Re: [DDN] VOIP for nonprofits
Thanks for the feedback Dan and Jim. Unfortunatly the 'bad news' as Dan described is a deal killer for the non-profit I work for now. They live on the phone and do A LOT of community outreach to volunteer tutors. Lossing ANY call could be very bad for our group. I'm going to continue to stay on top of this tech though. These problems will be solved soon I think. -Brian > Brian; > I would concur with caveats. I'm currently using VOIP for my fledging > home-based business and would agree that you will save (in the > long-run). I was fortunate to already have the basic equipment > (router and cabling) and the broadband service (DSL). Switching in my > case seemed like a no brainer. The good news is that my LD expenses > were hoving close to $300.00 a month. My first real telephone bill is > now less than $100.00. > > Now for the bad news. The real costs, in terms of lost of service, > service degredation, and just plain service headaches have been huge. > Even now, my wife is not convinced that we made a wise choice and is > demanding that we switch back. I promised to do so, if we're still > having issues by the next billing period. > > I won't go into all the issues, but when all the technical stars are > aligned and sun spots are not flaring, everything works like a charm. > By charm, I mean, you are not even aware that you are not using a > traditional POTS line. Unfortunately, the first billing period was > marked with only about a 40 percent "charm" time. In other words, we > had issues with six out of every 10 calls. > > I will admint, however, that the quality of service has started to > rise dramatically toward the end to the period. In short, I'm not > sure that VOIP is quite ready for prime time, but I'm still impressed > with the technogy and the potential savings. > > You might want to take a look at the Broadband Reports site, > http://www.broadbandreports.com, to get other opinions on the > technology and service. There is a link to Voice over IP in the user > forum that might provide additional insight. > > Cheers; > -Dan > > > On 8/10/05, Jim Vines <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: >> Hello Brian: >> Generally you can expect VoIP to be cost effective. I could come right >> out and say yes it is, but I'd feel better if you would fax a copy of >> ALL pages from a recent phone bill. (I'll get the fax # for the local >> Kinko's so you can send.) >> >> The other issue is the vendor's infrastructural support. Since there are >> so many "me-too" vendors, it is imperative to know what kind of >> infrastructural support they provide - so you get a dialtone immediately >> and so that the voice quality both ways is clear. >> >> Using the VoIP service that I now sell, I call the Philippines and >> Nigeria with superior connection quality. Calls to cellphones overseas >> are still somewhat garbled as there appears to be a "latency" problem on >> the other end. However, as broadband access becomes widespread even in >> Third World countries, then "VoIP2VoIP" calling will yield excellent >> connections either way. >> >> I am currently arranging a meeting between a longtime Nigerian colleague >> and his associates in a telco venture "back home" and top management of >> a leading VoIP provider here in the USA. This company is presently >> deploying 4,000 VoIP adapters in businesses in Dubai. >> >> With this compamy's VoIP equipment, VoIP2VoIP calling is free worldwide, >> regardless which party calls whom. Here, my VoIP line costs $24.99 >> ($29.99 shortly as E911 is added). That includes unlimited calling >> across the USA and Canada. >> >> Another thing that I like: Audio from the other end is an estimated 6 to >> 12 dB louder than with POTS. Not to mention clearer. It's even clearer >> going VoIP2VoIP. >> >> My VoIP # is 708-279-4329. I'll get back to you if you leave a message. >> (This # as well as two computers are connceted to a router, and the >> router is connected to the cable modem. Next I'll connect a hub, and >> have two VoIP lines connected to it. We will kiss POTS good-bye.) >> >> I'm also cc-ing to my colleague and retired 33 year Bell System veteran. >> My background is in satellite coms. I have US and Canadian patents in >> sat antenna design. >> >> Sincerely, >> Jim Vines >> >> >> Brian Russell <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: >> Is anyone in the US using VoIP services to save money on phone bills for >> small to medium size nonprofits? >> >> If so is it cost effective for you? >> >> Where you able to use the phone equipment you had already? >> >> Did this service provide long distance and local phone calls? >> >> I'm doing research on phone tech for the nonprofit I'm serving at. >> Thanks! >> >> -Brian R. >> >> p.s. My email address is [EMAIL PROTECTED] if you'd like to respond >> to >> me directly. >> >> ___ >> DIGITALDIVIDE mailing list >> DIGITALDIVIDE@mailman.edc.org >> http://mailman.edc.org/mailman/listinfo/digitaldivide >> To unsubscribe,
Re: [DDN] VOIP for nonprofits
