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Review by Turtleman83 
UPDATED: 3 days ago
member for 1.6 years, 30 visits, last login: 1 days ago
 London,ON
 $19 per month
 about 1 days
 "Just as good as POTS"
 "My first adapter died on me after 5 months"
 "If you have a great internet connection, Vonage is the way to go for saving money"
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First signed up with Vonage in October of 2007. Picked up the VTech IP8100-2 with 2 phones at Best Buy, took it home, set up the acct, put in the MAC address and it was on and working. I love the features like the voicemail as email sound attachments, having a call log, anonymous call block, etc, all for a lot less than regular phone service.
FF to March of 2008 I notice the ready light on the adapter blinking green, then orange, then red and going off, repeat the cycle. I tried everything - hooking it up directly to the cable modem, trying another ethernet cord, trying a different port on the router, etc. Then the ready light died completely and it wouldn't work at all - I figure for whatever reason the WAN port died. I went and got a Linksys PAP2 adapter along with a VTech DECT phone and it still works flawlessly. Got $149 of Best Buy store credit for the first set too  .
I know that some people on DSLR have had bad experiences with Vonage but I can honestly say it's been very smooth sailing for me. A lot depends on the internet connection as well so if you have reliable service and want to save some $, I recommend it.
11/17/09 - still working geat
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Review by mrschwarz
UPDATED: 9 days ago
member for 7.9 years, 1064 visits, last login: 8 days ago
Flower Mound,Denton,TX
$21 per month
about 30 days
"It just works"
"Tech support is iffy"
"Not much has changed, except the price."
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I have had Vonage since Feb. 2004. Other than a few sporatic outages, the phone quality is indistinguishable from POTS. I haven't had any interactions with Tech support in more than 18 months. I remember being on hold for quite some time the last time I called.
They sent me a Motorola ATA, which is still working without a problem. My Dish Network DVRs and monitored home alarm systems are connected and work without a problem.
When I had Comcast HSI, the voice quality could be affected with internet activity. Since I changed to FIOS, I have not had any problems like this again.
Prices have continued to rise. Originally the service was about $16.00 per month for 500 outgoing minutes. With added fees and an actual price increase, it would cost about $23 for the same service. I asked for something to keep me a customer when they had their price increase and they changed me to unlimited service to keep my bill at $20 per month for a year. I'll have to see what happens then.
The WAF (wife approval factor) requirements is simple. It needs to work identically to a POTS line. With a FIOS internet connection, I haven't discussed phone line negatives with her or anyone who calls in a couple of years.
11/11/09 - Nothing has changed. Have the same motorola terminal adapter. Phone service still works. Vonage still raises prices and calls it 'fees'
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Review by rmozden
Posted: 12 days ago
member for 2.6 years, 25 visits, last login: 12 days ago
Campbell,Mahoning,OH
$35 per month
about 2 days
"VoIP"
"e911"
"WOW!"
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Excellent bang for the $$$. I've had it for 5 years now and still remember the excellent service that I got when my original box had a bad voice chip in it. They did a 2 day express ship on it to replace the box for free. Costs are $24.95 plus tax a month which now gives you access to a ton of out of country calling.
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 Review by Gandalf1315
UPDATED: 13 days ago
member for 8.5 years, 2758 visits, last login: a few hours ago
Indianapolis,Marion,IN
$32 per month
"Price, features, mobility"
"Not as solid as traditional phone line, Tech Support is AVG at best."
"Vonage (VOIP in general) is a great option for consumers."
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I have been using Vonage now for just over 6 months and I love it. I have had a couple of expected hiccups with the service, but all in all I have been real pleased.
One thing I think people need to take into consideration before getting any VOIP service is the fact that this is a relatively new technology. At least in the sense of it being used on a very large scale. We are more or less beta testers. There are going to be plenty of bumps in the road. If you are not prepared or willing to deal with these bumps I would suggest you either not get VOIP at all or use it in conjunction with a POTS line or a cell phone.
Other things to consider is the quality of your broadband provider and 911 service. If your ISP is not reliable then getting VOIP will be very frustrating. Also, if your ISP only offers 128k uploads your call quality while using the net may suffer with Vonage which uses 90k. It has a 30k (low bandwidth) option but the sound sucks to be honest. Vonage offers a 911 service, but there have been issues reported that the service is not 100% reliable.
I personally have Vonage's $26 package. That package includes unlimited local calling and 500 minutes of long distance a month to anywhere in the US or Canada. Other features include Free 3 Way Calling, Free Call Hunt, Free Personalized Voicemail, Free Call Forwarding, Free Call Transfer, Free Call Waiting, Free Caller ID, Free Caller ID Block (*67), Free Repeat Dialing, Free Call Return (*69), Free Vonage to Vonage calls (if your family on the other side of the country has Vonage as well as you, it does not count against your long distance minutes) and Free International Call Block.
