Voip...Vonage, thinking about making the switch - Calgarypuck Forums - The Unofficial Calgary Flames Fan Community

MrMastodonFarm · 10-01-2006, 09:57 PM

I am thinking about making the switch from regular phone to the Vonage service, pros/cons anyone?

FunkMasterFlame · 10-01-2006, 10:22 PM

id say their theme song can be considered a con:

ooo oo ooo oo oooooo

oo oo

ooo oooo

ooo ooo ooo ooo oooo

RougeUnderoos · 10-01-2006, 10:42 PM

VOIP sucks. I just had a few weeks with a VOIP phone and it was not good.

Local calls can have a terrible delay with echoes and the whole deal. It's like talking to someone in Europe on a crappy connection but the person is only a few miles away.

MrMastodonFarm · 10-01-2006, 10:59 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by RougeUnderoos

Local calls can have a terrible delay with echoes and the whole deal. It's like talking to someone in Europe on a crappy connection but the person is only a few miles away.

Well that sucks to hear.

BlackArcher101 · 10-01-2006, 11:26 PM

The only things I wish my shaw phone was capable of doing that Vonage can...

1) Check voice messages and call logs away from home on the internet
2) Ability to take the VOIP box whereever you go, plug it into an internet port, and voila... you brought your home phone with you. Handy if you travel lot's to hotels that have ports.

RougeUnderoos · 10-02-2006, 01:06 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MrMastodonFarm

Well that sucks to hear.

Yeah, it does suck to hear.

The place I was staying had the VOIP and it was really inconsistent. Sometimes it was just like a regular phone, other times it was just awful. I talked to people in Calgary and had the delays and that damned "cancel each other out" feature where if both people happened to talk at the same time neither of us would hear anything. Then I would talk to someone on the other side of the Atlantic and it would be fine.

I even got an "all lines are busy" message a few times when I was calling a place that I could have seen with my eyes if I was standing on the roof of the house. That doesn't happen with the regular phone.

I'm no expert but I did not like it. I hung up the house phone more than once and called the person back with my cell phone because it was so annoying.

Bill Bumface · 10-02-2006, 01:08 AM

I've got Primus, something like $19 a month. The first couple months I had some call quality issues, but now its near identicle to a land line for me. I've had no issues in a long time. I get my voicemail sent to my gmail so I can check it anywhere on a computer, as well as call my own number from anywhere and check it. There are some cool features such as if you call my house and I don't answer, it dials my cell and work number at the same time and I can get the call with either of those phones. So one number gets me anyways I am. I don't do any long distance calling so I don't have that included, and if you don't need a long distance plan there is no reason to pay more than about $20 for your phone if you have an internet connection.

Engine09 · 10-02-2006, 01:35 AM

I pay $47.50 a month for internet and phone, through cia/3web (cia.com), long distance calls are extra. If you don't have any women in your house and don't talk on the phone too much then you'll save some money.

Some slight delay sometimes, doesn't bother me that much.

jar_e · 10-02-2006, 01:57 AM

Word of caution, make sure you check with your provider about 911 compatibility...I know there was some sort of regulation that was suppose to be in place by the beginning of the year (if I remember correctly) that should make you accessible for enhanced 911 service but make sure nonetheless.

Cheese · 10-02-2006, 07:24 AM

The other issue is 1-800 numbers....Canadian 800 numbers dont work because its an American company....dont know if this is worked out yet but I doubt it.
VoiP will be the mainstream shortly though...many large Corps are changing over.

FlamingLonghorn · 10-02-2006, 07:55 AM

How does 911 work? Assuming canada uses 911? The commercial for vonage always says 911 works differently.

jar_e · 10-02-2006, 08:00 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sowa

How does 911 work? Assuming canada uses 911? The commercial for vonage always says 911 works differently.

If you phone with a landline through a regular phone line, here in Calgary 911 will recieve your address, your phone number, and the name of the person on the account.

With a cellphone you get the cell phone tower address/azmuth and the phone number.

With a VOIP phone, it matters from provider, but nine times out of ten your call will goto a call centre either in Canada or the States and than transferred to Calgary 911 where sometimes we'll get an address, sometimes we'll get a phone number. It's been really hit or miss as of late. But if they do have e911 than that would mean we would get the address and phone number.

MattyK · 10-03-2006, 08:13 AM

I have Shaw Internet (no VOIP) and ordered CIA about three weeks ago.

Last week, a Shaw technician called me at work from the cable box outside my apartment and asked, "Alright, what am I doing? You're switching from Shaw to CIA...so I have nothing to change, it's all done at Shaw HQ" or something. It was mildly humourous.

But still...three weeks later, and aside from the inital order confirmation email, no contact from CIA. Still have my Shaw IP address. VOIP adapter is still waiting to connect.

I hear CIA has crappy customer support...but if you're a DIY'er or otherwise know what you're doing, you're rolling in the money you're saving. Still, can't roll in saved money if they're not even starting my service...

Wolfwood · 10-03-2006, 08:48 AM

The only issue I've had with Vonage was trying to get them to switch my number. After a while I just gave up on that and have been using the number they gave me. It has worked fine for me without any delay yet.

Bill Bumface · 10-03-2006, 08:53 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by fotze

Does VOIP come with paragraphs?

Only one paragraph per customer.

octothorp · 10-03-2006, 09:04 AM

I spent a few years doing VOIP documentation for Nortel, and for the most part it was a very shaky technology at that time. Never worked nearly as well as sales departments generally thought it did. I think it's a technology more appropriate for businesses with distributed offices than for home users.

Bill Bumface · 10-03-2006, 09:09 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by octothorp

I spent a few years doing VOIP documentation for Nortel, and for the most part it was a very shaky technology at that time. Never worked nearly as well as sales departments generally thought it did. I think it's a technology more appropriate for businesses with distributed offices than for home users.

For what reason?

Tell me how its not appropriate for me. I'm curious.

ken0042 · 10-03-2006, 09:13 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by hulkrogan

Tell me how its not appropriate for me.

He didn't say it wasn't appropiate for you. Just more so for business.

We've started to implememnt VoIP at work, and because we control the entire LAN that the VoIP traffic comes through; then we are able to provide phone service that is just as good as POTS.

When dealing with a company like Shaw, you are at their mercy for network traffic.

Mccree · 10-03-2006, 09:35 AM

I have had Shaw phone for over a year (I think) and I have had NO issues what so ever. Phoned Europe (for FREE) no issues, I have never dropped a call, or have I heard any echoing.

Bill Bumface · 10-03-2006, 10:46 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ken0042

He didn't say it wasn't appropiate for you. Just more so for business.

We've started to implememnt VoIP at work, and because we control the entire LAN that the VoIP traffic comes through; then we are able to provide phone service that is just as good as POTS.

When dealing with a company like Shaw, you are at their mercy for network traffic.

If you use Shaw's phone service you have dedicated bandwidth to your phone (I believe). This was a big selling feature as they were dropping the priority of other network's VOIP packets, which I think ended after a lawsuit solved that problem.

The biggest thing is if your internet is down, so is your phone. My internet has been down for half a day in this last year, and I have a cell phone.

I think in the past home internet connections killed the idea of a reliable VOIP system for home use, but its a little backwards to think its still this way.