The Future of Telephone Service
Written: Nov 12 '05 (Updated Jul 31 '07)
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These days, it seems the price of everything is going up. Gas has gone up, of course, but lately my health care benefit premiums have increased, my rent has gone up, my electric bill has gone up, my grocery bill has gone up….the list goes on.
With that being the case, it’s nice to see one bill actually go down for a change. And that’s my phone bill. Of course, my bill didn’t go down on its own-I had to switch my service to Vonage to see the decrease. But I’m glad I did, and you’ll soon see why.
A Little Background
We use a lot of long distance in our home. My sons live in South Carolina, and we call them frequently. My daughter lives with me, and often calls her friends in Myrtle Beach. I have friends and family in Rhode Island, my wife a daughter in Washington State. So, the minutes can really add up. Previously, we had an unlimited nationwide calling plan with Sprint for about $80.00 a month.
Enter Vonage
When I saw that Vonage.com could offer me the same services for about $25 a month, I decided to try it out. The savings realized would be over $600 a year-a tidy sum indeed. So, I did a little investigating and decided to give the service a try.
What Is Vonage?
Basically, Vonage is a telephone service that operates through your broadband connection. Calls are routed over the internet instead of over a telephone line. And don’t worry, you don’t have to sit at your computer to talk-you can use a normal phone just like you do now.
Getting Started
There are two ways to activate the service. You can either go to Vonage.com and order the equipment you need, or purchase at a local retailer. You will need a broadband router to share your cable or DSL connection with your computer and the phone.
The basic adapter is free from Vonage.com, with a $9.95 shipping charge. We chose to purchase the Linksys Phone Adapter at Best Buy for $59.95, with $60.00 in rebates. So the adapter is essentially free.
Setting it Up
We activated our service on Vonage.com and got a free month of service, though this was offset by a $29.95 activation charge. Setup was incredibly easy. Vonage advertises that no nerds are needed, and I agree: you won’t be calling in the Geek Squad for this.
Simply plug the adapter into your router with a network cable, and then plug your phone into the adapter. Give the device about five to ten minutes to prime, and you’re good to go. You can pick up the phone and start talking. It’s that easy.
Plans and Features
There are actually two main calling plans. The first is $14.95 and includes 500 minutes of calling anywhere in the US and Canada, and 3.9 cents a minute thereafter. The second plan, and the one I chose, is $24.95 and offers unlimited long distance. Both plans require a credit card, to which your monthly charges will be billed. In either case, you are not subject to the $6.00 or so FCC line charge, and (at least for now) you avoid most other fees and taxes.
Both plans include most of your favorite features, including:
Voice Mail
Call Waiting
Call Forwarding
Three Way Calling
Caller ID with Name
Call Forwarding
Call Transfer
Call Return
Repeat Dialing
And more! A very interesting feature is that you are not restricted to an area code in your area: you can have a number from any area of the country Vonage services. So, for example, if I wanted a second line with a Rhode Island or Myrtle Beach area code for incoming calls from friends and family, I could have it here in Atlanta for just $14.95 a month.
Managing Your Account
It’s fast and easy to manage your account on the Vonage website. You will access with a username and password. Once signed in, you can review your calling history and charges (if any) based on your plan. You can even access your voice mail from any PC and play it over your computer’s speakers.
Vonage offers a referral program, and you can get up to two months of free credits for everyone you sign up. This can be easily monitored right from the website. Just send your friend an e-mail, and when they click on the link and register and meet the conditions of the offer, you’ll get credit. You can monitor the status of your referrals easily through the website.
Feature Setup and Activation
This too can be done right through Vonage.com. If your connection speed is a little slower than you might like, you can activate a “bandwidth saver” feature, though this will reduce the sound quality of your calls.
You can block international calls here if you like, and also activate optional features like additional “virtual” lines for $5 a month. These are additional numbers from any area code that allow those in that area to call you at no charge.
Quality
We have a very good broadband connection with very high downstream and upstream speeds. Vonage has worked flawlessly for us, with excellent voice quality and reliability. You really can’t tell the difference between this and our old land line, though I much prefer the web access features here.
Tech Support
You may have long hold times to reach tech support. When my router/phone adapter died, it took a whopping 20 minutes to reach someone. But bearing in mind the low cost of the service, I simply multi-tasked while I waited. And when I did reach a technician, I got a friendly greeting, quick troubleshooting, and an offer to send me a replacement router free of charge.
A Word of Warning
If your cable or DSL line goes down, obviously your phone service will go down, too. If your power goes out you may also lose service unless you have a backup power source. Since we have several cell phones as backup (and suspect most do these days), this is not a concern for us.
Overall
I’m very happy with Vonage. I strongly recommend it as a way to save money on your phone bill, and I’m already getting free months from referring friends who have been equally impressed with my service.
Recommended:
Yes
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