Web Development Insight

Sometimes a product is so helpful and priced so right that you cannot help but brag about it. My experiences with Vonage have been awesome.

I can carry my phone connection, a VoiP (voice over Internet protocol) box (about the size of a wallet stuffed with money) anywhere and plug in to a router or any Internet connection and voila - I have my telephone with me. Just connect the VoiP box to Internet using an Ethernet cable, connect the telephone, plug it in and you are good to go.

Purchase

I bought mine at a local electronics store. They activated the account and by the time I got home I was ready to go. The PAP box costs about $60 but ones are available with routers built in, too. Remember a high speed connection is a must. If you have a marginal speed connection there are packet prioritization boxes that prioritize your phone connection over Internet.

Maintenance

Everything is done on the Internet: call activity, account maintenance, voicemail, and a slew of other things. 911 number needs to be set up every time you change locations. Just provide your current address and activation is pretty quick. Payment is made through a credit card which is charged at the end of every month.

Voicemail

If a person calls and no one is home and the phone is active then the usual answering machine takes over. If Internet is down, a voicemail is generated. An email is sent and you can listen to the message on your computer (in the form of an MP3 file) or call the voicemail number and listen to it.

Advantages

The advantage of having a portable phone number is multifold.
First, my fax machine shares the same phone number as my business. If I go to another place that has a fax machine I can connect it up and I’m ready to go. Just having the capability of transporting my phone number to other places is a big plus since I travel frequently.
You can have more than one telephone number, too…in fact as many as you like.
The PAP firmware can be upgraded by Vonage at any time though I have not been notified of any upgrade.

Connection

My old telephone was a wireless whose base unit plugged into the well-known phone jack. The other handsets were distributed throughout the house. It still remains. The PAP unit is plugged into a spare phone jack which activates all the phone jacks in the house. Hence the base unit is downstairs while the PAP unit is upstairs. We were warned by a technician that the outside line to the house must be unplugged.

Virtual Telephone Numbers

One helpful feature is called the virtual telephone number. For example, if your parents live in Oswego, MO you could get a local number based on the area code so they do not have to make long distance calls. The number is tied to your regular number.

Epilogue

I have been with Vonage for about a year and been very happy with them. As long as the internet connection is up I am good to go. Voice quality has been very good. The only disadvantage I have found is that Internet must be up and power must be working - sometimes a problem in the Midwest. For about $17 per month I am one happy owner.

Doug