Cheap, quality VOIP service suggestions?

GWC Community GWC Hive Mind
#1

So, my Comcast Triple Play promotion is up, and I can’t really afford their increased prices. I had planned to do away with a land line and go cell phone only. But, recent issues arose that made me rethink that plan.

I’ve been searching and learning about other services out there. There’s Ooma (too expensive for me), Nettalk TK6000, VOIPo, TeleBlend (hear bad things about them), Magic Jack (hear it has bad quality), and Vonage (second most expensive after Ooma and seems difficult to cut ties to).

Right now, I’m leaning towards Nettalk, but they seem too new. Anyone has suggestions, experiences, or horror stories on whom to avoid?

#2

I’m interested in hearing more about this too. Google Voice, their VoIP stuff, is there a way to interface it to a phone system? I’ve heard about PBX software like Asterisk that’s supposed to be the cat’s pajamas, but don’t know much about it.

#3

Hm. I figured more people would know about this.

rolls up sleeves

Time for more Googling.

dodges porn spam

#4

Sorry, I’ve only limited experience with VOIP. I tend to prefer email. But keep us up to date on what you find.

#5

I to don’t currently know enough to help anybody… I do find it a little surprising that the Hive mind had so little info…

I will do some google-ing as well and report back…

so like the teachers and students of old…

we shall produce the learning together…

#6

What about the old stand by, Skype? 2.99 for unlimited for US and Canada, you can get static number for $60 bucks a year and there is a discount for the getting both the unlimited and static number.

#7

2.99 per what? Month? Call? (I’ve used Skype like three times, so excuse my ignorance.)

Thanks for the input, Mold, and welcome aboard!

#8

2.99 a month, sorry about that I think alot faster than I type and sometimes skip words. Plus it’s hard to type by banging leftovers on a keyboard. I used to use Skype a ton but moved into a place that had limited broadband options. The call quality is ok but sometimes it can get laggy. If you can get all the people you call onto skype you get free skype to skype calls. Doesn’t really help when you are trying to use it to replace a land line.

#9

Another option is Google voice. If you have a .edu email they are giving free invites. The service is free but I haven’t had a chance to use it myself.

#10

No worries, we all manage to mangle text (I’m particularly good at it myself.) And you managed to add actual information to a lagging thread, so kudos.

Be sure to stop by the Intro Thread.

#11

I’m personally looking for a land line replacement. Getting family (like mother and aunts) to switch to skype isn’t ideal.

Google Voice is mostly for cell phones from my understanding.

I’m still being overcharged by Comcast. Haven’t gotten back around to making a decision on this. I’m paranoid whomever I decide to go with (Ooma, Magic Jack, etc.), that company will go out of business within a few months after I switch with this economy.

Vonage would be the simplest choice. But, if I find a better deal, I hear Vonage is a nightmare to switch from. Like Aol nightmare.

#12

Not really an answer to your question but it might be a solution. I too started out with a discounted rate with Comcast. After a year they upped to regular price. I called to downgrade my plan and once they saw that I paid my bills on time they offered to keep me at the introductory rate if I signed another year contract. That contract has been up for quite a while and they have not raised my rates yet. Good luck with what ever decide to do…

#13

You can get a number from skype and you can all ways call land lines with it. The other thing you can try is to actually call comcast and tell them that you are going to change service providers. See if they will offer you the current deal. Sometimes if you get the right customer service rep they will give it to you. If it doesn’t work the first time call a couple of more times you might get lucky.

#14

I appreciate the suggestions, but I only talk on the phone about 90 minutes a month (not counting various 1-800 calls for tech support, etc.,). With whatever deal I could get from Comcast, I’m still paying too much for the usage. I mean, $30+ a month for 90 minutes is not what I’d call a good deal. At this point, even if I decided to switch to Vonage and Comcast offered to match their service and price, I’d still switch the Vonage because I’m tired of going through hoops every time a promotional period has ended.

I realize you can call land lines with skype, but I still want to be able to use my land line phone, not my pc equipment. I want something that will work even if my pc is off (or crashed and burned as the case may be). This is why Ooma (though expensive) or TK6000 (too new) seem appealing and is why Magic jack is low on my list.

#15

If you are only using the 90 minutes a month, you might want to pick up a cheap pay as you go cell phone. Walmart and Sprint are about to launch a new service call Common Cents. The phones range from $20-$70 and it’s .07 a minute and they round down on minutes instead of up.

#16

I have a pre-paid cell (Tracfone and it’s cheap/free thanks to their Safelink Wireless service). But in March/April, I went 3 weeks with intermittent service due to an error on their end (long story that involves Sim cards, porting a number from a previous cell, and they being unable to update their DB). Anyway, before that mix up, I was thinking of dumping my land line altogether. But, going 3-5 days without cell service changed my mind. So, I want to keep both services (for now).

Yes, I seem to be a hard customer to please. I just want to be able to use a land line cheaply (which negates normal services like Verizon because they have a $13 basic service, but charge an additional $13 in fees) for the limited time I use a phone per month.

Out of curiosity, I’ll look into Common Cents though. Maybe having 2 cell services from different companies would be an alternative. Thanks.

#17

Google voice is not a pure VOIP service. It still requires a land line or cell phone.

Vonage is about the best deal you’re gonna get if you want to utilize a real land-line phone.

#18

After receiving my Comcast bill sans triple play ($30 for service plus $8 for 156 minutes), I’ve decided to try Ooma. Ordered it last night. I’ll post how it goes.

I investigated Common Cents as promised. I found their service plans ($20 Refill card for 30 days of service and up to 565 minutes of talk, or $30 Refill card for 60 days of service and up to 848 minutes of talk) to be incompatible with my monthly phone use. Spending $15-20 a month for 3 hours (the amount I would talk) isn’t ideal for me. Tracfone (90 days per refill at $30 for 120 minutes [or other increments/minutes], plus double the minutes with my current phone) was actually cheaper for me in the long run due to the longer activation period.

And, I decided against Vonage because there are cheaper services around.

Anyway, I still have 27-ish days to use Ooma before I finally decide whether it’s worth the high start up price.

#19

Spent the night getting Ooma working. Was my own fault mostly. I didn’t fully activate the device via their website. I started the process, then got distracted with cables and whatnot, and went on to the next steps without finishing activating.

One thing though. I couldn’t connect my laptop with the device. Whenever I tried, it would act as if the cable wasn’t connected. The router and another PC would connect fine. Spent the first two hours messing with it, and thinking I had a busted device.

Another thing, the device has it’s own web browser like a router. But, a computer has to be connected to the device to utilize it. There are websites and threads detailing setting up a DMZ, so direct connection isn’t required. But, my own router web browser says a DMZ opens the router itself to the internet.

DMZ : Enabling this option will expose your router to the Internet. All ports will be accessible from the Internet

#20

If you’re a current Vonage customer, $200 for Ooma seem to steep, or looking for a deal, Vonage has a new tier.

http://www.vonage.com/residential_calling_plans/vonage_lite/

$10 a month for “200 minutes of outbound local and long distance home phone service across U.S., Canada, and Puerto Rico.”

I am still glad I chose Ooma as it’ll be cheaper in the long run (2 years or so now), but this may be good for someone else.