[Other] Callcentric vs Voip.ms - Have you tried both?

Forums » VOIP etc » Voice Over IP - VOIP » VOIP Tech Chat » [Other] Callcentric vs Voip.ms - Have you tried both?


Uniqs: 3188	Share Topic:	RSS topic:	toggle: flat / full normal / watch	Posting:	Post a:	Post a:

Links: ·ALL ·Review Your VoIP Provider ·VoIP Providers ·VoIP FAQ ·Porting Rules ·What Codec?

Powercom »
« Double registration on Future Nine proxy

micko113 join:2004-04-15 Renton, WA	[Other] Callcentric vs Voip.ms - Have you tried both? Hi, So, I've narrowed it down to those two but I'm not sure which one I should go with. I would like to hear from you who have tried both what are pros and cos of each? Most what I'm concerned about is call quality and reliability. Any help is appreciated!
	permalink · 2008-09-12 02:02:07 ·

priller

join:2000-10-20
Gainesville, VA

·voip.ms

·Callcentric

·Vonage

·callwithus

Re: [Other] Callcentric vs Voip.ms - Have you tried both?

I'm currently using both. If you put a gun to my head to pick one, I'd go with Callcentric.

Quality
C: I can't remember ever having a bad call with them. Always clear and crisp.

V: Never a bad call either. However, often I tend to hear a very very short burst of noise when the call is first connected.

Reliability
C: I doubt you would find anybody that has higher reliability. Just search the forum and you will probably only find one outage about a year ago. Callcentric uses DNS SRV to provide SIP server redundancy, but all are in NYC. No interaction needed on your part.

V: They are fairly new on the scene, so they don't have an established track record. I personally haven't seen an outage. Apparently, they did have problems in their NYC location and ended up changing where they were hosted. voip.ms has multiple SIP servers around the country. If one goes down, you could manually configure a different one.

Sounds like you've done the feature comparison homework.

My observation is that the Callcentric user dashboard is more complete and polished. voip.ms hangs about half the time trying to pull up CDR's.

Since both are PAYG providers with no commitment, it doesn't cost much to try both and see for yourself.

permalink · 2008-09-12 07:49:04 · Print ·

N9MD
Premium
join:2005-10-08
Wayne, NJ

·VOIPo

·ViaTalk

·PHONE POWER

·Callcentric

Re: [Other] Callcentric vs Voip.ms - Have you tried both?

said by priller

:

...However, often I tend to hear a very very short burst of noise when the call is first connected.

Have you tried Gas-X?

... You knew that was coming!

Incidentally, this "grumpy old man" (of which there seem to be a few in the BBR Forums) currently favors CallCentric, VOIPo and PhonePower --- all with stellar performance and support.

permalink · 2008-09-12 12:40:11 · Print ·

centric join:2005-07-31 Ann Arbor, MI	I've had callcentric setup on my asterisk box for the last year and haven't had a single problem stemming on their end. Any issue I've had has usually been a tweak in my setup. Callcentric is very reliable.
	permalink · 2008-09-12 11:12:19 ·

PX Eliezer
Premium
join:2008-08-09
New Jersey

·Callcentric

·Optimum Voice

·callwithus

·voip.ms

I am currently using them both.

I use them even in combination to some extent---Voip.ms DID's feeding inbound calls to my CallCentric service, by SIP forwarding. I do that mainly because I happened to get some nice DID number combinations from Voip.MS. But I have used both services for both inbound and outbound.

Priller made excellent comments above.

One nice feature of Voip.ms is being able to select specific DID numbers. I got some nice local numbers and a nice tollfree number.

CallCentric has a somewhat longer record, but Voip.ms is up and coming, and has some exciting new features. Sort of like the decision that US voters face in a few weeks.

But fortunately, unlike the voters, you can try both.

I've posted reviews of CallCentric and Voip.ms that may give you some more info.

permalink · 2008-09-12 12:56:52 · Print ·

edmidor 6th Kyu join:2008-05-19 Montreal, QC 1 edit	Re: [Other] Callcentric vs Voip.ms - Have you tried both? CC appears to be way more expensive in PAYG then voip.ms and others. Is it so much better that it justifies the cost difference?
	permalink · 2008-09-12 13:32:21 ·

PX Eliezer
Premium
join:2008-08-09
New Jersey

·Callcentric

·Optimum Voice

·callwithus

·voip.ms

Re: [Other] Callcentric vs Voip.ms - Have you tried both?

said by edmidor

:

CC appears to be way more expensive in PAYG then voip.ms and others. Is it so much better that it justifies the cost difference?

