After a week with Vonage

Aabidano · Post by **Aabidano** » March 24, 2006, 10:54 am

Downsides:
- Occasional minor clipping from unknown causes, usually in peak load times on calls to large metro areas.
- LAN traffic that generates large amounts of small packets can chop up calls, probably due to lack of available router memory. Fixing this in a home environment would require a QoS capable router* and knowledge to configure it. Or get a "real" router, I've got a couple floating around, might try one out. Not practical for most due to cost.
- Caller ID doesn't work as consistently as from a traditional wired or even wireless service. Doesn't appear to work at all on calls originating from ISDN, PBX and other aggregated circuits.
- Uses a G.711 (64k) codec, doesn't appear to support anything with better compression. Not a big deal in my situation or on a decent cable plant, traditional DSL customers could have outbound capacity issues. A router that supports QoS* would fix this.

Upside:
- Paid for itself over a traditional circuit in less than a weeks use.
- No startup or termination costs.
- Plug it in and it works, no configuration required
- Impact on other data services unnoticeable.
- Local phone number tied to device, can carry it worldwide and have the appearance of local service.

*Some Linksys home routers support QoS, you have to be careful and get the correct HW versions on the WRT54 series (sub-v5 versions). They've recently gone to from Linux to VXWorks with reduced memory\functionality. WRTSL54GS seems to be the best bang for the buck right now, twice the memory and a much faster processor than most of the market right now at roughly the same cost.

I'm sure there's other home routers that can do the same thing, haven't played with them though.

http://www.openwrt.org has some neat stuff for the extra nerdy.

Kelshara · Post by **Kelshara** » March 24, 2006, 1:15 pm

I am using it for my job actually connecting through a DSL in Norway most of the time (cable in Ohio atm). I have had zero issues with it and it gets used a LOT. Been using it since October and the only issue I have had was during the Olympics when so many people used web tv etc the ISP in Norway ran out of bandwith heh. It made some of the calls choppy. Other than that, it has been perfectly fine. Caller ID works without issues for me. I do not have QoS set up but haven't really had any issues with that either except during torrent downloads heh.

Animalor · Post by **Animalor** » March 24, 2006, 2:49 pm

I've been using it since last august and it's awesome.

Got a UPS for cheap from work to run all my internet equipment so it's on 24x7 and I've gotten very reliable uptime with my cable internet.

I also have a work cell phone if an emergency happens and the phone is unavailable.

valryte · Post by **valryte** » March 25, 2006, 6:57 am

Just don't try calling 911 when your house is on fire

Aabidano · Post by **Aabidano** » March 25, 2006, 9:34 am

valryte wrote:Just don't try calling 911 when your house is on fire

I saw that in the news, they've got a few issues as yet. For me it's a second line I use for working from home. I wouldn't depend on it as a primary line just yet. I've got 2 mobile lines, so I probably could with no real issues though.

I like the service but don't think they'll be around for more than a couple years in thier current form, someone will buy them out. They aren't making money with the business model they have now, and costs keep rising as they add more customers.

Xanupox · Post by **Xanupox** » March 26, 2006, 12:17 pm

valryte wrote:Just don't try calling 911 when your house is on fire

Actually your home phone should still be able to connect to 911. A law was passed recently that enforces telephone companies to maintain minimum 911 service on a line if requested.

The phone would ONLY be able to call 911 though at no monthly charge. I do not think you would have a number assigned to the phone either anymore, so no calls into your home on it... strictly a 911 resouce.

Boogahz · Post by **Boogahz** » March 26, 2006, 1:31 pm

One of the biggest problems involved with the 911 issue is that the box is powered. You lose power, you cannot call 911. You can call 911 fine any other time. They actually had to add a disclaimer to that type of service saying that you may not be able to call 911 in the event that the power is out.

Kelshara · Post by **Kelshara** » March 26, 2006, 2:24 pm

Heck an inactive cell phone (no service plan) should still be able to call 911.. or so a cop called me when my thermostat blew in the middle of bumfuck PA heh.