Your voice mail can be checked via the phone, online using your personal "Dashboard" or through email.
The "Dashboard" is a personal control panel that all Vonage users have. It shows every call placed and received for the past week, real time billing and minutes usage, real time account management, voicemail access, and features control.
One of the other optional ($5 a month extra) features that I really like is the "Virtual Numbers". Here is how this works. I live in Indiana but I have lots of family in Raliegh, North Carolina. I get a "Virtual Number" with a Raliegh area code. Now when my family in Raliegh calls me they call the "Virtual Number" and it rings into my primary Vonage number in Indiana, but it is a local call for them so there is no long distance charges. This would also work great for parents who have kids away at college. They can call home as much as they want and it only costs you $5 a month no mater how often they call.
I just think this technology is great and wanted to share my experiences with you all. I have dropped my POTS (SBC) line completely. I have Vonage and a cell phone. Between Vonage and the cell phone I pay $62 a month. My bill was over $100 a month before I switched from SBC to Vonage The Baby Bells SHOULD be scared.
Bottom line: Vonage is the perfect compliment for a tradtional phone line or a wireless phone. For some people it is also a viable alternative to them as well.
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Review by strange_69
UPDATED: 18 days ago
member for 8.2 years, 1455 visits, last login: a few hours ago
Ridgecrest,Kern,CA
$37 per month
about 5 days
"Low price, good service, good support. Easy to set-up."
"No selective call blocking."
"Vonage rocks."
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Vonage is a good, cheap alternative to POTS. I was able to hook up my Vonage box and start using it in less than half an hour. I am using a virtual number so my parents and sister can call me without paying for long distance. I have been a customer for over five years now and the outages that I remember have been due to my ISP going down. It works great. I highly recommend Vonage.
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 Review by ExitWound
UPDATED: 23 days ago
member for 7.9 years, 3593 visits, last login: a few minutes ago
State College,Centre,PA
$19 per month
"Can't beat the price! Sound quality excellent!"
"Price slowly increasing. Fees & taxes growing."
"Worth the pennies if you have a decent ISP."
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Been with Vonage for years now and it's never been better!
I spent a good portion of a year attempting to figure out why Vonage was dropping calls. I kept power level logs on the cable modem, did long-term pinging to look for dropped packets, changed out switches/hubs in the network. I attributed it to the Linksys router Vonage had sent me upon signing up. The RT31P2 would constantly freeze up, reboot itself in the middle of whenever it felt like it, and ran extremely hot. Since replacing it, via a Vonage helpdesk representative on this site, the situation has resolved itself and has never been better! I haven't had a dropped call since the switch to a RTP300RB in Jan 2007.
Installation is quite simple. Hook it up to the modem, connect the phone line and that's it. Anyone can do it.
I subscribe to the 500 minutes plan at $14.99/month, but the final bill ends up being nearly 25% higher (due to fees, despite their current advertising campaign against Verizon) at $19.92/month. I don't nearly come to using them all. Even at $29/month for the unlimited calling plan, it's a good deal compared to what you'd be paying on a cell.
The website hangs now and then, but serves up the voicemail as .wavs which is nice. All services, including adding new lines or features, are offered on the website with no phone calls required. Anonymous calling, the BEST feature offered, is now just a click away on the Dashboard. It's worked for me many times, blocking telemarketers, Presidential Campaigners, and probably someone offering me Ginsu Knives at a reduced rate.
If you don't need portability and are looking for a good, solid service for the home, consider Vonage. It's rock solid as long as you receive hardware that doesn't routinely freeze up on you. If your cable and/or power is out, or Vonage isn't working, contacting someone to fix it is troublesome.
Update: 500 minute plan is now $17.99. Total after fees is $25.xx though. Still, much cheaper than any other landline in town and having a cell.
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 Review by dellsweig
UPDATED: 26 days ago
member for 5.9 years, 2716 visits, last login: a few hours ago
Campbell Hall,Orange,NY
$24 per month
about 1 days
"Features, Price, Service, Price, VoIp Experience"
"Great"
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Price - cheaper than the cable VoiP offerings with more features. Not as cheap as a couple of the bargin outfits there but the features and reliability outwiegh the price on these.
reliable - I have been a Vonage customer (2 lines) for over 6 years now - over that time I can only think of one outage. VERY few issues over the years with Vonage specifically - I can say the majority of issues are ISP related or home router (QoS) related.
Features - unlimited calling to US, Canada, PR and 60 coutries for 24$ HOW CAN YOU BEAT THAT.
iPhone - I can call to my ENTIRE vonage world from my iPhone WITHOUT using any carrier minutes using the free Vonage iPhone app - all included in my 24$ Vonage plan. I have an app for my iPhone that lets me setup simulring from my home number to my iPhone at the touch of a button. My vonage number is in my ATT calling circle so there is no charge on my cell for these calls.