Good point. Still, I believe that it is good to be dealing with more than one VoIP provider. And CallCentric does have such a consistent record.

About the costs, here's how it looks to me, assuming 200 inbound minutes, 200 outbound minutes, including monthly DID fees, but not including 911 fee or initial setup fees, and assuming the better Voip.ms route:

Voip.MS-------6.79 for the month.
CallCentric-----8.91 for the month.

So not too bad.

Keep in mind, I also have an OptimumVoice line which is great but which costs $ 35.00 a month.

And a Verizon business landline which even for the cheapest available service (including caller ID and voicemail but NOT including any calls) is about $ 53.00 a month. With unlimited national calling it would be about $ 90.00 a month.

I'd love to get rid of that Verizon landline, but porting away my main business number is something that might give me an ulcer, then I'd have to see N9MD.

Point is, Voip is so cheap overall, not going to worry about a couple of bucks a month differential between one Voip service and another.

permalink · 2008-09-12 14:03:19 · Print ·

mworks

join:2006-06-13
Faison, NC

I have used callcentric for about 5 months now and have not had a single issue with the service. Yes it is not the cheapest service, but I think that you get what you pay for.
They have a very easy to use site and the control panel for my account is excellent.

I can block numbers, change how caller id info shows up, and see up to the minute call list and charges, and it all works without problems.

Calls are clear and the monthly fee on the account with all taxes and 911 fees is only $4

permalink · 2008-09-12 13:53:24 ·

gg22

join:2008-08-19

·voip.ms

From reading CC website, it looks like calls between CC clients are free? Is this correct? I don't mean direct SIP URI dialing, if one CC client dials real phone number of another CC client, will this be a free call? Why this shows only for USA? Are calls between two canadian clients not free?

Rate to destination: Callcentric

IP Freedom Pay Per Call North America Unlimited World Select

$0.0000 $0.0000 $0.0000 $0.0000

permalink · 2008-09-12 14:55:14 ·

edmidor 6th Kyu join:2008-05-19 Montreal, QC 1 edit	Re: [Other] Callcentric vs Voip.ms - Have you tried both? I suppose it's still going to be SIP URI call - they probably just prepare ENUM records for all their clients, and system forced to check enum prior going to termination trunk.
	permalink · 2008-09-12 15:34:16 ·

priller

join:2000-10-20
Gainesville, VA

·voip.ms

·Callcentric

·Vonage

·callwithus

2 edits

Last I looked, Canada was part of North America.

"With Callcentric North America Unlimited you get UNLIMITED calling to the United States and Canada for only $19.95 per month, plus you still get our low international rates. North America Unlimited is billed once a month and you can cancel at any time. Forget about the old days when you frequently paid more than $19.95 per month just to get a dial tone. Don't forget that you still get FREE UNLIMITED calling to all Callcentric members no matter where they are in the world."

... that applies to any plan.

permalink · 2008-09-12 15:36:00 · Print ·

gg22 join:2008-08-19	Re: [Other] Callcentric vs Voip.ms - Have you tried both? Well, then even if Callcentric per minute rate is higher, if calls between clients are free - that's a big +.
	permalink · 2008-09-12 15:38:12 ·

edmidor
6th Kyu

join:2008-05-19
Montreal, QC

Re: [Other] Callcentric vs Voip.ms - Have you tried both?

C'mon, free calls...

How to make “free call between members of your circle”

1. Make all you’re your members to register with any engine supporting ENUM e164.org and such: Voxalot, PBXes, some providers
2. In e164.org create entries for each member, prefixed by some weird number – so outsiders won’t be able to take advantage of your “free unlimited calling”
3. In every member’s dialing plan make a rule: prefix dialed number with the aforementioned prefix, and test against ENUM
4. if positive you’ll be connected free, with SIP URI call
5. if negative go to your regular VoIP provider to make a paid call

As simple as that.

permalink · 2008-09-12 15:49:16 · Print ·

PX Eliezer
Premium
join:2008-08-09
New Jersey

·Callcentric

·Optimum Voice

·callwithus

·voip.ms

Of course CallCentric like most other providers offers free calling between SIP addresses, regardless of who the providers are.

But in addition, they are sponsors of SipBroker and they host many of the access numbers.

For CallCentric members, you get assigned a ten digit number starting with 777. That's basically like the account number, BUT you can use that number to call any other CallCentric member's 777 number, at no charge. Is the end result any different from using an ENUM engine and such? No. But it's another pathway, and it may just be easier.

