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Jun 30, 2009 3:15 am

Does anyone have experience with Vonage Voice Over IP? It seems easier than Verizon and the call features such as hunt, call forward anywhere, etc. seem great. My concern is reliability. Any comments on phone service would be very much appreciated.



Thanks

Jun 30, 2009 1:39 pm

Vonage is a good company, but they are mostly residential.  Try Packet 8 which is more for  businesses.  As far a reliability is concerned, you should invest in a good router.  If the connection from your ISP goes down, nothing you can do about that.  Although reliability is very good.  Verizon has been converting all thier phones to fiber even residential.  So people think they have a traditional phone, but it is really fiber equipment that is installed in the building.

Good Luck.
ash
www.FAfreedom.com

Jun 30, 2009 6:36 pm

Second Packet 8.  We use them and have been quite happy.  There have been some hiccups along the way, but for the most part, they’ve been great.

Jun 30, 2009 11:32 pm

I’m looking at Vonage as well. Pretty nice setup and price for a one man shop (like mine). For you packet 8 users, is it beneficial to use them if all I need is the basics? What’s the cost?

Aug 19, 2009 5:44 am

Packet 8 has been great for my office. Combining that with Efax and an IPhone creates enormous flexibility.

However, VOIP is miserable for outgoing faxes; you'll still need a land line. I tried the VOIP during my transition from EDJ and wanted to smash my head against a wall.
Aug 19, 2009 1:50 pm

I have used Packet 8’s pbx voip for the past 4 years. It is great.

Omar, if you are a one man shop, look at PhonePower. I have it set up in my house as a second line. It works well, I never had a hiccup with it. Plus it’s a bit cheaper than Packet 8.

Just make sure you have good bandwidth on the UPSIDE. I use an online backup service and under my old set up, whenever it was uploading files, the phone would sound horrible.

One more thing, if you use Packet 8, use the pbx service. I have heard many complaints about their residential service.

Good Luck!

Aug 19, 2009 4:09 pm

What do you guys think of MagicJack. $20, can’t beat it. My dad uses it and loves it. Sound is good.



I’m sick of paying the ridiculous cable company prices. It’s not much in the grand scheme of things, but it eats my goat that I can’t bring that cost down somehow.

Aug 19, 2009 6:50 pm

The main problem with VOIP is when you lose something you lose everything… Side example i have at&t uverse, and the box went out that controlled my tv,phone and internet… What a pain, had to look up the at&t number on my blackberry and there I stood in my family room talking on my cellphone because all my services went dead.



I still think it is worth the price(i only have 2 lines though, fax comes over the internet). But I guess for larger offices that could be a huge expense.

Aug 19, 2009 6:57 pm

MagicJack works for talking to grandma, not for business.  Worked fine for a week, then sound quality went to hell.  $50/month for a land line, no brainer for me.

Sep 1, 2009 8:14 pm

I am using Magic Jack for faxing and speaking to wholesalers etc…

Any client calls are on the cell phone. furthermore, the Magic jack has worked well for the last 2 months