Vonage VoIP vs Shaw NetPhone

[PHUNK]

anyone use this service?

i'm thinking of getting it, or the new shaw phone.

can't decide which to get. the vonage phone would be working over my shaw net, and the shaw would be working with the shaw net. so regardless, i'm at shaws internet whim. no matter what, if it goes down, i have no land line.

anyone have any pros or cons about these services?

i just want to get as far away from telus business as possible; then throw a brick into their office building...

p.s. anyone know when you can transfer cell numbers to different carriers? i heard sometime this year, but anyone know more info?!?

[LDUB]

Originally Posted by PHUNK

p.s. anyone know when you can transfer cell numbers to different carriers? i heard sometime this year, but anyone know more info?!?

Forcasted for early 2007.

Are you speaking about shaw digital phone when you say netphone? I think it's waaaay overpriced as someone who doesn't call long distance.

[Skyles]

got Vonage in the office... as shaw dosn;t allow business lines yet for their digital phones.. (liability issues, but you can lie obviously and use it for a business).

It's ok.. some weirdo shit happends when the connection bugs out, obviously.. sometimes you can hear packets in the corner of the phone.. like little snippets of data being sent..

Other than that, saving about $150 a month from having it, so I'm happy.

You can transfer your cell # to fido/rogers if your with bell or telus at the moment. Is that what your asking?

[nabs]

if the internet is down does the phoneline die too?

[LDUB]

Originally Posted by Skyles

You can transfer your cell # to fido/rogers if your with bell or telus at the moment. Is that what your asking?

You're not supposed to be able to do this yet. Number portability was recently regulated by the CRTC but the protocol etc have not been finalized yet. All of the companies are working together to provide the option. As mentioned, forcasted for early 2007.

The exception is Fido as it became a CLEC carrier when it came out with the city Fido plan. You can take your LANDLINE number to Fido and vice versa. Can Roger do it now that they've acquired Fido, I'm not sure.. But it's not cell phone to cell phone.

[Cdn_Brdr]

From what I understand the price points are quite different too. As far as I know Vonage is around $25 a month and it includes voice mail, caller ID, call forward.... the standard perks really, and 200 minutes of anywhere in Canada long distance. In some areas you can keep your old number but not in all areas.

As for Shaw I heard it starts at somewhere near $45 a month... quite the difference! I'm bnot 100% on what Shaw includes though.

I've been considering the switch to Vonage for sometime now. I pay $50 a month to Telus for a basic phone linie with voicemail and Caller ID and NO long distance. What a joke.

[Gusto]

Originally Posted by nabs

if the internet is down does the phoneline die too?

yes it does. i thought you were a computer tech.

[miSsy_chriSsy]

we were going to use vonage - but realized that if we didn't pay the cable/internet bill on time, or if there was a sudden power outage - the phone line wouldn't work. That situation didn't sound safe to me.

I've talked on the phone with people using Vonage, and if someone is on the internet, the person on the phone tends to cut in and out or their voice becomes muffled and fuzzy - it didn't seem very clear or effective as a regualr phone line. Sure it's a few bucks cheaper - but didn't seem worth it.

[LDUB]

Originally Posted by Cdn_Brdr

I've been considering the switch to Vonage for sometime now. I pay $50 a month to Telus for a basic phone linie with voicemail and Caller ID and NO long distance. What a joke.

Telus landline service is regulated by the CRTC. If and when Telus loses a large part of it's market share the regulations will be lifted and they will be allowed to provide competitive pricing.

For me, VoIP phone services are too new (inregards to implementation). The price sounds great but I want to wait for the kinks to be worked out.

[Asheai]

Originally Posted by LDUB

Telus landline service is regulated by the CRTC. If and when Telus loses a large part of it's market share the regulations will be lifted and they will be allowed to provide competitive pricing.

For me, VoIP phone services are too new (inregards to implementation). The price sounds great but I want to wait for the kinks to be worked out.

true - at first, im sure there will be hitches that you wouldn't want to deal with... at my previous job we had VOIP (I worked in a call center), and it was supposed to be a lot cheaper... didnt really notice too much of a difference either, worked fine as far as i could tell.. but then i wasn't there for too long once we got it...

[PHUNK]

yeah with shaw, its $55 (if you get a package and have their net and cable and its unlimited), or theres the vonage; which is $20 (500 anywhere anytime mins) or $40 (unlimited).

hmmmm.

i don't like hear that its kind of sketchy sounding.

[miss.myra]

Originally Posted by LDUB

Telus landline service is regulated by the CRTC. If and when Telus loses a large part of it's market share the regulations will be lifted and they will be allowed to provide competitive pricing.

For me, VoIP phone services are too new (inregards to implementation). The price sounds great but I want to wait for the kinks to be worked out.

From what I know as well, working for Bell is that all landline providers are in the process of appealing to the federal cabinet because of the fact that the CRTC has decided to regulate prices for VOIP, thus making it harder for landline providers to get into the market and get competitive. Also, this decision was only really affecting incumbent landline companies (bell, telus, etc.) and not the cable companies currently offering the service.

Interestingly enough, this is the FIRST time the CRTC has ruled to limit the pricing on anything to do with retail internet pricing.

It's too bad!



Oh yeah and Lauren is the only one right on wireless # portability, it's not even forecasted to have an implementation plan until 2007 or so.

[rayray]

www.junotechnologies.com and www.i-talk.ca offers VoIP too and they are giving one month free trial...more info you can call them at 604-288-8553 or just visit their site

[PHUNK]

i dunno if i trust such a small company. i dunno, i just feel like vonage would be better. i dunno.

[Skyles]

bah post got deleted...

voip = unlimited long distance in north America, at least thats the package I've got. You can upgrade it to get Europe and japan unlimited as well. $40CND a month. (Premium Unlimited).
Business is $70.

yes: goes down if internet goes done.

no: have not noticed any drop in data streams when surfing or leeching off the internet. This is completely reliant on the type of connection one has. Yea if you got adsl the upstream is shit, and can take a load off if your uploading off the computer, and using the telephone.

CRTC regulations are in place so that smaller telecommunications company's can actually have a chance to emerge. Otherwise Telus would have monopolized the market.

Yes: I switched one of my cells from telus to fido. I then cancelled it because fido is a load of shit, and just forwarded a lan line to my telus mobility line, which is also a load of shit $22 a month for forwarding services? its a damn switch connection on a computer. *e/nd rant*. Because apparently Telus Mobilty and Telus are "seperate" company's and don't work together.. one of the CRTC rules... they are working on bundling everything once Telus TV gets launched.. (but they are staying away from the digital phone services).<-- off topic.

vonage is good, im happy with it.. i've had it since september.

[PHUNK]

which voip converter thing did you get from vonage?

is there built in router any good?

[rayray]

well not trying to sell or market smaller company's product but whats there to lose if its free for the first month. also there is a comission based program with referrals with i-talk I don't see vonage providing that.

[Skyles]

No it's not a router, its a ' Motorola VT1005V - Voice Terminal '. Works with your existing router/hub to share the incoming/outgoing WAN.

Hook your ethernet into it, hook your telephone into it.... done.

[Ragga_Wh0re]

i have net phone service with some other company...THAT FUCKING SUCKS!it sounds like youre talking into a tin fucking can...when it actually works. And calling long distance is a pain in the ass.

But that doesnt really matter seldom do i use the land line thank god.

[PHUNK]

the one they have on their webside has a built in router, up to 4 other comps can be hooked up to it.


to call long distance with vonage, do you just straight dial out? or is there some weird thing like she said?