| VOIP Service for making and receiving phone | | | | goes out, so does your phone |
| calls is probably the most cost effective way | | | | |
| to communicate, and is showing the phone | | | | Despite the fact that they have over-charged |
| companies that their "cash cow" of home | | | | us for years, you need to give the telephone |
| telephone service may be coming to an end on | | | | company credit, since when you pick up the |
| the horizon. Still, VOIP service is not for | | | | phone, you almost always can hear the |
| everyone, and here are some things that you | | | | comforting sound of a dial tone, ready to |
| need to verify and feel good about before you | | | | make your call. |
| consider switching to VOIP service. | | | | |
| | | | With a VOIP phone, you are depending on your |
| 1. Your High-Speed Internet Connection is | | | | Internet connection to make and receive phone |
| critical. | | | | calls. If your high-speed service goes down, |
| | | | then your ability to use your VOIP phone also |
| Almost any VOIP service that you choose is | | | | goes down until the internet service comes |
| not going to include high-speed Internet | | | | back up. This again goes back to the |
| service. The VOIP provider assumes you | | | | reliability of your high-speed Internet |
| already have that, and would have that | | | | connection and provider. |
| whether you decided to implement VOIP or not, | | | | |
| which is probably true in most cases. | | | | 3. Be sure 911 is supported |
| | | | |
| However, what the VOIP service provider does | | | | All VOIP providers are supposed to be setup |
| not tell you is that your high-speed Internet | | | | so that they support 911 (or E-911) services |
| connection needs to be fast, stable, and | | | | in case of emergency. You see, with a |
| reliable. Depending on where you are and | | | | traditional phone line, if you call 911, they |
| what high-speed Internet provider you have | | | | can tell where you are calling from. But |
| chosen, this may not be a given. The VOIP | | | | this same ability does not exist with a VOIP |
| provider has ZERO control over this - if you | | | | phone, so you need to register your VOIP |
| have a lousy Internet connection, VOIP will | | | | phone with the service so that if you call |
| be lousy, it is a one-to-one relationship. | | | | 911 from your VOIP phone, the emergency |
| | | | responders will know where to go. |
| There are various online sites that allow you | | | | |
| to do a speed test on your connection so you | | | | 4. Be ready to save money and have tremendous |
| can get a feel for how fast it is. The | | | | flexibility. |
| problem is that these tests do not tell the | | | | |
| whole story - it might have been fast at the | | | | There is no doubt about it, VOIP service is |
| moment you did the test, but is slower than | | | | significantly cheaper than traditional phones |
| molasses an hour later. Do you notice it | | | | from the phone company. At no extra charge, |
| stopping when you are using it or having | | | | you typically get the features you would pay |
| significant time delays? This could be a | | | | the phone company extra for, like caller ID, |
| sign that VOIP will not work well on it. | | | | call waiting, voice mail, and call blocking. |
| | | | You also typically get unlimited or |
| Also, do people in your household also use | | | | high-usage local and long distance calling |
| the computer when you would be talking on | | | | throughout the country at no additional cost |
| your VOIP phone? If so, your connection may | | | | with VOIP. |
| not be capable of handling both connections | | | | |
| at the same time. Typically this is more of | | | | If you travel, you can take your VOIP phone |
| a problem for DSL than for cable, but it can | | | | with you. If you are traveling to visit your |
| represent a problem with a cable connection | | | | friends in Denver or cousin in New York, just |
| as well. | | | | plug your VOIP phone into their high-speed |
| | | | modem and you can continue to make and |
| Is your only option a satellite high-speed | | | | receive calls just as if you were at home, |
| Internet connection? Forget it. You are not | | | | using your same phone number. If you are in |
| going to be happy with the results of VOIP | | | | a hotel in Chicago, again plug your VOIP |
| service on a satellite connection. | | | | phone into the high-speed connection in your |
| | | | hotel room, and you are making and receiving |
| 2. When your high-speed Internet connection | | | | phone calls as if you were at home. |