Using Softphone with standard account?

Posts: 7 · New Forum Member Joined: Jan 31, 2005 Posts: 7

Is there a way to use the soft phone with your main phone number?
I would like to install the soft phone and use it with a headset in my office instead of using my corless. Vonage told me that you can only use their soft phone if you sign up for a special soft phone line @ $9.95 per month for 500 minutes. There ought to be a way to use the soft phone with your main telephone number especially when you are still in your own home. I dont think I should have to pay for an additional line to use the soft phone when all I want to do is treat it like an additional handset in my home.

Thanks in advance for your responses.

Jeff in Pittsburgh

Posts: 3198 · Posted: Mon Jan 31, 2005 1:59 pm Post subject:

I agree, but that's the only softphone option they offer at this time.

Posts: 7 · New Forum Member Joined: Jan 31, 2005 Posts: 7

If they dont offer it there has to be a way to get it done anyway. seems to me that there has to be someone that has done it and can shere the info on how they did it.

Posts: 2 · New Forum Member Joined: Feb 27, 2005 Posts: 2

I agree, I want to use my home computer as just another phone in my home. I'm not interested in taking the number with me. Any ideas yet?

Posts: 482 · Posted: Sun Feb 27, 2005 4:12 pm Post subject:

Well you could go old school and use a modem in your PC. I've got a headset connected to the jacks on my modem...nothing tricky, it just uses the phone line like a regular telephone.

What's the goal, to avoid having a phone at your PC?

Posts: 7 · New Forum Member Joined: Jan 31, 2005 Posts: 7

the goeal is this. I have multiple pc's in my house but only one has my Vonage box hooked up to it. I would like to use Vonage through my other pc's without having to run phone wire from machine to machine. I also do not have a modem and any of my pc's and I would rather not buy one unless I have to

Posts: 3198 · Posted: Mon Feb 28, 2005 8:52 am Post subject:

best solution I've seen is multiple/expandable handsets. uniden offers it, as well as some others.

Posts: 5 · New Forum Member Joined: Mar 01, 2005 Posts: 5

I tried to use the software to use my voange phone number and could not use it. When I called Vonage I was told that to be able to use the software I need to pay extra $9.99 and have a separate phone number. I believe that this is an unfair practice by Vonage since under free features for any plan you choose it is clearly written that "Take it with You" which is explained as "Take Vonage with you on the road with your phone adapter or computer" . Because of the statement made I believe that this feature to us your main line on the software should be granted to each customer that requests this service. Please browse through the free features and ou will see that this is feature clearly promised to the customer by signing up for any of the plans. If you have faced the same situation or you become aware of it now please post message to earn your promised right. I talked to 3 levels of customer service employees, and what they told me was that the statement under free features does not refer to use voange on your computer which is a lie.
FYI: The reason why you cannot use you main phone number with Softphone is that they use two seperate databases where they cant have the same number listed on both of them, or that is what I have been told by Vonage employees. And ou cant have just softphone account without a phone adapter since the softphone database is created in a way that it doesn't let an entry to be added without an MAC Adress that comes from the phone adapter. Clearly Vonage tried to create a system where it will not give you the flexibility without the extra charge

Posts: 7 · New Forum Member Joined: Jan 31, 2005 Posts: 7

Good post OZZY.

I didnt remeber that info but I will check it out. I dont want to have to buy a bunch of new phones to make this whole thing work. Vonage is a great product but they should be able to allow you to use the soft phone from a specific IP address but block when it comes from another so you have to pay when you travel with it but if it is from your home IP you should be allowed to do it PERIOD.

Posts: 216 · Posted: Tue Mar 01, 2005 9:14 am Post subject:

By "Take it with You" they mean that you can take your adapter with you and connect it to any broadband internet connection wherever you may find yourself. Wink

Quote:

Take it With You

The phone adapter available through Vonage is small and fully portable. Simply unplug the adapter and take it wherever you want it anywhere in the world. Just plug it into any broadband Internet connection, connect a phone, and your Vonage line is ready to go.