I have used voip.ms for years. Not really that complicated. You could forward your number to one of your cells. I had phones all over the house until a few years ago(cordless plugged into one device with voip.ms). I removed them and now forward, as I said. You are talking about $.85 a month for a number and $.009 a minute for talk time. Any credit card will do. Yes US dollars.

I started witth a toll free number because locally no more telephone lines/numbers were available(true! Telus in rural BC)) and cell service was expensive but eventually they strung some more wire and we got a local. Then later realized it was a lot per month for hardly any calls, since cell numbers were being used, so ported the number to them. No more calls to it so we gave it up. I still have the toll free as I had used it for a small business and I have a Beverly Hills number just because, along with a couple others.


One advantage voip.ms had was a virtual receptionist so when our cell numbers called home we could 1. continue to call home or 5. call another number. This saved us cell long distance(no longer applicable). Yes I had to set up the "IVR" You do need decent internet.

Telus has an annual cell plan for $100/year ... 400/minutes, incoming and outgoing total and texts same. Only 3 stored voice messages. They were offering unlimited Canada wide and 2GB data as a bonus but now its back to basic but would work to park a number and for forwarding to you if you have a spare cell phone.

Freedom has 99/year unlimited talk and incoming text, $.05 outgoing text. They also have CAN-US-MEX UNLIMITED INCOMING, 120 minutes outgoing, 100MB data, unlimited text, picture, video for $10/month
(I actually pay $5+tax due to a promotion that ended(use my dual sim phone)

My thoughts

 

I don't know what the deal is for Shaw types, but I'm on Rogers and my phone is included in my Internet & TV bundle.

 

Rogers doesn't even advertise Home Phone anymore. It seems its only available as a $10/month add-on if you have their internet and Tv. I think if you go with Telus they would want around $50/month as a standalone service, much like Bell does.

 

While apparently well hidden, it seems home phone is still available with a bundle. The modem I have includes a phone jack, as well as Ethernet for Internet. Maybe it will take a call to find out what's available.

 

It's incredibly well hidden (buried): https://www.rogers.com/home-phone

The hyperlink defaults to the bundles. You have to look carefully to the Home Phone tab.

 

Right now I am on a Rogers (Shaw) bundle of internet/tv/home phone. My contract expires next summer. But I've started the research process now to see what options I may have. We too have had the same home phone number for 30 years.

So far, I've determined that Teksavvy offers a bundle of internet/tv/home phone. VMedia does as well. Freedom TV (Freedom Mobile) offers internet/tv.

My neighbourhood in Calgary does not off Telus Fibre Optic so my choices are limited.

My plan is to negotiate a favourable package with Rogers. Failing that I will either severely curtail my service with them or move it outright. I am reluctant to do that in order to maintain a long established email account.

 

I would start migrating the email to a new one now in order to prevent disruption when Rogers cuts the current one off. The transition can sometimes take months due to important contacts that may get overlooked. There are some good free email options. I've been using mail.com for years with no issues. Proton mail is a a good option.

 

@Humbar Shaw Home Phone is no longer $10 a month with internet or with a bundle. Try over $40 per month + tax now. Retentions is willing to add a bit of a discount down to $16. Compared to Telus they know they are cheaper, but not cheaper than Teksavvy. I might consider them for home phone if not VOIP service like Fongo.

Shaw Home Phone has a bug where any voicemail left is date stamped with Alberta time. There are a few other nuances with as well.

For our needs, our landline is basically our life-line. We call forward our mobile phones to our home phone (we don't use cordless phones) and use it as a fax line. Basically, our cell phones are our cordless phones.

VOIP.ms is overly complicated in terms of billing. We get a load of spam calls despite enrolling in the DNC registry. Shaw does a good job blocking them and I occasionally disable the feature to see how much spam is coming through.VOIP.ms charges for each spam call, voicemail, call forwarding, etc. It's really penny pinching.

Paying in US funds given our Canadian peso doesn't seem like it's value especially when we often spend hours (on hold) to call centres. There's also added FX fees when paying in another currency.

Additionally, Shaw Retentions Executive Office who set up the retention plan two years ago assured me the plan they gave me was the best. I found out recently that was a lie,many others received an even better plan plus with a signing-up bonus (for existing customers) of around $300. I really don't like Shaw/Rogers at all. But I imagine Telus isn't any better.

@ExDilbert has it right. Migrate your Shaw webmail now, people are starting to have issues in accessing it. It can be reassigned or shuttered within a month's notice.

 

@Humbar Shaw Home Phone is no longer $10 a month with internet or with a bundle. Try over $40 per month + tax now. Retentions is willing to add a bit of a discount down to $16. Compared to Telus they know they are cheaper, but not cheaper than Teksavvy. I might consider them for home phone if not VOIP service like Fongo.

