Have any of you had any experience with DataComm or any other Internet phone systems? I am too old to fully understand the concept, but I do know that our Internet hardly ever shuts down anymore. This seems to be the cheapest way to add a couple of phone lines, but what are the drawbacks?

i use magic jack and it works great... and its only 20.00 per year for unlimited calling

Paul...put this on your list for Cleveland.

It's on my list, but here is the list my wife gave to our newest technician. ( She thought he would have a better time than she would)

1. Do not let Paul do the computer check-in. He'll screw it all up.

2. Do not let Paul wander off. He'll find someone he knows and he'll miss the flight unless you page him.

3. Do not let him have more than one drink. You will have to knock him cold to get him to shut up.

4. Do not let him talk to strange women. ( I usually just kick him in the shins )

5. Do not let him pick the shuttle to the hotel; you could wind up anywhere.

6. No women, one drink, don't take your eyes off of him, and have a great time.

Wow, only 44 years and she really, really, knows me.

I've been using Vonage for 4-5 years now. No problems. Good rates.

Had Vonage 5 years ago. Had to drop them, the lag-time between the two parties was to great and it made for ugly conversations. Must have been the US to India to US routing system.

We have this thing called a Nettalk tk6000. Bought it, plugged it in..voila! a completely new phone line. No monthly or yearly fees, paid $100 one time. Some quality issues, tho...and good luck getting to talk to tech help!

I use Line2, it allows me to have 2 phone numbers on my cell phone. So I have business and personal phone numbers on one phone. It's a pretty slick set up.

I am guessing Paul gets more calls than one line can handle. He needs a system that larger companies use.

Good point Dave.

The standard Vonage residential plan comes with two lines and more can be added but they also have a small business plan. I really don't know how many line it comes with.

You have to ask yourself.....does Chase bank, Orkin, and any other high demand phone businesses have 212 different phone numbers and lines?

We had the same problem with vonage. It was such a bad lag you had to use it like a CB. When we tried to cancel it there were a bunch of hidden fees making it not so cheap after all. Left me wishing India was closer so I could choke someone.

Richard how much does that system cost? I looked at the website but couldn't figure it out. Also how do you like it and how does it work?

They have 9$ and a 15$ a month packages. I thought the same thing. I read the web site but still wasn't clear. You can try it free for a few days. I did that twice before I decided to pay for it. It works great for me.
U can talk on your cell phone using the line2 number through wi-fi, 4g or it will piggyback on your cell service. Lots of cool features. You can txt as well.

Dave, Chase and Orkin have 212 different locations and probably have a very sophisticated business phone set-up. I have 211 locations to go.

With all VOIP systems you have to check your bandwidth. Not enough bandwidth? Poor function. It goes for every VOIP system out there.

What is it though i got a call and the number and town showed up on my phone picked it up said hello and no one was there, i did a reverse number look up and it came back as a voip number.

Yes, they do have 212 numbers.

Richard,
Can you add more thn one line and how does this work. My cell carrier is ATT do you keeep that nd add line2 or do you use line2 as your carrier. This sounds pretty good

I have considered it. the only land line option I have is AT&T and I could save a chunk with the VIOP. Only drawback, is if you have a security system, it uses the landline, and if you go to VIOP, from what i understand you will have to set up a line strictly for the security system that is basically like an additional cell phone service plan, so after doing that i would not be saving any $$, and they say they are less reliable than a landline. maybe someone with more experience can add to this on the security system issue and VIOP.