# VoIP options and advice?
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/voip-options-and-advice/727806
**Category:** In My Humble Opinion
**Created:** [August 14, 2015, 3:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/voip-options-and-advice/727806 "2015-08-14T03:27:52Z")
**Posts on this page:** 20
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@Leaper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leaper)
#### Post date: [August 14, 2015, 3:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/voip-options-and-advice/727806/1 "2015-08-14T03:27:52Z")
This is a more focused version of [this other thread of mine,](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=763374) though the OP does contain some background.
Basically, I’d like to ask about VoIP options. The four main ones I saw at Fry’s were Magic Jack, Vonage, BasicTalk, and NetTalk. The employee I spoke to recommended one of the first two.
I don’t need international calling, and don’t make a lot of calls in general; I’m mostly receiving at this point. I’d like to keep my current number. My quality needs are “anything reasonable,” considering I have Internet options for communications should I need it. I’d love to be able to connect the phone in my bedroom as well as the one in my living room, but since the latter is wireless, it’s not strictly necessary. I’d like to save enough to justify breaking up my Comcast bundle (although getting rid of my modem rental and getting a cheaper one of my own once I no longer need it for phone service will help with that).
Related question: once I do decide on a provider, do I arrange connecting it first before I tell Comcast to shut off on their end, especially if I want to port over my phone number?
Thanks in advance.
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### Author:  [@beowulff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/beowulff)
#### Post date: [August 14, 2015, 3:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/voip-options-and-advice/727806/2 "2015-08-14T03:29:48Z")
Ooma.
When you port the number, they do everything.
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### Author:  [@needscoffee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/needscoffee)
#### Post date: [August 14, 2015, 6:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/voip-options-and-advice/727806/3 "2015-08-14T06:46:48Z")
Ooma fan here, too.
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### Author:  [@Leaper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leaper)
#### Post date: [August 14, 2015, 7:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/voip-options-and-advice/727806/4 "2015-08-14T07:21:08Z")
Hmm, not having to deal with Comcast whining when I switch would be a huge bonus.
How’re their rates compared to other services? I know I can look them up myself, but it’s the “compared to other services” part I’d like some context on.
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### Author:  [@beowulff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/beowulff)
#### Post date: [August 14, 2015, 2:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/voip-options-and-advice/727806/5 "2015-08-14T14:43:23Z")
They have a “basic” service which is like $3/month, and a premium service which is $10/month.
I use the premium service, because I think the anti-junk-call features are worth it (community blacklist, nomorobo).
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### Author:  [@Kimballkid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kimballkid)
#### Post date: [August 14, 2015, 4:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/voip-options-and-advice/727806/6 "2015-08-14T16:06:24Z")
I clicked on this thinking I might have some answers but I can’t help as my VoIP phone is part of my cable, phone and internet bundle with Mediacom.
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### Author:  [@Turble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Turble)
#### Post date: [August 14, 2015, 4:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/voip-options-and-advice/727806/7 "2015-08-14T16:14:09Z")
Been using magicJack for six or seven years … last time I re-upped I paid for the five year plan. No problems, no hassles, super cheap.
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### Author:  [@DummyGladHands](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DummyGladHands)
#### Post date: [August 14, 2015, 4:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/voip-options-and-advice/727806/8 "2015-08-14T16:24:59Z")
Timely, as I’m looking at OOMA as well–do any of you have a fax line on OOMA? It says dedicated fax line, which we have on the landline–would this work? So basically 1 voice and 1 fax.
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### Author:  [@Raza](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Raza)
#### Post date: [August 14, 2015, 6:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/voip-options-and-advice/727806/9 "2015-08-14T18:10:08Z")
Another happy user of Ooma, for about 5 years. I’ve not tried faxing with it. We plug the main unit of our cordless phone system into it, and works very well.
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### Author:  [@control-z](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/control-z)
#### Post date: [August 14, 2015, 7:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/voip-options-and-advice/727806/10 "2015-08-14T19:15:48Z")
Ooma has worked much better than MagicJack for me.
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### Author:  [@dracoi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dracoi)
#### Post date: [August 14, 2015, 7:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/voip-options-and-advice/727806/11 "2015-08-14T19:53:09Z")
I was a Vonage user for a very long time. At least ten years, for both business and personal lines. I only switched because the home lines moved to cell phones and the business eventually needed a proper multi-line phone system. (Which we get through Intermedia, also VOIP, but clearly not what the OP wants).
One thing I’ll comment on is that VOIP depends more on the quality of your Internet than the service it connects to. I sometimes took my Vonage box with me so that I’d have my home phone on vacation. On DSL or a sluggish shared hotel connection, it was sometimes unusable. Other places, you couldn’t tell it wasn’t a real phone. One test you might try is to stream a movie from YouTube. Video requires more data than VOIP, so if you can do it fine, you’ll have no trouble with VOIP. If the video buffers or stutters, VOIP might not be a good choice on your current connection.