Service: I have never had a problem with service. When my old Cisco ATA's (origional Vonage adapter) seemed to be getting old - I was upgraded at no charge, seamlessly to newer technology. The few times I have had to call support I had positive experience with support
Note: for those who continually complain about the taxes and fees charged by vonage - look at your cell bill or cable bill or electric bill
One more note: My entire cost for Vonage for a year is only a little more than ONE months cell bill - think about that!!!
Vonage is worth EVERY penny
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Review by Rob2647
UPDATED: 32 days ago
member for 1.2 years, 373 visits, last login: 9 days ago
Rochester,Oakland,MI
$23 per month
about 1 days
"Rock Solid Service at a Good Price and Call Quality"
"Don't care for the auto bill pay, and out sourced customer service."
"Works Great, good starter VOIP service."
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Initial review:
Had Vonage for little over 11 months now. The service has been solid, no outages to speak of due to Vonage itself. Unlike my cable internet provider. Setup and activation was easy. I bought a Linksys PAP2 device from my local electronics retailer. Within an hour later had the service up and running. Since signing up I'm on the Residential Unlimited plan for 25 bucks a month, with taxes and fees that comes out to $31 a month. Still cheaper than my ISP's digital voice offering with less features.
Call quality has been great, at 90k or 50k bandwidth usage on a router with no QOS. Vonage worked flawlessly with my hit or miss Comcast connection for nearly a year without any issues. And you can't beat all the features for the price Vonage offers. No Cable Companies bundled discounts can touch what Vonage offers. I would not hesitate to recommend Vonage to anyone.
A couple days after getting all setup and working, I got a courtesy call seeing how everything went and if I had any questions. I think that is the first time I had any company do that. I found quite nice.
9/11/08
Switched to AT&T U-verse this past weekend, so I figured it's time for an update. Vonage still working great. Still using the Linksys PAP2 v2 phone adapter hooked into the U-verse gateway just as I did on my old Linksys BEFSR41 Now with a better ISP I have less to worry about.
9/30/08
Dropped the plan down from Unlimited Residential to the 500 minutes a month. Was not happy with being charged a activation fee of $9.99 when the service has been active for almost 14 months. I'm going to be canceling the service by the end of October. Just tired of paying for something we barely use. Also today had to deal with the annoying out sourced customer service and automated phone system. At this point I don't know if I'd consider going back.
11/4/08
I have been debating on canceling the service. I have not as of yet. I may not, and just ride this until Vonage possibly goes under at the end of the year. But 500 mins a month out going, and unlimited incoming for just under 20 bucks a month is not bad. Finally had 1 very brief service outage last week. Lasted a minute or two.
2/27/09
Received email today, stating the basic plan is raising to $17.99 a month starting in May. Thinking it will be time to dump it. Either for Uvoice or a AT&T POTS line. Other than the price increase, the service has been stable.
5/7/09
I've had the service about a year and a half. Funny thing is it's been more reliable than my old cable internet ever was. I only had one brief outage in that time. I've decided to keep the service. Still on the basic 500 minute plan. It's all we need, and for the price, POTS or Uverse voice can't compete.
10/19/09
Now after 26 months decided to cancel the service. Just was not being used to keep dishing out $24.xx a month. Was not too thrilled with how the customer service rep handled my call. Vonage is a good beginners VOIP service, but the price is getting too expensive for what we used it for.
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 Review by Matt_31
Posted: 38 days ago
member for 6.7 years, 444 visits, last login: 1 days ago
Jasper,Dubois,IN
$35 per month (12 month contract)
about 5 days
"Excellent Voice clearlity, low price, features, support"
"couldnt trandfer number, had to get a new number"
"Well worth getting, excellent choice."
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Our cable company offers phone but not for our area and after three years of waiting we gave up, Vonage finally got numbers for our area. We orginally wanted to transfer the number but we were unable to so we had both lines our Verizon landline and Vonage. Using Vonage the first time was a huge upgrade alone with the same phone we used with verizon. I was shocked at how well it sounds, but now we have features verizon doesnt even offer like Call waiting ID and many others.
Ordering, we did online and it was simple and easy and was VERY clear about 911 and fee's even before we started so we knew what we we doing. it took a few days to get the portal box by ups and hooked it up and off we went with no problems. Very happy now after 2 weeks.
Verizon: Less features and much worse sound $78 a month
Vonage: all the features and clearlity $35 a month
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 Review by dunworkin
UPDATED: 41 days ago
member for 2.9 years, 1050 visits, last login: 1 days ago
Bellflower,Los Angeles,CA
$46 per month (24 month contract)
about 15 days
"Good cost alternative to POTS"
"No service during power outages"
"Great service for the price."
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I have 2 lines, one for voice and one for voice and fax. Both are the lower 500/month service. Install went real smooth. I'm using a Mortorola VT2442 router/adapter behind a Ambit U10C018 modem and Linksys WRT400N router.
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