VOIP providers - Vonage vs Teleblend

[cf_r2i]

How can one use Vonage service from cell phone? Call forwarding will forward incoming calls. Is there any way I can use my cell phone to call India using Vonage?

[BombayDuck]

Well, I am R2I'ing at the end of next month, and needed a phone service to call the US while in India or a number that friends in the US could reach me at.

I researched the various options Vonage, Lingo, OOMA, allvoi, etc and decided to go with MagicJack. I had used it in the past and it had its drawbacks. But then I bought this thin client from eBay. Think of a thin client as a micro netbook that just has flash memory, no keyboard, mouse, display. Its like Vonage with its adaptor. Just runs magicjack for me using much less power. No more dependent on magicjack bein connected to the laptop all the time or the laptop being ON all the time. (Search on ebay/google for thin client with magicjack). The thin client cost me 80$ on eBay, a two-year magicjack costs me 60$. So, I would be paying 140$ for 2 years.

[tampa304]

No more dependent on magicjack bein connected to the laptop all the time or the laptop being ON all the time. (Search on ebay/google for thin client with magicjack). The thin client cost me 80$ on eBay, a two-year magicjack costs me 60$. So, I would be paying 140$ for 2 years.

You could have bought a refurbished OOMA for $139.99 and NOT pay a dime as long as it lasts.

Link: http://www.frys.com/product/5983204

[BombayDuck]

The model listed at the URL is an OOMA hub which lacks some features when compared to the OOMA telo. Anyways, I did consider buying a used OOMA from ebay, but found out OOMA charges you about 60$+ to re-activate a used Telo. Also, OOMA will still charge me 12$ every year in FCC fees, as long as I am an OOMA member. That's 139.99+60+12+12=224$. Plus, read some reports on the company having to draw some additional venture funding and a lot of members at another forum doubted its long term viability.

[sriradh]

Allvoi users,

ALLVOI has come up with 12.99 (for 6 months and then 19.99) for unlimited calls within US and India. Is it good? Good thing is no contract. So kinda better than vonage..and little cheaper than vonage as well. Any allvoi users had any concerns before? Is this good?
http://www.allvoi.com/india_rates.php

Thanks in advance.
sriradh.

[P_Jani]

Allvoi users,

ALLVOI has come up with 12.99 (for 6 months and then 19.99) for unlimited calls within US and India. Is it good? Good thing is no contract. So kinda better than vonage..and little cheaper than vonage as well. Any allvoi users had any concerns before? Is this good?
http://www.allvoi.com/india_rates.php

Thanks in advance.
sriradh.

^^

It seems to be a good deal no doubt,
and a better one than vonage ( assuming that the voice quality is as good ).

I just called them,
and they even give 30 days of money back, free trial period guarantee, for the first month too.
They work on the exactly same principle of ooma phone, and this is their adapter box,
http://www.allvoi.com/phones.php?id=116
that they will give it to you ( like ooma ) and send you the monthly charges, directly been deducted towards your cerdit card, online.

However, looking from my ( some other people's ) side, if you are not making
average duration of calls , say less than 6 hours per month to India, than this system will NOT be beneficiary to you, even during those initial 6 months of low cost of period.
( Rather, stay with ooma or Nettalk piece, in that case )

12.99 fee + say 10 dollars of other taxes will put you to 23 dollars per month
- which can buy 6 hours of India calling time at the rate of roughly say, 6 cents per minute with other voip services like ooma, magic jack or TK6000,
(which services are also free local long distance except India ) -
[ assuming that you do not have an another piece at the other end in India, and you are calling to India to any one, on any land/cell line, who does not have VOIP piece at that end ]

So, IMO,
This scheme of allvoi could be good for you, if you r' calling average 6+ hours or more per month to India, that's what I understand.

...........................................

[Serenity now]

^^

It seems to be a good deal no doubt,
and a better one than vonage ( assuming that the voice quality is as good ).

I just called them,
and they even give 30 days of money back, free trial period guarantee, for the first month too.
They work on the exactly same principle of ooma phone, and this is their adapter box,
http://www.allvoi.com/phones.php?id=116
that they will give it to you ( like ooma ) and send you the monthly charges, directly been deducted towards your cerdit card, online.

