 
ronpin
Imagine Reality
join:2002-12-06
Nirvana
 ·AT&T Southwest
2 edits | Failed only to attract me It just boggles the mind to think how much they want for a service that cost them almost nothing per user. They won't even advertise their basic plan -- they want as much as a regular ILEC like MCI for their plan -- on MY broadband connection. I admire their service -- I just don't think it's worth more than $15-$20/month -- at most. They may have been [almost] 1st to market but they'll be the 1st-out with so much room for competitors to under-cut them. Great idea -- I wish 'em luck. | |
|
 | ParanoiaInc
join:2002-08-28
Tucker, GA
| Re: Failed only to attract me I am assuming you work in the datacom sector and have a firm awareness of the equipment cost for providing VoIP. Care to share who you work for? I work within BellSouth's datacom division and I have not yet noticed a single piece of datacom switch-equipment that costs less than $100K/pop, and we are talking hundreds of 'pops'. This says nothing about their associated infrastructure, support systems, etc., not to mention the manpower to deploy and maintain, etc.
Hmm. | |
|
| |
ronpin
Imagine Reality
join:2002-12-06
Nirvana
·AT&T Southwest
1 edit | Re: Failed only to attract me They use cheap softswitches.
quote:
On the other hand, Edison, N.J.-based Vonage is using softswitch technology to offer subscribers of broadband (cable modem/DSL) services an enticing bundle of voice services
RE: »www.findarticles.com/cf_dls/m0TL···ml?term= | |
|
| | | 
calvoiper
join:2003-03-31
Belvedere Tiburon, CA
| Re: Failed only to attract me There are a couple of points to make here:
First, MCI is not an ILEC. It's both a CLEC and and IXC--but for the purposes of this discussion, it probably doesn't matter much. I think ronpin's point was that Vonage was charging about as much as "old technology"--but I'm not sure I agree with that.
Second, make sure you're comparing apples to apples. While SIP between compliant broadband subscribers is darn near without incremental cost to any service providing only the registration server (for example, Pulver's FWD) there is a significant incremental cost to companies like Vonage that interface with the PSTN. They have to use (soft)switching equipment for the length of the call, and they have to maintain and use traditional circuit-based termination of one form or another.
Calvoiper
--
VoIP--the death knell of remaining voice monopolies! | |
|
| | Automate
join:2001-06-26
Atlanta, GA | You work for BellSouth but use Speed Factory as your ISP.
Does this say something? | |
|
| | | ParanoiaInc
join:2002-08-28
Tucker, GA
| Re: Failed only to attract me Yes, it does. It says that at the time their Internet Services division was completely separate from their datacom division, and both were separate from their teco division.
Also, I wanted to conduct certain activities that would have violated the TOS/AUP and determine the best location was at SF. Also, I like using NNTP and SF has one of the bst NNTP services on the planet.
This had nothing to do with the datacom/telco portion of my delivered broadband solutions (which is not DSL). | |
|
lakino
Premium
join:2003-04-03
Campbell, CA
2 edits | What is VoIP? Who is Vonage? 
You need a broadband to get Vonage. If you get it through DSL technology, I ask why would you spend extra on VoIP? If the DSL goes down, you'd have no phone service. With the current setup, at least you can dial tech support via POTS to get your DSL connection fixed. I don't think VoIP should ever be used as your sole line. If DSL dies, you won't be able to call to get it fixed.
If it was free, I'd understand. But to pay $30/month on top of what you already pay for your net connection? I just don't get it. | |
|
| 
Maxo
Your tax dollars at work.
Premium,VIP
join:2002-11-04
Tallahassee, FL
clubs:
·Embarq
| Re: What is VoIP? Who is Vonage? I agree. Neither DSL nor Cable is stable enough to rely on it for your telephony service. The only way I'd go straight VOIP is if I had a T1 line which isn't something that's going to happen soon. I do hope to see the VOIP industry take off and hopefully in a couple years will be even more innovative.
