Vonage Quality and Other VOIP Providers

Hi folks,

We have been on Vonage for a year and the service has been quite poor in the last 3-4 months. People calling get busy signals and not going to voice mail, people have difficulty hearing, touch tones don't work when trying to transfer.

I have 2 questions.

1) Is this a common phenomeon with Vonage? Or is it just my particular situation.

2) Was considering Comwave as an alternative until reading some horror stories on VOIP pages on the internet. Do you have any positive VOIP experiences or recommendations for GTA.


Thanks,
Art

We are currently considering Vonage too .I wouldn`t mind finding out how others feel about the service.

I've been using Vonage for the past 7 months...I'd say that it's as good as landline for about 90 percent of the time. The most common problem I've encountered is lag where you hear the other person and respond but they don't hear your response for a couple of seconds. Very annoying.

Originally Posted by IronMac

I've been using Vonage for the past 7 months...I'd say that it's as good as landline for about 90 percent of the time. The most common problem I've encountered is lag where you hear the other person and respond but they don't hear your response for a couple of seconds. Very annoying.

I've been with Vonage since October 2005 and would agree with the above assessment in that 90% of the time it is essentially indistinguishable from a regular land line. I will give you some honest feedback about the other 10% of the time - listed below as my most common concerns:

• Occasional noticeable delays in 2-way conversation (as referenced in above poster's comments)
• Call quality can be quite scratchy at times (and not always during peak periods when bandwidth use is high)
• Sometimes local calls cannot be completed because I am considered to be out of the "calling area" (my guess would be this is a result of calls being routed through the parent company's servers in NJ?)
• No caller ID on calls originating from the US (the number is displayed but not the name)
• Only payment option is pre-authorized debits on a credit card (I prefer to pay all my bills manually, but this is a minor issue)
• Calls are billed per minute and rounded up... not exactly on-par with the cell phone providers, and can become costly if you are a heavy user

Overall, though, I am quite satisfied with the service and feel it is well worth the money. We even added a second line a few months ago. Online interface is very intuitive and user-friendly. I like the fact that you can view all your calls (incoming and outgoing) instantly.

I would definitely recommend Vonage to those looking for a lower-cost alternative to Bell and can tolerate some minor setbacks as outlined above.

Good luck!

Originally Posted by gwn

Hi folks,

We have been on Vonage for a year and the service has been quite poor in the last 3-4 months. People calling get busy signals and not going to voice mail, people have difficulty hearing, touch tones don't work when trying to transfer.

I have 2 questions.

1) Is this a common phenomeon with Vonage? Or is it just my particular situation.

2) Was considering Comwave as an alternative until reading some horror stories on VOIP pages on the internet. Do you have any positive VOIP experiences or recommendations for GTA.


Thanks,
Art

Vonage:
- Overpriced (averge price is around $13/month for other providers)
- Average tech. support if not poor
- Problems with Canadian toll free numbers (u can't get through)
- Delays (Sometimes)
- Poor quality (sometimes): You can't understand the other party, it's like they're talking to you with their mouth under water!

Result: Avoid them!

You can either go for a DID service or sign up with any VOIP provider that is local and has their servers in your area or at least in your province. It's very very important.
Don't ever never sign a contract. Be careful with their disconnection fees too.

I don't think Vonage is that bad but there is definitely room for improvement.

I also agree that 80% of the calls are as good as a landline but sometimes there is lag where you can either hear your voice 2 seconds later or the msg is delayed by a few seconds on either side.

Originally Posted by Izzoshady

I don't think Vonage is that bad but there is definitely room for improvement.

I also agree that 80% of the calls are as good as a landline but sometimes there is lag where you can either hear your voice 2 seconds later or the msg is delayed by a few seconds on either side.

The worst part is that their service is overpriced.

Originally Posted by Cyrus the Great

The worst part is that their service is overpriced.

No, it's not. If you look at Rogers' Home Phone service that's $29.95 for the service plus one feature.

For Comwave's iPhone service, the mid-range plan with less features than Vonage, you're paying $14.95 on a two-year contract.

Overpriced is relative.

Originally Posted by IronMac

No, it's not. If you look at Rogers' Home Phone service that's $29.95 for the service plus one feature.

For Comwave's iPhone service, the mid-range plan with less features than Vonage, you're paying $14.95 on a two-year contract.

Overpriced is relative.

Take a look at the residential plans:
http://digitalvoice.ca/index.php
http://www.netfone.ca/local/ca/en/services/1

Originally Posted by Cyrus the Great

Take a look at the residential plans:
http://digitalvoice.ca/index.php
http://www.netfone.ca/local/ca/en/services/1

Like I said, it's all relative. Vonage would seem to be in the middle of the pack.

I have been using ZingoTel for the past year and have had the same problems about 10% of the time as the vonage people here.

I also have the same number of features as Vonage (unlimited canada & US, Caller ID, Call Waiting, etc).

I was actually looking for something cheaper than ZingoTel (altogether about $15 a month) because I finally figured out how to program the SIP in my adapter.

But according to this thread, it seems I may as well stay course.

Also, do not EVER make a logical comparison with Rogers. They overcharge on Everything, all while making you think that they are doing you a favour.

Vonage could also be charging a lot less, but I do think that they brought the whole Voip phenomenon out into mainstream to put companies like Bell in their place. At the bottom.

I'm new to all of this VOIP. I am moving to a new place and need a phone line plus highspeed internet.

I found this site/company: www.cia.com (cybersurf internet access)

They are offering VOIP plus highspeed up to 5 Mbps (6 where I'm located) for $39.95 with no contract.

Was wondering if anybody has heard of them and or have any experience with their service and can give some input.

Any other provider out there other than Vonage for VOIP?

Thanks.