't have issues with 911 service (in that 911 could trace to your addresss), however I don't think that will hold true with Vonage.
Still thinking.
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| 12 | sarge33rd
ID: 2511422414
Thu, Mar 16, 2006, 11:11
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ordered the Vonage. Its up and running. Some really nice features to it too.
"Clic-2-Call"...You can click on nrs in your online phonebook, and the phone will dial it for you. If you have a list of nrs to a group (for ex a Gardening Club), you can highlist the list, and it pulls the nrs out to a drop down so you can sequentially call whomever.
Call Log--Online log of every inbound and outbound call, along with caller ID.
Caller Network Nr--If the cable goes out, inbound calls are automatically routed to this alternate nr you provide. (ie cell phone)
Setup took about 10 minutes. Pretty simple stuff. Will post again in about a month, to "review" the call/voice quality.
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| 13 | Perm Dude
Dude
ID: 030792616
Thu, Mar 16, 2006, 11:17
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So I'm not going to have you drop out while you are walking around your backyard?
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| 14 | Boxman
ID: 29245910
Thu, Mar 16, 2006, 13:09
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Sarge: I'm considering this so I'd like to ask you some questions.
Is Vonage able to trace back 911 calls?
Have you noticed any internet speed issues since you setup Vonage either during regular surfing or downloading? If I were to play a game online and my wife is on the phone, will there be lag?
How does this work with an answering machine?
What were the total startup costs and then the monthly dollar figure saved? My phone bill averages $45 per month. Is it worth it?
Thanks.
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| 15 | sarge33rd
ID: 2511422414
Thu, Mar 16, 2006, 14:20
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lol PD....no, I wont be dropping out like my damnable cell was.
Box...when you order your Vonage, you can activate e911. (extended service 911) Thats what I did. This means that providing your area 911 call center is able to record caller address, the system will report your address. Vonage advises that some areas have their 911 calls routed to call centers lacking this capability. In that event, the caller would have to still provide their address.
My startup was 149 plus 25 so 174. That included 2 cordless-phones with recharging stands, the 1st mnonths service and the Vonage phone modem (for lack of a better term.) This provides unlimited local and LD to North American telephone numbers. (24.99/month IIRC)
Connection was simple. Unplugged my cable modem from the pc, plugged the Vonage modem into the pc and then connected that to the cable modem. Plugged the power cable backin on the cable modem, plugged the power cable in for the Vonage modem...and boom. Done. (We only have the 1pc so there is/was no router. The written instructions provided by Vonage, are top flight and clear. They include the connection process for w/router and wo/router.)
As to your other questions...I dont know yet. Will have to give it a little time, and see if there are any issues.
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| 16 | sarge33rd
ID: 2511422414
Thu, Mar 16, 2006, 17:36
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drop me an email Boxman
sarge33rd@hotmail.com
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| 17 | Boxman
ID: 56218155
Fri, Mar 17, 2006, 07:31
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Sent.
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| 18 | Unemployed
ID: 59245230
Sun, Mar 26, 2006, 01:14
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"How does this work with an answering machine?"
Since the Vonage phone modem essentially replaces your telephone jack, you plug in an answering machine in the exact same way you do now. However, I find the included voice mail way better than an answering machine. There is a nice feature that you can enable that will send all of your voice mails as audio files to an email address of your choice. Once someone leaves a voicemail, an e-mail shows up in my Outlook and I can listen to it off my laptop without calling a number. Also, they are all saved in my Outlook so I can search for messages from long ago.
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| 19 | sarge33rd
ID: 2511422414
Sun, Mar 26, 2006, 09:37
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Indeed Unemployed. I find that the website stores/logs all incoming/outbound calls, and includes voicemail as soundfiles. All I do when I see my green light blinking on the vonage modem, is sign-in, click and listen to the message. IOW, there is no need for an answering machine as the prodcut includes web-recorded/stored voicemail.
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