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### Author:  [@ftg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ftg)
#### Post date: [August 14, 2015, 8:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/voip-options-and-advice/727806/12 "2015-08-14T20:43:38Z")
I am a _big_ fan of [VoIP.ms](https://www.voip.ms/). Been using them for several years.
For small time phone users like us, far cheaper than Vonage and such. And far, _far_ cheaper than Comcast post-promotion rate.
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### Author:  [@Leaper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leaper)
#### Post date: [August 14, 2015, 10:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/voip-options-and-advice/727806/13 "2015-08-14T22:15:10Z")
Hm, pay as you go for the landline too… That’s an interesting thought. Not 100% sure if that’d be more economical than $3 ot $10 a month at least half the time, though. But it’s an intriguing option.
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### Author:  [@Leaper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leaper)
#### Post date: [August 15, 2015, 1:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/voip-options-and-advice/727806/14 "2015-08-15T01:20:16Z")
Well, looked up Ooma, and it does look intriguing. The initial outlay for the system is more expensive than the options I mentioned in the OP, but the website did say I can port my number (not sure why they wouldn’t be able to everywhere, though), even if I do have to pay for it, and the basic plan seems to meet my needs.
I guess what it comes down to is that doing what I want to do with Ooma would be one of the more expensive options as far as startup payments goes, and I’m wondering if I get what I pay for, compared to, say, MagicJack.
I also wonder how stable any of these companies are, since obviously, if any go under, I’d be stuck with no phone and a useless box. (That’s one of the interesting parts of VoIP.ms: being able to use a generic one. Although there’s still the stability issue, and the fact that I’m still not 100% sure how the economics would compare, based on my phone usage; I’m just too used to unlimited local calling.)
Thoughts or resources to help me decide? It seems, though, that whatever I do, I’ll be paying less enough to Comcast overall to save me a good chunk of change per month.
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### Author:  [@Leaper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leaper)
#### Post date: [August 16, 2015, 8:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/voip-options-and-advice/727806/15 "2015-08-16T20:49:27Z")
Bumping. Could really use input.
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### Author:  [@Turble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Turble)
#### Post date: [August 16, 2015, 9:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/voip-options-and-advice/727806/16 "2015-08-16T21:02:16Z")
The MJ is less than half the cost of Ooma. There are NO extras to pay for and you get NO monthly bill. Just try it.
I disconnected my landline years ago and I never really think about the Magicjack … I just think of it as “the phone”.
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### Author:  [@allyn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/allyn)
#### Post date: [August 16, 2015, 9:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/voip-options-and-advice/727806/17 "2015-08-16T21:23:48Z")
I setup a Obi100 with Google Voice and it works pretty well when I have a solid internet connection…but that’s another issue.
[www.obihai.com](http://www.obihai.com) if you’re interested
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### Author:  [@Leaper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leaper)
#### Post date: [August 17, 2015, 1:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/voip-options-and-advice/727806/18 "2015-08-17T01:06:02Z")
> [@Turble](#):
>
> The MJ is less than half the cost of Ooma. There are NO extras to pay for and you get NO monthly bill. Just try it.
Yes, that’s what I was thinking about the cost, but it was mentioned so often I wanted to give those people the chance to tell me why the doubled initial costs were worth it.
> [@allyn](#):
>
> I setup a Obi100 with Google Voice and it works pretty well when I have a solid internet connection…but that’s another issue.
>
> [www.obihai.com](http://www.obihai.com) if you’re interested
To be clear, the Obi is just the hardware, and Google Voice is the VoIP provider?
Hm, hadn’t considered Google, but I’m not sure about entrusting yet another aspect of my life to them… 😉
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### Author:  [@allyn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/allyn)
#### Post date: [August 17, 2015, 3:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/voip-options-and-advice/727806/19 "2015-08-17T03:37:48Z")
> [@Leaper](#):
>
> Yes, that’s what I was thinking about the cost, but it was mentioned so often I wanted to give those people the chance to tell me why the doubled initial costs were worth it.
>
> To be clear, the Obi is just the hardware, and Google Voice is the VoIP provider?
>
> Hm, hadn’t considered Google, but I’m not sure about entrusting yet another aspect of my life to them… 😉
Yes, Obi provides the hardware and you use the Obi website to link the Obi hardware to the Google Voice number (or any other VOIP provider).
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### Author:  [@gaffa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gaffa)
#### Post date: [August 17, 2015, 3:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/voip-options-and-advice/727806/20 "2015-08-17T15:51:54Z")
> [@allyn](#):
>
> I setup a Obi100 with Google Voice and it works pretty well when I have a solid internet connection…but that’s another issue.
>
> [www.obihai.com](http://www.obihai.com) if you’re interested
I use an Obi200 and love it, calling from Kansas City to Chicago for hours every night for free. My experience might be better than average as my Kansas City end is Google Fiber and I’m calling to an AT&T POTS line in Chicago.
I like the Google Voice tie-in, and love having a digital answering machine that will send me text transcriptions of voice messages, and I can play the original message from any web browser.
The hassle with Google Voice are that you’re unlikely to get your preferred area code if you live in a big city.
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