Boogahz · Post by **Boogahz** » March 26, 2006, 5:25 pm

Actually, I noticed that my old cellphone would still dial 911! I found out on accident when the "emergency" button was held down while I was looking up a number stored on it.

valryte · Post by **valryte** » March 26, 2006, 7:15 pm

Glad at least one person got my reference! Go Aabidano...

The really stupid thing is, the guy could have just run to a neighbors house and used their land line. WTF was he still doing in the house for some 10 minutes or whatever it was while there was a fire. I don't know about you, but if my house is on fire, if I can't stop it, the first thing I'm going to do is get everyone out of the house, including myself! It's so easy to blame someone else and not your own stupidity.

The fact is, even cellphones are not reliable for a true emergency. How many bars do you have?...I'm talking about real life threatening situations where seconds count. Land lines, for whatever shit you give phone companies will always be the most reliable means of communication. You pick up the phone and it just works. There is no price I can put on my wife's or kids lives. Anyone who doesn't think 30-40 bucks a months is worth their families lives is a fucking idiot and should remove themselves from the gene pool. Too many of you get all caught up with the fuck the phone companies and their greed and monopolies that you forget about what really matters...your own family!

Kelshara · Post by **Kelshara** » March 26, 2006, 9:29 pm

heh you forget to mention a few things about landlines:

- How many people have wireless phones? They wont work if the power goes out either.

- The same thing that knocks out the power can very likely knock out the phone connection as well.

- If you have a fire the chance is quite good that the phone wont work either since the electrical systems are often near the phone system and a LOT of fires are caused by electrical system failures.

- How many people have a landline in only one room? Or just a non-wireless landline phone in one room? What do you do if the fire is in THAT room?

- A landline wont save your family. Getting the family the hell out of the house will save it.

- I have yet to live in a place without excellent cell phone connection.

Animalor · Post by **Animalor** » March 26, 2006, 10:08 pm

The big problem isn't wether you have 911 or not. The problem is that 911 on a landline, the know exactly where you're calling from even if you can't talk or anything.

With Voice over IP or a Cell, you need to be able to actually say the address.

Boogahz · Post by **Boogahz** » March 26, 2006, 10:37 pm

That's what e911 is supposed to help fix.

Pherr the Dorf · Post by **Pherr the Dorf** » March 26, 2006, 11:33 pm

Hated it, lots of chop for a downloader like me, dropped it after a few months

Kelshara · Post by **Kelshara** » March 27, 2006, 12:08 am

Friend of mine who downloads about as much as Winnow does heh uses it all the time with QoS without any issues at all.

Aabidano · Post by **Aabidano** » March 27, 2006, 12:08 am

- How many people have wireless phones? They wont work if the power goes out either.

Mine does, the extra handset batteries are kept charging in the base and will run it for ~4 hours talk time or so.

I've got a wired phone in the closet for hurricane season, not that it'll do me a lot of good. The FiOS box on the side of the house dies after 4 or so hours with no juice.

Cell towers will stay live longer than the wireline phones in a major power outage. Generally 48 or so hours with no external power.

Landlines are only going to last ~24 if there isn't a generator at the CO.

valryte · Post by **valryte** » March 27, 2006, 2:41 am

heh you forget to mention a few things about landlines:

Ok I guess I'll educate you.

- How many people have wireless phones? They wont work if the power goes out either.

The power source that your house draws power from is completely different than the one from your phone. Unless you are talking about a cordless. I don't know of a single person who doesn't have both cordless and some corded phone somewhere, even in a closest somewhere hehe. Typical places to find corded phones are either the kitchen or bedroom.

- The same thing that knocks out the power can very likely knock out the phone connection as well.

Are you making this stuff up as you go? COs have their own power and unless you live next to one, chances are you are on a completely different grid all together. Even if you are. The majority of COs can run their generators for some 12-24 hours typically.

- How many people have a landline in only one room? Or just a non-wireless landline phone in one room? What do you do if the fire is in THAT room?

