Anyone switch to digital phone to save money?

[dtsaos]

Just wondering if it's worth doing the switch? found out we can get unlimited local and long distance plus a bunch of features from www.usadatanet.com for $24.95 a month. we pay just about double that right now through verizon. Has anyone done this yet?

 

[oogieboogie]

I use vonage. I pay $27 a month (tax included) and have unlimited long distance with it and so far have had no problems with it whatsoever.

We've totally turned off our landline. Since vonage is thru our cable modem, if cable is out, then we just use our cell phone.

 

[Southern4sure]

We just moved to FL and we have digital phone with our internet package, we pay $39.99 just for the phone. OogieBoogie, can you tell me your personal experience with vontage? DH wants to go to Vontage cause it would be cheaper, but we do not know anyone with it. If we change to Vontage, will we be able to keep our same phone # or will that change? Any Vontage help is appreciated.

Southern4sure

 

[Sheree]

we just switched to packet8. $19.95 per month us and canada unlimited. they have a deal wtih referrals too.
i have 2 lines, 1 with packet 8 which is our main line, and 2nd with verizon still basic for fax/emergency. $15 per month. I was paying $85 for everything!
can always use cell is cable goes out.
phone clarity is great and there's a ton of features.
sheree

 

[InstImpres]

Ignorance questions here......does digitial offer things such as call waiting, 3 way and voicemail?

I would love to cut down my phone bills.

 

[aengus]

You can keep your own # with vonage and yes you have all the typical services available such as call waiting and forwarding and the like.

You can also log into the internet and lookup all of the phone calls you have recieved sort of like a recorded caller ID system.

 

[drakethib]

I use vonage. I pay $27 a month (tax included) and have unlimited long distance with it and so far have had no problems with it whatsoever.

We've totally turned off our landline. Since vonage is thru our cable modem, if cable is out, then we just use our cell phone.

I was thinking aout getting vonage but we have phone in every room in the house and it seems that you can only have one phone with vonage. Can you tell me how this works?

Secondly, we have an alarm system in our home and it requires a phone line as well. I am trying to find out how that would come in to play as well.

Any advice will be appreciated.



Thanks

 

[dtsaos]

on usa data net's site they do say that you can't use an alarm system with it-I would assume it's the same for all digital phone service.

I'd like to know about having more than one phone on it too. does anyone know?

Also, because it goes through your computer, does that mean that someone could potentially hear your conversations via computer access? In other words, is the digital service as private as regular phone service?

 

[oogieboogie]

Southern4sure: so far we've had Vonage since December and I haven't had any problems. The sound clarity is astounding - it was better than our landline from SBC. Like I've said, the only time it screws up is when cable goes down, but we have our broadband from Roadrunner and they very rarely go down. So I'm quite happy with them.

InstImpres: Yes, broadband phones comes with 3 way, call waiting, call forwarding, caller ID, etc. What I like most is that you can check your voicemails thru your computer. You just log in to the site and your voicemails are recorded as .wav files that you can then listen to or store for as long as you like.

drakethib: I don't know about the security system, but you can disconnect your existing phone line from outside to the inside of your house and then reroute the line to the adapter, therefore you can use multiple phones thruout the house. There's detailed instructions on how to do this on the help pages.
Or you can use those multi-handset phone systems.

PS: I also have a fax machine hooked up and it works just fine.

 

[Sheree]

i have the panasonic multitalk system. the main one is hooked up thru packeti and then i have handsets all over the house, plugged into electric outlets that work. i also kept my number. you can also do the whole rewiring adapter thing but this was easier! and it works in rooms with no phone jacks.
i had our alarm system put on my 2nd line. i kept a second line for emergency, alarm, fax and it's about $14 per month basic. the combo is still way cheaper!
and i have 3 way calling, call forarding, etc that i didn't have before
sheree

 

[dtsaos]

So I guess if you keep the combo, you can still call 911 for an emergency. I guess 911 doesn't work the same way with digital phone.

 

[kpk89]

We just started with the USA Datanet, the $24.95 / month plan. It works out great for us, except that it comes with voicemail and call waiting, which I'm not used to having. Not that I'm against having them, I just never wanted to pay extra for them in the past. I notice that there's a bit of a delay (like when you're talking to someone overseas) which makes me a bit nutty but I'll put up with it to save so much on our phone bill.

 

[Sheree]

packet 8 has 911 from some areas not all. here they don't have it so yes i can use hte 2nd phone for 911.

no delays when talking! i turned off their voicemail and just use my answering machine. i love having the call forwarding and 3way and caller id now!

sheree

 

[curlyjbs]

We've had VONAGE since October and LOVE IT!! LOVE IT!!! LOVE IT!!! DH hooked it up himself and we have 9 phones. simple procedure! Great features too! No one notices a difference when they/we call.



~curly

 

[PrincessTeddyBear]

Just wondering if it's worth doing the switch? found out we can get unlimited local and long distance plus a bunch of features from www.usadatanet.com for $24.95 a month. we pay just about double that right now through verizon. Has anyone done this yet?

I'd read up on it first. One of my computer magazines did a special report on digital phone companies and how you can not dial 911 through them.

 

[NancyIL]

We had Packet 8, and I hated it! It dropped calls in the middle. Sometimes our phone would be out and we wouldn't know it until someone called us on my cellphone! I had to keep hitting redial because the calls often wouldn't go through the first time I dialed (got a fast busy signal). The caller ID didn't have name...just number. I had all I could stand, and after 4 months, went back to SBC.

 

[drakethib]

Well, I bit the bullet and tried Vonage.

So far I am very pleased with the service.



Thanks

 

[summerrluvv]

I was skeptical about signing up for Vonage, but I'm trying to save money anyway I can. I got my welcome kit yesterday with the phone adaptor, hooked it up and now I'm good to go!! I was assigned a new number until my current home phone number gets transferred (about 20 days), so I'll just continue to use my regular home phone service (IDT) until that happens. I have made a few calls from the Vonage service and the clarity is great!! I'm really pleased with it thus far and for only $24.95 a month ($27.10 with taxes), it's an AWESOME deal!!!

 

[BethR]

Just a reminder to everyone that asking people to use you for a referral ANYWHERE is not permitted on the DIS.
And for those of you who have already done so, that has been edited out of your post.
Thanks!

 

[Princess Mommy]

We tried Verizon a year ago & so far so good & it has really saved us a TON!