Get The Right Internet Service For Your VOIP Phone

Having the right kind of internet service is important when you are getting a VOIP service. There are many internet service providers that are available in every area with the exception of course of the far flung towns that has only one or two internet service providers. The key to getting the right internet service is by shopping around through the internet, or by calling their customer service hotline.

As I have mentioned in the previous posts, the type of internet service that is compatible with VOIP services are dsl highspeed broadband internet and cable highspeed internet. Satellite or dishes, aircards or wifi internet and dial up will not work with your VOIP service. It is interesting to find out that more internet and phone companies are now offering VOIP in their list of services. You might want to inquire about that as you could bundle them up and get good deals. However, before you sign up with bundle packages do the math first. What I mean is that ask how much will you pay for internet service alone without the VOIP service. Or just inquire plainly about internet service if you already have a VOIP service in mind. Asking about bundle packages right away when you are thinking about getting another VOIP provider would give the sales person on the other line a hint that you would be getting another VOIP service thus you would not get the lowest deal on the internet price because the sales rep will try to entice you to get the bundle package. So be wise when asking questions.

Now if you have dsl broadband or cable internet and has a landline phone but would still like to get VOIP service for some reasons then you must request to have a stand alone dsl/ cable only. Some VOIP providers that uses routers for their services requires this kind of set up to work well. Having an adsl or associate dsl line , this means that your internet comes through your phone service line  will interfere with the performance of your VOIP phone. You will experience a choppy line, no dial tone or plain crappy service if you have an adsl set up. So ask your phone and internet provider to unbundle  the two. VOIP providers that uses thumb drive works just fine even with adsl set up.

Remember that your VOIP service is dependent on your internet service. Now, if you have a low bandwidth and internet speed this will affect your VOIP phone performance. Prior to switching to VOIP have a test speed done. Also check with the VOIP provider what are the system requirements needed so you could have their service running smoothly. Usually, VOIP phone requires a 3 Mbps- 5 Mbps speed, so find out this important information before switching.

Ask also what operating system does their service require. Some VOIP  is not compatible with some operating system like Mac, Linux and Windows Vista. That's also one thing to consider if you would like to use VOIP with no problems.

Just one thing I would like to point out VOIP is not for everybody. We all have different needs, preferences etc. so VOIP may or may not be best for you. So before you sign up check things out. As with internet service providers shop around, ask questions and compare till you find the right one for you.  Below are some ISP that has known to work with VOIP phones.

* Cable One: www.cableone.com
* Comcast: www.comcast.com
* Covad: www.covad.com (this good for businesses)
* Road Runner/ Time Warner Cable: www.timewarnercable,com/ www.rr.com
* RCN: www.rcn.com ( services Chicago, DC areas, Boston, Philadelphia, NY)
* Centracom: www.centracom.com

VOIP: Getting The Right Service From The Start and Things You Should Know

By the time you are reading this article I am pretty sure you have an idea what VOIP service is. Perhaps you have been hearing a lot of advertisements about different VOIP services and seeing the ads on tv. If you are seriously considering switching to VOIP or just try it out here are a few handy tips to have in mind.

1. Research about the company you would be dealing with. Don't be carried away by what the telemarketer tells you and sign up. This is one of the common mistakes most people make. Remember telemarketers are there to make a sale and they would do everything to close the sale.

2. Ask important questions. Here are questions that you should ask the sales person on the other line.

a. If you are being offered an annual promotion, ask how much you will be paying per month after the promotion expires. What  other fees would apply aside from the monthly fees? How much are the taxes going to be and how much will you be paying after taxes?

b. What free features are you getting? Most VOIP companies includes free features but don't just take the word of the sales person on the other line, you must read the terms of use of the features in their website. Ask also what features are chargeable? For example one company has a feature called visual voicemail, what it does is transcribe your voicemails into text messages and you would receive this as text message in your cellphone. This is great right? Look closely and read in the company's website that you would be charged $.25 for using the service if you are not subscribe with a certain plan, others would charge you that amount per 160 characters.  411 calling is listed in the feature but again you would be charged by some companies $.25 for 2 numbers. So, you must research and ask questions.

c. Do you have a money back guarantee period? How long is the money back guarantee period? If in case you are not able to use the service right away because of certain issues  ask if they have an extended money back guarantee period. If they don't have you might as well just return the product ( usually a device, a thumb drive for some and some are routers) before the MBG period ends or else you are liable to pay the monthly fees.
d. How long is the commitment period? This is important that you ask because whether you like the service or not as long as you are outside the MBG period you can't easily terminate the service. If you do terminate the service before the commitment period is up you will be liable to pay certain fees. Sometimes the fees are outrageous, they cost more than what you paid for when you sign up.

e. If you are subscribing to a certain plan like an annual plan you must ask when will your plan end? At least you would know how long are you committed to keep the plan and if you have a low usage you could switch it to a lower plan. My advice is do not get annual plans, especially if they ask you to pay full in advance. I know annual plans seems such a good deal but you are just starting and you would like to find out your monthly usage. Take the regular plan first later if you are consistent with your usage you could switch to an annual plan or a lower plan. That way it saves you a lot of headache later on.

f. Ask if there are activation fees aside from the first monthly bill you are paying. You would want to know this first hand rather than getting overdrafts in your debit card or credit card.

g. Ask when is your billing date.If you sign up on this particular date will it be the date you will be billed every month onwards? It is very important to ask this question because for most people they don't have money in their debit cards on a certain date and they have to wait till their next pay day.If there is no money on your card and you get billed you will be charged overdraft fees in your account. That is a very big loss.

h. How much is the termination fee ? Don't be afraid to ask this because in the end if you are not happy with their service you will end up paying for this.

