Lenagainster
join:2005-01-07
Silver Spring, MD
 ·VoicePulse
 ·DIRECTV
·magicjack.com
| Not surprising
Most folks are not that technically astute when it comes to VoIP. Most folks don't even know what VoIP means. Tell them to plug in the TA to the router and you'll get a blank stare. So when Commiecast says we will give you unlimited calling for $25 and throw in a few features with it, and let you keep your precious phone number, and Commiecast does all the work to set it up, sure they will go for it. It's less than the $50 plus they were paying to the landline company. Relatively few are technically saavy enough and brave enough to venture into the world of independent VoIP providers and get a much better deal for even less $$. |
|
lengyelc
join:2005-12-11
Alpharetta, GA
·AT&T CallVantage
 ·AT&T U-Verse
1 edit | Agree 100%, and so will just about everyone reading this thread. People don't have the time to mess with home wiring, QoS routers and/or firmware flashing, and all those other hardware/software tricks that are required to get a nice stable voip connection through a third party provider.
Comcast certainly preys on customer stupidity. Have you seen their commercials? Those alone were enough to make me puke and change providers! |
|
Chris 313
Come get some
Premium
join:2004-07-18
Houma, LA
clubs:
 ·Comcast
·Comcast
·Charter Pipeline
·Comcast Digital Vo..
·AT&T CallVantage
| reply to Lenagainster
said by Lenagainster  :Most folks are not that technically astute when it comes to VoIP. Most folks don't even know what VoIP means. Tell them to plug in the TA to the router and you'll get a blank stare. So when Commiecast says we will give you unlimited calling for $25 and throw in a few features with it, and let you keep your precious phone number, and Commiecast does all the work to set it up, sure they will go for it. It's less than the $50 plus they were paying to the landline company. Relatively few are technically saavy enough and brave enough to venture into the world of independent VoIP providers and get a much better deal for even less $$. Less money sure, but what about 911 service and having phone when the power goes out?
I got Comcast Digital Voice now and it works like a charm, even when I don't have power. That's worth the money to me. |
|
ftth_freak
join:2005-06-17
Ballwin, MO
| reply to lengyelc
Re: YOUR WRONG
Obviously you are technically lacking in VoIP knowledge. Cable Co's like Comcast, Time Warner, Charter, Cox and others use an entirely separate CMTS and separate return and forward signal than their cable modem system. This insures the QoS for the cable co's VoIP/phone service. For all of you P2P defenders, this mean when you are sucking up all of the upload and downoad capacity in your neighborhood with your cable modem, the VoIP/phone CMTS will not be affected. When using a third party VoIP like Vonage, Vonage piggy backs off of the same bandwidth as your cable modem and thus will be affected by the users bandwidth habits.
For instance, a user who pays for the lowest level of modem speed and uses Vonage will hear a degraded quality of voice and could also experiance dropped call if the down/up load a large file at the same time.
FYI...all things are not created equal in reality...only in your mind. |
|
fatmanskinny
Premium
join:2004-01-04
Wandering | That was a great post. Thanks for educating me. I sure as hell didn't know that!
--
The only place where Success comes before Work is in the dictionary. |
|
Kearnstd
Elf Wizard
Premium
join:2002-01-22
Mullica Hill, NJ
| reply to Lenagainster
Re: Not surprising
Vonage also cant roll a truck for no Dialtone and your ISP has zero obligation for rapid repair service to your broadband just because its your Vonage. to the ISP Vonage is just another data source and your "HSI out" will be worked in when there is time.
--
[65 Arcanist]Filan(High Elf) Zone: Broadband Reports |
|
MacLeech
The one and only
Premium
join:2001-07-14
SoCal
2 edits | reply to ftth_freak
Re: YOUR WRONG
said by ftth_freak : Cable Co's like Comcast, Time Warner, Charter, Cox and others use an entirely separate CMTS and separate return and forward signal than their cable modem system. Cable co's COULD do that, but the most don't.
