 Review by Maarvin 
UPDATED: 1.1 years ago
member for 3.5 years, 532 visits, last login: 14 days ago
 Denver,Denver,CO
 $30 per month
 about 9 days
 "Service is acceptable with a reasonable mean time between failures."
 "Quality of service is a blend of Vonage reliability, ISP connectivity and latency, and local power service"
 "Vonage is an excellent service that keeps up with the need for new devices, features, and service."
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(ratings match consensus)
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After nearly three years of service from Vonage I felt that an update to this review was warranted. During this time, my ISP has proven to be reliable enough to maintain sufficient bandwidth, connectivity and latency issues. I occasionally run into bandwith contention if I am uploading a large file when a phone call comes in. The ATA/router operates almost flawlessly month after month. I am quite satisfied. It is a decent device for the money, at least for my purposes. They make occasional updates to the firmware. I leave it on and running 24/7 and it will fail on occasion such as when the ISP is down for service or repair or if Vonage itself is down for service or repair. The E911 function has been called upon once for the most serious of occurences and proved itself to be of value. The 911 service works similarly to your the copper wire equivalent. Name, address, and phone number is displayed to the 911 operators. However, if you change your address you must also remember to update your 911 info on the Vonage website.
I ordered my Vonage service online on December 19, 2004. My credit card was charged $24.99 for the first month service, $29.99 was charged as a one time activation fee, $9.95 shipping charge for the Linksys RT31P2 3-switch wired Broadband Router with 2 built in ATA's, $1.65 was charged as a FET Tax (?), and $1.50 for a Regulatory Recovery Fee (?) all for a total of $68.08 to start up the service. At that time, my account number, my phone number, voicemail access number with temporary pin, and my online Vonage account were created. Due to many complaints regarding the length of time that it took some people to transfer their existing phone number to Vonage I did not request that my the PSTN (QWEST) telephone number be transfered to my Vonage account. Any number would do. There are two area codes in my city, 303 and 720. I found it strange that the 303 exchange would be "Sold Out". I accepted the other.
A UPS tracking number was assigned and a UPS website given so that I could track the progress of my order. I had forgotten that it was the Christmas season. This delayed the arrival by several days. The RT31P2 arrived in a single box 28.5cm X 24cm X 6.5cm. A standard blue/black Linksys device along with an information packet was contained. A Linksys Users Manual, a Quick Installation Guide, a CD-ROM installation disc, a 3' long blue cat5 Ethernet cable, and a Vonage Users guide were included.
I chose to install via the Quick Installation Guide. There was very little to do. I disconnected the Ethernet cable from my computer and connected it to the "Internet" connector on the RT31P2. I used the blue cable sent to me to connect an "Ethernet" port on the RT31P2 to the Ethernet jack on my computer. I applied power and everything came up as expected, the proper lights were on and I had a dial tone.
The setting up of the web-based utility was also quick and simple. My IP address appears to be static, however, my ISP reserves the right to change it at any time without warning. Thus, the DHCP was set to "Obtain an IP Automatically". I double checked this with my ISP and they confirmed that I am connected through a DHCP connection type. At this point there was little left to do, set a password and register the router. Done.
The cable modem as well as the RT31P2 run 24/7. In the last 21 months since I have been using this device it failed once. A weakness developed in the ATA output. The voltage which at specification should be between 60 and 90 Vrms was measured at 30 Vrms. I suspected that the REN capability might have been compromised. This turned out to be the case. I contacted Technical Support at a higher tier level. The ATA output was adjusted to specifications, as we were on the phone, and all has been operating well since.
There is so much criticism of Customer Service/Technical Support of which most of it is unwarranted. Apparently, the initial access to Customer Service is through a person with a script book and the queue can often be as long as 30 minutes I have been told. However, I have never had to wait at all. The use of the online troubleshooting should be tried first before calling customer service. However, a wise method of elimination of minor problems is used first and the more difficult are passed on to a higher level. There is a method whereby you can e-mail a problem to Vonage. They fail miserably at this, there is never an answer within a reasonable period time.
I have personally spoken with Reps on all levels. Problems brought to them that they can't solve instantly do get looked into by an engineer. Things do get fixed, not always as fast as we would like, but fixed nevertheless. If I may suggest, the solution to many problems can be found in the Vonage web site help files, FAQ's and knowledge base files. I read many problems in the forums for which the problem can easily found there. Likewise, one should always read the Terms of Service. You may be able to save some time.
All in all, if you have consistent power in your area and a stable ISP then I would recommended this service to you. If not, you may choose a UPS to provide power and I suggest that you do some testing of your ISP in advance. Feel free to ask me and I will suggest one or two programs. There is also the option of a cellphone or a basic, no frills, PSTN line for a back up. Finally, I love being able to talk to my family back east for hours without extra cost.
One more thing. There is an old addage that goes "You get what you pay for". Qwest will give me almost flawless service, locally, with 3 features for about $38 per month. A long distance carrier must be selected separately with prices ranging from $0.03 to $0.10 per minute for the continental U.S. Vonage gives you slightly poorer service with some 11 regular features. There will be times when the connection will be less than perfect. One way sound, dropped calls, and choppy audio, amongst other maladies, will be experienced by the user. If this is unexceptable to you, VoIP is not for you.
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