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VOIP advice please

4K views 7 replies 8 participants last post by  pshine 
#1 ·
I am a senior. I would like to cancel my Bell home phone to save money.
I do not make or receive many calls, but I would like to have a Canada and US long distance option. I am thinking of going with a VOIP provider.
It should be easy to set up and have a low monthly cost to no surprises.
I would appreciate some advice on which VOIP provider to choose.
 
#4 ·
This is the right place to do some research, and the best solution will depend on your requirements. Some things to consider:

1. Do you current have a single handset or multiple handsets
- if you have a single handset then it can be replaced with a VoIP phone
- if you have multiple handset it might be best to keep them and install a VoIP Phone Adapter

2. If any of your phones are stand alone (no power brick) then you have phone service even when there is a power outage. You would loose this with VoIP.

3. Do you current have bundles pricing for phone, TV, and internet? If so cutting off the phone may increase the price of the other services, so the savings may not be as great.

4. Is your internet service reliable (most are these days), but if you have periodic outages or other problems then this will impact the quality of the VoIP service.

5. There will likely be a one-time cost for the VoIP hardware (Phone or Phone Adapter). Factor this in to your cost model.
 
#5 ·
I have 3 Magic Jacks.

So for $50 for the device (includes first year of calling) + $10/year for stupid CTRC rules on having a number + $140 for a 5 year calling deal, the 6 year cost is $250/6 years = $42/year = $3.50/month.

That is for call display, voice mail (+ voice mails sent to email) and unlimited calling in North American.

Compare that to my land line at $80/month, and my payback was about 3 months, made the decision a no-brainer.

Magic Jack even has great customer service.

I'd never go back to a land line or even a VOIP directly provided by an ISP (as they charge about $15/month for basic calling).

I do have a cell phone as well, so 911 is handled by that or the fact that for Magic Jack, you enter your street address into your profile.

One added bonus, so many fewer unsolicited calls as your number is now unlisted (which I used to pay for!).
 
#6 ·
1. Compare that to my land line at $80/month, and my payback was about 3 months, made the decision a no-brainer.

2. One added bonus, so many fewer unsolicited calls as your number is now unlisted (which I used to pay for!).
1. Depending on the service provider (Rogers, Shaw, etc), landlines can now be negotiated down to $20 in some instances depending on your leverage and other services in the bundle, including all the options you mention. They have to, in order to keep home phone customers. This would be "easy", but not the least expensive option. I have also heard good things about Ooma. They have been discussed in this forum - search for Ooma. The cost for Ooma is a bit more, but it is apparently easier to install and the service feedback has been good. Paying full price for a Bell home phone is just silly.

2. Most telemarketers use auto-dialers so an unlisted number is meaningless for telemarketers.

Similar previous thread link below:

http://www.digitalhome.ca/forum/28-internet-landline-wireless-phone/256210-eliminating-landline.html

One other item to think about is if you have an alarm service and how it interfaces with VOIP or similar services. With Rogers this was totally transparent for me. This will become an issue for me when I decide to go cellphone-only sometime in the future, should my low price with Rogers for home phone end.

Perhaps the OP can consider cellphone only?
 
#7 ·
Pretty happy with voip.ms. $8.75 one time fee to port my existing number and then 85 cents a month plus 1 cent/minute for CAN and USD calls (all prices USD). All the features I need are included - caller ID, voicemail, call waiting, conference calls, etc. You can buy VOIP phones but I just use my PC, iPhone, and iPad via a $14 app and free PC software.
 
#8 ·
I've been using Ooma for the past 3 years. It works well over my internet connection (which happens to be wireless). Initial outlay for the Ooma is approx. $100 and the service is $16.00 per month . This allows me long distance in Canada and the U.S., 2 lines, voice mail...etc.
If you have wireless phones, just plug the base station into the Ooma and the other phones will be fine. Take a look at their website to review all the other features. It might be what you want.

Good luck.
 
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