Ok Guys..here it goes..questions, a few

Posts: 14 · Vonage Forum Associate Joined: Jan 22, 2005 Posts: 14

Ok,

These questions are for a combo of people thinking about getting the service.

#1. Why won't it work with a security system? I called Voange, and they just siad it wouldn't, but wouldn't say why.

2. Is the 2nd phone number you can get with yoru service free, if not, how much monthly does it cost?

3. I live in a major MSA...porting..is it really a major issue?

4. Is it hard to hook your line though a fax machine?

5. Can I still use my dial up connection through Vonage (haha..that's a joke,)

6. I have Comcast Cable, which should be 3.0 MB, but I am only showing between 250-1.5 MB download. Any suggestiosn on what to look for or check?

I guess that's bout it.

Jeremy

Posts: 3198 · Posted: Mon Jan 24, 2005 7:58 am Post subject:

1. some people have had success with it. it has to do with the fact that Vonage (g.711 codec) doesn't support past 90kbps approx. and these modems (security, tivo, regular pc modems, etc etc) are trying to connect at speeds way above that. some have had success throttling it down to 9600 kbps if you have that option. NextAlarm supports Voip, try checking them out.
2. no, it costs as much as your plan does. you could get a 500 minute 2nd line for $15. there are also vortual numbers that ring your primary line for $5 I believe but you should check that. a fax line is $10.
3. it will be if yours takes forever. doesn't seem to matter where you are. people's experiences vary widely, though qwest seems to be doing it quickly.
4. a lot of people have issues with fax and Vonage. just yesterday someone was posting about that. try scrolling down a bit in the forum and reading that topic. I would post it but I'm on a cell phone.
5. see #1.
6. many comcast users have issues with the pcx1100 (toshiba) cable modem. check the speed test on the left hand side of this site and also testyourvoip.com. pingplotter.com (shareware verion) is a good way to test for packet loss. if you're looking poor on these tests, replace your modem if it's a pcx1100 (many love the motorola sb5100) and/or call comcast too.

Posts: 448 · Posted: Mon Jan 24, 2005 3:15 pm Post subject:

reebok wrote:

it has to do with the fact that Vonage (g.711 codec) doesn't support past 90kbps approx. and these modems (security, tivo, regular pc modems, etc etc) are trying to connect at speeds way above that. some have had success throttling it down to 9600 kbps

Ummm.... 9600 kbps is 9.375 Mbps. (sorry reebok, couldn't resist) Very Happy

Posts: 220 · Vonage Forum Master Joined: Aug 19, 2003 Posts: 220

1. Moved into our new house the beginning of December (have had Vonage since 10/03) and it had a security system in place. We called SDS and told them we had Voip and figured it was going to be a nightmare. They sent a guy out who really knew what he was doing and he hooked the system up without any problems and it's worked fine ever since. Only time it's peeped about trouble was when we disconnected all the stuff to hook it into an uninterruptible power source. No false alarms, no lost connections and no impact on phone service. Maybe we're just lucky.

2. already completely answered.

3. Our porting experience wasn't too bad and we were one of the first for BellSouth, I think. Bigger problem was convincing them to stop billing us because we really didn't have a phone with them anymore.

4. Depends. And it takes persistence and some luck with the right tech guys. I have an HPG85. Notorious for problems. Took time to get it to work with the motorola device, but we finally did. I switched to a linksys and threw myself right back into a mess. Worked with two tech guys and it works beautifully again. Lots of tips on this forum and others. Also, I have an EFAX account that I used as a last resort when we were ironing out the kinks and that was a lifesaver a few times.

5. never tried it, so if you aren't kiddig you're on your own.

6. We have comcast and speeds can be all over the place. We recently upgraded to the 4mbps plan and speed tests we run don't seem to show it but performance does. With XP and firewalls and multiple routers between the computer and the cable modem, our tests aren't very reliable anymore. But I have to say our sound quality is great, we can talk on two lines and run the computers via a wireless router behind the Vonage router. Guess whatever we've got coming in is sufficient for our needs.

laureltn

Posts: 170 · Vonage Forum Master Joined: Dec 05, 2004 Posts: 170

kf4qhk wrote:

2. Is the 2nd phone number you can get with yoru service free, if not, how much monthly does it cost?

I agree with all the answers everyone else gave but wanted #2 clarified. When you say "2nd phone number" are you referring to a 2nd phone number on a seperate line or a virtual number on the same line? If the latter, then it will cost only $4.99 a month for each additional number.

Maaz