--
Girls don't really like me That's why I hate myself Maybe it's cause of the way I look Or maybe it's something else »maxolasersquad.com | |
|
| | rustyknutz
join:2003-10-06
Collierville, TN
| Re: What is VoIP? Who is Vonage? No phone line backup....doesn't everyone have a cell phone these days? Vonage has a tab to allow for failover to a cell phone in case your connection is down. When have the RBOCs ever come up with anything as feature rich as what is currently being offered by all of the VoIP providers. Remember, Ma Bell was still offering only the 4 basic features to consumers that had been available for almost 30 years when they were broken up. Remember, the RBOCs DONT WANT TO INNOVATE. THEY STILL THINK THEIR CUSTOMER IS THE PUC AND THE FCC. | |
|
| 
tomkb
Premium
join:2000-11-15
Avon, OH
clubs:
 ·RoadRunner Cable
2 edits | Well, if you are a business with alot of employees out in the field, it might save you money, at least that's the experiment we are running right now.
Currently, our company is looking at voip technology. For example, each employee has a cell phone and a calling card and an internet account. When they call us, they use our 800 number. All these things add up cost wise. Now with voip, what we are trying to find out is whether it is viable to have our employee use the internet to connect to our phone equipment to make a long distance call via his computer.
One thing though, dialup doesn't appear to have the bandwidth to support a quality call. They have to rely on hotels that have a broadband connection. From what I can tell, you need around 70k to get a decent quality call, which is more than a 56k modem can handle. | |
|
| |
Maxo
Your tax dollars at work.
Premium,VIP
join:2002-11-04
Tallahassee, FL
clubs:
·Embarq
| Re: What is VoIP? Who is Vonage? I'm assuming you are using a T1 or better internet connection.
I can see the service call now. I call VOIP provider and tell them my quality is poor. They blame my ISP. I call ISP. ISP has me run a speed test and ping test and has me browse connection. Tells me everything is looking good and to call my VOIP provider back. I think another thing that needs to happen is VOIP needs to be provided by the ISP.
--
Girls don't really like me That's why I hate myself Maybe it's cause of the way I look Or maybe it's something else »maxolasersquad.com | |
|
| | 
kapil
The Kapil
join:2000-04-26
Chicago, IL | Mpower communications has been offering a VoIP product for years...and theirs only takes around 30K per voice channel.
--
::: Do, or do not, there is no try:::»www.kapilville.com | |
|
| | |
calvoiper
join:2003-03-31
Belvedere Tiburon, CA
| Re: What is VoIP? Who is Vonage? There are VoIP applications which run over dial-up, and they deserve more attention. However, since you're using a local dial-up line to originate, they make overall economic sense only for long distance, not local usage.
Calvoiper
--
VoIP--the death knell of remaining voice monopolies! | |
|
| easterly
join:2004-02-14
New York, NY
| The last I heard (in July) Vonage is available only to IP over cable subscribers, so the question of its usefulness in conjunction with DSL is moot. As for being left without phone service when your ISP or Vonage is down, it's true but there's your cell phone for your anguished calls to tech support. | |
|
| | Freezone
join:2000-09-29
Southfield, MI | Re: What is VoIP? Who is Vonage? are you sure? I thought it was availe to any one with hsi. Their website says that you will have to keep you local phone number. | |
|
| 
KeysCapt
Premium,Mod
join:2001-07-11
Keys Exile
clubs:
Host:
Time Warner Cable ..
Weather
Ham Radio
Sports Chat
| The concerns about reliability are valid on their face, but the VoIP forum is populated by many who have chosen VoIP services for their business needs, completely replacing their standard telephone service ... and numerous home users who have also done away with POTS in favor of IP Telephony.
It's still an emerging technology and not without its faults, but the fan base is large and growing daily. | |
|
| | 
GNXPower
Got Boost?
Premium
join:2003-12-18
Huntington Beach, CA
1 edit | Re: What is VoIP? Who is Vonage? And it's full of people complaining about bad customer service and connectivity problems. I have Vonage and it worked great (to the point I dropped Verizon completely and used cell backup on my alarm system) until fairly recently...then came the junk fee and more recently bad reliability (at least for me).
