vB Easy Archive - what to do about dsl if u go voip?

Pages: 1

what to do about dsl if u go voip?
(Click here to view the original thread with full colors/images)

Posted by: ONLIVERIZON

i'm curious about voip such as magic jack. am open to others except vonage, since i don't see the savings. also, i'm only on the computer for word processing and surfing and i'm afraid of start up problems. need to reduce expenses bc of gass $, but need dsl for kid/school.

Posted by: Churner

If the DSL is your broadband connection, how will the VoIP work without broadband?

Posted by: emoci

You can switch to Dry DSL (which is pretty much DSL, but no phone tone on the line). In some cases though you'll pay the regular DSL price+ Band Rate (think of it as line maintenance that would normally be paid inside the home phone price, but now needs to be paid as a portion on its own if you turn off your phone)

Not every company charges the Band Rate so check with your provider about Dry Dsl...

One other thing: In my honest opinion MagicJack is neat to have as an addon, but not as replacement for your landline (not yet anyways)

Personally I would suggest this (if you are gonna go VoIP as main provider):
-Strip your landline down to the lowest possible service you can have for a landline + 1 feature, Call Forwarding
-Get yourself a Good ATA + a Cordless Phone with 3-4 handsets
-Forward all calls to your homephone to your VoIP line (assuming your VoIP number is local to you, this should not be a problem)
-Pick a VoIP service provider to use
-Compare pricing (remember to take into account the Band Rate if applicable when calculating things without a home line at all

As for reliable VSPs, depends what you want to do:
Things like Vonage, Packet8, CallVantage were made with Home Phone replacement in mind (they may not be better, but you maybe more familiar with the features they offer)

I would also suggest third parties like CallCentric, CallWithUs, and maybe VoiceStick to a lesser extent

If you can at all, try to avoid getting yourself locked in a contract...

Oh before I forget, if you have a Home Alarm, call the provider and ask about any issues it may have if you are going VoIP for the phone line

Also if faxing is important to you, may want to ask for assurances from any VoIP provider you pick , that faxing will work (keep in mind though that faxing and VoIP aren't very compatible with each other despite all assurances, and it'll be one of those things that you'll eventually have to test, it's hard to tell beforehand if it'll work)

Hope this helps (I'd suggest DSLReports.com, the VoIP Tech Chat section there for more questions and info)