Readers Weigh in on VoIP

OK. I just finished going through your reams of posts and emails on using VoIP and you are one bunch of smart cookies! Together, you've created quite a VoIP tell-all.

Clearly, those who have made the switch to Internet phones are mostly happy campers, though you certainly have your eyes wide open when it comes to the pitfalls. The majority of comments concerned cost, quality of service, and major VoIP problems like dialing 911 and what to do if there's a power outage.

Tkberkeley was first to chime in with the hidden costs of VoIP. "You will still need a broadband Internet connection," he writes, "that will cost around $50 per month plus the local service to companies like Vonage." He adds that households with elderly folks or young kids might not want VoIP, since 911 uses the PSTN to tie your phone number to a specific location, something VoIP providers can't do. Most providers have a workaround where you register an address with an e911 service.

Weather was another watchword. "VoIPs," wrote nbitters, "might not be best for hurricane prone areas." But ChuckNY suggests rolling your calls over to your cellphone for occasional localized power outages, and Gfclyne suggests that at minimum you have a backup power supply for when the lights go out. Meangreanbean2002 pointed out that he couldn't use Vonage with his home security system because it requires an analog line.

Quality of service degrades when your broadband connection is stressed by other events. Tinnerstet quips that people love VoIP because they're not on the receiving end of the call. He finds that if the caller sends an email with an attachment the quality of the call degrades. And Johnw1135 concurred that the loss of bandwidth is significant.

Others had a few suggestions to overcome bandwidth issues. Lisa writes that she uses the "bandwidth saver" option with Vonage and it's made a significant difference in decreasing the number of dropped calls.  Flightoscarlet found changing the phone channel helps. For ian_cman, putting a surge protector on the router solved the problem of router lockup. Hulryyk sums it up with advice to buy all-in-one adapters that provide both a cable/DSL modem and routing functionality, and use multiunit cordless phones. This, he felt, would simplify troubleshooting.

Billing errors, an inability to keep your local number, and the fact that you're not listed in the local yellow pages with a VoIP number were some of the other inconveniences that surfaced in your notes. Some were interested in fax lines, which often require an extra fee. DSLReports has some good information on using faxes with VoIP.

One of the more confusing topics seems to be using VoIP when you have DSL broadband, since you need to keep your traditional DSL phone line and pay for VoIP service, too. For some, this reduced the cost savings of VoIP. Check with your local phone company because many now have "naked DSL" or "dry loop DSL" options where the high-speed service is decoupled from phone service, for a reduced price.

I think we'd all like to go live with yeawhoo2, who travels the country in an RV rigged with a satellite TV provider that supplies 180 channels, VoIP, and super high-speed internet access all from the same equipment. Way to go!

Some of the most touching VoIP endorsements came from those of you in the military. Adamjrosenlund who stays connected with his wife and daughter more than 7,000 miles away reduced his bills from more than $300 a month to $30 a month.

As for the different service providers, you had a ton to say. Vonage was dinged a few times on tech support issues. Reachwaseem raved about Lingo, though he wasn't looking forward to the price hike this June. SunRocket's  offer of $199 a year and two free phones pleased radelster, and Packet8 was on quite a few lists. Vthokiefan02 uses AdCalls, a free service subsidized by local advertisers. And some of you suggest using VoIP from traditional phone providers like Verizon because they know the business.

Thanks to all who shared their knowledge and experiences. Together, we're smarter.