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Review by priller 
UPDATED: 8 days ago
member for 7.9 years, 3469 visits, last login: a few hours ago
 Gainesville,Prince William,VA
 Contract price not specified.
 about 1 days
 "Inexpensive quality calling; Small company relationship"
 "What happens if Sergey gets sick?"
 "Worth a try ... won't cost you anything"
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CallWithUs promotes itself as a family-owned and operated service. If you contact support, you get a reply from the owner/operator himself. CallWithUs is strictly a BYOA and PAYG provider. Why would you want a provider with some monthly plan, where you're paying for minutes you don't use?!
When you create an account, CWU will give you some free minutes to test the service before you pay anything. If you don't like it, nothing lost!
I originally intended CWU to be a backup provider. I got it working and pretty much left it sit for a couple of months. During some initial testing, I experienced post-dial-delay with a few calls and slight audio breakup once or twice. I was browsing around the CWU FAQ's and noticed the reference to SIP REINVITEs delivering the best quality calls. I enabled this on the website; my firewall is SIP friendly and has no issues. I really feel there is an improved audio quality and I have not experienced post-dial-delay. Watching this on a sniffer, you see that your RTP voice stream goes directly to CWU' wholesale providers, instead of being proxied via CWU in Lansing, MI or their west coast server. The providers I saw my calls going to include XO in Mass., Broadvox in TX, and Eurorings somewhere in Europe. I am now sending CallWithUs the majority of my calls.
I only use CWU for outgoing calls. You can set your outgoing CID number directly in the user portal. The minutes you buy do not expire.
Overall, I really like the simple and complete design of the website and user portal.
Be sure to read the Fine Print at the bottom of the web pages!
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Update 9/29/2008: I have stopped using CWU due to misrouted calls. The number I dialed and the number that showed in the CDR was right, but that's not who I got. This only happened 2 or 3 times and I did not report the problem, but my expectation is no misrouted calls.
While very very rare, they did experience an extended outage ....
»CallWithUs: Is CallWithUs.com Down?
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Review by hwittenb
Posted: 11 days ago
member for 4.8 years, 1992 visits, last login: 1 days ago
Moraga,Contra Costa,CA
Contract price not specified.
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Callwithus has a nice feature where you can specify different routes for an outgoing call. I find this is very useful for international calls to certain countries where the call quality can suffer at certain busy times during the day. Generally, though, callwithus call quality is excellent.
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Review by flroots
UPDATED: 14 days ago
member for 1.6 years, 83 visits, last login: a few hours ago
Madison,Lake,SD
$4 per month
about 1 days
"Great rates and superb support"
"None"
"Best I've experienced"
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I've tried a half dozen or more VoIP and was always looking for something better until a friend recommended callwithus. It's everything I was looking for with great rates and support. I recommend them to all my friends.
Update 9/23/08: I continue to have good success. I pay 1.25 cents/min for outgoing calls to toll numbers. I think it's 0.3 cents/min to toll free numbers. I pay $2.10/mo for my DID with $1/mo extra for voicemail. DID cost varies considerably depending on which area code is selected. I chose the cheapest one I could find since area code was unimportant to me. I configured my Granstream HT-502 to work with the service. I did recently reconfigure my ATA with G729 CODEC as first priority. The default is G711 which requires more bandwidth; which I don't have. I can pick up my voicemail through the phone or via email attachment. All in all, a very reliable service.
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Review by LP Eliezer
UPDATED: 96 days ago
member for 119 days, 13 visits, last login: 94 days ago
Morganville,Monmouth,NJ
$7 per month
about 1 days
"Very reliable, trouble-free, great pricing, very responsive."
"Website is not fancy, BUT it is very functional."
"It just works! For those who appreciate great service at great rates."
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CallWithUs is a smaller provider but offers great VoIP services at excellent prices. For outgoing service, there is not even a monthly fee, and per minute charges are excellent.
I have had the service for a few weeks, and have never had a problem. Call quality has been quite good on almost all calls. Only a couple of dropped calls.
They are very responsive to questions, and respond quickly by e-mail.
The website does not look fancy, but that's not the point. It just works! This provider emphasizes function over flash.
Payment is by Paypal or GoogleCheckout, so there is no worry about your credit card.
Signing up does require that you have some knowledge of VoIP, but presumably if you are reading this website, you DO have some knowledge. This is a provider where you bring your own device (BYOD). It's actually quite liberating to know that you own your device and have successfully programmed it! But you do need to be able to follow configuration instructions and tweak around a bit. It's worth it.
Think of the old show Gilligan's Island. Ginger was flashy, but for a dependable reliable partner you'd want to go with Mary Ann. That's what CallWithUs is.
UPDATE: 06/17/2008: Service continues to be excellent! Just a couple of additional points: If you need incoming service, CallWithUs does offer DID numbers at good rates. They are also very flexible, because if you wanted, you could get a DID from another provider and direct the calls to your CallWithUs account using the SIP address. CallWithUs does not charge for that. I have received incoming SIP calls from an outside service and it has worked fine.