Most setup separate service flows over the same upstream/downstream channels the cable modems use. Phone services are given higher priority and guaranteed bandwidth so general internet use doesn't impact phone service.
If the cable companies were using separate CMTSs or even just separate upstream/downstream channels they couldn't provision eMTAs to allow for both internet access and phone service from the same unit as current DOCSIS 1 and 2 modems can't tune to more than 1 upstream and 1 downstream channel at a time.
Companies that REQUIRE seperate phone and internet modems may be using separate channels or CMTSs but that's pretty rare.
The nice thing about cable co's VOIP implementations is that they DON'T route voice traffic over the internet like 3rd party VOIP providers HAVE to. Cable can keep the traffic on their own private network (on it's own VLAN) until they hand it off to PSTN providers if needed for an off-net call. Some cable providers also have agreements and links with others so they can directly hand off traffic to each other without 3rd party network involvement. If both ends of the call are on cable VOIP, the call traffic may not even leave the cable providers' networks.
--
Don't mind me, I'm just trying to help...
|
|
Cabal
Premium
join:2007-01-21
Boston, MA
| reply to Lenagainster
Re: Not surprising
There's also the fact that Comcast's VoIP offering is technically superior to the 3rd-party vendors because they segregate and ensure the bandwidth for you.
--
Interested in open source engine management for your Subaru? |
|
baj475
join:2004-11-02
Chico, CA
·Future Nine Corpor..
| reply to Chris 313
Re: what about 911 service having phone when the power goes out.
Chris,
My Magicjacks and Future-Nine lines have 911 or E911 service and since my router, ATA and computers are backed up by a UPS, I have phone service if the electric utility's service goes out.
While I have Comcast HSI, their Digital Voice is not even in the ball park compared to what I pay for my Magicjacks and Future-Nine lines. |
|
funchords
Hello
Premium,MVM
join:2001-03-11
Washington, DC
 ·Verizon Online DSL
·Skype
| reply to ftth_freak
Re: YOUR WRONG ... and so are you ... and who cares?
said by ftth_freak :Obviously you are technically lacking in VoIP knowledge. I think the above sentence ought to be banned from DSLReports. We're all here to learn. Otherwise we're just showing off.
said by ftth_freak :Cable Co's like Comcast, Time Warner, Charter, Cox and others use an entirely separate CMTS and separate return and forward signal than their cable modem system. Comcast has elected to use the same return as their High-Speed Internet. But then they use DOCSIS service flows to carve out space (in the already crowded upstream) for it.
--
Robb Topolski -= funchords.com =- Hillsboro, Oregon
More fun, more features, Join BroadbandReports.com, it's free...
|
|
Anonymous
Premium
join:2004-06-01
IA | reply to ftth_freak
Re: YOUR WRONG
Not only it has dedicated bandwidth it's also a lot more secure.
Cable co in my area charges $29.99/mo if you bundle all three services so it's worth $5 extra just to have these benefits. |
|
Matt
Gone playing Dragon Age Origins
Premium
join:2003-07-20
Jamestown, NC
·North State Commun..
| reply to ftth_freak
Additionally, the MSOs VoIP product never touches the internet. It flows over their own network to the facility where they have their PSTN connectivity. They can control the quality end-to-end, whereas an Indie VoIP provider is subject to the delays of the internet.
FYI, I have an Indie VoIP phone. (Nuvio nPBX w/ a Polycom 501) |
|
fiberguy
My views are my own.
Premium
join:2005-05-20
1 edit | reply to lengyelc
Re: Not surprising
said by lengyelc :Comcast certainly preys on customer stupidity. Have you seen their commercials? Those alone were enough to make me puke and change providers! Then do the forum a favor and do that.
Comcast 'preys'... that's stretching it. Considering that Americans have been accustomed to paying $70+ phone bills for years, $50 isn't that bad.