Shaw Home Phone has a bug where any voicemail left is date stamped with Alberta time. There are a few other nuances with as well.

For our needs, our landline is basically our life-line. We call forward our mobile phones to our home phone (we don't use cordless phones) and use it as a fax line. Basically, our cell phones are our cordless phones.

VOIP.ms is overly complicated in terms of billing. We get a load of spam calls despite enrolling in the DNC registry. Shaw does a good job blocking them and I occasionally disable the feature to see how much spam is coming through.VOIP.ms charges for each spam call, voicemail, call forwarding, etc. It's really penny pinching.

Paying in US funds given our Canadian peso doesn't seem like it's value especially when we often spend hours (on hold) to call centres. There's also added FX fees when paying in another currency.

Interesting. We have been with voip.ms for over 10 years and not experienced your issues.
We have two voip.ms phone numbers. One for our home phone, the other for a dedicated fax line. I've never had a spam call as I have call screening turned on.
Cost wise, I can't find anything less costly this feature rich. Our two numbers combined cost us $7 monthly.
As for configuration, yes it can be daunting. However there are wiki's and YouTube videos to guide you.
One caveat. Be sure to properly set up your 911 registry info and it you move, keep it updated.

 

Curious, you can add it to a bundle for $15. I don't have that charge on my bill. Also, as discussed in another thread, I just dropped my bill by $22. I've had so many changes over the years it's hard to keep track of things.

 

I've had so many changes over the years it's hard to keep track of things.

And that's what they're counting on.

 

Yeah, my bundle includes Internet, TV & phone.

 

Migrate your Shaw webmail now, people are starting to have issues in accessing it. It can be reassigned or shuttered within a month's notice.

When I left Rogers, they shut down the email the same day. Maybe that policy has changed but it sure left a bad impression, especially since the email service they use is free when subscribed directly.

I've had so many changes over the years it's hard to keep track of things.

My experience is that they use changes to hide features they want to discontinue or charge extra for. That was most noticeable with TV as they would offer new packages and claim they provided the same channels. It usually resulted in losing up to half a dozen channels that cost more to get back. Another time, Rogers refusal to provide a modem upgrade to resolve technical issues ended up in the loss of a promo that was worth about $30/mo. Another time, they refused to repair a damaged outside line unless I upgraded to a much more expensive plan. Not paying would have resulted in the loss of all high speed internet connectivity. In this area where there is no meaningful competition, just 5Mbps DSL.

 

I am with Roger/Shaw and have the internet/tv bundle on a 2yr contract. Shaw stopped having the phone as part of the contract a while back but only charged me 20.00/month for 6 yrs for my home phone. Two months after I signed the contract with Rogers/Shaw they increased the tv boxes by 10.00 a month each for the 2 extra boxes I have. I phoned and fought the increase and got it down to 7.00 for one box and 5.00 for the other so still paying 12.00 more a month. A month after that I was notified that the cost of my home phone would be going up from 20.00 to 40.00 a month. This was 2 price increases in 4 months of being a Rogers customer after 0 price increases in 6 yrs with Shaw. Didn't even bother phoning them this time as I was tired already of having to call and fight with them when even if they lowered it I would still be paying more. I started looking and found there were cheaper options out there and I really don't want to give more of my money to what I would say is a money grabbing company. I found Voip Much and we have 2 cloned devices(each cell phone rings when the home phone is called, which my wife loves!) as well as free calling across Canada (excluding the Yukon, Territories and Nunavut) and across the U.S. except Alaska for 13.83/month plus we paid a one time fee of 49.99 for the ATA device required. It works fantastic and I am kinda grateful that Rogers is so greedy since I probably never would have bothered to go with voip otherwise. That means I'm paying 165.96 a yr (plus the initial 49.99 ATA cost) compared to 480.00 a yr with Rogers/Shaw. Huge savings!!

 

Rogers once offered phone for free as part of a TV plus internet bundle. Considering what they charge for TV and internet, that's about what its worth. Adding VoIP costs almost nothing as the infrastructure is already paid for and data costs for IP voice bandwidth are next to zero. A VoIP ATA is often built into existing equipment as well.

 

A POTS port is built into every Gateway Modem that they provide. At one time I had their home phone for many years and then dropped home phone altogether. Mind you, it worked great, never had any issues with Rogers Home Phone.

 

@Dr.Dave

It would be hard to sell it as a separate service, as it requires an Internet connection. Also, home phones are a declining business, so they're not likely to try too hard to get it.