Keep in mind, CallCentric offers the IP Freedom plan at no charge. Yes, others have something similar. But with this plan, you get good quality, no hassles, free direct SIP calling, free SipBroker peering, easy free calls to other CallCentric members using the 777 numbers, free voicemail.

Is CallCentric perfect? No. Nobody's perfect except that Olympic swimmer guy. But this afternoon I noticed a billing error, I e-mailed them, and they fixed it in a couple of minutes.

And again, CallCentric IP Freedom costs zero. So it should please everyone.

There are some VoIP providers that have lots of problems. We all know who they are.

But CallCentric and Voip.ms are both pretty darn good!!

permalink · 2008-09-12 16:19:29 · Print ·

VTT

@comcast.net

Does these provider have network unavailable forward feature?

I'm with viatalk and my contract is up next month. I'm not happy with vt and like to move to some reliable provider.

here is the more detail about feature. I found this feature very cool, you never miss the call if provider or your ISP is down.

ViaTalk Network Unavailable Forward- ViaTalk network unavailable forward allows you to forward calls to your cell phone or any other number in case of a ISP or power outage at your home or office.

permalink · 2008-09-12 19:25:36 · Print ·

PX Eliezer Premium join:2008-08-09 New Jersey	Re: [Other] Callcentric vs Voip.ms - Have you tried both? said by VTT : Does these provider have network unavailable forward feature? CallCentric does, by setting up a Call Treatment (forward if unregistered). Voip.ms also does (Failover).
	permalink · 2008-09-12 19:33:43 ·

ATTT @comcast.net	Re: [Other] Callcentric vs Voip.ms - Have you tried both? Awesome!! Just a quick qns.. I was just looking at the rate plan for both provider. Does CC Personal Unlimited Phone Number allows for outbound call? What plan do you suggest with both provider for US/CA inbound and outbound calling? I also see that they charge fee for LNP. I need to port my number from VT. Thanks
	permalink · 2008-09-12 19:40:51 ·

micko113 join:2004-04-15 Renton, WA	Re: [Other] Callcentric vs Voip.ms - Have you tried both? said by ATTT : Does CC Personal Unlimited Phone Number allows for outbound call? From what I've figured out while researching both providers. Personal Unlimited $5.95 is unlimited incoming plan if want make outbound calls you can @ $0.0198 per minute. If you want unlimited outbound you'll need North America Unlimited $19.95 plan.
	permalink · 2008-09-13 00:52:48 ·

PX Eliezer
Premium
join:2008-08-09
New Jersey

·Callcentric

·Optimum Voice

·callwithus

·voip.ms

1 edit

Re: [Other] Callcentric vs Voip.ms - Have you tried both?

Unless you make a LOT of outbound calls, the PAYG is better than the North America Unlimited $19.95 outbound plan.

For example:

If someone makes 500 minutes per month of outgoing US domestic calls, the pay-per-minute cost (at $ 0.0198 per minute) would be $ 9.90, which is half the cost of the unlimited North America outgoing plan.

It all depends on your call volume, in each direction.

Keep in mind you can do a PAYG in one direction and choose a flat rate plan in the other. And you can CHANGE your choices as you see how they work out with the numbers.

And Micko 113, since you list a Washington State location, remember that you can get a free ipKall Washington State phone number and use THAT as your DID pointed to CallCentric. Thus you would not pay ANYTHING for incoming.

permalink · 2008-09-13 01:08:51 · Print ·

priller

join:2000-10-20
Gainesville, VA

·voip.ms

·Callcentric

·Vonage

·callwithus

Re: [Other] Callcentric vs Voip.ms - Have you tried both?

said by PX Eliezer

:

Keep in mind you can do a PAYG in one direction and choose a flat rate plan in the other. And you can CHANGE your choices as you see how they work out with the numbers.

That is a very nice feature of Callcentric. And there is no "change fee".

Unfortunately, I've seen people not take the time to read and understand that incoming/outgoing plans are ordered separately. Then they are ready to flame Callcentric for "extra charges".

permalink · 2008-09-13 07:52:41 · Print ·

PX Eliezer
Premium
join:2008-08-09
New Jersey

·Callcentric

·Optimum Voice

·callwithus

·voip.ms

Re: [Other] Callcentric vs Voip.ms - Have you tried both?

said by priller

:

Unfortunately, I've seen people not take the time to read and understand that incoming/outgoing plans are ordered separately. Then they are ready to flame Callcentric for "extra charges".

