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Best VOIP Phone Services

Review On Choosing The Best Voip Service Provider for Your Business

by Rashme Wong

Making phone calls applying a broadband Internet connection,known as VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol), is becoming so popular with corporations of each size. The prospect of paying a flat fee for unlimited long-distance phone calls is attractive to each company that has struggled to balance the want to conduct business phone calls with the cost of those calls. Many companies are finding that installation of VoIP phones is simpler than traditional Private Branch eXchange (PBX) systems, since the desk sets can share the Ethernet cables already in place for the desktop computers. Now, I m going to review 3 most popular Voip Services providers who offer full service products primarily aimed at the small to medium sized business telephone market. Such companies typically support multi-line telephone systems, small PBX gateways and hosted VoIP. Vonage will bring VoIP service without routing calls through your PC. When you sign higher for its DigitalVoice service, the company gives you a phone number in the area code of your option and sends you a free ashtray-size devices device known as an analog telephone adapter or even ATA. You easily plug the adapter into your network router and attach your phone to the adapter, and you're ready to produce calls. If you like, you are able to plug the adapter to a wall jack, connecting each phone in the home. For corporations that want extensions and services that are even more closely identified with PBXs uncovered in the corporate globe, Vonage isn't a very good option. Its Microscopic Business Project is built on a lone line, similar to a residential line, and does not provide facilities for multiple extensions, call transfers, administrative functions, and the more tasks virtually all corporate users take for granted. 2 more vendors are better suited for the corporate environment. Vonage Features: Equipment required: Broadband telephone adapter (included in activation fee) , Motorola VT1005V $30 activation fee. No contract. $39.99 termination fee after 14 days (refunded if you return the adapter) call waiting, caller ID and conference calling. 911 service TalkSwitch 48-CVA The TalkSwitch uses your phone company's existing phone lines and phone numbers to connect to the outside world, but uses your Internet connection to connect to other TalkSwitches in your company's remote offices. This setup is simple to install and lets you keep your existing phone numbers and lines. It also lets you keep your existing phone bills, since your long-distance calls still travel over your phone-company lines. Where TalkSwitch shines is in its features as a PBX and its ability to connect remote offices and treat them as a single phone system. When two or more TalkSwitches connect through the Internet, the company has a virtual PBX. The offices can make calls to one another by dialing extensions that may be in the same office or at a remote office without incurring long-distance charges. The same connection can be used to make standard calls to phone numbers that are local to the remote office but long-distance from the calling office. I found this feature worked well, but it requires the person making the call to know whether the number is local to the remote office. That's something many callers won't make the effort to deal with. TalkSwitch 48-CVA Features: Price: $1,795 4 lines in 4 VoIP trunks 8 local extensions 8 remote extensions Expandable to a 16-line, 32-extension phone system by networking up to four 48-CA or 48-CVA units on the LAN 9 Auto Attendants 26 voice mailboxes Built-in traditional and VoIP trunks for combined network access Full-featured PBX telephone system Customer installable and configurable via PC interface Works with standard analog cordless or corded phones and TalkSwitch TS 100 phone sets Packet8 Virtual Office Packet8 is a service provider. It will bring a "virtual office" by means of a hosted PBX that you are able to attach to from any broadband connection. The equipment consists of 1 DTA and 1 phone for every extension. Minimum configuration for a Packet8 system is 3 extensions, however there appears to be no upper limit to the number of extensions. Every DTA and phone combination costs $100, and there exists a $40 activation fee per line. Because all the extensions attach to the equivalent PBX, calls to extensions and calls to outside amounts are processed just as they usually are in a corporate office. The phones have a huge LCD with soft-buttons for voicemail, don't disturb, and each feature you would expect in a corporate PBX. I personally discovered the system elementary to utilise however as well incredibly flexible. Phone functions are managed applying the phone's LCD and its buttons, while extension assignment, routing, auto-attendant, and system-related functions are managed through the PBX's Web interface. Packet8's sound quality was incredibly fantastic. Calls between Packet8 VoIP lines were clear with no noticeable delay. Calls between Packet8 VoIP phones and standard phone lines were equally clear. The quality of the overall system was even more than acceptable. This is the kind of system that fits any virtual office whose employees require to produce lots of long-distance calls. The Packet8 system is particularly well suited to today's distributed virtual businesses. The fact that all the extensions are section of the equivalent system and operate as a seamless phone system puts a consolidated face on the distributed office. Packet8 Virtual Office Features: Price: $40 per extension per month, plus setup costs of $100 for equipment and $40 activation fee per line Unlimited calling within the U.S. and Canada Full-featured conference bridge for up to 20 participants Auto-Attendant Voicemail with message forwarding and e-mail notification Call transfer and automatic call forwarding 3-way conferencing Music/messaging on hold Distinctive ringing for internal/external calls Caller ID and call-waiting caller ID Stutter tone notifications Call park/call pick-up About the Author Rashme Wong has been an Commuciation and Network Analyst for 5 years whose articles on Voip business have appeared on many major Voip websites. You can find more of these at: http://1voipphoneservice.info

Things You Should Consider When Selecting a VoIP Provider

by Chris Landry

Monthly costs: A VoIP provider can save you upto 75% on your telephone/long distance expenses. There are many VoIP providers out there so it will benefit you from shopping around. Unlimited calling packages can range from $19.95/month to as high as $54.95/month. Usually the lower priced providers have more customers and are able to offer the service at a lower price due to a lower overhead per subscriber. VoIP Product Features: Not all VoIP providers are created equal. VoIP offers a great value to the consumers because of the drastically reduced long distance costs as well as inexpensive local phone service with lots of enhanced features. Some providers offer more features than others. Features like Call Waiting, 3 Way Calling, etc. are usually included in the VoIP monthly cost where as the traditional phone companies will charge up to and above $5/month per feature. When shopping for a VoIP provider, be sure to compare VoIP providers by features as well as by monthly price. Keeping Your Number: Some providers allow you to transfer (port) your current phone number to the VoIP service and some providers do not. It is not recommended to switch your home number to the VoIP service immediately. It is recommended that you try out the service and see if you are satisfied before you request that your current number be switched. Keep in mind that if you have DSL service, you must retain a phone number with the service provider of the DSL because the DSL service is provided over that telephone line. If you want to get rid of your current phone company all together, then we suggest you use a Cable Internet Service Provider. 911 Service: Most of the VoIP carriers offer E911 service, but not all. Be sure to check if the VoIP provider offers E911 because it is not a given. If the VoIP provider does not offer E911, then we suggest that you either have a cell phone or traditional land line to use in case of an emergency. (Note: It is also important to point out that if you take your VoIP phone when traveling, E911 has no way of knowing where you are when you call 911 if you are away from the registered address.) International Calling: If you make a lot of international calls, you will want to do a lot of research on International Rates as they vary by provider. There are a few carriers that offer unlimited calling to certain countries. Money Back Guarantee: Since VoIP is a relatively new product, most all VoIP providers will offer a free money back guarantee. Be sure to check with each provider as we have seen the money back guarantees range from a 14 day to a 30 day money back guarantee. (Note: Be sure to keep the original packaging that your equipment came in just in case you need to send it back) Chris Landry is the founder of VoIP Choices ( http://www.voipchoices.com ). Chris is the foremost expert in residential and small business voip providers. VoIPChoices.com compares prequalified VoIP providers by price and features. Chris can be contacted via email at Chris@voipchoices.com or by calling (949) 480 9700.