It's clear you are either are too young to have ever experienced real hardship and real phone service, or you(and the others - to be fair) don't find that utilities and other necessities are priorities and would rather have your money to spend on music, over priced clothing, high end TV's and, here's one... OVER PRICED CELLULAR SERVICE. ANYONE here with a cell phone should rethink about bitching at even a $50 unlimited wire-line phone service when cellular service is THE most expensive way to place a call. (Not to mention, about 95% of the people in this site have no real reason to say they "need" a cellular phone.
I think I'd certainly call cell and satellite tv companies that lock customers into inescapable contracts (High EFTs) and no recourse to pour service 'preying' on customers... simply marketing a $50 phone service is not preying. And, simply because Vonage and the likes offer a $25 phone service doesn't devalue the cable offering.
And YES, in this message, I am 100% defending cable/comcast on this point.. because you're simply wrong. |
|
fiberguy
My views are my own.
Premium
join:2005-05-20 | reply to baj475
Re: what about 911 service having phone when the power goes out.
You don't even have real phone service and you're trying to compare?? sad. |
|
Matt
Gone playing Dragon Age Origins
Premium
join:2003-07-20
Jamestown, NC
·North State Commun..
| reply to fiberguy
Re: Not surprising
said by fiberguy :OVER PRICED CELLULAR SERVICE. ANYONE here with a cell phone should rethink about bitching at even a $50 unlimited wire-line phone service when cellular service is THE most expensive way to place a call. (Not to mention, about 95% of the people in this site have no real reason to say they "need" a cellular phone. While I agree with overpriced, I think the rest of your rant is completely unfounded. To me it's worth twice as much to be able to take my phone with me. Even if I'm 8 miles into a long run in the middle of nowhere I can make a call or people can reach me with emergencies. I have TWO phones actually, a main one, and one I run with that I use only for emergencies. |
|
baj475
join:2004-11-02
Chico, CA | reply to fiberguy
Re: what about 911 service having phone when the power goes out.
fiberguy,
What do you mean I do not have real phone service? What is your definition of real phone service? |
|
meh37
@verizon.net | reply to Cabal
Re: Not surprising
Which would matter not at all if they weren't throttling your connection. |
|
lengyelc
join:2005-12-11
Alpharetta, GA
·AT&T CallVantage
·AT&T U-Verse
| reply to fiberguy
Wow...easy there fiberguy. For the record, I did puke and I did change providers 
Now, regarding your personal attacks, try to keep those off a discussion on technology. I agree with your stance on cell phone charges and I certainly am open minded enough to firmly believe that what works for one does not for another.
Personally, like many on here, I'll stick with my $19.99/mo callvantage, with UPS backup, and try my damndest to build my savings so I can afford to send my kids to college. No time for music or cheap clothing. Though with interest rates being so low and inflation....
Wait, I'm man enough to take that discussion to another board. |
|
funchords
Hello
Premium,MVM
join:2001-03-11
Washington, DC
·Verizon Online DSL
·Skype
| reply to Matt
Re: YOUR WRONG
said by Matt :Additionally, the MSOs VoIP product never touches the internet. Except on Comcast, where it does -- albeit it never leaves Comcast's network but where it does ride on Comcast's network, that network is part of the Internet.
--
Robb Topolski -= funchords.com =- Hillsboro, Oregon
More fun, more features, Join BroadbandReports.com, it's free...
|
|
karlmarx
join:2006-09-18
iraq
·Fairpoint Communic..
| reply to fiberguy
Re: Not surprising
Look at the cell phone this way. I used to pay sprint 59.99 for a 1500 minute plan. BUT, add in the taxes and fees, and the real price was about $82.00 a month. I dumped that when I left, and when I came back I bought a t-mobile prepaid. 10 cents a minute. I am using about 300 minutes a month, and I pay, bingo. $30.00. Period. No taxes, no fees, no early termination fees. The way I see it, if you're not a heavy phone users (i.e. less than 20 minutes a day), then prepay is definitely the way to go. Charge up $100.00, and get a free $50.00 upgrade.
--
The happiest countries are the most secular. The struggle AGAINST corporations is the struggle FOR humanity! |
|