Oh my bad. I guess the only emergencies are fires. Heart attacks, drowning, falling down the stairs, etc...Guess only fires count.

- A landline wont save your family. Getting the family the hell out of the house will save it.

Yeah no shit, want to repeat anything else that I have said?

Cell towers will stay live longer than the wireline phones in a major power outage. Generally 48 or so hours with no external power.

Landlines are only going to last ~24 if there isn't a generator at the CO.

Yup this is correct. About the only time I have seen a major outage of land lines was during the last hurricane that S. Fla. Some 98% of S.FLa was blacked out. As for cell phones. Forget about it. They were practically useless as well. No power and just plain overloaded. That last hurricane was the exception to the reliability of either land lines or cell phones. They all got hit one way or the other.

Anyways Kelshara, read this line again..

Land lines, for whatever shit you give phone companies will always be the most reliable means of communication.

You can not compare the reliablity of land lines to cell phones. A land line will work anywhere and in any building that you are in. You can not say the same thing for cell phones. If you do, then you simply sound like a fucking idiot for believing that.

PS. I love my cell phone

Kelshara · Post by **Kelshara** » March 27, 2006, 3:56 pm

valryte wrote:Ok I guess I'll educate you.

Oh yes please educate me!

The power source that your house draws power from is completely different than the one from your phone. Unless you are talking about a cordless. I don't know of a single person who doesn't have both cordless and some corded phone somewhere, even in a closest somewhere hehe. Typical places to find corded phones are either the kitchen or bedroom.

I know plenty of people who do now have a corded phone as well (and yes I meant cordless). Or they have one stored somewhere but not connected. Especially with more and more people getting DSL connections since it is a pain to get the filters set up for multiple phones. So much easier to simply use a cordless phone with an additional handset.

Are you making this stuff up as you go? COs have their own power and unless you live next to one, chances are you are on a completely different grid all together. Even if you are. The majority of COs can run their generators for some 12-24 hours typically.

I was talking in your house. As in, if your house gets hit by lightning the chance is very good that it will knock out your phone as well as the power (I grew up in a very lightning-prone house heh). Same goes for other things that knocks out the electricity.

Now this whole thing depends a bit on if you have underground or in the air wiring. I am more used to in the air from back home so if a tree falls and knocks out the electricity it takes the phone at the same time. And they enter the house at the same location and run paralel through the house.

Oh my bad. I guess the only emergencies are fires. Heart attacks, drowning, falling down the stairs, etc...Guess only fires count.

If I fell down the stairs I sure would prefere having a cordless or a cell phone

Anyhow, in any of those situations I would prefere being with the person who is hurt while calling. Not run to the other side of the house to a corded landline phone.

You can not compare the reliablity of land lines to cell phones. A land line will work anywhere and in any building that you are in. You can not say the same thing for cell phones. If you do, then you simply sound like a fucking idiot for believing that.

I've had cell phones for the last 12 years and I have never had any issues with it. Granted, again this is in Norway where we at least used to be one of the leaders among cell coverage. Heck I was in the middle of nowhere up on a mountain skiing and still had great connection. After having used Vonage for 6 months (slightly less) I have absolutely no problem whatsoever using that along with a cell phone (which I need to have anyway) instead of a landline. Then again, I also don't have kids I need to worry about.

XunilTlatoani · Post by **XunilTlatoani** » March 28, 2006, 2:29 am

I've had Vonage for a few months now, and really the only complaint I have is that they don't seem to populate my outgoing caller ID with our name. Once or twice there was a noticeable delay (like I was talking to someone on the moon), but I just called back and it was fine. I'm not a heavy downloader, but my wife and I can both be on WoW and talk on the phone at the same time without any noticeable issues.

I don't use my phone a ton (100-200 minutes outgoing a month), so paying $17 a month for 500 anytime/anywhere outgoing minutes with full calling features is perfect for me. It's not right for everyone, but that's why there's chocolate and that's why there's vanilla