usa2k
Please PRAY for Rebekah
Premium,MVM
join:2003-01-26
Canton, MI
clubs:
 ·VOIPo
 ·WOW Internet and C..
·Broadvox Direct
1 edit |  reply to VoipHerb
Re: [General] VOIP newbie
said by VoipHerb :
... may very well keep POTS for the alarm system ...
I don't use it, but I think many use »https://nextalarm.com/abn.jsp for security over WWW. It may negate your need for PSTN if you trust your internet connection is reliable enough?
--
Jim, VoIP since 12/2002, VOIPo 2/7/2007
FAH-Tool ... Whales ... VOIPo Forum ... VOIPo Review |
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nitzan
Premium,VIP
join:2008-02-27
·ViaTalk
·Comcast
| reply to christcorp
Re: [General] VOIP newbie
said by christcorp  :But, on a more serious note, many of the voip providers are offering T.38 codec technology on some of their lines. It is dedicated for FAX use, but they work with any analog type signal. From what I understand about T.38, it will only work with a Fax machine that support T.38. i.e. it will not work with 99.9% of fax machines on the market and is completely useless for 99.9% of faxes as you need a T.38-compatible fax machine on both ends.
T.38 does not emulate an analog signal and modem or alarm signal will not work with T.38. 
T.38 is way overrated and will probably disappear in the future once a better protocol is designed. It's like one of those buzzwords that sound really cool to say, until you realize that it's useless... 
The above is IMHO. Please feel free to disagree.
--
Nitzan Kon, CEO
Future Nine Corporation |
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FastAtLast
300 baud and beyond
join:2004-04-07
Rotonda West, FL
| reply to soitgoes2
said by soitgoes2 :said by FastAtLast :I decided to self-monitor my security system using a "voice-dialer". In the event of a security breach, it dials my cell phone and provides a pre-recorded message. I would then call the sheriff's office. What if you can't answer the cell phone? Or what if you are in the house during the incident when you need help? I have had security systems in three homes over the last 20 years. None were ever actively monitored and we never "armed" the system while we were in the house. My main concern was to protect the residence during our absence. During that time there was one attempted break-in and the audible alarm caused the thieves to flee without any loss of property. |
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christcorp
Premium
join:2001-05-21
Cheyenne, WY
·Bresnan Online
·VOIPo
| reply to soitgoes2
If I'm IN THE HOUSE, that is why my room mates are Mr. Smith and Mr. Wesson. They have promised me that they will always be there if I need them.
But, on a more serious note, many of the voip providers are offering T.38 codec technology on some of their lines. It is dedicated for FAX use, but they work with any analog type signal. Also, many/most alarm companies are now providing adapter boxes that work on voip lines.
There is absolutely no reason to keep a pots line any longer; assuming a person has a cell phone as a back up. Which is the norm for most people. If you use DSL for broadband, it goes out, there is a major chance that your phone would have gone dead anyway. So having a separate POTS line is silly. If you have cable broadband, then having a separate POTS line is an option, but I find it to be a waste of money. My DSL has gone down 3 times in 5 years. Thus my VOIP went down. Each time was less than an hour. My voip has gone down about the same amount of times; 3-4 times. But that was a provider. Having a 2nd provider for another voip line (Pay as you go), takes care of that problem. And, for the 3 times that it was my DSL's fault for going out and leaving me without voip, I had my cell phone. And because most decent companies like VoipO and Packet8 have excellent Failover, all inbound calls immediately were forwarded to my cell phone. If you have a cell phone, there's no reason to have a POTS line. later.. Mike.... |
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soitgoes2
Premium
join:2005-01-14
·Future Nine Corpor..
| reply to FastAtLast
said by FastAtLast :I decided to self-monitor my security system using a "voice-dialer". In the event of a security breach, it dials my cell phone and provides a pre-recorded message. I would then call the sheriff's office. What if you can't answer the cell phone? Or what if you are in the house during the incident when you need help? |
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FastAtLast
300 baud and beyond
join:2004-04-07
Rotonda West, FL
| reply to VoipHerb
I would like to offer an alternative to paid, active security system monitoring.