You are right. The thing is, people who have previously dealt with PAYG plans understand it implicitly. For people who have previously used only telco plans, or all-in-one VoIP plans like Vonage, the idea that inbound and outbound are separate options takes some getting used to.

In the end, plans with separate inbound and outbound options are very useful for many people, as they provide more flexibility and freedom. And depending on calling patterns, the customers may be able to spend less overall.

permalink · 2008-09-13 11:35:37 · Print ·

micko113 join:2004-04-15 Renton, WA	Thank you all for the replies! I know I can test each one on my own but I prefer hearing/reading other people opinions.
	permalink · 2008-09-13 00:42:53 ·

micko113

join:2004-04-15
Renton, WA

said by PX Eliezer

:

And Micko 113, since you list a Washington State location, remember that you can get a free ipKall Washington State phone number and use THAT as your DID pointed to CallCentric. Thus you would not pay ANYTHING for incoming.

Thanks for the tip!
Problem is that I have a # for couple of years and too many people know it.
Its interesting to see that CC has unlimited inbound for $5.95 (~3000 minutes) whereas unlimited outbound is $19.95.

permalink · 2008-09-13 01:29:35 · Print ·

PX Eliezer
Premium
join:2008-08-09
New Jersey

·Callcentric

·Optimum Voice

·callwithus

·voip.ms

Re: [Other] Callcentric vs Voip.ms - Have you tried both?

said by micko113

:

Thanks for the tip!
Problem is that I have a # for couple of years and too many people know it.

Keep in mind you can have BOTH. If you need to port your current number to CallCentric, that's fine. But you can ALSO get a free Wash. State number from ipKall and point it to your CallCentric account. For calls that come in to CallCentric from ipKall (by SIP forwarding), there would be no CallCentric PAYG charges.

said by micko113

:

Its interesting to see that CC has unlimited inbound for $5.95 (~3000 minutes) whereas unlimited outbound is $19.95.

That's why I think that for outbound, PAYG is better for many people.

It is interesting. I think that the unlimited inbound gives you some nice protection, because you cannot really control how many calls you RECEIVE! People do control their own outbound usage, and I think that $ 19.95 outbound plan is designed for high volume users.

permalink · 2008-09-13 11:49:38 · Print ·

edmidor
6th Kyu

join:2008-05-19
Montreal, QC

Re: [Other] Callcentric vs Voip.ms - Have you tried both?

I still think that leaving reliability aside (I realize that reliability costs), CC is overpriced.

IMHO, there's no better thing then reasonable mix-nmatch:
- Excellent quality unlimited DIDs from CWU for $3-$4.
- US calls by F-N for 1c/min
- CAN calls by voip.ms for 0.4c/min
- Overseas calls by any of the above

Such a solution isn't just more economical, it's more flexible, and having few actively used providers means they can be used as a backup to each other.

Unless one wants a simple "home phone" setup-n-forget kind of thing I really don't see how CC pricing can be justified.

permalink · 2008-09-13 14:39:36 · Print ·

PX Eliezer
Premium
join:2008-08-09
New Jersey

·Callcentric

·Optimum Voice

·callwithus

·voip.ms

Re: [Other] Callcentric vs Voip.ms - Have you tried both?

Oh, I agree sometimes it's good to mash things up....
I said earlier in this topic that I have some Voip.ms DID's feeding into my CallCentric account. And I also have ipKall. And OptimumVoice too!

But for small users, sometimes there is something to be said for the simplicity of a setup-n-forget kind of thing.

I also DO use CallWithUs. Have them at home. And they are super. But the selection of DID's is limited in many parts of the US. I live in a large county with 650,000 people (that's more than some states) yet not a single DID is available here from their supplier. Otherwise I would have obtained one.

permalink · 2008-09-13 15:21:04 · Print ·

espaeth
Digital Plumber
Premium,MVM
join:2001-04-21
Minneapolis, MN

·voip.ms

·Vitelity VOIP

·Callcentric

·VoiceStick

·ViaTalk

·Comcast

·Embarq

said by edmidor

:

I still think that leaving reliability aside (I realize that reliability costs), CC is overpriced.

For termination they are on the high end of the bracket, but I still think CallCentric is very competitive on origination.

said by edmidor

:

- Excellent quality unlimited DIDs from CWU for $3-$4.

CWU can't port your number, so if you're going to get a new number anyway you can likely just get a Dirt Cheap DID from CallCentric which is $2.95/mo for 'unlimited' incoming.

If you want to port your number, you can do that on their $5.95/mo unlimited plan.

IMO, you're right about mix-n-match when it comes to termination. I've setup accounts with a half dozen termination providers and if one goes down there's no worries.

