Speakeasy → Switching from Verizon to SE VoIP

I'm going to Speakeasy OneLink, but Verizon has already started to play games...

I have had Speakeasy DSL on a Verizon line for over two years without a problem. I decided to go to OneLink. At 5PM today, a Verizon tech came to 'tag' the line for Covad. After he left, I had no dial tone. However...

Curiously, my phone still rings, and caller-ID still indicates who is calling (accurately), but I cannot pick-up the calls. There is no sound except for the sound of the ring signal on the line, which I can hear if I pick-up before the 4th ring (when it goes to voice-mail). Also curiously, I still have DSL-connectivity (which I assume is still the same line-share DSL I have had for two years, since my IP has not changed).

Speakeasy told me (via live chat) that the VoIP equipment (TA?) would be here in 3-5 days, but that it would take 2 weeks before the VoIP service would be active. That's more than reasonably prompt on Speakeasy's part. My concern is that Verizon might be playing 'steal the phone-line' tricks later on. (I have some experience of this from my workplace.) Should I just stay with a Speakeasy shared line DSL combined with Verizon phone service? Am I asking for trouble making this switch? Today was only the FOC date, and already I have no phone. Frankly, at this rate I expect my OneLink dedicated line will be 'accidentally' disconnected about once a month.

Can anyone with experience making a similar switch--especially a switch from Verizon--reassure me?

Thanks much,
joe

Verizon could f*ck up a junkyard. I suspect you are facing an uphill battle...prepare yourself.

I did this switch around 4 months ago from Verizon and it was completely painless with no outage and no renumbering -- by bringing up OneLink on a 2nd wire pair and then shutting down the shared-line DSL, and then, about a month later, moving my number from analog voice on the first line to Speakeasy VoIP over the DSL.

I've not seen any problems of "steal the phone line".

I did have an extended (multi-hour) outage but it was a "sync no surf"-type failure due to a hardware failure in the central office.

I had a painless transition a year ago. No problems whatsoever. They installed the VOIP, I had the hardware up and running for a few weeks until the port was complete, then one day it just started working.

Verizon repairman came today. Problem was 'down the street' on the pole. Voice + DSL both back up as of now... Thanks for the hopeful feedback. I'm not despondent any more--just a little anxious.

Getting cold feet...

Got the new line (OneLink) up without unusual hardship. Then everything stopped. I decided (while waiting for the 'local number port') that I really just wanted a new phone number. But the VoIP order is 'being reviewed'. Everybody at Speakeasy uses that specific phrase like it means something. It sounds to me like the VoIP part of my transition from a lineshare DSL to OneLink/VoIP is out of Speakeasy's hands. Further research reveals that BroadSoft (the site where I would log-in if I ever do get SE VoIP) prefers an IE browser. Other sources indicate that many features of the service will be unavailable to me without the Microsoft browser.

Good old POTS via the devil I know--Verizon--is looking better to me right now than SE VoIP.

Don't worry about the preference for IE. I use Firefox exclusively and the only thing you won't be able to do is call your Outlook contacts from within your VoIP account page. Firefox/Mozilla/Opera/Netscape will all work just fine. Although, I do wish the VoIP portal would be redesigned. The interface is very difficult.

Also remember that SE uses a vendor for the VoIP and once that order goes to the VoIP vendor, there isn't much they can do. If you port a phone number, then SE has to submit that to the vendor, which then has to submit that to the ILEC that controls your phone number. That usually takes a month or more. Some people it takes about 6-8 weeks.

SE VoIP is really good. I've used it for 3+ months now and I love it. Just make sure that you don't put it behind a router or a firewall, or else it won't work. It has to be between your modem and your Router (if you have one).

FYI, the reason for this is the fact that the TA has a static public ip address assigned. You can see this if you login to www.speakeasy.net/myspeak then go to manage existing services (its under ip addresses)

bb

Overall, I think the key to making the switch from shared to OneLink is to talk to a rep about your desire to switch to OneLink, but to avoid downtime and to test the new line you want OneLink installed while the shared line is still active. Ask if you do that and find the OneLink line acceptable within a couple weeks, will they credit you the shared line cost for the couple weeks they were both up?
I did this, they agreed, and it worked out smashingly.

OneLink installed, I tested, was great, I cancelled shared and reminded them of the credit - and it all worked out fine.

Do the transition in parallel. Trouble seems to arise when you cancel one before installing the other. Plus, if the pair used for the OneLink install sucks, you're kinda screwed if you've already cancelled the shared line...
KM