Charles, Dan et. al., I got into VoIP because of necessity. I travel A LOT, and during one trip to Brazil managed to accumulate an 800 USD phone bill by using my cell phone to call back to the USA in what I thought were short, minimal calls. This was after having a 13.00/minute calls back to the USA from St. Petersburg a couple of months before with left me with another breathtaking telephone bill. I bought a little unit called an IAXy (http://www.digium.com/index.php?menu=product_detail&category=hardware&product=S101I from a company called Digium (http://www.digium.com), and a phone service from a company called NuFone (http://www.nufone.net/) and started using it as I traveled. I also invested in Skype and a few other VoIP tools. Basically when I travel I hook up either the IAXy or my notebook to the net and use either NuFone or Skype to call back. The "rates" (other than the hourly or daily connection to the Internet (if there is one) is typically about 2 cents per minute for calls back to the USA or Canada. And most of the time I have to connect to the Internet anyway to get my email, work, etc. The next time I went to Brazil I told people at the trade show I was at to call anyone they wanted in the USA or Canada and talk as long as they wanted. Total cost to me? About 5.00 for the week-long show. Beat me with a stick. Long story, short point. I have not gotten rid of my POTS lines, but I use them a lot less. Before I call I think about who I am calling and how long I will talk, the need for clarity on the line and what would happen if I fell off due to some glitch. If the "stars align", I plan ahead, use VoIP and save money. I discourage FAXes and encourage scanned and emailed images. >From my point of view, for people that travel abroad, VoIP is a great thing, >but if I am trapped in a dark alley with thugs after me, my cell-phone is my friend. Regards, md -- Jon "maddog" Hall Executive Director Linux International(R) email: [EMAIL PROTECTED] 80 Amherst St. Voice: +1.603.672.4557 Amherst, N.H. 03031-3032 U.S.A. WWW: http://www.li.org Board Member: Uniforum Association, USENIX Association (R)Linux is a registered trademark of Linus Torvalds in several countries. (R)Linux International is a registered trademark in the USA used pursuant to a license from Linux Mark Institute, authorized licensor of Linus Torvalds, owner of the Linux trademark on a worldwide basis (R)UNIX is a registered trademark of The Open Group in the USA and other countries. ___ DIGITALDIVIDE mailing list DIGITALDIVIDE@mailman.edc.org http://mailman.edc.org/mailman/listinfo/digitaldivide To unsubscribe, send a message to [EMAIL PROTECTED] with the word UNSUBSCRIBE in the body of the message.
Re: [DDN] VOIP for nonprofits
Brian; I would concur with caveats. I'm currently using VOIP for my fledging home-based business and would agree that you will save (in the long-run). I was fortunate to already have the basic equipment (router and cabling) and the broadband service (DSL). Switching in my case seemed like a no brainer. The good news is that my LD expenses were hoving close to $300.00 a month. My first real telephone bill is now less than $100.00. Now for the bad news. The real costs, in terms of lost of service, service degredation, and just plain service headaches have been huge. Even now, my wife is not convinced that we made a wise choice and is demanding that we switch back. I promised to do so, if we're still having issues by the next billing period. I won't go into all the issues, but when all the technical stars are aligned and sun spots are not flaring, everything works like a charm. By charm, I mean, you are not even aware that you are not using a traditional POTS line. Unfortunately, the first billing period was marked with only about a 40 percent "charm" time. In other words, we had issues with six out of every 10 calls. I will admint, however, that the quality of service has started to rise dramatically toward the end to the period. In short, I'm not sure that VOIP is quite ready for prime time, but I'm still impressed with the technogy and the potential savings. You might want to take a look at the Broadband Reports site, http://www.broadbandreports.com, to get other opinions on the technology and service. There is a link to Voice over IP in the user forum that might provide additional insight. Cheers; -Dan On 8/10/05, Jim Vines <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > Hello Brian: > Generally you can expect VoIP to be cost effective. I could come right out > and say yes it is, but I'd feel better if you would fax a copy of ALL pages > from a recent phone bill. (I'll get the fax # for the local Kinko's so you > can send.) > > The other issue is the vendor's infrastructural support. Since there are so > many "me-too" vendors, it is imperative to know what kind of infrastructural > support they provide - so you get a dialtone immediately and so that the > voice quality both ways is clear. > > Using the VoIP service that I now sell, I call the Philippines and Nigeria > with superior connection quality. Calls to cellphones overseas are still > somewhat garbled as there appears to be a "latency" problem on the other end. > However, as broadband access becomes widespread even in Third World > countries, then "VoIP2VoIP" calling will yield excellent connections either > way. > > I am currently arranging a meeting between a longtime Nigerian colleague and > his associates in a telco venture "back home" and top management of a leading > VoIP provider here in the USA. This company is presently deploying 4,000 VoIP > adapters in businesses in Dubai. > > With this compamy's VoIP equipment, VoIP2VoIP calling is free worldwide, > regardless which party calls whom. Here, my VoIP line costs $24.99 ($29.99 > shortly as E911 is