However, looking from my ( some other people's ) side, if you are not making
average duration of calls , say less than 6 hours per month to India, than this system will NOT be beneficiary to you, even during those initial 6 months of low cost of period.
( Rather, stay with ooma or Nettalk piece, in that case )

12.99 fee + say 10 dollars of other taxes will put you to 23 dollars per month
- which can buy 6 hours of India calling time at the rate of roughly say, 6 cents per minute with other voip services like ooma, magic jack or TK6000,
(which services are also free local long distance except India ) -
[ assuming that you do not have an another piece at the other end in India, and you are calling to India to any one, on any land/cell line, who does not have VOIP piece at that end ]

So, IMO,
This scheme of allvoi could be good for you, if you r' calling average 6+ hours or more per month to India, that's what I understand.

...........................................

Don't qo with Vonage. I have their contract and they have been steadily increasing the price per month through some "recovery fee" adjustments. I will be switching to allvoi once my contract ends with vonage in October.

[P_Jani]

^^

^^ Well. Every service has its temptation schemes, drawbacks, catches and traps, if you read and study its fine prints !

However, the good part is,
due to the advanced tech.,
the competition has increased for them, which is good for us J

However, I deadly afraid that,
very soon ( god forbid, it happens ) all of the local internet service providers in your area ( ISP ) such as Verizon, Comcast,.. or so from whom you buy your broadband internet service for your PC high speed internet, will make it a one combination portfolio price of ( Internet + VOIP phone ) mandatory package from them as one combined-constant package price,…. say 69.99 per month, and will charge you the same even you wanted just the Internet service and not the phone service from them. { ‘Coz they don’t want you, to not to buy the VOIP phone service from them, and let other guys like Vonage, Magic jack, Nettalk, Ooma , Skype,..etc. dine on their cable modem box and underground wire system for free !! )

[ It’s like a mandatory set of ‘Table and chair’ and will cost you the same price, if you say, I will buy only the table and not chair ]

And, in that case it will nullify all free-service-guys / so called lower priced guys like Vonage, skype, ooma, magicjack, nettalk, and all other VOIP adapter phones, who dine on those ISP’s services and fool you as well as those original ISP underground cable holders !!
[ unless, they got an internal setlement with them (ISP) and thereafter will end up in more initial charges and monthly fees from customers too for their pieces, instead of free ].
Right now, all I see is
Govt. is also a loser, since they do not get taxes ( on phone bills ) from the people, since people started using voip pieces which has no monthly bills ! And also how about 911 number and its fees and all those !

IMO, This will happen sooner than later and all guys like Vonage, magicjack, ooma, nettalk, Belkin/sky pe,.......etc. kind of VOIP adapter services will be having a big egg on their face and will disappear overnight !!

‘Coz, thereafter why not using the VOIP phone service from the same ISP guys ! ( and what is the need of those third party VOIP adapter sellers, who dine on those ISP guys’ under ground established cable services ! )

P. S. : In the state where I live, the underground lines, could it be the Water service, TV Cable / Internet service, and even Gas service, and Elec. lines, .... etc. .. are owned and maintained by local private Companies and not owned by the Government.

………………………………………….

[layman]

Don't qo with Vonage. I have their contract and they have been steadily increasing the price per month through some "recovery fee" adjustments. I will be switching to allvoi once my contract ends with vonage in October.

Vonage is advertised at 25 per month (15 for first 6 months). What is the final bill every month?

[P_Jani]

^^ depends on the locality, - depends on all kind of all other diff. taxes / maintenance fees - in the state you live.

For example, previously I was having a Cavalier phone service,
and their on paper fee was only 12.99, however total bills from them, I was getting of the amount 24.99 per month, including all taxes and other main. fees.

In this case of "allvoi", they have some $8.99 of initial fee for transferring service ( also, you'ld consider after 6 months, the transfer service fee to someone else, when you quit them ) ,
though you can keep the same number. ( Or, they also provides a new number, if needed to ) - will take three days of time, till the service gets transferred.

[ I am a diehard fan of good and easy to remember numbers ( like 200-3000, 222-3333, 123-1234, 234-5000 ) and holding it.
When I bought my nettalk piece, I called them hard for weeks to get a good permanent number ( from behind the door - they keep some available free numbers secret ) before I dispatch it to my all relatives forever ]

........