Comcast vs. Vonage

Posts: 26

justice wrote:

I understand that in Canada, VOIP customers will have to pay and extra 10 bucks per month to the services that supply the VOIP service. Will you keep your Vonage, if you have to pay 10 bucks more per month for it? Can comcast do the same here?

with 339 replys to the thread, it is not surprising that new readers have not read all the posts, but...

if you would have read the related link "- VoIP: FCC slaps $15,000 fine on Madison River Communications" in the article you were referring to (:http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/show/5690.html ), Then you would have gotten part of the answer. there are other links posted earlier that will shed light on the subject.

However, I saw a new article today at http://news.com.com/Net+neutrality+fans+lose+on+Capitol+Hill/2100-1036_3-6054567.html?tag=cd.hed
which seems to say that so far, the fcc is preventing that from happening, but their mind is still open.

I guess the answer is that this will get settled like many issue, may the best lobbiest win!!

Posts: 409 · Posted: Fri Mar 31, 2006 11:13 am Post subject:

deleted by author.

Posts: 409 · Posted: Fri Mar 31, 2006 11:27 am Post subject:

deleted by author.

This "VS dispute" is over for me.

Posts: 5 · New Forum Member Joined: Mar 18, 2006 Posts: 5

So after months of arguing and trying to figure out what the heck is going on over here, I think we finally have it figured out. When we first got Vonage, we lived in an apartment 2 blocks away and had already been using Comcast as our ISP. We had NO problems and we reccommended it to EVERYONE we knew for like a year or so.

Last fall, we bought a house and moved. I didn't even bother with SBC and everything worked well for a few weeks - sort of. Something happened with our tv a few weeks after moving in and Comcast came out to take a look. At that point in time, they claimed there was a block on our house in the common area that kept us from getting proper Internet (news to me) and then "fixed" it for us. Not even a day later, our internet went out. So we had to wait a few days for them to come out and they decided they needed to drop a new line because somehow our modem & Vonage router got fried. They convinced my tech challenged hubby to just rent their equipment instead of going through buying a new one.

At first I didn't like the idea and wanted to buy a new modem but the costs of buying both were high so we put it off for the time being. The new router came and it worked fine for a few weeks then hubby dearest spilled chai all over my computer. After recovering from my heart attack I was thankful that my CPU wasn't fried and the only thing that seemed damaged was the Vonage router. So we bought a 3rd one. It worked for like a day and then the internet stopped working. So Comcast came out and said it was the router's fault. We bought yet another router (I'm an eBayaholic so they weren't brand new ones). By January we'd been through 5 routers - ones that other people gave to us because they were frustrated with the service and a couple bought off eBay.

I know this last one worked. It belonged to someone who never had problems and then moved out of the country. I spoke to Vonage people 3 times before today. Today, the guy I spoke with said he had similar problems. He asked me the model number of my modem and discovered that Comcast played a nasty trick on us when they realized we had Vonage. They gave us an older model modem that is not DOCSIS 2.0 - it's a 1.0 which is not compatible with any of these routers. Nice. Glad to have figured out that problem - hopefully we'll have a working phone soon!

Posts: 17

graciepoo wrote:

I spoke to Vonage people 3 times before today. Today, the guy I spoke with said he had similar problems. He asked me the model number of my modem and discovered that Comcast played a nasty trick on us when they realized we had Vonage. They gave us an older model modem that is not DOCSIS 2.0 - it's a 1.0 which is not compatible with any of these routers. Nice. Glad to have figured out that problem - hopefully we'll have a working phone soon!

The scariest part of this whole thread is that everyone automatically assumed that Comcast was at fault. Most trace routes that I have seen, that actually show a problem, show the problem outside the Comcast network, with it either in the AT&T backbone or on Vonage's network. If the problem lies in the AT&T backbone, Comcast can complain and hope it gets rectified, as Comcast leases the backbone but does not control it. It belongs to AT&T. If the problem is in the Vonage network then it falls to Vonage to either complain to their supplier or correct it.

In any case, there is no mass conspiracy here. Comcast, if they were adjusting the QOS settings to screw with voice packets, then it would show on their network, not the AT&T backbone and Vonage network. I think Vonage is passing the buck, because it's easier to tell customers that it's internet provider X's problem, then to admit there is something wrong on their end.

The proof to my point, is this non-sense that vonage told graciepoo, the Comcast network is Docsis 1.0 or 1.1, NOT 2.0. A Docsis 2.0 modem is not required to get full speed on the Comcast network yet. Now, there are some modems that have issues with certain routers. However, that is far from some conspiracy to deny you the use of Vonage. Yet, once again, a Vonage employee has played the "it's comcast's fault" card.

Graciepoo what model modem did Comcast give you and which router do you have? That will answer the question to compatibility with the router in question. That is an issue anyone can have, with any connection. It is not a conspiracy. The answer that the modem had to be Docsis 2.0 to work with Vonage is ridiculous and plain wrong. I think it's time Vonage spent some time training their people, and fixing their technical issues, instead of passing the buck.