I have been using VOIP (Vonage and recently evaluating VS using a PAP2) for about four years now as my primary home telephone service. I have been well-satisfied with Vonage.
I decided to self-monitor my security system using a "voice-dialer". In the event of a security breach, it dials my cell phone and provides a pre-recorded message. I would then call the sheriff's office. I feel that the response would not be much slower than that of a monitored system. Of course, there are also audible sirens, which hopefully would deter the thieves from continuing.
It's not for everyone, but I thought I would share it with the forum. |
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gbh2o
join:2000-12-18
Greenville, NC
·Future Nine Corpor..
·callwithus
·MyPhoneCompany
·VBUZZER
·Voxee
 ·Embarq
·VOIPo
·STANAPHONE
·Axvoice
·Packet8
| reply to VoipHerb
I believe you may be able to move your alarm system to one that uses a cellular interface instead of POTS/PSTN, but it may be a bit pricey (_once_)!
Then you could more safely explore VoIP. Most VoIP providers use one of the open standards for their services, and do not require any computer, other than the controller in an adapter for your internet connection. I believe most of those in the forum here use predominantly SIP and some IAX2 standard devices for primarily residential use. There _are_ other reliable standards, but I believe they are found more in the business/commercial world. |
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VoipHerb
@verizon.net
| reply to VoipHerb
Wow. I am impressed with all the responses. I've learned a lot already.
Benc & Nitzan, we'll have two iPhones as backup and (per Benc's suggestion) may very well keep POTS for the alarm system; reducing the Verizon bill to the minimum.
I've read reviews of Voipo. It looks interesting. Until they are open for new customers, CallCentric and Future Nine looks good. Thoughts?
Thanks |
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nitzan
Premium,VIP
join:2008-02-27
·ViaTalk
·Comcast
| reply to VoipHerb
Personally, I keep a VoIP line (of course. and my cell phone. POTS we got rid of years ago.
But you'd definitely want to keep either POTS or cell phone as backup. No matter how reliable your VoIP provider is - no VoIP provider is truly reliable enough for 911. Yes, E911 is cool and all - but if a simple power outage can take away your VoIP line, what's to guarantee you will have a dial tone in an emergency?
I say this as a provider- you should treat your VoIP as a good second line. But it is not and will never be a reliable replacement for POTS. This includes cable "digital phone service" which while more controlled than third-party VoIP, is still just as easy to get cut off in a power outage.
For those of you who decide to cut off POTS completely, you'd definitely want at the very least to connect your broadband modem, router, and ATA to a UPS. Since they don't take much power this should guarantee you probably a few hours of uptime during a power outage. But again- keep in mind that this is no guarantee against stuff like entire area power outages (when your ISP's local POP is out), ISP outages, and of course VoIP server outages.
Don't get me wrong- I (obviously) love VoIP. But I think a huge misconception is that VoIP can do what your POTS does for a fraction of the price. While the fraction of the price part is true- VoIP is not POTS and cannot fully replace it, no matter how hard Vonage's marketing department tries to tell you otherwise. If you need a way to save on costs- get VoIP. But don't expect it to be POTS - it is not.
--
Nitzan Kon, CEO
Future Nine Corporation |
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Test99
Premium
join:2003-04-24
San Jose, CA
·DSL EXTREME
·InPhonex
| reply to benc
On the other hand, I'm POTS-free and I love it! I use a cell phone as backup for VOIP. And I use email attachments to send and receive images. Email attachments can do a lot of things that fax can't. For example, sometimes I need to send a high-resolution color closeup of something. I just upload the image from the camera and attach it to an email. With fax I'd be out of luck. |
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benc
Premium
join:2007-06-17
Glen Carbon, IL
·Charter Pipeline
·Future Nine Corpor..
