VOIP In the real world
November 2nd, 2007 Posted in Technology
Voice Over IP, commonly known as VOIP has been the buzz word in communications and technology. It allows people to divorce themselves from their big bell companies and communicate over the internet.
There are many well known companies treading a path through the rough new terrain. Verizon, Vonage, Packet8, and many others. Being a bit of a geek myself and after hearing the FCC approving a regulation allowing me to take my phone number with me, I thought I would dive right into the latest fad. I ordered Vonage just over two years ago. I could not have been happier. Unlimited local and long distance, caller id, voice mail… the works! And I was saving a significant amount of money each month, only spending $25.00 for all of it. Although the e911 issue was still unresolved, it didn’t bother me. I was satisfied.
Then came ViaTalk who boasted full service VOIP for $200 a year. That’s just $16.67 each month (plus tax, bla bla bla). BUT if you act now, you get a free year when you pay for the first. Wow. How could I pass that kind of deal up? Vonage was working perfectly right? Could it be that difficult? So I made the switch. My home number transfered over perfectly, and that was the end of the dream. They dropped calls, didn’t ring when we dialed a number, not good. My friends would talk to me later to tell me they tried to call, but my number had been disconnected. So, I guess you get what you pay for? After hours of the phone with tech support, I was sent a new adapter which they promptly reprogrammed, and I haven’t had an issue since.
The final recommendation? VOIP is wonderful. You will love it once you have it. But, please, be paitent. VOIP isn’t for the faint of heart. It does take a little time for it to be tweake, but at least ViaTalk support is all U.S. based. I had an English speaking technician who actually knew what they were talking about. Can you get better than that? Vonage can’t claim it. ViaTalk does proudly. Although, Vonage has been around longer had has been through the wringer a few times and has come out kicking. I shouldn’t say too many bad things about their tech support. I only had to call twice. Once when setting up the system for the first time, and the other, when I canceled. You can’t go wrong with that.
If you are looking to abandon ma-bell and would like more bang for your communications buck, VOIP may be the answer for you. I would gladly recommend either Vonage or ViaTalk to you.