Posts: 43 · Full Forum Member Joined: Apr 11, 2004 Posts: 43

Conspiracy theories are never in short supply, are they?

I've had Comcast cable service for about 10 years now, and their HS Internet since they started offering it - about 7 years. I have never had any serious issues with their service. (Well, once when they were upgrading equipment, but that was resolved and they compensated me well for my trouble.)

I have had Vonage service for two years - all on Comcast's cable lines - and they have always worked well together.

The main difference is... I didn't have anything change. Most who are screaming here had to recently change their ISP service to Comcast. No one is ever happy about anything when they have to make a change like that. Some will blame Comcast for their cars not starting on Monday morning! Human nature, I guess.

I am even considering switching to Comcast's VoIP service.

First, they actually have local service people answering their phones! Vonage's customer service was decent two years ago, when you spoke to folks in New Jersey. For the last year, however, the overseas support has been a bit more difficult. Not terribly so, like some are. But the incidence of me having to repeat myself ten times, and having to say "What was that? Can you please repeat that?", has definitely gone way up! Comcast at least still gives me someone I can understand.

Second, Comcast offers E911 service, while Vonage does not - and I am beginning to think that Vonage never will, since they seem to feel quite content to have this make-believe service in place for me.

By switching to Comcast I would actually save some money, even though their VoIP service costs $15 more per month than Vonage. That's because I could then drop my Verizon POTS line altogether.

(I feel the need to have a decent 911 service as my daughters are always over with my grandchildren, and I want to have at least a little hope that a call to 911 will actually reach someone - someone in the emergency center, who can see my address!)

Posts: 26

actor90 wrote:

graciepoo wrote:

I spoke to Vonage people 3 times before today. Today, the guy I spoke with said he had similar problems. He asked me the model number of my modem and discovered that Comcast played a nasty trick on us when they realized we had Vonage. They gave us an older model modem that is not DOCSIS 2.0 - it's a 1.0 which is not compatible with any of these routers. Nice. Glad to have figured out that problem - hopefully we'll have a working phone soon!

The scariest part of this whole thread is that everyone automatically assumed that Comcast was at fault. Most trace routes that I have seen, that actually show a problem, show the problem outside the Comcast network, with it either in the AT&T backbone or on Vonage's network........... instead of passing the buck.

Unfortunately, you totally mis-state the history of the thread.

Vonage clearly put a service announcement that there was a problem with the comcast system.

There are few tracer routes posted on the site during that time frame, so your analysis it totally incorrect from that time period.

Comcast clearly refused to admit to the problem, instead tried to switch people over during that period. the problem persisted until the national PC technology media took notice and started to write about it.

Now, the service announcements are down, and problems for all but a few isolated people have gone away.

Jump to a conclusion?, I think not.
As for what really happened?, I agree nobody in the know is talking, therefor we do not know .
And of course, it is impossible to determine now what happened 1 month ago from today's trace routes.

IMHO, this thread is a waste of time until ,If and when the service announcement come back up.

I do not know what happened, and have stated so. But , I object to the persistent implication that anyone believing in the possibility of comcast doing exactly what other cable companies have done is crazy.

The failure of an official vonage spokesman to identify exactly what the comcast service announcement was all about, and the failure of comcast to admit their problem, make this "Conspiracy theory" the most logical explanation given to date so far, IMHO.

Posts: 4 · New Forum Member Joined: Apr 11, 2006 Posts: 4

Add my name to the mix, both me and my girlfriend have the comcast/vonage combo.

We are both dropping periodic UDP packets.

I am in Maryland, experiencing the exact problems you guys are.....

Who else saw the service announcement today?

Posts: 63 · Posted: Tue Apr 11, 2006 1:13 pm Post subject:

I wonder who the "local carrier" is that is causing the Vonage problems today.

Posts: 2 · New Forum Member Joined: Apr 11, 2006 Posts: 2

I live in Sandy Springs, GA. Are there any customers in this area having the same issue that everyone else is having? Comcast does not offer digital voice in my area. However, I had no problems with vonage/comcast until the last month or so. I originally thought it was simple comcast outages, but it's gotten to the point where I can barely make a phone call. I bought a Linksys WRTP54G to replace our RT31P2 router, but the problem's persistency made me think it was the router. Vonage then sent me another WRTP54G yesterday, but the slow connection/dropped calls still occur. Also, Vonage suggested replacing my Linksys BEFCMU10 (docsis 1.1) with a docsis 2.0 modem. I did that by buying Linksys BEFCMU10 ver. 4 which is capable of docsis 2.0(I'm not even sure if comcast supports docsis 2.0). There have been times where connecting the PC to just the old modem gave me my regular speed of about 4.5 mb(downlaod) and 200 Kbps(upload). Also, the new modem worked fine until I registered the WRTP54G. Now when I connect just the new modem to the PC, the speed drops to low levels. I don't know what’s going on. Comcast is sending another tech over after the last one was unable find problems. He said it was the WRTP54G. But of course, when we registered back the RT31P2 the issue resurfaced. Right now I have 3 routers and 2 modems and a big mess! What is going on!!!