·Callcentric
·AT&T Midwest
| reply to VoipHerb
I like most of the suggestions I see here.
But I also think you should keep the POTS. Just downgrade it to basic service + Caller ID. Local calls would still be free. Then just make a point of not making long distance calls with it. Use VOIP for that. Or use VOIP if the POTS line is busy and you still want to make another call.
This is to make sure the alarm service will work. I don't have such a thing, but I've heard that using an alarm service over VOIP is iffy.
Also, if you use faxing or dial-up then doing that over VOIP is iffy.
Dial-up over VOIP is pointless 99% of the time, since you need broadband for VOIP to work. But I mentioned that because like many people I have a dial-up account if my cable goes out. If you lose the POTS, you lose the back-up dial-up.
Faxing over VOIP is iffy. It may or may not work. You didn't tell us if you fax or not. But if you do, you should only try it over POTS. Personally, I don't fax much. But when I have faxed it really saved me.
This morning, the power went out. If it weren't for my POTS I wouldn't have been able to complain to the power company.
Also, my POTS only went out for like three seconds over the past year. If you expect POTS reliability out of VOIP, you'll be disappointed.
I'm NOT saying that VOIP is a bad idea. It's a cool idea, and it's very flexible. I encourage you to look into it. However, I also want you to consider what you will lose if you lose the POTS.
If you do go VOIP, then consider Callcentric. They've been pretty good. |
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pandora
Premium
join:2001-06-01
Outland
·ooma
·Future Nine Corpor..
·Comcast
| reply to VoipHerb
said by VoipHerb :
I have seen the PAP2 mentioned here and I'll check it out. I currently have a Uniden system - base station that plugs into a phone jack and 3 handsets that just need power. I would just plug the base into the Linksys right?
Another poster already gave the answer, but yes, you just plug your Uniden phone into the PAP2 or PAP2T. If the PAP2 / PAP2T is connected to a server you'll hear a dial tone, if not, it is silent.
SIP is more universal than Skype, if you aren't happy with one VOIP provider, you can easily move to another. You just change the SIP server and account information. SIP is very reliable, and the PAP2 / PAP2T is very small.
You can experiment with free incoming calls from IPKALL.COM. IPKALL provides a free incoming phone number for VOIP users. This will let you get your feet wet with free unlimited incoming and penny a minute outgoing. After you've tested for a bit, if you like the provider, you can move your POTS number over to them.
My preference was to start slow beginning with an order for a PAP2T.
Currently my pay as you go account has a free local (to me) phone number (thanks to Grandcentral and a generous user in this forum), and a penny a minute outgoing.
With $10 spent 3 or 4 months ago to see the if VOIP was viable my test account is still more than half full. It is tough to beat no monthly fee, a free local number and a penny a minute to call anywhere in the U.S. or Canada.
--
"People demand freedom of speech as a compensation for the freedom of thought which they seldom use." |
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Test99
Premium
join:2003-04-24
San Jose, CA
·DSL EXTREME
·InPhonex
| reply to davidm00
said by davidm00 :Verizon does allow naked DSL, i.e. DSL without phone service. They just charge you $5 more/mth. Some ISPs who use Verizon lines do not charge extra for dry DSL. For instance, I use DSLExtreme. But watch out for their rate increase after the first year. |
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Test99
Premium
join:2003-04-24
San Jose, CA
·DSL EXTREME
·InPhonex
| reply to VoipHerb
said by VoipHerb :
I would just plug the base into the Linksys right? Right.What is the issue that people here have with Skype? Skype is a narrow-gage railroad. There is a large community of providers and equipment based on the SIP protocol that will all work together. Skype uses its own proprietary protocol, which is incompatible with the other providers and equipment.
If you choose Skype you are:
- Hitching your telephony fate to one company whose future is uncertain.
