ogar
join:2001-12-05
Ephrata, PA
clubs:
| VOIP Vontage Questions
I am trying to decide if I want to go through with this. I am thinking of getting service through Vontage instead of Verizon. It is def. cheaper at 24.99 but I am affraid of hidden cost or crappy service. Anyone out there that has this service can you give me the pros and cons. My connection will be 1.5 down and 512k up and have an accesspoint to connect the unit to. I am hoping to then connect it to my phone lines so that I can use other phones throughout the house. Also is there really a 39.99 disconnect fee even if you have had the service for a anyamount of time.
Please any info would help.
THANKS
JR |
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SledDawg
@209.234.x.x
| Since you live in PA I would urge you to also check out the offerings of VoicePulse (»www.voicepulse.com/). They do have numbers in some parts of Pennsylvania, and not only does their service have many more useful features, but their users seem to have far fewer problems with the service. The only time they might not be a better deal is if you make a lot of calls to Canada each month (they don't include Canada in their calling area). But, they don't change a "regulatory recovery fee" like Vonage does. |
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Cam
Premium
join:2003-01-25
Luther, OK
clubs:
| reply to ogar
I've had Vonage for about 9 months now and I have been very happy with it. One thing to keep in mind with Vonage (or any other Phone over Broadband company) is that it is only as reliable as your internet connection.
You should have PLENTY of bandwidth with lots left over, so that shouldn't be any problem at all. There are no hidden costs with Vonage. It is $24.99 per month, there is a $1.50 fee for regulatory reimbursement (or something like that) and a 3% federal excise tax. That is it, your bill will come up right around $27 each month.
This is the same plan I got, I didn't really have a need for unlimited long distance. Unlimited Regional calling (Check Vonage's web site for what will be local to you) and 500 minutes of long distance in the US and Canada was more than sufficient for me.
There is a $39 disconnection fee when you terminate your service (if it is after the 14 day trial period). You can avoid the service fee by returning the ATA device in the original packaging. This is the important part, save the boxes it comes in so that you can return it.
I don't really like the provision that says you need to return it in the original packaging, but it is an improvement over the old policy that said that everyone pays the $39 disconnection fee.
Before you sign up with any VoIP company, keep in mind that they are not going to be 100% reliable. It is not a bad idea to have a cell phone or something as a back up. Vonage is the only one of the Voip companies with 911 service, but it is not the same as 911 service you would get from your local phone company. There are some questions about whether or not it will always connect you to the correct local emergency number, so that may be something you should consider.
The one other thing I would suggest is that you go to www.vonage.com and read through every page of information there (there is a lot of it). It might keep there from being any surprises after you get your service.
All in all I have found Vonage to be very reliable, and a large improvement to my budget. |
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usa2k
Please PRAY for Rebekah
Premium,MVM
join:2003-01-26
Canton, MI
clubs:
 ·VOIPo
 ·WOW Internet and C..
·Broadvox Direct
| reply to ogar
Re: VOIP Vonage Questions
There are lots of Vonage PA choices. Make sure you get the coverage area you are after. »www.vonage.com/area_codes.php
EXAMPLE:
Select an area code: 215
Unlimited calling to 215, 267, 445, 484, and 610 for only $24.99 per month.
Select an area code: 412
Unlimited calling to 412, 724, and 878 for only $24.99 per month.
and so on!
And especially what Cam  said!
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jim
Voip on Vonage|iCH|FWD FWD# 24942
USA2K -- no Affiliate Links or Cookies
[text was edited by author 2003-09-28 10:44:18] |
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JeepMatt
Delaware Fios
Premium
join:2001-12-28
Wilmington, DE
 ·Verizon FIOS
·Comcast
| reply to ogar
Re: VOIP Vontage Questions
Ogar-
I've had the service for about 2 months now outside of Philly - I was able to transfer my old Verizon (215) number over and the service has been great.
I'm on a 256k upload w/ Comcast and have been really impressed. Mostly with paying $27/mo instead of $70/mo to Verizon! 
Good luck!
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"The rules of applying cologne: Spray, Delay, and walk away!" |
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AJuan
Anon Juan
Premium
join:2002-08-14
Miami, FL
clubs:
| reply to ogar
I have had Vonage for over a year now.
Like a number of regulars on this board, I started with one line, and have since kept finding reasons to add a line here and there - fax, 212, 800.
Basically all my family use it now so we not only save $$ each month calling everyone else - we call each other for free!
VoIP has its problems, and Vonage could do with better customer service - but once it works (which is usually right out of the box) it typically works with no trouble.
My biggest problem has been trying to get everyone to understand that its unlimited so they don't have to cut conversations to family in Canada short! 
P.S. Make sure to get some kind of UPS for your network and VoIP equipment.
--
Unofficial Vonage FAQs
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ubetdsl
join:2002-12-02
Santa Rosa, CA
|  I have been using Vonage for about a month and a half and so far, very good. I have the 24.99 plan with an 800 number so it ends up just over thirty a month. Worth every penny...we make alot of calls to Canada, this is the big savings! My favorite feature: you can have your voicemail sent as a .wav file to your email box! I love this when Im at work.
Like many have said here, how happy you are will depend largely on your connection. I have very reliable 1200/128 DSL with excellent latency and very low packet loss, so Vonage works like a charm for me. I have only had one call dropped on Vonage so far and it was when someone called the POTS side of my DSL. My wife was using the Vona-phone, I picked up the voice side, had a conversation with a buddy, and when I hung up it hosed the Vonage call. Anyone else have this experience?
And anon Juan is right, definitely get a UPS for the equipment. Power failure is very rare in my neighborhood but I got my UPS mostly for its built in voltage regulator. Didnt realize how much voltage actually fluctuates on our grid till I got my UPS (it makes faint clicking noises when correcting voltage) Now I make "clean" power a priority for all my beloved equiptment/toys!
Good luck! |
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ieee1394
Premium
join:2001-08-25
Washington
 ·TowerStream
| reply to ogar
Pretty much what everyone else has said.
I have had Vonage since May and am satisfied with the product for what it is. It isn't an exact replacement for a POTS line but it is easy enough to get used to that and to have backups in place where necessary.
Like Cam, I have the unlimited regional calling plan, which is all I need. I too was sold on the waived LD fees to Canada.
The point about VOIP being as reliable as your Internet connection is not to be taken lightly. When I first got the service I had a Starpower/RCN broadband connection in D.C. that provided me with extremely low latency, something like 1.5Mbps down and 700kbps up, and incredible reliability. Vonage was excellent especially since I could use the "normal" compression setting (which is no compression). I now have broadband from Adelphia with a connection that's supposed to be capped at 3Mbps down and 128kbps up but am lucky to get 1Mbps down on a good day, have had a lot of latency issues lately (over 500ms), and the service goes down all together on a far too regular basis. With that said, Vonage hasn't been as good but my ISP is totally to blame for that. Also, I would definitely emphasize having a cell phone as a backup and also put your VOIP gear (ATA, router, cable/dsl modem) on a UPS.
Finally, wiring your whole house for use with Vonage can be tricky. You can get around all problems (usually) by just getting a cordless phone system that lets you add multiple handsets. Keep that in mind in case you run into trouble.
Finally, finally, remember that broadband phone services are still very new and there will be a lot of advancements to the services and the technology over the next couple of years. |
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