Is a VoIP a good choice for your primary phone? We are moving and are looking for the best option out there.?

Question

My family is moving in Mid-February and therefore all calls we will need to make will be long distance. We don't have a cell phone, or want one, and VoIL seems like a good option.

What are the negatives of having VoIL as a primary phone line besides no reliant 911 service? Who is the best VoIL provider? Is there free voicemail with VoIL?

Answer 1

in the end this is a decision you have to make, but do educate yourself before you get Broadband (VoiP) I have it, and will never go back to land-line...my electric, nor high-speed Internet never gone out on me!!..free long distance, lots of great features, and mine is crystal clear, better then a landline....when I moved, I did nothad to call the phone-co and tell them, I just took my VoIP phne with me and plugged it in in the new house!...but you need cable, DSL or wifi-fixed max...i had Time-Warner cable for 1 year, now I have clearwire wifi....here are some websites for you.....

http://www.packet8.net/

http://www.clearwire.com/

http://www.dslreports.com/

you can already choose your area-code now...also check online if your city is E911 ready...

I got 1 free basephone with build-in router/firewall, and 1 free extension...I got myself 1 bluetooth Uniden phone later....



Low fixed monthly rate — starting as low as $19.95 per month; residential and business Packet8 VoIP Service Plans available.
Free enhanced features — enjoy the benefits of voice mail, call waiting, call forwarding, Caller ID, and more. all included in your Packet8 VoIP Service Plan!
Easy installation — sets up quickly and easily in your home or business.
Expandable up to 10 cordless handsets — gives you the flexibility to cover your whole office or home with just one phone!
5.8 GHz digital spread spectrum technology — provides superior range and sound quality, and won't interfere with your wireless network.
Packet8 Enhanced 911 service — provides address-specific call-back information to public service answering points when an emergency call is made, enabling emergency personnel to be dispatched even if the caller is unable to speak or if the call is disconnected.
Plus — enjoy such additional features as handset speakerphone, base-to-handset call transfer and intercom, 100-number shared Caller ID/phonebook memory per handset, and 20 ring tone options.

Answer 2

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Answer 3

If you travel a lot and have a lot of friends and family on skype, skype will be a good choice. Also Skype is for someone who is more technical savvy since it's best running on your computer as a software phone. there are also many other choices for software voip phones if you know to use computer really well. If not, vonage will be better since it works like a regular phone and gives you unlimited minutes. personally, i like the comcast cable modem and vonage combo, $75 a month to get me very fast internet and unlimited calls. also unlike SBC, no contract so you can cancel them anytime and no oversea call centers that will drive you nuts.

Answer 4

It depends on your usage. If you can't have high speed internet where you are moving, then you can't use VoIP. If you are going to have DSL, then it's kinda redundant.

Most of the plans come with all the calling features (call waiting, caller id, voice mail, etc.) However, if your high speed internet goes out, so does your phone. How will you call for service?

Check with some of the major phone carriers, you might be surprised to learn that there are package deals that make traditional phone service competitive.

Also, if you want to fax, you are better of with a traditional phone.

Good luck!!!

Answer 5

VOIP isn't ready for residential use.

1. Not your traditional 911
2. If you loose power, you also loose your phone. This doesnt happen with a POTS line provided by your phone company.
3. If you loose internet connection you loose your phone also.


If you can deal with haveing a phone that isn't reliable then go for it. As far as a POTS line provided by your phone company I am sure you cant rember the last time you had a problem with it.

Answer 6

If you don't use the internet a lot, VOIP is good...however, quality of calls is horrible if you are downloading anything, or playing games online, etc.