 

My provider charges $18/month for Home phone, that includes all the features plus Canada wide calling. The Adtran ONT has a POTS port on the back next to the 10Gig port. Now this is more expensive than Rogers Home Phone, although my Internet is way cheaper than Rogers. I don't even think Bell sells Home Phone now without Internet.

 

I've used Ooma home phone (proprietary VOIP) service since early 2013. I'm currently paying $6.34 "taxes and fees" for the "free" basic service and an additional $9.99 plus tax (so $11.39) per month for the Premier Plan that provides many additional features. So, $17.73 per month total. The basic plan includes free Canada wide calling and Premier adds U.S. and Mexico.

You have to buy their proprietary box up-front, which isn't compatible with any other service. It currently costs about $110 plus tax.

There are Android and iOS apps available that allow you to make and receive calls using your mobile phone (over the internet) as if you were using the system directly. I like the feature that will send a text to my mobile phone to inform me that a voice message has been left on the Ooma answering service.

Note, though, that Ooma cannot send or receive SMS texts (just as it is with a POTS line).

The Ooma system was quite easy to set up and porting my existing number went smoothly. I've had only a handful problems so far; none recently. All were resolved quickly.

However, I'm kind of on the fence for recommending them. Their user forum has been virtually inaccessible for months now (sign in problems) and they don't have much, if any, official presence there. Although I haven't personally needed it for quite some time, I've read that customer support's ability to resolve issues can be hit-or-miss these days.

They say they have a 30 day risk-free trial period.

 

However, I'm kind of on the fence for recommending them. Their user forum has been virtually inaccessible for months now (sign in problems) and they don't have much, if any, official presence there. Although I haven't personally needed it for quite some time, I've read that customer support's ability to resolve issues can be hit-or-miss these days.

They say they have a 30 day risk-free trial period.

Interesting, I used to use it too, no issues for years and then got rid of the home number. I was going to recommend Ooma to a friend who is moving but his wife wants to keep the same home number. Now I'm not sure as he is not tech savvy at all.

 

I use to have MagicJack for years. It's dirt cheap. It always worked pretty well for me. I wouldn't go so far as to say its a replacement for home phone service and I wouldn't try a number port with them, but as a secondary line that gives you Canada and US calling for next to nothing, its worth a try. Its really easy to setup, all automated.

 

I tried Ooma some time ago and it worked well on the home wifi network. It was for a friend in an institution where the wifi was quite slow and it would not work there at all. (TV streaming did work.) The VoIP app on my phone worked but the sound quality quite poor. Just make sure the Ooma has a good wifi connection to get the best results.

 

I second VOIP.ms. It is very feature rich but can be used fairly easily without delving into the more advanced features. The one issue is having to set up the ATA. Other VoIP companies often provide a preconfigured box but charge a lot more for less. The other caveat is that VOIP.ms is basically pay for use. It may only be a penny a minute but if it is used for several hours a day that can add up. With flat rate phone services, light users end up subsidizing heavy users.

 

When your Contract is expiring/expired, your service does not stop working, you can continue to use Rogers or Shaw for Home Phone. Your price goes back up to the regular market price, if you are going to compare Rogers home phone against other companies, you should really consider comparing their "in market" price versus any promotional price, because the promotions go away, think about them as an item at the grocery store when it goes on sale, when you need milk and its not on sale you still buy it right? so even when the promotion is over and they do not offer you any new promotions, that is the price you have to consider if you want to stay, if you are not happy with it, go elsewhere.

 

I use Fongo for the past 3 years. I have to pay for the ata box which was about $50 and then pay $4.95 each month to Fongo. The service is like any old POTs, and sound is very good. I can receive text messages and have it forwarded to my email. All phone messages are also forwarded to email. I have Canada wide calling, but have to pay if I call other countries (which I had no need to do). I used to have home phone service in a bundle with Rogers, but switched about 3 years ago. Switching my phone number from Rogers to Fongo was easy. Fongo did all the work. Fongo just worked and I had no need to call for support, except for the time that my at a box was zapped and had to buy a new one and connected it to a power bar instead of directly to the wall plug.

 

Do any of you have Vonage? I never see anyone mention it. It's $9.99/month for Home Phone with all the Features and Canada/USA calling included. My MIL has had it for over 10 years now and it works like a charm, and they allow it on 2 different smartphones as well with the app, and the ATA comes already configured so their is nothing to setup, just plug and play.

 

Do any of you have Vonage?

I considered Vonage but a colleague that had the service told me it did not pass calls without caller ID. That was problematic for me as some calls from medical diagnostics offices like MRI suites come through as "unknown name, unknown number".
With voip.ms I have a call rule that sends those calls to our voicemail so we never miss a call.