Happy with VoIP from AT&T CallVantage
Written: Sep 01 '04 (Updated Oct 07 '04)
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Pros: cost, features, performance
Cons: quirkiness requires patience, may be inferior than your existing router
The Bottom Line: Though not for everyone, VoIP from AT&T offers a good set of features and low cost.
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| snsh's Full Review: AT&T CallVantage Starter Kit - 16389 Router |
Presales: We were interested in CallVantage voice-over-ip telephony because of cost (our unlimited Verizon line cost $67/month), and because our PSTN service was proving unreliable, especially when it rained. We also considered that our Charter cable modem service had good uptime and speed. And we have mobile phones. We looked at VoIP from AT&T and Vonage, and went with AT&T because they allowed us to keep our old phone#.
Signing up: We signed up in mid-august on AT&T's website. Introductory cost is $20/months for six months, and $35 afterwards. One-time setup and equipment costs were waived. We could have bought the same kit locally from BestBuy for $80 (before mail-in-rebate). Two days after signup, AT&T confirmed we could maintain our old Verizon phone#. [Note: rates for new signups have changed to $30/month after one free month.]
The equipment: A week after signup we received from AT&T a FedEx box containing literature and a D-Link DVG-1120M telephone adapter ("TA"), with a power supply, Ethernet cable, and a phone cord.
Features: CallVantage includes some nice features. Domestic calling is unlimited usage, and international rates are competitive. Voicemail, caller-id, call-waiting, etc are included in the basic plan. Over the web, you can view a log of all incoming and outgoing calls. You can listen to voicemail via email or the web. Message-waiting notification can arrive via email. Conference calls can be managed via web. Call-forwarding to multiple numbers can be managed via web.
Basic setup: plugging everything in was straightforward. Using the Ethernet jacks, the TA plugged in between our PC/router and cable modem. A standard telephone also plugs into the TA. After plugging in the TA, and activating the TA over a webbrowser, we were able to make outgoing phone calls through AT&T immediately. The following day incoming calls to our home phone# were received through AT&T instead of Verizon. The cutover from Verizon was supposed to take 10 minutes, but in our case there was some central office problem, and our incoming phone service was down for about three hours.
Advanced setup: Since we were previously using an existing router to share our internet connection, we changed settings on the old router (turning off DHCP and router-mode) because the D-Link acts as our new router behind the cable modem. AT&T requires the D-link to be directly connected to your cable modem, which makes voice quality better but installation more difficult.
As a router, the D-link is disappointing. It does not support a DMZ. Port-forwarding rules are surprisingly awkward to configure.
To allow all the phones in our house (instead of one phone) access the AT&T service, we first cut the wires between Verizon and our house's patch panel. (This MUST be done before connecting the D-Link to house wiring. Otherwise you would short and burn out something.) Then we connected the TA to the patch panel, though we could have just plugged the TA into any phone jack. At that point the whole house is on AT&T.
Performance: Voice quality was clear and free of static. This is actually undesirable, because with no static you lose sense of whether your phone call is active or ended. Voice volume was also very loud, probably due to the fact that the voltage for the phones comes from the TA in the basement, rather than from Verizon's switch several miles away. Internet-access slows noticeably when talking on the phone. Voice quality was fine when surfing on the internet, because the TA prioritizes the traffic. For faxing, we use eFax for incoming, and a standalone fax machine for outgoing. Outgoing fax over voip has failed a couple of times (cannot finish handshaking) and worked a couple of times so far. Early to tell.
Summary: I'm happy with it.
Advantages:
-lowest cost of any phone service
-currently free of taxes and regulation
-strange, interesting features
-potentially very clear phone quality
-very loud phone volume
-TA can be plugged in anywhere on the internet
-can usually keep your old phone#
Disadvantages:
-not as much uptime as a typical landline
-would not work during power outages
-adds some complexity to your home network
-less practical for DSL users
-requires thought to attach to your house phone wiring
-slower internet surfing while talking on the phone
-emergency 911 calls get routed differently
-neither 411 nor 555-1212 service is available
-fax machines may not work reliably
-the phone mysteriously rings when the router resets
Who should get it: VoIP is great for anyone with multiple landlines. You save a bundle just on taxes. It's also good for someone with a landline plus a mobile phone. It's also useful for people who frequently travel/commute/move among places with ethernet internet access, because you can bring your VoIP equipment with you.
Who should not get it: VoIP may not suitable for a person with one landline and no mobile phone, who also cannot tolerate a phone outage. It may not be suitable for those with frequent broadband or power failures. In which case calls go straight to voicemail, and you login to a website to check call logs (almost like life with a cellphone). DSL users are not allowed to cancel or move their old phone service. Callvantage does not support soft-phones (headset attached to your computer). The D-link is not a great internet router. Technophobes may just not like it.
Recommended:
Yes
Amount Paid (US$): 20-35 month
Driver Availability: Other
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Epinions.com ID:
snsh
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Location: New England
Reviews written: 16
Trusted by: 7 members
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