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Phone Question - How Can I Do This

gmac17

By gmac17
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gmac17 Veteran

gmac17

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I'm running a bit of a business from an off site location, and I want it to look like I am nearby.

 

I need a (cheap) system where I can:

 

a) have incoming calls go to a certain area code

b) check voicemail online if possible.

c) make calls so that the caller id says a certain area code.

d) Make outgoing calls in multiple locations if possible

 

All I can think of is skype,. I know they do a/b/c but can you have the same skype number hooked up to 2 different locations?

 

Any other ideas for handling this?

 

thanks

gmac17 Veteran

gmac17

Posted
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Thanks JF. Can you make calls using grandcentral? I need to call someone and have a certain area code as well.

JoeFerguson RFA

JoeFerguson

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Posted
Thanks JF. Can you make calls using grandcentral? I need to call someone and have a certain area code as well.

 

Yes I think so. I've never done that, but I think you can do it. It's in beta testing right now. If you want an invite just PM me your email address.

eball Hall of Famer

eball

Posted
Posted
Absolutely. It can do everything you're asking for, and more. I've been using it for four years and have had no problems at all.

I'll be the third to confirm this.

In-A-Gadda-Levitre Veteran

In-A-Gadda-Levitre

Posted
Posted
I'll be the third to confirm this.

yep, count me as #4, it can, but there's a few downsides to any VOIP service:

 

1) If you lose internet connectivity for whatever reason, there is no phone service.

 

2) You compete for bandwidth on your broadband connection, so just about any type of download activity on computers that are sharing the same network connection can significantly hurt voice quality. This could be something as simple as a web page automatically updating itself. If you typically do a lot of Peer To Peer transfers, watch YouTube, listen to internet radio, or do file downloads, this can be a major problem.

 

3) I've noticed that VOIP service doesn't always recover well from temporary losses in internet connectivity or power. It has happened with two different VOIP service providers. This means after your power or internet service returns from some momentary outage, there is no phone service, because the VOIP adapter doesn't initialize properly and you have to call them on a cell phone to get them to manually restart it. I will admit that going to a separate VOIP device (as opposed to the integrated VOIP/Router that they supply) has made a huge difference in this respect.

 

I strongly recommend Vonage, just be aware of the tradeoffs...

gmac17 Veteran

gmac17

Posted
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Posted

Vonage it is. I've used them before but canceled cause i never used it.

 

Can i hook up a vonage phone in 2 locations? ie one here and one upstate?

 

Just make sure you have a fund set up for the divorce lawyer.

 

"Honey, as you can tell from my area code I'm still up here in Syracuse on a big project...won't be home till Friday" :lol:

Fan in San Diego All Pro

Fan in San Diego

Posted
Posted
yep, count me as #4, it can, but there's a few downsides to any VOIP service:

 

1) If you lose internet connectivity for whatever reason, there is no phone service.

 

True

 

2) You compete for bandwidth on your broadband connection, so just about any type of download activity on computers that are sharing the same network connection can significantly hurt voice quality. This could be something as simple as a web page automatically updating itself. If you typically do a lot of Peer To Peer transfers, watch YouTube, listen to internet radio, or do file downloads, this can be a major problem.

 

Never had this problem

 

3) I've noticed that VOIP service doesn't always recover well from temporary losses in internet connectivity or power. It has happened with two different VOIP service providers. This means after your power or internet service returns from some momentary outage, there is no phone service, because the VOIP adapter doesn't initialize properly and you have to call them on a cell phone to get them to manually restart it. I will admit that going to a separate VOIP device (as opposed to the integrated VOIP/Router that they supply) has made a huge difference in this respect.

 

Never had this problem, but the occasional reboot of the router will cure any ill

 

I strongly recommend Vonage, just be aware of the tradeoffs...

 

I

In-A-Gadda-Levitre Veteran

In-A-Gadda-Levitre

Posted
Posted
2) You compete for bandwidth on your broadband connection, so just about any type of download activity on computers that are sharing the same network connection can significantly hurt voice quality. This could be something as simple as a web page automatically updating itself. If you typically do a lot of Peer To Peer transfers, watch YouTube, listen to internet radio, or do file downloads, this can be a major problem.

 

Never had this problem

 

3) I've noticed that VOIP service doesn't always recover well from temporary losses in internet connectivity or power. It has happened with two different VOIP service providers. This means after your power or internet service returns from some momentary outage, there is no phone service, because the VOIP adapter doesn't initialize properly and you have to call them on a cell phone to get them to manually restart it. I will admit that going to a separate VOIP device (as opposed to the integrated VOIP/Router that they supply) has made a huge difference in this respect.

 

Never had this problem, but the occasional reboot of the router will cure any ill

the bandwidth contention is based on many factors, like your connection speed, the ISP, the connection to the resource you're trying to download, time of day, etc.

 

yeah, of course I had to power cycle the router, made no difference.

 

sounds like you're lucky or I'm unlucky...

In-A-Gadda-Levitre Veteran

In-A-Gadda-Levitre

Posted
Posted
Can i hook up a vonage phone in 2 locations? ie one here and one upstate?

You can always move the Vonage device wherever you want or get a second box, but that's not always practical. A good way to go would be their softphone setup that let's you call from a laptop or another PC. It's $25/month unlimited calls to US, Canada, and some western europe landlines.

Fan in San Diego All Pro

Fan in San Diego

Posted
Posted
the bandwidth contention is based on many factors, like your connection speed, the ISP, the connection to the resource you're trying to download, time of day, etc.

 

yeah, of course I had to power cycle the router, made no difference.

 

sounds like you're lucky or I'm unlucky...

 

You can configure how much bandwidth each vonage line uses. The default is the highest, I turned it down to the lowest setting. It still sounds great at the lowest setting.

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