My DIDs, however, can only live in one place. The advantage to CallCentric is they own more infrastructure than resellers like CWU and voip.ms. CWU only rents servers from hosting service providers to act as SIP/IAX gateways and all of the PSTN connections are handled by the vendors they contract with across the Internet. For CallCentric, they own significantly more equipment including actual real phone switches to make SS7 connections back into the PSTN at their location. They also operate their own network hardware that connects to the Internet using their own BGP ASN. From an accountability standpoint, with CallCentric operating a larger majority of the infrastructure it can help to eliminate finger-pointing that can occur between companies when things break. For example, if for some reason you start getting garbled audio on your incoming calls with your DID through CWU they need to cut a ticket to their upstream provider to have them investigate. If you report garbled audio to CallCentric they can go log into their switch directly to start troubleshooting the issue themselves.

permalink · 2008-09-14 17:25:48 · Print ·

micko113 join:2004-04-15 Renton, WA	Thanks guys! I have couple of other trunks from various PAYG providers. said by PX Eliezer : It is interesting. I think that the unlimited inbound gives you some nice protection, because you cannot really control how many calls you RECEIVE! Yes, you can, its called "Let me call you back" /sarcastic
	permalink · 2008-09-13 13:56:49 · Print ·

PX Eliezer Premium join:2008-08-09 New Jersey ·Callcentric ·Optimum Voice ·callwithus ·voip.ms	Re: [Other] Callcentric vs Voip.ms - Have you tried both? said by micko113 : said by PX Eliezer : ...you cannot really control how many calls you RECEIVE! Yes, you can, its called "Let me call you back" /sarcastic Thanks. That's the best laugh I had all week, and I needed that!
	permalink · 2008-09-13 14:09:22 · Print ·

hockeynomad join:2007-06-19 Mississauga, ON ·voip.ms ·TekSavvy Solutions.. ·Unitz VoIP	I would have gone with a proven one Callcentric but no DIDs outside city of Toronto. That's a lost 2 million potential subscribers. But VOIP.ms is widely available and so far has a promising profile.
	permalink · 2008-09-13 19:00:29 ·

scott2020

join:2008-07-20
El Dorado Springs, MO

·VOIPo

·VoiceStick

·BroadVoice

·Callcentric

I have been with Callcentric only since July, and they have been great. Customer service is outstanding. I have never had a bad quality outbound call with them. Right now we are troubleshooting some audio problems in my rate center, but that is a Level 3 problem because all of my DID's in this rate center from different VOIP providers are not great. Callcentric has tons of options that have been mentioned several times around here already so I won't re-hash them.
Scott

permalink · 2008-09-14 19:27:10 ·

gg22 join:2008-08-19 ·voip.ms	I'm using voip.ms and sound quality is excellent now. User Control panel is very nice and they have a lot of features implemented lately. System availability was 100% for me since I joined them. Probably the best option would be using both - Callcentric for unlimited incoming at $5.95 (versus 8.95 voip.ms) and voip.ms for outgoing at $0.0125 (compared to $0.02 callcentric).
	permalink · 2008-09-14 19:59:57 ·

hockeynomad join:2007-06-19 Mississauga, ON 1 edit	One user here has indicated that he tried both Callcentric and Voip.ms prior to recently settling on VOIP.ms. A major reason was the call quality of VOIP.ms was superior to Callcentric.
	permalink · 2008-09-15 10:31:18 ·

espaeth
Digital Plumber
Premium,MVM
join:2001-04-21
Minneapolis, MN

·voip.ms

·Vitelity VOIP

·Callcentric

·VoiceStick

·ViaTalk

·Comcast

·Embarq

Re: [Other] Callcentric vs Voip.ms - Have you tried both?

said by hockeynomad

:

A major reason was the call quality of VOIP.ms was superior to Callcentric.

My main DID is at CallCentric -- I've had service through them for about 3 months now. I just signed up for voip.ms last week, but have made about 10 hours worth of calls through their service.

Personally, I noticed 0 difference in audio quality between either service.

permalink · 2008-09-15 15:44:49 · Print ·

your comment..

Forums » VOIP etc » Voice Over IP - VOIP » VOIP Tech Chat	Powercom » « Double registration on Future Nine proxy


Sunday, 29-Nov 02:23:51	Terms of Use \| Privacy Policy \| Hosting by www.nac.net - DSL,Hosting & Co-lo \| feedback \| contact over 10 years online! © 1999-2009 dslreports.com.republican-creole page compression OFF