[TriLUG] Digital phone recomendations

[Paul G. Szabady]

Greetings,

I've been using both vonage(.com) and packet8(.net) for a couple of years
now.  I initially got them both so I could test and was going to cancel
the other.  However, I've decided to keep them both, here's why.

Misc info about vonage (my main phone line)
 - I liked having the ability to send voicemail notices and/or the actual
voicemail to my email
 - Service seemed as good as packet8
 - Web interface was easier/prettier to use for non-techies (ie my wife)
manipulating my account
 - Support was decent
 - Hooked into the primary (red/green) phone wiring in my house
 - The vonage unit has 2 phone plugs, for two distinctly different
numbers.  (Not just jacks for the same line.)
 - The vonage unit has 2 network jacks, one "WAN" and one "LAN".  If you
have just a single computer, or do not need to worry about browsing other
networks, you can unplug CAT5 cable from your computer and place it into
the WAN port of the phone system.  Then run a line from the LAN port to
your computer.  Plug a phone cable into your phone jack and line1 one on
the phone system and you're up and running.  (SEE NOTE BELOW!!!)

Misc info about packet8 (secondary line)
 - It was only 19.99
 - I already had it set up
 - Hooked into the secondary (yellow/black) phone wiring in my house.
 - Support is decent
 - Web inteface is not as nice as vonage, but who cares?  I'm the only one
to use it.  :)
 - Only one network jack (You'll need a hub/switch to set it up)

NOTES:
 - BE SURE TO DISCONNECT BELL SOUTH'S INBOUND WIRING AT YOUR OUTSIDE DMARK
***BEFORE*** YOU PLUG YOUR PHONES IN.

 - If you know someone with a vonage or packet8 account, you can save them
a month of service by letting them refer you.  If you don't know anyone,
I'd be happy (shameless plug) to refer you.  :)

I hope this helps!

-- 
Paul
@ Thy Service

>    Hi Everyone,
>
>    My wife wants to save some money and get digital phone service.  We are
> currently paying about $50 per month to BellSouth for local phone and a
> few
> dollars a month to Quest for what little long distance we use.  My wife
> and
> daughter are using virgin Mobile for there cell phones (which they plan to
> keep).  We have roadrunner cable / broadband.  I have a coyote linux
> firewall feeding into network hubs feeding every room with internet
> (windows
> boxes for wife/kids and linux boxes in my computer room).
>
>    The time warner digital phone service is $39  per month for unlimited
> calls but that does not seem to be the best deal.  Vonage has a $25 per
> month plan for unlimited calls that we are considering.  But the box they
> show has 2 phone jacks on it.  I can't figure out if I can just run a
> phone
> cord from one of those jacks into a phone plug in my wall to make all  of
> my
> current phones work or would I be limited to plugging 2 phones into the 2
> jacks on the box I would get from vonage.  Since I have a wife and 3 kids
> and  8 phones in the house that does not sound very appealing.
>
>    I would ultimately like to get a card to put into a computer and have a
> linux box running asterisk that can do all the cool stuff that would
> enable
> but my wife is tired of waiting for me to figure out all the stuff that
> would require and I don't have any time for that right now.  I plan to do
> that at some point but I am thinking about doing vonage or something just
> to
> try it out for now.
>
>    So does anybody have any suggestions on what company to use or warnings
> about what to avoid? Does anybody have their digital phone plugged into
> the
> house phone wiring to make all the regular phones in your house work?
>
>    Thanks
>    Barry Gaskins
> --
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