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Review by uuslc 
UPDATED: 168 days ago
member for 168 days, 35 visits, last login: 56 days ago
 Salt Lake City,Salt Lake,UT
 Contract price not specified.
 about 7 days
 "Quick install, no major hassles, battery works as advertised."
 "Digital Voice site needs an upgrade"
 "If you have TV and Internet, get CDV and round it out."
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I had CDV installed because my TV and Internet promotion is up in 6 months. I figured I'd be switching anyway because I'd want a Triple Play promo when my other promo was out. I was with Qwest here in Salt Lake and figured now was as good of a time as any.
The install was smooth. I thought he's go out the back of my house and tie into the Qwest box, but he didn't. My current splitter for TV and HSI is in the back of my house, on the other side of the Qwest box, but he opted to just tie into a wire, saying that they don't like to destroy the phone box outside your house if they don't have to in case you need it in the future - made sense.
I have ceiling tiles in my basement and we quickly found a phone wire close by. He patched into that, had to find some wire matches and we were off and running. The entire install took about 40 minutes from him parking to pulling away. The installer was an independent contractor, which made me nervous, but he was smart and did a nice job. He was respectful of my house, which was nice.
Call quality matches or is better than Qwest. I've made several long distance phone calls and had no problem. Yesterday, we had a serious rain storm that knocked out power for about 3 hours and the phone worked just as advertised. When my wife calls from her cell, I can hear her better than I could with Qwest.
The Digital Voice site is okay. The recent and missed calls is intermitten and is delayed for about 8 hours when it's working. No problems getting voicemails online. I do enjoy being able to manage my account online. (ring settings, call forwarding, etc.)
All in all, I've been impressed. We rarely have an issue with TV or HSI going out. If you live in Salt Lake and have no issues with TV and HSI, I'd recommend this. Again, I'm on a killer TV and HSI deal right now that ends in 6 months. I'm on the $19.99 CDV plan until that runs out, then I'll try to jump on a Triple Play.
Followup comments: | Forums » comments on review of Comcast Digital Voice |
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 Review by backfeed
UPDATED: 180 days ago
member for 6.9 years, 1682 visits, last login: 1 days ago
Peru,Miami,IN
$40 per month (12 month contract)
about 7 days
"Calling Features, Unlimited LD"
"each year calling to keep same rate"
"Solid phone service with features better deal than AT&T"
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Other than having to threaten to leave them to go back to AT&T once per year to keep the same rate, It is really a great deal!
Call quality is great, Voice mail, Online access to call information, just a good product!
Followup comments: | Forums » comments on review of Comcast Digital Voice |
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 Review by senatedon
UPDATED: 209 days ago
member for 7.7 years, 1353 visits, last login: 126 days ago
Harrisburg,Dauphin,PA
$33 per month (12 month contract)
about 20 days
"Crystal clear conversations"
"Price will go up after year, features are lacking"
"okay for a year, then back to ATT CV"
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Update (05/03/2009):
I cancelled Comcast Digital Voice because we moved to an area serviced by VZ FiOS.
Couldn't be happier.
_______________________
I ordered the service to save money. I got the triple play.
It took Comcast almost 3 weeks to port my number from Verizon. This was terrible. Three different install dates came and went without warning from Comcast while they dicked around.
I have been a VoIP user for 4 years and have been with Packet8, Vonage, Broadvoice, ATT CV, and now Comcast DV.
The voice quality is great. The features are terrible. Though you can listen to a voicemail online, you cannot forward it or receive it in an email.
Also, I don't like the fact that you cannot control any features via the web interface. You have to memorize the stupid codes.
I can't believe that for the price and with Comcast having its own network that they haven't been able to improve the service or add new features in the time that it is out.
I am going to stick with the service for a year, keeping my triple play pricing in effect, then I am bolting back to ATT CV - the best performing VoIP service out there.
Followup comments: | Forums » comments on review of Comcast Digital Voice |
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 Review by jhacker
UPDATED: 225 days ago
member for 7.9 years, 1461 visits, last login: 3 days ago
Peoria,Peoria,IL
$23 per month (6 month contract)
about 7 days
"Great voice quality, excellent trial price, battery backup"
"Big ugly modem, install glitch left us w/o internet and call logs"
"Good luck so far after just a few days, but the jury is still out"
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After 1-1/2 years with Vonage, I called and switched to CDV at an introductory rate of $20 for 6 months, plus $3 modem lease. The number port from Vonage took one week and went very smoothly. As a result, Vonage happily deducted a $40 cancellation charge.