3. Free devices. Nothing in life is free, when they say free device you may want to dig deeper than what is being said. As far as I know devices are sent to you for "free" in the sense that when you sign up you will not pay for the device. They are doing this because  they are bearing in mind you will stay with them for a very long time. But what happens if you are not happy with the service you are getting? Then you decide to terminate the service right? What happens is that they will try and keep you as a customer but when you firmly say no then they will tell you there are termination fees you have to pay if you are still within the commitment period. One of the fees is the rebate recovery fee for the device. So if you could afford to purchase it on your own I suggest that you do, because you cannot return the device after the MBG period and whether you like it or not you will get charge for it when you terminate your service if you are still within the commitment period.

4. Do not sign up for the service if you don't have an internet ready because it will take time to get installed and you will loose days to try out the service specified in the money back guarantee period. Remember that VOIPs are compatible with dsl broadband and cable, It will not work with satellite internet , dial up internet and aircards.

5.Do not sign up if you do not have a computer! What good is it to get a dsl service when you don't have a pc. This may sound so funny that I am pointing this out but yes, a lot of people make this mistake. Again read more about this technology before signing up. Usually these are the old folks who get scammed by this. I feel disgusted when this happens.

6. Ask about payment options. Why? Because sometimes there are just some dishonest sales person who will sign you up for services you did not agree with it. For example you signed up for a regular plan but he signed you up with a higher plan.Also check if you could use prepaid debit cards, again that's to help you not incur terrible overdraft fees just in case you don't have money yet in your account.

7. Finally before signing up be sure to research about different VOIP companies, this will give you options and you can make the right choices and get the right service that suits you.

Again, ask and research before signing up this will save you a lot of time and heartache waiting in the queue just to get hold of the company. Remember the company caters to thousands of subscribers and the line will always be busy.

Below are some of the know VOIP companies but there are still others you might want to check.

1. Vonage: www.vonage.com 1-800-980-1455 (sales hotline) 1-866-243-4357 ( customer service)
2. MagicJack: www.magicjack.com  you can get this in stores nation wide or through their website; they do not have a customer service hotline yet but you can get through a live agent via chat
3.IBB talk
4. Skype VOIP
5.Packet 8
6. ViaTalk
7. Broad Voice: www.broadvoice.com; 978-418-7300
8. Linggo: 484-427-2285; www.voip.com
9. Voip.com: 1-800-879-8647

VOIP: Bridging the Gap in A Cost Effective Way

Ever heard of VOIP services? VOIP stands for Voice Over Internet Protocol other terms are voice over broadband or internet telephony. VOIP has become commercially available to most people everywhere. More and more people are using VOIP because of its low cost and portability compared to regular landline phones. You can take your phone with you wherever you go and you can use it whenever you need it.

The  Benefits of VOIP:
1. Savings : VOIP is very cheap compared to regular phones. There are many VOIP providers who gives you low low fees when you subscribe to them. Magic Jack for instance has a great plan for only $ 19.99 per year or you could upgrade to $ 60 for five years. Vonage on the other hand charges $24.99 per month or you could avail of their yearly plans that would cost $19.99 a month. Other providers have great plans too that you could check out if you are planning to switch to VOIP.

2. Portability - Some VOIP gives you a router others a thumb drive to connect to your pc and internet. Whatever you get from them whether its a router or a thumb drive  is very handy that you can take it anywhere you go. If you have loved ones in another country that you always talk to every now and then, to cut the cost of international long distance calls you can send the device over to them and they can use it there. However, you have to make sure that they have a good internet connection.  Now you might be wondering about the charges if you send a device to another country, no worries! They will get the same area code that you have and each call will be treated as a local call. Brilliant right?!

3. Cool features - Almost all VOIPS have a wide range of free features that you could use for free.  Like two way calling, call conference, you can even forward your calls to your email and you can retrieve it later. Or some service providers has a feature that converts audio calls into sms or text messages that you can receive in your mobile phone! Check features  that are available to you before signing up.

4. Cheap IDD Rates - If you are a businessman and you need to make tons of calls overseas Voip providers has international plans available to you, this is very affordable compared to traditional landline rates.

The Disadvantages:

1. This is not advisable as a primary phone for people who live in brown out and tornado prone areas. When you loose electricity you cannot make outgoing calls. You could receive incomming calls by accessing your voicemails or audio email attachments.

2. If you have home alarm system and you would be using this as your primary phone this would not be compatible with your home alarm system.

3. You would need a high speed internet in order for VOIP to work. Either a dsl broadband or a high speed cable internet connection.Most VOIPs is not compatible with dial up, satellite and air cards.You would have a choppy line if you use internet connections other than cable or dsl.

4. For people who live in mobile homes and has a router provided by the VOIP company this would not work because you would need to connect the router to the pc to a phone jack. If you have a thumb drive like Magic Jack or the Vonage Vphone this would work.

So those are the pros and cons you have to weigh down when considering to switch to VOIP services. If you do not have the limitations mentioned above Voip will work just fine for you. It will give more value for your money.