Greetings ( + )!( + )
On Aug 15, 2005, at 4:32 AM, Tim Collier wrote:
911 is fully supported by Vonage....at least the service that I have
in my area which is Miami. Plus, if all else fails, I still have my
cell phone. Now that VoIP is available, USABLE and dependable (with
the proper precautions like a battery backup), I jumped at the chance
to get it. With all of the headaches that BellSouth as given me over
the years, I was 'giddy' at the thought of firing them. From their
promises regarding DSL to their "packages" designed to "save you
money", the baby bells have always been severely lacking.
I find a cable modem and Vonage work very well together. I've been
very pleased with the service since I first plugged it all in. Calls
are clearer. I never have anybody tell me that they can 'barely hear
me' like when I had BellSouth. Their offer of a toll free number (100
free minutes/month for $4.99) has been a God-send, especially for
family members all over the country.
Lastly, never having to pay for long distance calls from my end is
wonderful!
VoIP may be in it's infancy and may be problematic in some areas of
the country, but for me, it's perfect.
Tim
On Aug 15, 2005, at 6:43 AM, Len Gerstel wrote:
On Aug 15, 2005, at 2:47 AM, Kathi Anderson wrote:
We seem to be missing the whole point here. No one is forcing anyone
to get
wide band telephone.
What is wrong with having a choice?
There is nothing wrong with having choices. I, and some others, are
just pointing out what we consider to be a very important issue of
safety. All we are doing is making sure you have all the facts before
you make that choice.
Len
--
Tim Collier
[EMAIL PROTECTED]
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Fact,
Cell phones can be tracked to a rough area by figuring out which
antenna transmitted the call. That is not an option with a VoIP phone,
which relies on an IP address. Even if the phone is attached to a
homeowner's computer, emergency dispatchers have no way of knowing
where the call is coming from.
----------------------------------------------------
A lawsuit filed by the Texas attorney general against Vonage -- which
claims th company misled VoIP (voice over Internet protocol) customers
about 911 emergency service -- brings up one of the problems with
emerging telecommunications technology.
Customers must register for 911 service as a separate step during their
registration process. According to Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott,
that means it is misleading to claim VoIP service replicates
traditional phone service.
VoIP is spreading as an inexpensive and convenient alternative to
land-line phone service, but education about its limitations is
lacking.
----------------------------------------------------
No Way To Know
With VoIP phones, the issue becomes more than one of simply knowing
where a phone is at a given moment. Cell phones can be tracked to a
rough area by figuring out which antenna transmitted the call. That is
not an option with a VoIP phone, which relies on an IP address. Even if
the phone is attached to a homeowner's computer, emergency dispatchers
have no way of knowing where the call is coming from.
"It's more of a management and procedural issue," Lassman said. "It
will require human intervention. With an IP phone, you don't really
have a physical address, just an IP address. An IP phone can make a
call from anywhere."
In an emergency, the caller may not have time to say where he or she
is, or may not know. Even if the caller has registered the phone for
911 service, if the call is not made from the registration address,
there's no way of finding out where the person is.
Business VoIP systems make it seem as though a worker is calling from
the office, when in fact he or she may be anywhere. This can lead to
personal safety and corporate liability issues.
An employee on a business trip who faces an emergency would be better
off dialing 911 on a land line rather than on his or her VoIP-equipped
laptop, because then emergency crews will know where to find the
person.
"Procedures are very important," Lassman said. "If you have an IP phone
in a hotel room, you might be better off not using it."
----------------------------------------------------
A fried of mine is using Skype and his phone is connected to his
lap-top. When he visits an "Internet Cafe" and makes a phone call or an
emergency call, i.e. 911 the emergency operator has no why of knowing
where the call is coming from.
----------------------------------------------------
For those that don't know, when you make a 911 call, from a pots (Plane
Old Telephone Service) telephone, the emergency operator is just
wasting your time by asking where you are calling from, because the 911
Emergency System has already displayed on the operators screen, the
number and address that you are calling from.
The 911 system works off of the ANI (Automatic Number Identification)
equipment in the telephone central office and is tied into the
telephone company's data base which lists all numbers, even if yours is
unlisted.
Also for those of you that think you have an unlisted number, when you
call a toll free number, i.e. 800, 866, 877 etc., your number is
displayed on the called party's screen, or if they don't subscribe to a
display system, your number is recorded on their monthly bill.
So when your unlisted number shows up a data base and you scream "My
Number Is Unlisted" that is how it got out into the world. The only
place that your number is unlisted is in you local telephone directory.
----------------------------------------------------
So the bottom line is, if you want to take the chance of ever needing
emergency services, go for it!
----------------------------------------------------
Best Regards, /\*_*/\
Harry (*^_^*)
? We are all visitors to this time, this place. We are just passing
through. Our purpose here is to observe, to learn, to grow, to love...
and then we return home.
Australian Aboriginal proverb
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