Q. What is VOIP?
A. VOIP stands for Voice over IP as many would say. I would like
to further enhance that by saying Voice over Internet Protocol. In the
previous IP could stand for Internet Provider. Though basically the same,
they carry different meanings. Your voice is converted to digital, sent
over the internet, then converted back to analog to be heard on a normal
telephone. |
Q. Do I need special equipment to use VOIP?
A. The only thing you will need for this service will be supplied
to you free of charge and that item is a phone modem adapter. This works
fine with every phone you currently own whether it be corded or cordless
with a base. |
Q. Are there any other requirements I have
to meet?
A. You must have a broadband cable internet. This will not work
with dial up and at that point wouldn't be a viable solution because of
course you must have an existing phone line for dial up. DSL is Dual Syncronous
Lines and is also provided by exisiting phone lines. Also slower than cable
contrary to what some may claim. DSL was a solution to ISDN which also
made use of two phone lines back in the old days. Normal dial up is 56k,
dual would be 128k, cable is 650k downloadload and 350k upload. Though
DSL is a little faster nowdays due to technology and fiber optics, it is
still not as fast as cable. DSL also depends on the number of hops
or connections to the main terminal for optimum speed. |
Q. Is it hard to figure out how to connect
this equipment?
A. No, simply unplug your cable modem from it's power source, unplug
the ethernet connection that went to your computer and plug in the phone
modem in that location and then plug your computer into the phone modem.
Plug in the power source to your new phone modem and then plug in the power
source to the cable modem, connect a phone or connect it to the house wiring
(explained later) and you are done. |
Q. Are there any fees besides the $24.95 first
month and the $14.95 monthly fees?
A. No other fees on the $24.95. There is a $0.95 charge a
month for both the 911 service they provide and FCC compliance. No taxes,
no other fees. Your monthly charge will be $16.85 out the door. Normal
phone company charges add almost 3 times that amount with Federal Excise,
Local Tax, FCC charges for Network Access, 911 service and a Federal Universal
Service Charge. Some of which (to me) seem illegal. Why should I pay for
Network access when I have broadband and not dial up? Then the FCC Universal
Service charge to offset amounts telecommunication companies have to contribute
to the Federal Communications fund to keep phone rates low, They
aren't paying it, we are!! give me a break,, I am venting,,, and have to
laugh at their definition of "LOW".
This is what prompted me to get this service I am now an affiliate
with. On a basic cheapest phone service hook up recently with SSB, my fist
bill was $85!!!! Normal monthly is $24.95 not including any long distance
calls I make of course! I hit the roof!! |
Q. Can I hook up my whole house with this
service?
A. A definate yes. This might sound strange and maybe a little backwards,
but all you need is a current phone jack near the modem which usually there
is. Plug a phone extension cord into the back of the phone modem and then
plug it into the phone jack. ONE CAUTION: go outside to your phone box
and unplug any lines that are currently in there that are plugged in. You
do not want to backfeed your line into the local phone companies network.
This might sound backwards to you and in essence it is, but think
about it. You are just sending the signal back the opposite way and anything
that was connected to it will still be connected to it. |
Q. What if I have a power outage and my cable
drops out?
A. There is a solution to this and that is to buy a small UPS (Uninterrupted
Power Supply) and plug the cable modem and the phone modem into it. If
you have regular power outages this would be advised. During power outages
you usually do not lose cable, just the ability to draw it with a dead
modem. If you have a cable outage you will also lose phone service however
cable is becoming more reliable every day. If your cable drops out frequently,
it is advised to call your cable company and advise them of the fact you
use cable for your telephone and get it fixed. Aside for the occasional
router failure it should be pretty reliable. |
Q. I already have a land line, can I keep
my current number?
A. There are many numbers that can be ported. The procedure delays
service a couple weeks because an application to capture your number must
be applied for and the phone company must approve it, but for the most
part the answer is yes. There are alternatives however you may wish to
look into. |
Q What are the alternatives you speak of?
A. Say you have a relative who lives in California and you live
in New York. The relative is not that well off financially to afford to
call you long distance, so they don't. You can request a California number
that would be local calling for them, so they can call you any time free
of extra charges. It has no effect on your charges. |
Q. What services come with this plan? It sounds
great!
