VOIP Tech Chat → Suggestions to get rid of Bell phone?

Hi and good day,

I would like to get rid of my Bell bill, I am paying around 30$ a month for a the very basic phone service with no options, it is really about time to shake things up and do a change, there seems to be a few nice options inexpensive options and from what i gathered after reading here and there:

-Ooma device: inexpensive monthly fee seems to have problems porting in actual number?
-Voip ms: Inexpensing pay as you go fees but could be complicated to setup
-Skype :I am using on pc now with international plan seems no port in of actual number ( too bad)
-freephoneline: Is it still free or you pay to Fongo? not clear to me.
-OBIHAI DEVICE & Google Voice: seems like a great option but not sure if a number port in is feasible.
Any other options comments, feedbacks are highly appreciated

Mike

I felt the same way about voip.ms, but once I tried it, it's actually quite simple if you follow the directions for your ATA carefully.

If you're not sure, buy an ATA at a store that will accept returns (I bought mine at Canada Computers, once opened there is a 15% charge on returns (so about $7.50 for the ATA I bought)). Set up a DID, forward your number to that DID and see how it goes.

I made the switch after about a week, and although there were some issues porting my number, it eventually happened and I'm quite happy with the service.

This month's usage (first month I've had voip.ms) is $0.60 calling, $0.99 DID fee and $1.50 e911 fee for a total of $3.09 for the month. You get all sorts of great features.

I love the voicemail to email feature, everytime I get a call, I get an email on my cell with the message attached. Already a few times I've received messages to pick something up while I'm out which is very convenient.

For call blocking, you can block specific numbers and have different results. For example it can hang up, give a "this number is not in service" message and so on.

My total setup fees were just the number port for $10 and the ATA about $50. Overall it's great value considering I was on a previous VoIP provider paying $30/month for what I get now for less than $4/month.

I too was at first intimidated by the setup (I would say I'm fairly techy), but if you follow the directions it is not as bad as it looks.

Needless to say, I didn't actually have to return the ATA, I'm currently using it for my voip.ms service.

I'm no tech genius but I recently went with voip.ms with an Obi100 device. Voip.ms has setup examples specifically for that device. I had some issues with my number showing "registered" with voip.ms until I changed the Obi setting for server from ip name to number. I have no issues with voice quality and I was able to simply plug the entire house into the Obi.

I didn't bother porting my number (I only had the thing for 22 years or so anyway) but porting shouldn't be a problem.

I did read about the voicemail email thing that markf mentioned but can't comment on it since no one calls me anyway but, as he pointed out, the cost is cheap in comparison. I spent $50 on an Obi and just use my regular phones.

Same here. I followed the instructions on their wiki for my device (PAP2T) and then fine-tuned things using Mango's instructions and never had to change anything after that. It's been over a year. Also this forum is an invaluable source of information on the subject - lots of tips.

Thank you for the suggestions and for sharing your experience with voip.ms I will be contacting them to see how porting the phone number will go about.

It's $25 and then you have to deposit $25 for credit. It's not that hard to setup. Remember you should get a cordless phone with many handsets.

Are you using DSL or cable righ tnow??

It's $10 right now to port a number. You fill out a form online, scan a bill and upload it and they take it from there. Your initial deposit has to be $25 US

There was a miscommunication on dates between my previous provider and voip.ms, so my number was "out of service" for about 5 days, but once it was activated it's been all good.

I should also add, with the voicemail to email feature, I can simply forward the email to my wife if the message is for her... can't get blamed anymore for missing messages, they all land in the appropriate inbox (with my help forwarding relevant messages).

Also, for the CallerID name lookup (0.8 cents/lookup), it's apparently not necessary for Canada since the name is already passed along if the info is available.

 
A better place to ask this would be in this forum :

»VOIP Tech Chat

You'll find more of the experienced VoIP users with brains to pick.

BTW, I'm mostly using Anveo - a VoIP provider based in the US, and a PAP2T ATA device.

EDIT : I see that the Mods moved this thread to VTC now.

What I did was buy an adaptor and then use a different DID (phone #), it cost a dollar for the number.

I forwarded my home number to that and had the house use the voip.ms line to make sure it was fine for the first month. It was and then we ported.

I am now enjoying $5-$8 phone bills each month ; )

Yeah, that's what I meant above. When I posted, I thought I was in VoIP Tech Chat already. D'OH!

Porting is well documented in the wiki and also when you select the option on their web site. And remember: Do NOT cancel your current service until the number has been ported.

 
I keep open tabs for several DSLR forums, including both of these, as I know I'll be making the rounds.

Any time I see a chance to help someone leave B$ELL, I'm usually all over it.

