How To Compare Residential VOIP Offerings
Posted by Joseph Brochin
By Jon Arnold
Many people are turning to VOIP phone for several different reasons, the biggest reason being cost. The landline telephone has been in existence for one hundred years; however, many people are finding that VOIP offers a great deal more, for a great deal less. There is one requirement though, you must have a broadband connection, otherwise known as a highspeed Internet connection. While there are some minor differences between the traditional telephone and a VOIP phone, many people simply enjoy the money saving features.
What cost savings you say? With a VOIP phone (using your highspeed Internet connection to make and receive phone calls), you can make unlimited local and usually also unlimited long distance calls in the continental US for one price, where that one price is frequently less than the cost of just getting a DIAL TONE from your local phone company. Is it starting to make more sense now?
With VOIP, you receive comparable reliability and quality of traditional telephone service without all the added fees we tend to experience from our phone company. Have you ever opened your bill and noticed the big jump in cost? Here is a personal example, this writer has experienced with a local telephone company. I simply have a phone, yes some of the perks as well, such as call waiting, call waiting plus, caller ID, and caller ID plus. When I ordered the service, of course it was all conveniently placed in a package that was to cost me $35 a month. Imagine my surprise when I open my phone bill and it was $89 for the month, that is just the phone, does not include the cost of internet, which put the bill over $100.
Now you are probably thinking well long distance calls will do that. Yes, it would, except I purposely do not have long distance on my telephone, so that was not the case in this scenario. I had a ton of hidden charges for this, that, and everything else. Now with a VOIP phone, it hooks up directly to your internet connection, and most VOIP providers offer several different packages that are designed to fit both your needs and your budget. For example, one company offers unlimited long distance calling, local calling, plus all the perks such as E-911 service, voicemail, caller ID, call waiting, Call forwarding, 3-way calling, and such others, for only $24.99. That is your bill, one flat rate each month. Tell me, which you would rather pay, $89 a month or $24.99 for just about the same service. The choice is clear.
When considering a VOIP phone it is important that you do some comparison shopping. The internet is full of fabulous deals from VOIP providers and it is important that you take a look at the various companies and find the one that fits your needs, as well as your budget. Another thing about VOIP is that you can choose from several different packages with each provider. Some may include a VOIP phone line with long distance, without long distance, or for multiple phone lines, perfect for kid’s phone or a home office.
There are some disadvantages to VOIP service. For example, your fax machine may not work reliably over the VOIP. Furthermore, if you have satellite internet within your home, you may find that the VOIP fails to work in a reliable manner as well. It is very important that you do your homework, finding out exactly what options you have, and what works best for your specific needs.
Jon is a computer engineer and long-term world traveler who maintains many websites to pass along his knowledge and findings. You can read more about VOIP and a comparison of popular VOIP offerings at his web site at http://www.voipinsideinfo.com
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Internet Phone Service - Broadband Telephone
Posted by Joseph Brochin
Packet8 Internet phone service was introduced in 2002 by publicly traded 8×8, Inc. (Nasdaq: EGHT), a 20 year old telecommunications company with more than 68 multimedia and VoIP technology patents. Since then, 8×8 has applied this expertise to the development and provision of reliable, high quality voice and video Internet phone services for both residential and business users. When you subscribe to Packet8, you can feel confident you have chosen one of the VoIP industry’s most respected and admired service providers.
Our Service Offering
A broadband telephone and videophone service like no other, Packet8 is an affordable and easy-to-use broadband telephone and videophone service. Designed with both residential and business customers in mind, Packet8 allows anyone with broadband (high-speed) Internet access to make UNLIMITED calls to anywhere in the U.S. and Canada for as little as $24.99 per month. All Packet8 subscribers get worldwide UNLIMITED calling to other Packet8 subscribers at no extra charge. Calls to non-Packet8 International numbers (outside the U.S. and Canada) are billed at very low per minute rates.
What Are The Options?
Packet8 offers numerous residential and business Internet phone service plans that utilize your existing high speed Internet connection (i.e. DSL, Cable, T1) to deliver low cost, feature rich phone service. When you subscribe to a Packet8 plan using our online store, you will be shipped a Broadband Phone Adapter , an all-in-one expandable VoIP phone system, a standalone VideoPhone or Video Terminal Adapter or a Virtual Office business-class speakerphone and Phone Adapter, depending on the plan you choose. These devices can be self-installed and activated in minutes. Packet8 customer support is available at no charge to assist when needed.
How Does It Work?
Packet8 sends all incoming and outgoing calls over a high speed Internet connection (instead of the traditional public telephone networks) through a Broadband Phone Adapter. There are no extra numbers to dial, no special instructions to follow and no talking through your computer. Just pick up your phone, listen for the dial tone and dial any regular phone number. Incoming calls ring your phone the same as any traditional phone.
To sum it up, with Packet8 you make and receive calls as you always have, but we route them more efficiently to save you money. Your calling experience will be identical to what you have always had, but your phone bill for local and long distance calling will be a lot less. And there’s NO EXTRA CHARGE for popular features like voicemail, caller ID with name, call waiting, three-way calling, follow me/find me and more.