I had called the day prior to the scheduled install and asked if the number porting from Vonage was going smoothly. I was assured that it would, and they were right!!As scheduled, the Comcast installer arrived and installed the Motorola SBV-5220 eMTA. I explained to him that all the phone jacks were back-fed from the line I already had going to the Vonage equipment. He was happy with that. The phone line activation went very smoothly, and took just minutes!! Unfortunately, I was left with no internet!! After a cycle of rebooting the router, the eMTA (modem), and my computer things weren't going so well. The installer discovered that the modem was downloading the 'walled garden' bootfile, and had to call his support team. Finally, after about 90 minutes, we had phone and internet.
It did take a couple of hours before I could log into our Digital Voice account online. Actually, I discovered that it was right after I setup the voicemail. However, an error was displayed underneath the call logs (missed, dialed, received). I called customer support, and they told me the issue should be resolved within 48 hours. Actually, it only took about 12 hours. I will have to give credit to Comcast and say that their customer service is now much better than I've experienced previously.
I'll use the service a few more weeks, and post an updated review.
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 Review by klipko
UPDATED: 236 days ago
member for 3.4 years, 1063 visits, last login: 4 days ago
Portland,Washington,OR
$50 per month (month by month)
about 7 days
"Very reliable/ good sound quality"
"not much of a step up from POTS. High price and little features"
"Its OK"
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- Update: 07-April-2009
Moved phone, Internet and TV services over to Verizon FiOS.
- Original review: May-2007
A prior customer of AT&T Broadband Digital Phone (pre Comcast days) I made the switch to Comcast digital voice about 1.5 years ago. This saved me about $10 a month. I think at the time Digital Phone cost was $57 - $58 which included 300 long distance minutes plus taxes. That service was no different than a POTS alternative. When making the switch I had hopes to cut the cost and get more features like other VoIP companies provide.
Pluses:
* Call Quality - great, never had a problem even when I was a cable Internet subscriber and maxing out my download speed on some Linux ISO.
* Voicemail email notification - Digital Phone nor POTS providers (in my area) has this
* Battery backup - battery backup on the unit has come in handy twice during the 1.5 years of having the service.
Lacking feature:
* Distinctive long distance ring - With Digital Phone it was nice to tell who's calling just by the ring (two short bursts for long distance callers) before looking at the caller ID.
* Selective call forwarding - choice of a number or numbers to forward and the option of day and/or time limits
* Send voicemails as a audio file via email - there is voicemail email notification but it would nice to have the voicemail itself (in a .wav, .mp3 or what have you) attached to the email.
Complaints:
* Cost - it's VoIP so I feel Comcast is charging to much for the service as compared to other VoIP providers. I know that Comcast does have control of the data packets (on their network) and that's how it's able to keep call quality high but still the lowest price for the service is $39.95 w/ cable TV and Internet through them. Shaping IP traffic doesn't cost much, I would like to see it $15.00 cheaper. Just a little bit higher than most other VoIP providers.
* Cost II - eliminate the different pricing depending on what other Comcast services a customer subscribes too. When I made the switch from Comcast HSI to Verizon FiOS, Digital Voice went up $5.00 to the price of $45.95 not including taxes. It's at that point to where I'm thinking of porting the number to an extra cell phone on my family plan with Cingular/at&t since we are slowing moving away from using a land line for most calls while at home. ($10 more on my cell bill or keep the ~$50.00 a month for Digital voice. I am aware that I'll loose some features doing so. )
Followup comments:  
Locane
@comcast.net
|  CDV
Not only can you receive email notifications of voice mail, but you can also check your voice mail online with your Comcast.net email account. Just log into Comcast.net, get into your email, and click a link called "message center".
You can also selectively forward calls, as detailed here in this FAQ question:
What is Call Forwarding Selective and how do I use it?
Call Forwarding Selective forwards only the calls you don't want to miss by allowing you to create a list of people whose calls will be forwarded to a number you designate. When you activate this feature only calls from those individuals on your list will be forwarded.
To use Call Forwarding Selective:
1. Lift the receiver and listen for the dial tone.
2. Press *63.
3. A menu of options will guide you in managing this feature. The prompts will enable you to activate and deactivate the feature as well as add, delete, or review the numbers on your list.
