 Review by palbri 
UPDATED: 1.5 years ago
member for 9 years, 2997 visits, last login: a few hours ago
 Bristol,Addison,VT
 $30 per month
 about 2 days
 "Pricing, voice quality, convenience"
 "service lacks some features"
 "A good value if you want to save money!"
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Ease of Installation:
Call Quality:
Reliability:
Tech Support:
Value for money:
(ratings match consensus)
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UPDATE AS OF 5/11/08:
Continue to use Vonage and am very pleased. Works well with cable (original review was with DSL), especially at 2 MB upload speed.
I love the extra features, especially those you can't get with Comcast (the VIRTUAL number feature is the best and I need it for international friends).
I have noticed as of late, web surfing slows down if I am simultaneously using the phone and this has not occurred before. Have not pursued but not a big issue.
In summary, I am not a phone hog and Vonage suits my needs perfectly at a good price. Great value. I haven't called tech support in 2+ years!
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UPDATE as of 12/5/05;
Permanent move to new state with DSL (though that will change to cable in the next few months) has been completed.
Set up was a breeze with DSL and a wireless router (5-10minutes). Calls have been working well, even on DSL Internet profile of 1500/288. I would prefer a higher upload but beggars can't be choosers, until the cable installation is complete. However, I did use the Vonage bandwidth saver function to reduce the amount of bandwidth. Voice quality is still decent. Surfing the web while talking on the phone has not presented any problems...yet.
I am not a big phone person and do not spend inordinate amounts of time talking on the phone, so Vonage has been GREAT for me.
I have no complaints and would recommend the service to anyone.
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UPDATE as of 9/27/05:
It has been 11 months since I have signed up with Vonage.
Everything has been great, call quality has been good and I have NOT had one problem. In fact, my router setup is located at another residence in another state and I haven't lost a connection or service! A risky way to monitor, but it hasn't gone down (and Comcast can be commended for that as well!)
Billing is simple and easy.
I couldn't be happier!
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UPDATE as of 02/19/05:
It has now been 4 months since I have signed up with Vonage and I am VERY happy to report that the service is GREAT!
Phone quality has been quite good and I have had no major technical problems except for an "occasional choppy call" and only 2 documented disconnects while surfing. Moreover, since the Comcast upgrade to 4/384, Vonage has been working flawlessly and those issues have not resurfaced...yet!
In fact, my Linksys router is indicating a new firmware upgrade was received the other day and the router has never presented any problems.
I have not made one call to customer service since the installation and I think that says something for the product [although I am hearing horror stories about customer service, let it be known Vonage is currently hiring and is currenty training a few hundred more service people!]. True, I do keep my system "tweaked" and occasionally reboot the Linksys and modem which I think helps tremendously.
All in all, Vonage is working they way it was intended and I wholeheartedly recommend this system! It is definitely saving me money while providing good good quality.
I am one happy customer. 
UPDATE as of 12/30/2004;
It has now been 2 months since my general introduction to VOIP in general, and Vonage in particular.
I must say I am quite happy with the Basic 500 + Virtual number plan. I am not a phone gabber by any means, so the plan is perfect for me. I have quantified that I am saving 35$ per month over my combined prior local Verizon features/calling plan and Capsule Communications long distance plan. I did *not* port my original number (having accepted a new number) and am still realizing savings with the $15 Verizon basic monthly connection fee (my old phone is still connected but shoved in an out-of-the-way corner!).
Technically, the service has been great and I only notice a few hiccups: staccato conversations that occur while surfing on the Web (although Comcast will be upgrading their speeds in Jan 2005), "occasional" periods of delay during conversation, and one instance where someone could not leave a voice mail message. For the most part, voice quality is very acceptable and I love the call forwarding feature to my cellphone. The virtual number has been a gift to my Canadian friends!!!
Morevoer, billing is very dry and clear cut. Quite simple and to the point.
I am one happy customer and I have no complaints at this point and will report back once Comcast initiates the 4/384 upgrade sometime in January '05!
UPDATE as of 11/272004:
I now have had Vonage for one month. I originally chose the 500 minute plan and so far I have not gone over and it seems to be the plan that works best for me.
I also chose a virtual number which has come in quite handy for those who need it. Including taxes and the virutal number charge, my monthly rate is @$25/month, which is a very health savings over my previous Verizon subscription and stand alone long distance plan. My estimated monthly savings have been in the $30-$35 range.
Call quality has been good and acceptable, but I wouldn't call it stellar. I do have occassional problems where some calls (using the Virtual number and local number) are a bit choppy. However, it is not the rule. Moreover, I do notice some call quality degradation while surfing the Internet and talking on the phone. Call quality sometimes degrades either during uploads or downloads. It appears people can't hear me while speaking, but I can hear them.
Sometimes when I initiate a call, the phone will continue to ring (on my end) to the receiving party, but the receiving party indicates it had been picked up and they hear silence.
CallerID works the majority of the time, but not always.
I would say that Vonage is a good performer if you want to save a bit of mony and can put up with a few quirks. Call quality is acceptable, but I don't think it is total replacement option for a POTS line, which at this point, still has superior call quality. I will continue to hang on to my POTS line and NOT port the original number.
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After reading numerous reviews and critiques, I opted for Vonage. My original choice was for AT&T Call Vantage, but AT&T does not offer Canadian Virtual numbers.
Vonage on-line sign-up was a snap and I received the Telephone Adaptor within 2 days.
Installation was easy despite one minor snafu: Comcast had me behind a "wall garden" and after an easy phone call to them, it was corrected and my phone was instantly recognized.
Call quality has been excellent and features work as promised, though I would probably enjoy the added features of AT&*T CallVantage. The Virtual Number is a great benefit.
I did not port my original telephone number, having opted to maintain a land line at the minimal charge but am still saving money overall.
I will update this review as time progresses and usage increases.
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