I got the OBI110 which let me connect to my landline as well while I experimented with VOIP.ms and was sure I liked the setup before ditching my landline. My experience of voip.ms has been that it is "pretty good" but not perfect. Sometimes I have issues with a call not being completed.

As well, as a house with moderate to heavy internet use, having a router with proper QOS is a must. Even if the upload isn't being used to full capacity it is needed to ensure no outgoing packets are delayed.

I just (last Friday) ported my Bell phone number to Anveo.com, an excellent VoIP service provider. (although I have been using Anveo for over a year, along with AcroVoice - another great VoIP company)

I would recommend an Obi 110, an Anveo 'Free Subscription' and an 'Anveo Value' phone number and a Google Voice account. This way you can keep your Bell land line until you are ready to make the switch to VoIP.

This will cost you a $1.00 setup fee for the phone number and then $1.00 per month, for a minimum of 3 months. Add the mandatory e911 @ $0.80 per month and your total cost for 3 months will be $6.40 USD for the experiment, with no GST/HST or PST. You will get 40 Free minutes per day of incoming calls and pay $0.005 per minute for Canadian outgoing calls and $0.01 per minute for US outgoing.

But, you will pay [zero] for all outgoing calls to North America if you setup your Google Voice account on the Obi along with your Anveo account.

You can buy the Obi 110 from »www.acrovoice.ca/obistore/ and that will cost $59.95 plus tax and shipping.

If you choose to dump Bell and port to Anveo, I would recommend that you select the 'Personal Unlimited' plan (unlimited incoming) for your ported phone number @ $2.00 per month, plus the mandatory e911 @ $0.80 per month. If you do this, and setup your Google Voice account on the Obi, you will have unlimited incoming (Anveo) and unlimited outgoing (Google Voice) for $2.80 per month.

If you don't have a Google Voice account, it is worth setting one up, if you are a Canadian. You'll get unlimited outgoing calls on the Obi plus you can save serious dollars, if you are a big smart phone user.

Rob.

 
Glad to hear you've made the move ! (away from Bell, mostly)

Though if I can get my phone bill all the way down to the range of what Anveo charges (rather than B$ELL's $30 to $80 per month), I'm perfectly satisfied to pay them a half cent per minute for outgoing calls to the rest of Canada, and I have the same $2.80 Anveo arrangement which you mentioned.

BTW, Canadian customers also pay no HST when dealing with US-based VoIPPs such as Anveo - a further saving.

EDIT : Oh, I see you covered that - but it might still be a selling point, as so many of us Canucks (especially in Ontario) are angry at our gov'ts over the HST.

Hi Davesnothere:

Actually, I hardly ever use Google Voice on my home phone - I don't like the lag.
I do use it on my cell phone, and put up with the lag, so that I can have unlimited outgoing calls to North America without using my cell phone minutes.
I agree with you about not 'cheaping out' on Anveo - I think that their services are just great! (arguably the best)
Rob.

 
That's essentially what I was suggesting, the not 'cheaping out' part.

But how does GV work for the cell ? - Is there still a local airtime charge, or does it use/need a data plan ?

Hi Davesnothere:

Yes, it uses a tiny bit of data, just to initiate the outgoing call. After that, your outgoing call becomes an incoming call on your cell phone plan.

I have 'unlimited incoming calls' in my Koodo plan, so there is no local airtime charge.

You can bore yourself to death by visiting my verbose blog but you might be interested in this one post: »googlevoiceforcanadians. ··· ack-app/

Rob.

Hey, we just went back to GST & PST here yesterday, because we were mad at our gov for bringing in the HST without permission -- same time you got yours.

For business, it sucks, because AcroVoice, being a BC corporation, just incurred a 7% cost hike on a lot of the services that we need to keep everything running :/

For the record, this won't impact end user pricing at all.

Another happy voip.ms customer here. Once you get comfortable with your ATA setup, look at other features they offer such as call blocking, ring groups, sub-accounts (extensions inside your house if you get more than one ATA or a VOIP phone)

 
Yeah, and Ontario folks just grumbled a bit, then bent over and ASSumed the position.

 
And you HAVE to subscribe to such a plan or else the GV deal cannot happen ?

Hi Davesnothere:

Yes, the 'Voice+' app requires either data plan or wifi. There are other apps but, to the best of my knowledge, they all require data or wifi as well.

You should also know that if you do this, the recipient of your calls will see your GV number in their caller ID - they will have to add it to their contacts to have their phone display your name. There is no way around this - GV always sends the GV number as the caller ID, period. In the US, people just port their cell phone number to GV.

How much do you pay for your cell phone plan now?

Rob.