added). That includes unlimited calling across the USA and > Canada. > > Another thing that I like: Audio from the other end is an estimated 6 to 12 > dB louder than with POTS. Not to mention clearer. It's even clearer going > VoIP2VoIP. > > My VoIP # is 708-279-4329. I'll get back to you if you leave a message. (This > # as well as two computers are connceted to a router, and the router is > connected to the cable modem. Next I'll connect a hub, and have two VoIP > lines connected to it. We will kiss POTS good-bye.) > > I'm also cc-ing to my colleague and retired 33 year Bell System veteran. My > background is in satellite coms. I have US and Canadian patents in sat > antenna design. > > Sincerely, > Jim Vines > > > Brian Russell <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > Is anyone in the US using VoIP services to save money on phone bills for > small to medium size nonprofits? > > If so is it cost effective for you? > > Where you able to use the phone equipment you had already? > > Did this service provide long distance and local phone calls? > > I'm doing research on phone tech for the nonprofit I'm serving at. > Thanks! > > -Brian R. > > p.s. My email address is [EMAIL PROTECTED] if you'd like to respond to > me directly. > > ___ > DIGITALDIVIDE mailing list > [EMAIL PROTECTED] > http://mailman.edc.org/mailman/listinfo/digitaldivide > To unsubscribe, send a message to [EMAIL PROTECTED] with the word UNSUBSCRIBE > in the body of the message. > ___ > DIGITALDIVIDE mailing list > [EMAIL PROTECTED] > http://mailman.edc.org/mailman/listinfo/digitaldivide > To unsubscribe, send a message to [EMAIL PROTECTED] with the word UNSUBSCRIBE > in the body of the message. > ___ DIGITALDIVIDE mailing list [EMAIL PROTECTED] http://mailman.edc.org/mail
Re: [DDN] VOIP for nonprofits
Hello Brian: Generally you can expect VoIP to be cost effective. I could come right out and say yes it is, but I'd feel better if you would fax a copy of ALL pages from a recent phone bill. (I'll get the fax # for the local Kinko's so you can send.) The other issue is the vendor's infrastructural support. Since there are so many "me-too" vendors, it is imperative to know what kind of infrastructural support they provide - so you get a dialtone immediately and so that the voice quality both ways is clear. Using the VoIP service that I now sell, I call the Philippines and Nigeria with superior connection quality. Calls to cellphones overseas are still somewhat garbled as there appears to be a "latency" problem on the other end. However, as broadband access becomes widespread even in Third World countries, then "VoIP2VoIP" calling will yield excellent connections either way. I am currently arranging a meeting between a longtime Nigerian colleague and his associates in a telco venture "back home" and top management of a leading VoIP provider here in the USA. This company is presently deploying 4,000 VoIP adapters in businesses in Dubai. With this compamy's VoIP equipment, VoIP2VoIP calling is free worldwide, regardless which party calls whom. Here, my VoIP line costs $24.99 ($29.99 shortly as E911 is added). That includes unlimited calling across the USA and Canada. Another thing that I like: Audio from the other end is an estimated 6 to 12 dB louder than with POTS. Not to mention clearer. It's even clearer going VoIP2VoIP. My VoIP # is 708-279-4329. I'll get back to you if you leave a message. (This # as well as two computers are connceted to a router, and the router is connected to the cable modem. Next I'll connect a hub, and have two VoIP lines connected to it. We will kiss POTS good-bye.) I'm also cc-ing to my colleague and retired 33 year Bell System veteran. My background is in satellite coms. I have US and Canadian patents in sat antenna design. Sincerely, Jim Vines Brian Russell <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: Is anyone in the US using VoIP services to save money on phone bills for small to medium size nonprofits? If so is it cost effective for you? Where you able to use the phone equipment you had already? Did this service provide long distance and local phone calls? I'm doing research on phone tech for the nonprofit I'm serving at. Thanks! -Brian R. p.s. My email address is [EMAIL PROTECTED] if you'd like to respond to me directly. ___ DIGITALDIVIDE mailing list DIGITALDIVIDE@mailman.edc.org http://mailman.edc.org/mailman/listinfo/digitaldivide To unsubscribe, send a message to [EMAIL PROTECTED] with the word UNSUBSCRIBE in the body of the message. ___ DIGITALDIVIDE mailing list DIGITALDIVIDE@mailman.edc.org http://mailman.edc.org/mailman/listinfo/digitaldivide To unsubscribe, send a message to [EMAIL PROTECTED] with the word UNSUBSCRIBE in the body of the message.
[DDN] VOIP for nonprofits
Is anyone in the US using VoIP services to save money on phone bills for small to medium size nonprofits? If so is it cost effective for you? Where you able to use the phone equipment you had already? Did this service provide long distance and local phone calls? I'm doing research on phone tech for the nonprofit I'm serving at. Thanks! -Brian R. p.s. My email address is [EMAIL PROTECTED] if you'd like to respond to me directly. ___ DIGITALDIVIDE mailing list DIGITALDIVIDE@mailman.edc.org http://mailman.edc.org/mailman/listinfo/digitaldivide To unsubscribe, send a message to [EMAIL PROTECTED] with the word UNSUBSCRIBE in the body of the message.