UPDATE: 07/02/2008: Continues to work great. This is a service for those who want a phone to be a phone, not a toaster. "All is well, clear as a bell".
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Review by gbh2o
UPDATED: 106 days ago
member for 7.8 years, 2045 visits, last login: a few hours ago
Greenville,Pitt,NC
$2 per month
"Variety of services. Simple management. Good Prices and Availability of DIDs"
"No 'plans'? Naw, that doesn't count!"
"Great for BYOD and asterisk-type users."
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CallWithUs (CWU) is not for those seeking a standard' or flat-rate service plan. It is oriented to those who would use bring-your-own-devices [BYOD] or centralized PBX software like asterisk.
Personally, I found the CallWithUs website refreshingly simple and wonderfully usable and functional! Tech support knows their business and provided insightful assistance when requested. On-line setup instructions and generous examples are great.
I really appreciate the ability to choose the amount of 'risk' acceptable by using different levels of VoIP vendors supplying them with numbers. I have found that the numerical rating assigned by CWU may also reflect the expected quality and reliability of service from that 'level' of vendor. I have had no service problems since signing with them.
There are no hidden government taxes or BS fees to boost their bottom line. What you see is what you pay. I find their rates quite reasonable.
Their services just work reliably.
20080617 - Still getting everything I expect! Great reliability, service and quality with reasonable prices. I am amazed at just how flexible they have made the services offered.
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Review by spjoruss
Posted: 229 days ago
member for 229 days, 8 visits, last login: 107 days ago
Sebring,Highlands,FL
Contract price not specified.
"BYOD - Pay as you go. No contract."
"No DID in small county."
"Excellent value. Good support."
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This is my first experience with VOIP. Bought a PAP2T-NA then searched for providers. Ended up going with CallWithUs because of no contract and pay as you go. Also could not get a DID with anyone else apparently because my area is a smaller county and not active enough to be worth while for voip providers. Could not get a local DID with CallWithUs either but price allows for experimentation.
So I found out about Grand Central and Freedigits or IPKALL and configured them through Grand Central to ring my phone. If everything continues to work for me I will probably buy a DID from CallWithUs in adjacent call area and forward through Grand Central in case these free services go down. CallWithUs has some DID's for 5.00 USD, and 4.00 setup with 3000 incoming minutes. Other DID's with less minutes. 1-800 available also. Best prices I have seen so far.
Outgoing calls had prices lowered since I signed up. Now at .0125 cents a minute in US. Quality has been good so far.
Being new to VOIP I sent some emails to CallWith Us asking different questions. They answered all my questions fairly soon.
I am happy with them so far.
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Review by erikthebean
UPDATED: 243 days ago
member for 1.2 years, 396 visits, last login: a few hours ago
Manchester,Hillsborough,NH
$15 per month
"Extremely Cheap Service with AWSOME customer support"
"Their DID provider isnt all that great, but its not Callwithus fault"
"You wont find better customer service with one of the big voip."
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According to their website to them this seems like a hobby which i admire. They dont seem like their in it for the money, but the advancement of the VoIP technology. I notice that other people arent really hooked onto the site, but I like it because it is straight and to the point. If you are a base voip user having no knowldge of how to configure a ATA without getting one from vonage or att, you probaly shouldnt get this service. But even at that their configuration guides are more than enough to figure out on your own. Now only if their did provider DIDx had better did's to provide, but if you really want another did you can always go to another site like callcentric and point your sip uri to callwithus since callwithus doesnt block sip uri, but encourages it. All and all i give these guys a 5 out of 5, and this is coming from someone whos been in the telecom industry for a while.
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Review by veldy
Posted: 244 days ago
member for 9.1 years, 204 visits, last login: 23 days ago
Minneapolis,Anoka,MN
Contract price not specified.
"BYOD. Pay as you go. Options!"
"Website stinks (but they know that :). Fax is not reliable."
"They have enough options to appeal to a wide variety of customers."
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They are easy to configure, voice quality is good (even and especially using G.729a) they have lots of options. I have been considering them for a low cost FAX line, but I was unable to consistantly send a FAX through them, either over G.711 or using T.38 (on my SPA-2102) ... similar to Callcentric in that respect. I do know that many people do have success with this however.
They seem to lack quality (they rate these themselves which is pretty cool) DIDs in the Twin Cities area and only seem to have numbers in one of the four Twin City area codes ... so they lack available numbers in some areas.
Options are pretty cool. I like how you can setup your CallerID number. Right now, until I get the FAX working, I use it as a backup (or second line if my primary is in use) phone line should my first line go down and I have the CallerID set to my home number so people still know who is calling [even though I do not have an assigned number from them yet].
If I can't get FAX working with them (I have only had success with Viatalk, Vonage and Voicepulse), I will use tech support and see if they can help. I will update the tech support rating at that time.
Bottom line, well worth your consideration and not much to risk by trying them out.