To cancel Call Forwarding Selective:
1. Lift the receiver and listen for the dial tone.
2. Press *83.
3. When prompted press 3 to turn the feature off.
Note: When entering the "forward to" number, remember to dial 1 plus the area code before the number if it's necessary to place the call. When creating your list, enter the area code plus the 7 digit number for both local and long-distance numbers. | |
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klipko
join:2006-06-28
Portland, OR
 ·Comcast Digital Vo..
 ·Verizon FIOS
| Re: CDV Hi Locane,
I do the Voice mail email notification active but I would also like to have the ability to receive the voice mails sent as an audio file attachment so to eliminate the process of logging on the web or calling the voice mail number to retrieve the message. I know that this would keep the voice mail marked as new because it wasn't accessed via official channels (web or via phone) but at times I'm a little implant at the process of retrieving voice mails.
As for call forwarding I totally forgot about selective forwarding option. Thank you for pointing that out. | |
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Review by jcato77
Posted: 286 days ago
member for 325 days, 2 visits, last login: 286 days ago
Dublin,Alameda,CA
$149 per month (12 month contract)
about 5 days
"Good sound quality"
"N/A"
"It's a phone"
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The only reason I have this service is because I have the Triple play package to keep my overall costs down. You would think you could get only a Double-play package with a monthly cost lower than a standard tier Triple play but it's just not in the Cards with Comcast. The cost is really $39.99 or so a month but because I have the Triple play my monthly cost for the whole package is $149.99
Again what can I say it's a phone and it works. Mom sounds great on the other end.
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Review by Skandalis
UPDATED: 297 days ago
member for 1.8 years, 74 visits, last login: 10 days ago
Bloomfield Hills,Oakland,MI
$88 per month (24 month contract)
about 26 days
"Great Call Quality, Wonderful Feature Set"
"Limited Calling Areas Included in Free Long Distance."
"Great Product for my Business."
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At our location, we used to have SBC for our carrier. Their service levels have significantly dropped and forced us to leave after nearly 12 years of service. With SBC we were paying nearly 170 dollars a month for our 5 lines of service (4 voice, 1 Fax). I debated whether to go to AT&T or to switch to VOIP with Comcast Business (my current internet provider). I decided that I would use Comcast Business Digital Voice. They provided me with a 16 line Business Grade VOIP Modem. It thus far as been bulletproof and has not experienced a single bit of downtime. We do not use a hunt group so we had to call and activate the busy tone instead of call waiting. This process from the time of hangup with the service person took about 1 hour until it took effect. Voice quality is much better than the old copper lines that are in my area. We are roughly 13,500 feet from the CO and they are very very old lines. We use to experience alot of static and numerous outages with SBC some of which lasted for days at a time (totally unacceptable for a business). I have experienced none of SBC's issues with Comcast's service thus far. The installer took his time and rewired the entire phone cabinet to make sure that the Asterisk server supports the new service. He left no cables unbundled and made sure that the room was just as clean as when he arrived. I look forward to continuing business with ONLY the Business Grade Service.
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Review by reelbigfish
UPDATED: 350 days ago
member for 7.4 years, 1730 visits, last login: a few hours ago
Boston,Suffolk,MA
$38 per month (24 month contract)
about 8 days
"Clear Call Quality, Easy to use, good voicemail"
"None so far"
"Great POTS replacement, recommend to all who can get it!"
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I had Comcast Digital Voice installed along with my cable and internet. So far things are going quite well. I'm liking the Arris modem for both. Reduces clutter versus having another box for a 3rd part VoIP provider. The call quality is clear. I was on for an hour during a conference call and everything went well. No one complained about the quality and I could hear everyone just fine. The unlimited calling is nice and the voice mail is quite easy to setup and use. I will surely update once I have spent more time with the product. I would highly recommend trying it out if it is available in your area.
---------------------------------Update 08/09/2007--------------------------------------------
Well, I have now had the service for almost a month and I have nothing but good things to say. I had to make some long calls and Comcast was able to hold the call the entire time. A lot of my calling is long distance as I have family scattered all over and it has been great. The quality is good, and when we did lose power for over 6 hours, I was able to make calls during the outage. I turned my cell off so that if it did last longer I would have a phone to make calls with. It is a bit of a downside to be limited by the battery life, but in reality if the power is going to be out for several days, I would go somewhere else for the time being. As compared to when I had Vonage it costs the same during my 12 month deal. It has been as good as when I had a land line and had less problems as well When I used to have a land line, every time it rained the service would go out randomly and also get static when it worked. I still recommend the service to anyone looking for an alternative.
