Packet8 vs Vonage??? Which VoIP service is better?

Question

I have had Vonage for about a year now and it sucks! I have a very fast internet connection and have tried everything, but the sound quality of calls is crap, the line cuts in and out, very jittery....people have suggested I switch to a VoIP service called Packet8 and I was wondering if this service is better than Vonage?

Answer 1

its not better, its a little different...I have Packet8 for over 3 years now, and never had a problem....there customer service is in California, so everyone speaks English. i called them before I even had sign up, just to see how long I have to wait....they answered the phone after a few rings, then I went to there forum, and checked out what everyone was bit..tching about...(very important)...most of the Vonage ppl come over to P8...I pay per year, so its cheaper...
...I had tested that before I sign up....it impressed me so much that I choose P8! I have 12 family members all using P8...I pay yearly so its cheaper! As far as I know P8 holds 11 patent on VoIP technology!! Chances are if you had good reception you will have no problem with another VoIP provider....75 % depends on the ISP!

Answer 2

The problem with Vonage and ALL OTHER CARRIERS THAT USE THE INTERNET FOR TRANSPORT is that the INTERNET is not designed for voice transmission.

For VoIP to work properly, voice packets are coded for and given priority so they arrive in time and in order for efficient reassambly. The network must have sufficient capacity to handle the load as well.

On your own network where you have managed routers, managed switches, and sufficient speed you can control the network and assure voice packets are given their needed priority.

Once you use the Internet, you are asking for trouble. The Internet does not recognize packet priority nor does it pay heed to priority packet requests.

This means all packets, voice or other, going on the internet are processed as first in, first out. This is ok for data but NOT suitable for VoIP if you want any dependable and reliable QoS (Quality of Service).

No phone service that uses the Internet can assure suitable QoS. They can assure irregular QoS which means voice quality can and will vary from good to poor to unacceptable.

I know you don't want to hear this - but that is the entire story.

If you want dependable service, connect to the conventional PSTN (public switched telephone network). They control their network and either use TDM (the classic time division multiplexing) or VoIP on their managed network to do the job.

Answer 3

i've had vonage for about a year now as well, i've never had any problems with it and i'm very pleased. i've never had any problems with dropped calls or line quality. maybe you should do some more diagnostics on your network setup, perhaps there is a clog in something. do you use p2p programs that can hog your upload? is your telephone adapter behind a firewall? how legitimately fast is your connection? before switching maybe you should consider that it might not be the service but your side, which it usually is. switching can be costly and you could possibly lose your number, even more costly if your next service produces the same results.

Answer 4

Hello

I have read many review about various VOIP providers. I personally feel that Packet8 is far better than Vonage.

Above that I feel that Callcentric and VIATalk are also superb.


Thanks