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Review by jglazko
UPDATED: 265 days ago
member for 6.8 years, 54 visits, last login: 11 days ago
Clarendon Hills,Dupage,IL
$7 per month
"Supports IAX and SIP. Pay-as-you go. No contracts. No monthly fee except for DID (optional)."
"Some technical knowledge assumed."
"If you're able to configure your own BYOD device, cost and quality are both good."
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I've been a customer of Vonage, ViaTalk, and some others. I set up an account with Callwithus just over a week ago. I was surprised with their (low) cost and their call quality. They do not have a long term contract, so you pay only for what you need, as you go. I decided I to try a $20 bet and see how they did.
They had me set up and running within 30 minutes. I added a DID inbound for less than $7 and less than $7 a month, including 2000 inbound minutes. Outbound calls (US) are just over 1 cent a minute.
Their call quality so far has been really, really good. People I've called are surprised it's not a landline. I'm now wondering why the other VoIP service I'm using sounds so bad by comparison. I'm using IAX2 for this line, which was a requirement I had. They also support SIP.
Their website is, as others have mentioned, simple. But it isn't too bad- it gets the job done. I have not signed up for their voicemail, so I can't give you any review of that. Likewise, I haven't had to deal with their live tech support, just the web site. I'll give the review above a "3" because the website has done what I need but I haven't had to deal with a live person.
Speaking of their website... it is pretty basic. But it does what I need, and I was able to use it to set up the account, an inward DID number, and research the configuration for using their network. No problems.
If you're willing to get your hands just a little bit dirty, you should check these guys out. Given that it's a BYOD service, some level of technical competence is assumed. But for the cost, and the call quality, these guys have really surprised me.
Update 1/16/2008: Just touching this review since it's been a few months. Still a good service, I'm using it as a backup for my ViaTalk connection. Price has been good, a couple of recent emails from the admin indicate they are working on some service updates to add functionality. DID is working flawlessly, and I've been able to use their site to mark outbound calls with the caller ID of my primary (POTS) line. I've moved payments for them to Google Checkout, which doesn't have a penalty fee like PayPal does.
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Review by no1g8r
UPDATED: 332 days ago
member for 3.4 years, 93 visits, last login: 13 days ago
Lawrenceville,Gwinnett,GA
$3 per month (month by month)
about 1 days
"Quick, easy setup on BYOD. Fast Response to questions via email"
"Couldn't port my number in."
"Good as a VERY low cost, secondary service."
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Web-site: I thought it was an aweful website (they even ask the question in their FAQs: "Why does our web site look like it was designed by kids?"), but I signed up with another backup provider that was even worse in the website department, so I couldn't give them a "1".
** Updated 8/20/07 - Website: I bumped this up to a 3 as I believe that it has reasonable functionality. It still looks less than professional, but it gets the job done.
Ease of Installation: For a BYOD service, they set up nicely on my unlocked AC-211. They even helped with some dial-plan configuration so that I wouldn't have to dial the "1" before every call.
Call Quality: I gave them a middle of the road rating here, partly because most of my calls have been forwarded from the dying Sunrocket service. So when I do have a bad quality call, I can't be sure whether it is SR or CallWithUs. So I geve htme a "3". I'll update later.
** Updated 8/20/07- Call Quality: After having service with CallWithUs for a month, I have to say that call quality is quite good. I've bumped them up from a 3 to a 4. The only reason that I haven't bumped them to a 5 is that I can't connect to ReplayTV for my nightly download with CallWithUs. I am able to connect to ReplayTV using Voicenetwork.ca, so I know that it SHOULD work.
Reliability: So far they've been there every time I've tried to call, but I can't validate the incoming reliability as the calls are coming forwarded from Sunrocket (except for test calls which have been fine)
Tech Support: Fast response via emails, with knowledgable concise responses. I didn't give a "5" as there is no call-in support, just support via email.
Value for money: I gave a "4" here as they are providing a local DID to me with 2000 incoming minutes/month. Outbound minutes to the US are 1.27c per minute, which is also outstanding. Their overall concept is to provide an ala carte menu of services - you only pay for what you need.
** Updated 8/20/07 - Overall I've been quite pleased with the service. I did drop my DID to them as I ported my home number elsewhere and do not need the extra DID. I'm using them as a PAYG provider. In fact, they are the first in line behind my MagicJack, which makes calls for an annual flat rate. In the event MagicJack is down, CallWithUs gets the first nod.
** Updated 11/10/2007 - Well, the MagicJack service that I was using for my primary service wasn't holding its connection, so now CallWithUs is the default choice for outbound calls. I only wish that they had a means of automatically refilling the account when it runs out, as sometimes my wife makes a lot of outbound calls and I don't realize the account hit zero until she says that she can't call out anymore.
All in all, quite pleased with the service!
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callwithus
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The young wife, however, may want to hear the full spectrum without the clicks, hums and other distractions that we can't even hear anymore. Businesses also seem to prefer 'clean' circuits!