VOIP-are you using it in your shop?

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mbboston

mbboston

CGF II, Certified Grumble Framer Level 2
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Boston + Beverly, MA
Which company are you using and are you happy with quality and service?
Any suggestions, I just need a basic line to make and receive calls.

It appears VOIP numbers can still be listed in a local phone books, but it requires manual entery. I am also not clear on difference in residential and business Voip lines, a rep told me to order a residential line and save money. Apparently voip providers function a bit different from major phone companies. Anyone has any advice?
 
I dont feel that VOIP quality is quite there yet for business use, but it's good enough for residential.

However, digital telephone from a full provider such as cable company or FIOS provider.... Those ARE up to the same quality, if not better than, the old copper wire analog network. We have been using cox digital telephone since 2002 in our shop, and have been very pleased.

At home, we have been using ViaTalk for 5 years. 2 lines cost $199, including every feature and unlimited long distance. That goes on sale for $199 for 24 months every so often, and that's when we renew.

It's about 90% reliable. Sounds like a cell phone sometimes, but the extra features are FANTASTIC. If you call my house, it simul rings the cell phone, for example. I like that one a lot.

Vonage is another popular one that is just about identical.

Mike
 
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I've used VOIP in my business for the last year to year and a half.

The quality isn't as good over DSL, but its excellent over cable.

The only thing I wish...is that I'd done it sooner.

My local VOIP provider takes care of my yellowpage listing.
 
VOIP directly from your ISP (Comcast, Verizon) has an immediate advantage - the ISP prioritizes incoming traffic to your home / office network upstream, so you're pretty much guaranteed a decent voice connection with few dropped packets. Otherwise your home router is just flooded with data if someone else on your network is sucking down large amounts...

I have Vonage at home with just a 3Mb DSL line, and we have to shut Netflix on-demand off if we want to talk on the phone (I'm about 1000 feet to far away to qualify for 7Mb/s.. lame). I'd switch to Comcast or Verizon, but Vonage gives me free calling to the UK (my wife's a brit).

The other question is how your office equipment will function on the VOIP line if they need to dial out traditionally via modem - credit card terminal, ADT alarm, fax, etc... It's gotten better, but there may be issues.
 
I've got three VoIP lines. I have a basic landline from AT&T and high speed DSL which takes care of my local needs and yellow pages. The VoIP lines all have out of the area numbers in areas I do business. I also have A DSL based FAX and 800 number. I use ViaTalk for my VoIP and Ring Central for my FAX and 800 number and I have for three years now. I started with Ring Central because most VoIP systems would not operate well with FAXes but my cost iabout $117 for the VoIP for the year and the Ring Central is about the same annually. I have enable foriegn calling on one of my VoIP lines because I do a lot of business in Mexico and the cost is 2cents a minute. I have been extremely happy with my setup and I like my carriers. I ahve had a couple of pro blems with the modems for the VoIP loines but theproblems have been handles very well.
 
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