- Relying on customer-provided servers (super nodes) over which Skype has little control.
- Connecting to the telephone network via a service that has a reputation for less than stellar voice quality and billing problems. |
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davidm00
join:2000-08-19
Newtown Square, PA
| reply to VoipHerb
Verizon does allow naked DSL, i.e. DSL without phone service. They just charge you $5 more/mth. As for Skype, you need to have yr computer on 24/7 to receive calls. I started off with Skype with an adapter to hook up my Uniden cordless phone. Was OK for me as I already run a server but SIP protocol is much better as it runs on a PAP2 which consumes minimal power and no dependency on a running computer. I've since turned off my Skype and slowly migrating most of my friends over to SIP. |
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VoipHerb
@verizon.net
| reply to VoipHerb
Test99 & Pandora,
Thanks so much for taking the time to help me out.
I have seen the PAP2 mentioned here and I'll check it out. I currently have a Uniden system - base station that plugs into a phone jack and 3 handsets that just need power. I would just plug the base into the Linksys right?
Forgive this next question (I'm ready to be lit up)... What is the issue that people here have with Skype? I've never used it. The Philips VOIP841 looks dead simple to use but I bet there's a catch.
Herb |
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pandora
Premium
join:2001-06-01
Outland
·ooma
·Future Nine Corpor..
·Comcast
| reply to VoipHerb
A PAP2 or PAP2T ATA costs about $50 and uses a lot less power than a PC, in a few months it could pay for itself in energy savings. A PAP2 or PAP2T ATA can drive up to 2 VOIP connections at the same time.
Starting up, it's a good idea to read this forum. You may wish to create an account, they are free. My experience is with Future-Nine, who often provides 30 minutes of free start up calling (a 30 cent credit for new accounts). If you went with a Future-Nine (or other VOIP providers) pay as you go plan, you'd have no monthly fee, and pay about a penny per minute for an outgoing call.
I strongly suggest a PAP2 or PAP2T over using a PC, they run forever, if the power fails they reboot instantly, are very small and use very little power. I disconnected my phone line outside, and plugged my PAP2T into the wall jack, it now provides the 2nd line service to my entire house. My first line is still POTS.
I'm waiting for Future-Nine to provide 911 and maybe 311 service before switching my primary line.
Good luck, whatever you do!
--
"People demand freedom of speech as a compensation for the freedom of thought which they seldom use." |
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Test99
Premium
join:2003-04-24
San Jose, CA
·DSL EXTREME
·InPhonex
4 edits | reply to VoipHerb
There are some good VOIP providers listed here. (Due to a quirk in the rating system, CallWithUs is currently missing from the list.)
Since you don't expect to use a lot of minutes, a pay-as-you-go plan may be more affordable than an "unlimited" plan. For maximum flexibility, I think it's best to buy your own VOIP adapter or VOIP phone(s), rather than get a provider's adapter that may cost less up front but locks you in to their service.
Costs could start as low as $50 for startup and $10 per month, but may be more, depending on your needs. Look for adapters and phones at VOIPSupply. Voxilla also has a store, but it is inaccessible right now.
The alarm system is the hard part, because signaling over a VOIP connection is hit-or-miss. It may work for you or it may not. A better solution would be to use an alarm that communicates directly through your Internet connection. Some (but not all) alarm companies support this. You will need an uninterruptible power supply to keep your modem and router operating during power failures.
One other thing: if your Internet connection is through a Verizon line, your Internet provider may or may not support dry dsl (broadband without phone service). So you could be looking at a change of Internet provider and a transition period when both the phone and your Internet connection are down. |
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VoipHerb
@verizon.net
| Hi there,
I would like to ditch my $60 a month Verizon bill. I have an alarm system that currently uses POTS. My wife and I have 700 minute iPhone plan we share; we're not big talkers.
I'd like to not have to leave a computer on 24/7. Where would be a good place for me to start?
Thanks |
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