Vonage bans used VOIP adapters??

Posts: 183 · Posted: Wed Mar 16, 2005 4:32 pm Post subject:

I will tell you why I chose to acquire an additional Motorola TA. I recently used a Linksys wireless router with integrated TA, and it did not work to my satisfaction. I was not able to send or receive faxes from my Canon multifunction device or my USR faxmodem, nor was I able to use an age-old autodialing device that knows more phone numbers than I've forgotten. The Motorola TA allows me to use my Vonage service to my satisfaction with the equipment I own. With all of my Linksys TAs showing up on retail shelves everywhere I thought that this might be the future of Vonage, and that they might phase out the Motorola in favor of the new devices. If my Motorola were to fail I would have to use one of the other TAs that don't work to my satisfaction, so what harm would it do to cheaply acquire a spare.

If it comes to pass that my current Motorola dies and Vonage has a choice of giving me another Motorola, activating another one I already have, or losing me as a customer, I hope they will make the right choice. I'm just giving them one more option.

Posts: 217 · Posted: Wed Mar 16, 2005 4:41 pm Post subject:

I bought my own adapter from Best Buy since it was onsale and rebates made it free, but mainly because I am one of those people that wants it NOW. Had it home and up in running in 10 minutes, but did have to call and register the MAC. They waived the activation fees though so I was pretty happy. Plus, I already have enough routers, swtiches, hubs and access points in the house and didn't need another.

Posts: 6 · New Forum Member Joined: Mar 05, 2005 Posts: 6

If Vonage would sell or provide the Motorola VT-1005V adapters then I too would use one of theirs. But they have discontinued this line and had resellers send their inventory back (from what I gathered on another thread on this forum) so you cannot acquire a "new" VT-1005V - which is curious since it works much, much better than the Linksys adapters.

I think the larger issue is shouldn't Vonage be interested in selling phone lines and would welcome people signing up, as long as they used on of their "authorized" adapters? If there is a supply of used adapters out there and it allows more people to purchase their service, that should seem as something they would want to do as opposed to blocking them and sending them to another VOIP provider. I have a Linksys adapter that we paid for, activated on our account and couldn't use it, and now it is a dead brick as far as Vonage is concerned because they won't active it. I was thinking of giving it to my brother and allow him to use Vonage but they prevent that.

BTW, if you get your adapter from Vonage, it isn't "free". The $39 "signup" fee when you get the adapter and $40 "termination" fee if you don't return it is far more than what you can purchase an adapter for. If you purchase the adapter you don't get charged the $39 signup fee.

Posts: 281 · Posted: Wed Mar 16, 2005 6:26 pm Post subject:

I didn't get charged an activation fee....

Also.. Vonage is trying to get all the MOTOs off the network and as soon as they do they will be able to roll auto new additional features like ACR, etc...

Posts: 30 · Posted: Wed Mar 16, 2005 6:31 pm Post subject:

As irritating as it is, VONAGE doesn't appear to be any different than other industry giants, i.e., DIRECTV. DIRECTV now makes (or contracts for) their satellite receivers. VONAGE contracts with LINKSYS for their equipment. DIRECTV will let customers "continue" with the other manufacturers models but they control the Access Card. Will VONAGE let you use other equipment other than LINKSYS? Rumor has it that DIRECTV will be reconfiguring their network and changing to MPEG-4 so everyone will need a new DIRECTV system. Doesn't all this sound a little familiar?? Rolling Eyes

Posts: 6 · New Forum Member Joined: Mar 05, 2005 Posts: 6

If they were trying to get the Motorola's off their network then my unit at home would be swapped out - I haven't heard anything about that yet. And how to you know the VOIP device is limiting them offering service? And Vonage charged me $39 when I got the Motorola through them for "activation" and $0 when I activated using the Linksys adapter I purchased.

Regarding the DirectTV analogy, I have Dish Network and just purchased a used receiver which I activated on my account without a problem. This isn't about trying to get around their network - I want to be a subscriber and pay them $170/month! I think a better analog is if DirectTV said you had to use a receiver that gave poor picture quality, audio dropouts and was intermittent, but if you tried to active a receiver that worked and gave a decent picture, they wouldn't allow it. What would you do in that case?

Posts: 156 · Vonage Forum Master Joined: Jan 30, 2005 Posts: 156

I think the Motorola adapters ROCK!!!
Never had a Caller ID Problem< Faxes like a charm, and is QUIET too, no white noise problems here

Posts: 482 · Posted: Wed Mar 16, 2005 7:30 pm Post subject:

I read enough horror stories about the RT31P2 around the time I signed up that if I'd had the option, I'd have preferred the Motorola as well. In fact, the first adapter they sent me had a hardware problem, so there you go. I didn't need a router, I just wanted a small, efficient adapter. And I hear they typically work with modems/fax machines just fine.

rmontrose wrote:

If they were trying to get the Motorola's off their network then my unit at home would be swapped out - I haven't heard anything about that yet. And how to you know the VOIP device is limiting them offering service?

There are a couple of Vonage tech support agents who post here fairly regularly, and just today one of them made that statement in another thread. He said specifically that the Linksys adapters support several features that are not present on the Motorola adapters, such as configuring the frequency of the call waiting beep, and he speculated that they are waiting until the threshold of Motorola users is virtually non-existent before they enable those extra features. That makes sense if you are Vonage, to prevent getting hit with a flood of users wanting to swap their hardware for something newer and subjectively better that supports those new features.

rmontrose wrote:

And Vonage charged me $39 when I got the Motorola through them for "activation" and $0 when I activated using the Linksys adapter I purchased.

I signed up in January and they gave me the adapter at no charge and no activation fee, and when I had a hardware problem with that device, they sent me a replacement overnight delivery again at no charge. So I paid $0 for my Linksys router, and you paid how much for yours?

Posts: 9 · New Forum Member Joined: Mar 16, 2005 Posts: 9

ToddlerTN wrote:

I signed up in January and they gave me the adapter at no charge and no activation fee, and when I had a hardware problem with that device, they sent me a replacement overnight delivery again at no charge. So I paid $0 for my Linksys router, ...

According to the signup Terms Of Service.. if you cancel your subscription then you will owe them $34.95 for the adapter, unless you return it to them at your own expense.

So you didn't really "give" it to you.. it's more of a loan...

Confused

Posts: 6 · New Forum Member Joined: Mar 05, 2005 Posts: 6

When I signed up for home service and got the adapter from Vonage directly, they charged:

Basic 500 Plan Activation Fee $29.99
Residential Basic 500 $14.99
Shipping Charge $9.95

When I activated one of my business lines with the Linksys adapter I purchased I was charged:

Activation Fee $0.00
Business Premium Unlimited Plan $49.99
Shipping Charge $0.00

(above copied from Vonage Billing statements)

From what I can see the "Activation charge" and Shipping was for the Motorola adapter they provided, since they are $0.00 when you provide your own adapter. So you got your Linksys adapter for $0 and $0 shipping?? Pretty good deal!

The Linksys PAP2 "paperweight" I have cost $50. (Paperweight because it can't be activated by anyone else)

So even if I have their latest and greatest VOIP adapter (I'm not saying the PAP2 is) and I sell it, no one else can use it or activate it on the Vonage network. If you are in the business of selling phone lines and trying to grow your business, how much sense does that make?? Confused