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RacerX780
join:2005-12-27
Merchantville, NJ

RacerX780

Member

Will Vonage work with Clear?

Found out today that my mom is switching to DirectTV... from Comcast. In doing so, the internet package they offer is for Clear... which I've used my laptop USB modem at her house before, and it works... not great, not for what I use it for... but for her it would be find. She surfs the web... emails... uses her Nook... downloads a song or two from iTunes... does not stream movies...

With Comcast she is using Vonage for phone server, which once she gets Clear she'll be using that.

Do the two work well together??

I've expressed my concerns... but I can't make her choose what I would do...

p110011
join:2001-12-29
Oregon City, OR

p110011

Member

Yep, I've been using it for nearly two years. I have a V-Portal behind a Linksys WRT54GL that hooks to the Clear home modem.

Works as well as it did through Comcast.

NetFixer
From My Cold Dead Hands
Premium Member
join:2004-06-24
The Boro
Netgear CM500
Pace 5268AC
TRENDnet TEW-829DRU

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It is going to be a case of you won't know until you try it. Like any wireless service, the speed and latency will depend on the strength of the signal (which is usually relative to the distance to the ISP's antenna). If she has a good strong signal it will probably work just fine.

I think that in some areas, Clear offers their own VoIP service, so the service should be capable of supporting it.
RacerX780
join:2005-12-27
Merchantville, NJ

RacerX780

Member

Welp my mom got everything yesterday and I set everything up.... Vonage seems to be working fine.

Did a speadtest.net and she's only getting like 2.4 down.... I forget what up was.. but it should be ok for her needs.
jandrfas
join:2007-08-23
Downey, CA

jandrfas

Member

I'm using Vonage with Sprint 4G, which is basically the same thing as Clear, and it works great. When I was initially thinking of making the move a few months ago, the Vonage tech support people advised me against it. They said that although the upload/download speeds are more than sufficient, the high latency that is characteristic of wireless internet will produce less than desirable results.

In fact, I did something even more unique. Since my wireless phone base station is not located anywhere near my main router that the 4G modem is plugged into, I set up an old Linksys WRT54G router in client mode (using the DD-WRT upgrade) and plugged the Vonage router into that. So, not only do I have wireless internet, I have a wireless link from the Vonage router to the main router, and it works like a champ.

I have only noticed a few very minor issues in the 3 months I've been running Vonage with 4G:
1. There is a delay of approx. 1 second in the audio. However, unless the person you are talking to is in the same room you can't tell the difference - and I'm not even sure if the delay is due to the 4G latency or if it's just a characteristic of how Vonage works.
2. If there's heavy internet traffic, as in somebody is downloading a large file while a call is in progress, I get some slight chopiness in the audio. Not a huge deal and I may even be able to fix that with a little traffic shaping.
3. Occasionally I get a dropped call due to the internet signal briefly dropping out. Doesn't happen that often, and it can happen just as easily with cable or DSL.
RacerX780
join:2005-12-27
Merchantville, NJ

RacerX780

Member

Well, after about a week of having Clear and Vonage, my parents are very unhappy with it. On the clear modem they get 3-4 bars... their internet on the pc is fine... but the phone has static and is choppy.

I wish they would have asked me before deciding to do this....

I know Clear has a general 30 day period where you can cancel... not sure if it matters that they signed up via DirecTV or not. But if they went back to Comcast just for internet... that'd be like $50 or $55... which is only $5 or $10 more a month then what they are paying for Clear.

When the whole point was to reduce their cost of tv/internet.... I don't think it's going to end up being that. Which sucks.. they are fine with DirecTV... and that is a lot cheaper then comcast, but because they have vonage it's not quite as easy to switch and in fact save money.

The only other option I can think of would be to see if they could get a landline from Verizon... port their vonage number over... and ditch Vonage... but I'm sure a landline from Verizon would be more then they are paying for vonage...

Ugh...


p110011
join:2001-12-29
Oregon City, OR

p110011

Member

If "static" really means "static", it would be on the analog end of the system, maybe just a bad RJ11 connection where the phone plugs-in. Could be a little dust in there.

On the Vonage end, I'm sure they would be glad to help you if you called them.
jandrfas
join:2007-08-23
Downey, CA

jandrfas

Member

Have you tried turning on the bandwidth saver on Vonage? They may have enough speed on their Clear connection to support VOIP, but something else such as high latency or packet loss could be causing some problems.

Check your line quality on www.pingtest.net. If you get a C or D grade on the line it tells a lot beyond sheer speed.
Chaldo
join:2008-03-18
West Bloomfield, MI

Chaldo to RacerX780

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Its Clear, usually VoIP products on their network either work good, or totally suck. In this case Vonage will probably suck because Clear on their own VoIP service has dedicated bandwidth so it almost always works, even when they are throttling you, or it is Congested in the area. You are most likely seeing the effects from 1 of two things, being throttled which I call it another word in Clear's terms not going to mention it, or just highly congested on the tower. Also make sure any VoIP modem/ or router, especially routers are about 4-5 feet from the Clear RSU (modem) because the Freq BAND clear uses (2.5Ghz) gets interfered with very easily, make sure any electronic devices are away from the RSU.
02027486 (banned)
join:2011-08-06

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I am also using from the last 12 month.

It's working fine and great experience with this.

Why Not
@supervalu.com

Why Not

Anon

Why not switch to Clear's voice service too? I think for $15 or $20 per month you get unlimited to US and Canada. Call wise that should be cheaper than Vonage. Vonage may offer a better website/features that way though. But, don't you use a phone to talk versus check how much you have talked? As already mentioned too Clear prioritizes their own VOIP, so even during heavy usage at a tower, you should be okay. Other VOIP on Clear would go through the internet (versus VOIP) and be throttled like everyone else.

Some thoughts ...
WA 425
join:2006-08-19
Lynnwood, WA

WA 425 to RacerX780

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I realize OP hasn't posted in the thread in over 3 months, but I'm wondering if he ever considered the option of standalone Verizon DSL with Vonage.

NetFixer
From My Cold Dead Hands
Premium Member
join:2004-06-24
The Boro
Netgear CM500
Pace 5268AC
TRENDnet TEW-829DRU

NetFixer

Premium Member

said by WA 425:

I realize OP hasn't posted in the thread in over 3 months, but I'm wondering if he ever considered the option of standalone Verizon DSL with Vonage.

Actually the OP has not logged onto the site since July, 10. It is unlikely that any new suggestions will be seen by the OP.
RacerX780
join:2005-12-27
Merchantville, NJ

RacerX780

Member

Sorry... summer is my busy season for work... haven't been on the site much, but got an email today about the recently post. (And I'm off today... so I'm just surfing around since it's raining and cold out)

Anyhoo - Haven't really gotten anywhere with the situation. The quality still stinks, overall.

I've suggested my mom going to verizon but she has Clear along with Dish, so I don't think she could split off the two.. (But I'm not 100% sure on that)

My parents are planning on moving.... but the whole 'homes not selling' thing has delayed that... So I think they are just going to stick it out until they move, at which time they will be back with Comcast. (They are moving in my with sister and her husband and they have comcast)

I appreciate everyone's thoughts and ideas...