------------------------------Update 09/13/2007----------------------------------------------
So Far things are going quite well. I have not had any outages even when there have been power outages in the area. Longest outage we had was 6 hours and I did not lose the phone in that time. The call quality has been superb and the value is quite good. In this area Comcast Digital Voice competes head to head with Verizon. I have check the log in the modem to make sure I did not lose connectivity on the voice side and haven't seen anything. I use it to make calls home long distance and it does it will. Having a cell phone I probably don't need CDV, but if I didn't, I would surely need a higher cell phone plan. This is mainly due to calling 800 numbers when I occasionally work from home. I am on call, and when something happens there is no time to get to the office. I have been on a call for several hours and I was not dropped. For a famliy I would recommend this service as it will help reduce your cell phone bills especially with kids. For my alarm system I would do not worry about having it hooked it up to my CDV in this area. Other areas I may consider something else. Overall a great product and it is highly recommended.
------------------------------Update 05/27/2008----------------------------------------------
It has now been almost a year since I had the Comcast Triple Play installed. I have to say that I am still loving the Comcast Digital Voice product. The price has not changed and I have now signed up for a 2 year contract on the $99 Triple Play, making the price of the CDV $38/month including taxes, fees and the modem rental for the next 2 years. Definitely worth it. The service has not gone down to my knowledge since I've been using CDV. I've been on the phone for 12 hours continuously at times and I have not dropped a call. I use it to call land lines and cell phones and have not had issues. It is definitely better than Verizon in our area, whose repair times have gone up significantly in the past year. The only time the battery backup was required was when the power on our street went out. It was out for 18 hours. The battery did eventually die, but it lasted a good long time before anything happened. I did have to dial 911 once, but it was to report an accident, so I don't know exactly how well the E911 works. The police did show up at our building and the 911 operator asked to confirm my address, so I assume she saw it on the screen. In the Boston area this is a highly refined product and I recommend it to anyone who can get it. As with any service though, E911 can fail. It even happens with landlines occasionally, but for the price and performance to date, it has been a great product.
------------------------------Update 12/13/2008----------------------------------------------
I've now had the Comcast Digital Voice service for over a year and a half now. I have had no issues with the service. As far as I know it has not been down. It's been there when I need it, and I can stay on the phone as long as I like. The value is great as it saves me money be allowing me to have a minimal mobile phone plan for my household. I really do recommend this product in the Boston area and to anyone with more than two people in the household. Comcast has a great plant in the area and the service has been superb.
Followup comments:
WindowsObserver
@navy.mil | Great review Thanks for the updates to your initial review. I like seeing the consistency of the service from your perspective.
I get my installed in about 10 days. | |
| | reelbigfish
join:2002-06-06
Boston, MA | Re: Great review Just remember that it is dependent on the plant in your area. You should have quality service and if you don't, call Comcast right away to deal with the problem. I hope you enjoy your service as much as mine! | |
| erikthebean
join:2007-06-25
Manchester, NH | Comcast in the NorthEast I have to say Comcast in the New England area seems good...i used to work for them and the NE Region had the least problems..out west though thats another story | |
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 Review by mikedz4
UPDATED: 1 year ago
member for 6.6 years, 2942 visits, last login: a few hours ago
Weirton,Hancock,WV
$40 per month (12 month contract)
about 10 days
"comes with unlimited long distance,all call features,voice mail"
"if internet goes down so does phone which happens too often."
"Don't get this service if you want a reliable phone service."
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Service goes down too often for my tastes. If you want a reliable service go with verizon or even vonage.
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 Review by soccerdad62
UPDATED: 1 year ago
member for 4.6 years, 1091 visits, last login: a few hours ago
Saline,Washtenaw,MI
$33 per month (12 month contract)
about 10 days
"Install experience was excellent, call quality is great, features are good enough"
"A bit pricey"
"Stability is worth the price if it's your primary phone line - would definitely recommend"
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Currently have Vonage (home line) and ViaTalk (home office line) and am pleased with them. Had Verizon POTS and call quality was terrible from the day they installed it. Worried about Vonage's sustainability and wanted to ditch the POTS for something with which I could use an alarm or fax if desired, so went with CDV.
Order process took a bit of time but was smooth. Install tech was excellent and helpful; got us up and running in about 30 minutes and gave us a new combination modem. Number port from Verizon was flawless; couldn't get number ported to Vonage or ViaTalk.
Call quality is great (but for us, so is Vonage and ViaTalk), features are somewhat basic for VOIP but good enough; cost is currently less than my feature-free POTS line and when I'm off the Triple Play deal, it still won't be that much higher.
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