Vonage

[Kyung]

Is anyone out there using Vonage for their telephone?

Just wondering if the service is as good as advertsied?

Do you get a lot of dropped calls?

My husband wants to get rid of our landline. Unfortunately, the cell reception in my area is not good enough to do that.

Thanks.

[Kyung]

Well, we switched over to Vonage. Call waiting is working, I think. It's been so long since I've had call waiting, I'm not even sure how to switch over. I have caller id. Call forwarding, three-way calling. Free long distance.

Now, I've just got to find a really cheap fax service. Any suggestions?

[Tricia Annebid]

trustfax.com. I've had it for almost two years. I think it costs me $35 a year.

[Rebecca Blasco]

Hi, Kyung,

I have had Vonage for about 18 months and I LOVE it! $25.00/month, never $25 + 15 or 18 or 13 or anything like that, but ALWAYS $25.00 a month. The clarity is just like a land line. I can forward my home phone to my cell phone so I never miss a call, and all my voice mails forward to my emails so I can get them right when I get home, while I'm checking my email.

I can also forward my home phone to up to four separate phone numbers. My parents retired to Ireland I can can talk to them for free. My mother in law retired to Mexico and I can talk to her for free. My sisters are currently in Israel and I can talk to them for 1 cent a minute -- yes, I can talk to my sisters on the phone for an hour for less than a buck.

Furthermore, if I 'refer' you to Vonage, you'll get a month free and I'll get two months free. When YOU refer someone, they'll get a month free and YOU'LL get two months free. It's a fantastic little system.

Now the 911 does work differently, but . . . I have a special needs child who needs EMS from time to time and they get here just as quickly. I checked that one FIRST before I got it.

You can also choose any phone number you want -- keep the one you have if you want, but it's like if your mom lives in Phx and you live in L.A., you can make your area code the same as hers so it's not long distance for you.

Too many good things to fit in one little email.

[Kyung]

Well, I signed up for the free trial period for Trustfax. Faxing through your computer is kind of cumbersome.

[Jennifer L. Wiesch]

If you already have high-speed internet, you should check out Magic Jack, www.magicjack.com, and they have a special right now for current subscribers at least for $60 for five years of service. It is the equivalent of Vonage, and it has everything; voicemail, call waiting, caller ID, three-way conference calling, call forwarding, et cetera. You pay initially $39.99 for the USB jack, and that includes one year of service. I have had this for almost one year now and know other people who have it, as well, and none of us have any complaints. Heck, who can complain about phone service that only costs $1 a month (using the five-year renewal)?

[Mary Jo Cochran]

That "Box" you purchase where you never have to pay a fee is magicjack. I have had mine for about nine months. I was one of the original purchasers. They have a website for ordering. I think they also sell it at Best Buy.

For being FREE, I'm happy. I paid about $50.00 for my box and one year of service. I got a telephone number which I get for life. Yes, I call anywhere in the United States for free. And I use it. I have a friend in Houston I call about twice a week. I use it to call my sisters in Michigan.

I have slow speed internet. Sometimes the call is choppy and words get cut off. I bet if I had high speed or FIOS the reception would be much better. The box is connected to an ISB port. Then I connected ONE PHONE (no jacks throughout the house.

Downside: One phone connection. Calls sometimes get choppy.
Goodside: FREE. YES. FREE. I do have a 911 feature, easy to set up (I even pu in directions). I get a message notification to my yahoo e-mail. I have voicemail. I have contacts.

For free, it's good.

[Janet]

A lot of people I know bought and are using Magic Jack. The call quality is great. It's easy to use. Getting an e-mail when there's a voicemail is great. It's much cheaper than Vonage.