Posted on 01/08/2010 5:55:43 PM PST by doc1019
Need guidance from those with experience with this service. Is it worth it? What, if any, are the negatives?
I had vonage...”magic jack” is so much better and cheaper
It works just fine. Assuming you have reliable broadband, of course.
magic jack
I got a Magic Jack for a second phone line and I LOVE IT. The voice mail feeds into my email. I think it was $40 for the device and a year’s service. I have a land line and a cell phone, but I usually use the Magic Jack.
Thanks all, this is the kind of feedback I need.
Does 911 work with Vonage or Magic Jack?
But can you run more than one phone (not a different line) off of it?
I have magic jack, and it works great, and if you register your address with it, you have 911 service
We tried it out, but I didn’t like. I felt like it sounded like there was an echo.
My husband liked it, and didn’t notice problems with the sound.
We had trouble with it for awhile mainly voice clarity. We fixed the problem when upgraded the Road Runner internet speed.
We have had zero problems since then.
First off it’s “VONAGE” ...
I’ve had it for 6 years .. the service is fine ,, the only variable in quality is your broadband assuming your router is good. I generally have a problem (no phone) every Sunday early a.m. for 20-30 minutes when BrightHouse cable resets their equipment.
MagicJack requires a PC , connects via usb and is therefore less reliable as you have a pc to contend with ... try making a phone call when a virus scan is running! Also since it requires a PC that means you have the hidden cost of the PC’s electricity (can’t be sleeping!) 24*7*365 ...
With Vonage you can take an adapter anywhere with you and just plug into your hotels high speed .. no pc needed.
I would stay away from software based solutions ... there are hardware based providers that are cheaper than Vonage that don’t have VoIP adapters “locked” to their service... If you want the cheapest try some of them.
Yes.
I have a wired base station with wireless handsets that work as if they were on a land line.
I use Vonage because they offer a $6.00 monthly flat rate for unlimited minute calls to Europe.
The call quality is quite good. One caveat, if someone is streaming a movie the calls will break up, but regular downloading doesn't affect quality.
Vonage has email notification and other amenities as well. The web interface is good, IMHO.
Magic jack works for voice conversations, but not very well for fax lines or point of sale machines. Your computer also has to be on for magic jack to work
The other thing to consider is whether you will want to keep the phone number if you leave Vonage. Vonage makes it nearly impossible to port the phone number over to another carrier like ATT or the cable company.
Most cable companies offer extremely low cost very reliable telephone services.
I don’t know about MagicJack but all the Vonage boxes I’ve seen provide enough “REN” to handle 4 wired phones .. like most people with VoIP I went wireless with a base station connected to Vonage and 4 satellites around the house... you could also easily connect the vonage box to the house wiring.
Exaples? Are you talking about LL services?
From what i read, yes but you have to register. And to answer my own question, you can only run one phone off each Magic Jack, and you have to have your computer running. Vonage does not require that, but only needs a working modem. and you can hook up more than one phone. But set up and monthly costs are greater.
I’ve seen VONAGE phones with poor voice quality on cable internet connections, but they seem to work much better on very fast FIOS connections. Their web support, voicemail, etc. is good.
If you want really cheap what about Skype plus a SkypeIn phone number? Good for a second phone to call internationally.
The founders of Vonage were inside traders and slime. Magic Jack or if you have a cell phone svc with TMobile and internet access, you can get TMobile VOIP home or office phone for $10 a month.
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