--
Don't have it?!? Demand it!!! The Anime Network »www.theanimenetwork.com | |
|
| 
mario55
join:2002-02-12
Pompano Beach, FL
| but what about that lovely long distance 35 bucks a month and no extra fees;)... my room mate wants to get this service so we can crank call japan for 5 cents a min  and no he has nothing better to do. | |
|
kaila
join:2000-10-11
Lincolnshire, IL
clubs:
1 edit | Works well for me! I have Vonage's $35 unlimited plan for about 9 months now and can tell you that the overall quality and reliability has been quite good. For our family it is saving us a fortune, we have teenagers and easily rack up 3,000 long distance minutes a month. Our house also has cell phones from two different providers as backup - which i've never had to use.
I believe the biggest factor whether or not a VoIP customer will have a pleasant experience is the quality of service they get from their ISP. VoIP isn't for you if you constantly have to deal with latency and service interruptions. You really don't need a T1. With Vonage at least, 128Kbps upload will serve you well. | |
|
|
mario55
join:2002-02-12
Pompano Beach, FL | Re: Works well for me! now that is what im talking about... damn those teenagers can talk alot !!! about line quality ... well the service is as good as your cable/dsl connection. | |
|
| 
rsa0
join:2003-01-25
Birmingham, AL | I wonder what is going to happen when they will have a LOT of customers....will they be the same ? | |
|
| |
mario55
join:2002-02-12
Pompano Beach, FL | Re: Works well for me! when WHO get lots of custys? i hear vonage is up to 100,000 | |
|
lestat99
join:2000-08-04
Piscataway, NJ
| Reasons VoicePulse has saved my family a tremendous amount of money. As I needed a second line in my house I opted for VoicePulse mainly for their feature edge over the competition. Long distance bill has gone from over $100/month to $34 and we now have a second phone number for the $34 which we were not getting when we were spending $100.
For heavy long distance users or users that need a second line in their home for an office or teen, VoIP is the perfect choice.
--
Info Network Security:»www.packetdefense.com | |
|
JE
Can I Taste It? Mmmm
Premium
join:2000-12-15
Brooklyn, NY
| You all Must Be Rich! To have TOP Cable TV, Internet, Cell Phones as backups, Kids, VOIP... on top of all the other bills....
Kids first. I feel it's just money going the wrong way. Internet Yeah, TV???????????
Sometimes I wish I had all that money to blow.
JE
--
Surfin 'wit OOL @: 9360/958... OH YEAH BABY! | |
|
batageek
Slave To The Duopoly
Premium
join:2003-01-25
| Vonage works pretty well I've had Vonage for about 6 months. I pipe it through my cable modem and have entirely cut my SBC service. It works great.
If I had DSL, I wouldn't waste my time with Vonage, though. Try getting DSL to your home without local phone service...it's going to be tough. As long as you've got to have the Bell line there, you'd probably do just as well with them when all is said and done.
I also wouldn't bother unless you carry a cell phone too. While I've never had a problem specifically with Vonage, my cable modem has gone down....thus the cell phone requirement.
One recommendation I would make to Vonage users.....There is an option to control the quality of the call (how much bandwidth used) via your user account on the web. I have mine set at the lowest quality. It sounds just fine and seems to really reduce latency.
--
»www.tricitybroadband.com | |
|
GNXPower
Got Boost?
Premium
join:2003-12-18
Huntington Beach, CA
2 edits | Doesn't surprise me that Vonage is last... There are numerous reports of bad customer service and connectivity issues in the VoIP forums. Personally, I've had Vonage for quite a while and never had to call for anything. Recently...since about Thanksgiving I've had problems completing calls (fast busies) and receiving calls. And it wasn't my providers. It was a real pain and forced me back to POTS after being VZ free for over a year...on the plus side VZ had rolled out DSL during that time so I was able to finally ditch Comcrap but it seems to me that Vonage is suffering serious growing pains.