A. Try this for size! All of the services you pay premium dollars
for with a local phone company. Call Waiting, Call Forwarding, Caller ID,
3 Way Calling, Automatic call back for busy numbers, Online account Management,
Call Return, Speed Dialing of up to 8 numbers, Caller ID blocking, Voice
mail that sends you a wav file to your e-mail address so you can save voice
messages if you want to!! |
Q. I can only say wow, how is the sound quality?
A. You will be hard pressed to see any difference between VOIP and
a normal land line. It is also cusomizable to draw less bandwith if you
are having any problems with your cable bandwith. If you experience any
loss of words, you must adjust this, but normally with cable, you never
have to. Put it this way. I have never experienced it as long as I have
had it, but I can tell you this. I was paying high dollars for extra minutes
on my cell phone which I have since dropped way down and you can bet that
I experienced a lot of lost words on it along with dropped calls. I now
do all my long talking when I am relaxed at home and not driving, in my
spare time, at my own convenience and save my cell for quick calls saving
even a whole lot more money. |
Q. Amazing, this all sounds too good to be
true, anything else?
A. Why yes, you can also get a second local number for as little
as $4.95 a month if you desire to place more loved ones on free calling
anywhere in the US to you. Of course even without it you can call them
and talk as long as you want. All calling for the US and Canada are free
from extra charges. |
Q. I am astounded, there can't be more.
A. Think again, you can take your modem with you wherever you go
and anywhere you have access to plug into a network for internet access,
you can make and receive phone calls as if you were at home. With call
forwarding you also can select to forward your calls to your cell either
immediately (unconditional) or if you do not answer your home phone after
a set amount of rings (conditional) or you can also have it forwarded
to another number if you are busy on your home phone and do not wish to
be disturbed but do not wish to miss calls and never miss a call
3 options there! |
Q. Ok,,,, what ,,,,, is this a contract for
100 years or something?
A. No contract to continue service. If you
are unhappy with the service at any time, just cancel, no fees no penalties.
I know my daughter is waiting for 6 months of $24.95 now to get out of
her Vonage Contract or face a penalty of over $100. After that she will
be signing up here and happy to do so. |
Q. I also have a business, can I get that
there also?
A. Yes, you sure can. There are even cheaper
plans than this at a minute fee. This is the best plan for residential
that I am promoting, however they have both residential and business plans
and from my link you can sign up for any of them you wish to sign up for
when you fill out the application. You can also add dedicated fax lines
for a small extra fee. |
Q. Can I fax with a single residential phone
line?
A. Yes you can. You do not need a dedicated
fax unless you wish to have one and have
enough faxes coming in that it would tie up
the regular line or you do not wish to tie up a fax line due to important
faxes. Just as with a regular land line, faxes work fine. Your individual
situation would be what would determine the need for a dedicated fax line. |
Q. I have a home wireless network interface,
how would I hook it up using that?
A. There are two ways to do this. The way
they suggest and the way I did it.
Their way: The phone modem still gets connected
directly to the cable modem. Instead of connecting your computer to the
"PC" port on the phone modem, you can connect the wireless router to the
"PC" port and then connect the computer to port one on the wireless router.
Both are being fed through the phone modem.
My way: I connected the Wireless Router directly
to the cable modem and then connected the Phone Modem to Port 1 on the
Wireless Router and my computer to Port 2 of the Wireless Router. I placed
the phone modem on Port 1 because Port 1 gets priority. The reason I did
this was because this way my phone modem still works fine, but my computer
tests out better on the download and upload side when hooked up this way
into the Wireless Router rather than the Phone Modem.
Their reasons are to provide maximum bandwith
to the phone modem for a more flawless operation. My reasons are to provide
maximum bandwith for my computer, which if you play games online like I
do, it is important and as long as the phone works fine this way, I am
happy. I have been playing games and at the same time talking on the phone
without problems, so my way works fine. Your choice. With my way, the "PC"
port on the back of the Phone Modem would remain empty with nothing plugged
into that port. |
