Voice-Over-Internet Software

[Dick Adams]

My apologies that this is not a repair question. But with the thread on Majic Jack, curious minds want to know.

Do Vontage, Comcast, or Magic Jack load software to your computer?

Dick

[George]

magicjack is the only one of those that requires a computer to be running with their proprietary adapter plugged into it to run their software.

The others use better designed much more energy efficient standalone adapters.

[Reed]

In addition to George's reply, a VOIP NG is at alt.dcom.telecom.ip

Another PC-dependent approach is

[HeyBub]

No. No computer is required.

Vonage provides a box (modem) that plugs into your router. Your telephone plugs into the Vonage box. At that second plug, it is as if you have another Telco trunk line.

In our case, instead of plugging in telephones, we have a patch cord to our PBX system. Our PBX system treats this as another incoming trunk line.

From the user's perspective, VoIP acts exactly like a telephone line: it has its own telephone number, you dial and receive calls exactly like a land-line. You get all the bells and whistles (caller-id, voice-mail, call forwarding, etc.) and all the long-distance you can eat for a single low price. That low price is all-inclusive: no charges for touch-tone, the Spanish-American War tax, Universal Access Fee, sales tax, fuel surcharge, capital improvement recovery fee, just-because fee, or anything else.

Our company's long-distance charges went from over $200/month to nothing. Zero!

Here's a trick: You can pick your area code!

If, for example, you're a computer nerd living in Little Rabbit, Wyoming but you want your customers to think you're in the thick of things, request "650" area code (Palo Alto, California). If you live in Left Elbow Oklahoma and all your relatives live in Boston, request a 617 (Boston) area code so that when your relatives call you each day to reassure themselves you've not been scalped by drunken Indians, it's a local call for them.

[George]

Not quite. "magicjack" is a lame proprietary system that actually requires you to keep a computer running to make it work. It doesn't really matter much because they don't have a business plan and there is only so much you can make up on volume when you are selling below cost.

[John Jones]

How do you know they are selling below cost. The price was reduced from $70. They don't seem to have any overhead and can afford TV adds. Their interface shows adds that must be paying something. My bet is they will last some time. I have my system running every minute I am home and awake anyway. You get email notification when you get voice mail. There is no problem with voice quality unlike when I first got Vonage and had problems several times that required calls to someone I couldn't understand. I am wondering is why Comcast is still offering VOIP at high prices and still has customers taking the bate. Even at several times the cost MJ is a savings.

[LouB]

Nice examples

[George]

Actually they have the same overhead as any other SIP provider because that is what they are only in a slightly proprietary form to prevent users from using a normal SIP adapter which doesn't require a computer to be on just to make or receive a phone call so they can try to force you to watch their ads. Magicjack is nothing but a rehash of the low cost/free "ad driven" things such as Internet connectivity that surfaced during the dotcom bubble that don't work. Running TV ads etc doesn't tell you anything about a companies health because they are burning through investor money. My bet is that they will last as long as the investors wallets stay opened.

[John Jones]

My bet is that they will last as long as

Possibly. I guess time will tell. I will be along for the free ride in the mean time.

[HeyBub]

Ah, right. I was thinking only of Vonage and Comast.

Thanks for the correction.