Now I'm in the same boat as a lot of people. Since ditching overpriced Comcrap I have a POTS requirement...so now it would cost only $5 more to add unlimited voice to my VZ plan and ditch my limited Vonage plan. SBC customers are even less inclined with total price to unlimited voice at $43 and the cheapest DSL rates around. But lucky with VoIP or not, VoIP is the reason for the sudden price drops from the telcos.
--
Don't have it?!? Demand it!!! The Anime Network »www.theanimenetwork.com | |
|
| |
| |
GNXPower
Got Boost?
Premium
join:2003-12-18
Huntington Beach, CA
| Re: Doesn't surprise me that Vonage is last... Doesn't the unlimited voice packages from SBC include basic calling features...I think caller ID and a choice or 2 or 3 other calling features?
--
Don't have it?!? Demand it!!! The Anime Network »www.theanimenetwork.com | |
|
| | | 
insomniac
Oh Yeah
Premium
join:2002-09-22
Naperville, IL
clubs:
·AT&T Midwest
1 edit | Re: Doesn't surprise me that Vonage is last... Yes, they do, but you have to use SBC for local toll calls in order to get any of the packages. I use my POTS line very infrequently for local toll or long-distance, and I get a better deal through Sprint LD for also being a PCS customer. Sprint gives me 50 free minutes of local toll and long-distance calling every month, and the monthly fee is waived as long as I continue to be a PCS customer. If I happen to go over the 50 minutes, it's 7 cents/minute, which is the same as what SBC would charge me for their no-monthly-fee LD plan. For an infrequent POTS user like me, it's essentially free long-distance -- it's there when I need it, but I don't pay a dime during the months when I don't use it. My monthly bill for a POTS line with caller ID is $27/month after all fees and taxes. The last time I looked, that was still less than any SBC package which includes caller ID.
The kind of people who frequent this site watch their telecom bills carefully and are always on the lookout for ways to get the most bang for their buck. For every one person who reads these forums, I'd estimate there are three other people out there who
a) won't notice the price increases in ala carte services, or
b) don't care and will pay the higher rates without thinking about it.
This is where SBC is going to make their money -- not to mention that there are also others who get talked into packages they won't use and don't need, which SBC tries every time I call them. | |
|
| Freezone
join:2000-09-29
Southfield, MI
| Vonage needs to go public. They are private owned corp. The att pres stated that they were going to offer a "Vonage like service." Would be easier on both companies if att bought vonage.
That would bring real credibility to the VOIP space. ATT knows that langdistance is dead. | |
|
| | 
N3OGH
Bear patrol must be working like a charm
Premium
join:2003-11-11
Philly burbs
·Verizon Online DSL
| Re: Doesn't surprise me that Vonage is last... said by Freezone  :
Vonage needs to go public. They are private owned corp. The att pres stated that they were going to offer a "Vonage like service." Would be easier on both companies if att bought vonage.
That would bring real credibility to the VOIP space. ATT knows that langdistance is dead.
Easiest way for them to lose my business. Every experience I've had with AT&T in the past couple of years has been negative. If AT&T were to acquire Vonage, I would drop them like a hot potato.
As far as the issue of customer service. When I cancelled my LD service on my POTS line last year, Verizon screwed it up, and since AT&T bills quarterly, I got billed for about 6 extra months of "minimum usage" while Verizon and AT&T pointed the finger at each other. Bottom line, I was out $45. The argument that dealing with a VoIP and a ISP is a moot point, since you're dealing with 2 parties on your POTS line anyway.
VoIP fits my needs, as I work 2 jobs, and am rarely home. I have a cell phone, and the main reason I was keeping a POTS line was for the phone number that I had for 24 years. Now I have my number on my VoIP and I can check my voice mail on line from anywhere. It fits for me...
Bill | |
|
RRNYC
join:2001-01-05
Bellmore, NY
|  Opt Voice is the way to go....
| |
|
2farfromCO7
join:2000-10-14
Farmington, MI | iconnecthere? Why wasn't IconnectHere by DeltaThree reviewed? | |
|
|
|
|
VOIP reviews