Canadian TV, Computing and Home Theatre Forums banner

looking for voip provider

22K views 46 replies 21 participants last post by  ExDilbert 
#1 ·
Hi all,

Looking for a voip provider with minimum frills and features (VM, call display and call wait) and cheap monthly costs.

The big problem I'm running into is number porting. Live in Alberta with a number exchange not supported by many providers 780-922-XXXX

Yes I need to keep this number.

I would like the provider to allow BYOD if possible, but not a deal breaker.

Looked into alot providers but most wont port my number.

PhonePower will port my number but on the fence with that company and question how they price their service. With all the service fees and the exchange rate to USD it still pricey IMHO. I will not use most of the features they offer/.

Anyone have any recommendations?
 
#32 ·
There is a very good thread here on voip.ms configuration. I knew absolutely nothing about voip and had it up quickly.

OOMA should be fine. A decent ATA could cost $89.99 so it's a good deal. I'm still trying to figure out how they plan to make money in the long term. For anyone who is interested, the $89.99 deal is still available today (Dec 1.)
 
#33 ·
I'm still trying to figure out how they plan to make money in the long term.
Ooma makes money by charging $10 per month for their Premier service, which adds many features over the basic "free" service. It's likely that a significant number of Ooma users subscribe to Premier.
http://ca.ooma.com/how-ooma-works/features

They also make money from their long distance charges for calls outside the free calling zone.
 
#34 ·
Thanks, I wasn't aware that Ooma had a premier service. At $10/mo it would be easy to make money. I've noticed that some of these "free" services tend to have fairly high priced "premium" plans. I guess that's OK if you don't mind subsidizing the free users by paying for a higher priced premium service. Personally, I'd rather pay less for a usage based VOIP plan.
 
#36 ·
My two cents about Ooma. Some people love Ooma, some hate it. I am very technically capable. I tried Ooma and I could not get it to work.
I am on cable 20/10 connection. I tried Ooma before the router, after the router, and every configuration I could do. The call quality was inconsistent. Sometimes excellent, sometimes terrible. I spent to much time configuring Ooma so I returned it. There servers are only in California which might contribute to the problem.
If you would like to try Ooma, buy it in a store where you can return it. Costco has 90 days to return the device.
Currently I have Cisco SPA122 in bridge mode, behind the router and I'm connected to two VOIP service providers. Voip.ms for US and Canada, and Callcentric outbound only for Europe. The service is excellent. Configure once and forget it.
 
#37 ·
I've been trying to go through all the different providers and I'm getting buried in information. Could anyone make a suggestion for a choice of VOIP provider for my situation?

I will be forwarding calls from my office to my home for 2 days a week. It could last one month or could be year after year. I have a computer with a headset, cellphone with wifi/bluetooth. I only need a phone number so I can forward calls, I don't need any other service. I have no other phones or equipment. I'm somewhat tech savvy, but voip.ms sounds like it is over my head. Would it be best to just buy a Magic Jack and a cheap corded phone?
 
#39 ·
I like CallCentric. You would only have to get a number and an incoming plan. Call treatments let you forward calls conditionally or absolutely for any flex/fixed period you want. Easily set up opn the net.

You can get a new Grandstream Handytone box from Amazon for under $30. CallCentric has excellent instructions on how to configure it on their site. If you don't actually need a physical phone, you might even be able to go without.

I winter in the US, rest of the year in Canada. My (Canadian) number follows the box. Folks back home call me on a local (to them) number, I auto forward to Canadian or US cell as required.
 
#38 ·
I have ooma , no issues. Agree with what was said above- buy it at Costco so it it does not do what you need, you can return it. I work from home and I am on the phone for 2-3 hours some days. Zero complaints from anyone on the other end about call quality, however it may depend on your location. Mine came with the wireless adapter - which was crap - cut out over and over, wired has no issues.
 
#40 ·
About 8 months later and Ooma seems to have been a reasonable choice. No technical issues. Setup was easy (have Telo box before router). Some communication problems when porting Bell number but it got done. And their web interface needs more work. But overall, satisfied esp at the price of under C$4.00/month. When we are in USA and our home system is turned off, Ooma still picks up voice mail and we can access that on-line. Also keeps a call log so we can see who was trying to call us even if they don't leave a message. We get free calling throughout Canada, but calls to USA would be 1.6c/min. But we use Skype when calling USA.
 
#41 ·
I have 2 Ooma boxes.. one for biz, one for home.. both with the premium add on. I had to add a few buck so the wife could call Belgium.. couldn't believe how cheap it was. I probably don't need the premium for the old home number.. if I drop it it would cost me $3.97 a month. Very happy with the service.
Couple of things I have noticed.. depending on who I am talking to, either their voice or mine will set the box off to make a touch tone sound.. nobody hit the dial pad. The other issue I have is that you can't opt out of premium on line.. you have to call.
 
#44 ·
I'm debating to switch to VoIP, however I have yet to find a VoIP provider in the GTA that offers an unlimited north american long distance plan for $10 dollars per month or similar. most of the providers charge you a per minute fee, though the fee its small, its still not what I am looking for.
 
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top