What You Must Know Before Signing Up For Any VoIP Service...
If you've ever looked into VoIP or Voice Over Internet Phone than you probably heard of the claims that you can make calls to foreign countries for as little as 1 cent per minute and calls anywhere in the US for free. Well... That's all true. Most VoIp services will allow you to make long distant phone calls for a rate that puts standard phone service to shame.
What a lot of these VoIP phone services don't tell you is what they require to set up. Many of the VoIP services today require a lot of special equipment that really is not necessary, such as a special VoIP phone, that usually cost around $100. A complex router that also cost $100... And after all that... some of these companies even have the nerve to charge a set up fee! This is of course after they sell you on their extremely low $10 per month unlimited usage plan. Which, in reality... is a Terrible Deal.
However, not all VoIP Services have the expensive equipment fees. Some companies actually are a great deal. With the right VoIP service you can make calls to many foreign countries for 1 cent per minute and the rate rarely goes over 10 cents per minute for other countries. They work with any phone - including forwarding to your cell phone... And, some VoIP providers also offer many features that standard phone services charge extra for - such as call waiting, caller id, call forwarding and many other features - all included in their standard plan. These are the only ones that we will be reviewing here.
Which VoIP service should you use?
When making your selection with a VoIP service. Choose a company that's been established, has a reasonable monthly rate, make sure it works with a standard phone and has all the necessary features you need with phone service.
Below is a list of VoIP providers that we have found to offer the most for your money. Even though Phone Power beats out the competition with their extremely low rates and abundance of features, the other services we list are still far better than most other VoIP services on the market. If you are going to sign up for a VoIP service... These are the ones to use.
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 Consumer VoIP Guide's Top Choice
Phone Power
Rating: 9.8/10
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Overview:
Phone Power is quickly becoming one of the most dominate companies in the VoIP industry. With their rock-bottom prices - at $9.95 per month for the first 3 months, and no hassel set up as well as one of the only VoIP services to offer a month-to-month contract. Phone Power is becoming one the largest VoIP services is the United States.
Pricing
Phone Power is currently one of the cheapest VoIP Providers - starting at $9.95 per month, than $14.95 after the first 3 months. Calls to the United States and Canada are free and all other countries are competitivly priced with in the range of other large VoIP companies. All the required equipment comes free. The entire start up with Phone Power is only $27 -- Half of what most other VoIP services charge. And... best of all... Phone Power's contract is on a month-to-month basis.
Features:
Phone Power offers all of the most common features free with their basic plan. As most other VoIP services charge extra for these features with Phone Power you get them for free. Here's some of features you can expect with Phone Power, caller id, call waiting, call forwarding, 3-way calling, voice mail through email, Simotanios ring (set up other phones to ring with you're VoIP phone.. works with cell phones) as well as many other features offer.
Set up:
Phone Power's set up is one of the easiest out there. All you do is plug in the supplied VoIP router in to your cable or DSL modem and you are ready to go. No extra equipment or extra VoIP phone is required and your computer does not need to be turned on to use your phone.
Bottom Line:
When it comes to VoIP service, Phone Power does everything right. With phone power's simple set up and low rates that include all the feature many of the larger companies charge extra for... as well as the extremely cheap $27 start up cost. Phone Power definitely takes the cake for offering the most for your money. (make sure you sign up online for the $27 start up cost)
Specials:
First 3 months for $9.95 than $14.95 there after.
$15 set up fee waved if you sign up online
Click Here To Visit Site |
Consumer VoIP Guide's 2nd Choice
Lingo
Rating: 9.2/10
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Overview:
Lingo starts at $21.95, but don't let the high monthly price fool you. Lingo has some of the cheapest foreign calling rates out there. Including free calls to the United Stats, Canada, Puerto Rico, Mexico City, Buenos Aires, Caracas and Rio De Janeiro as well as very cheap rates for calls to many other countries around the world.
Pricing:
$21.95 per month, $29.95 activation, $14.95 shipping and handling. With a one year contract and a 30 day money back guarantee. Total start up cost: $35. $59 Disconecton charge if you break your contract before the year is up.
Features:
Lingo offers all the same features you can expect with most other VoIP services free, such as all forwarding, caller id, 3 way calling, call waiting and voice mail plus many more.
Set up:
Lingo's set up is similar to many other VoIP services. They send you an adaptor in the mail, you plug it into your Cable or DSL modem than connect it to your PC with the supplied ethernet cable, start up your computer and the device automatically connect to the internet and you are all set. You do not need to have your computer turned on to use Lingo.
Bottom Line:
Lingo really shines for foreign call and especially with calls to South America.
Their monthly cost is a little on the steep side but if you make a lot of calls to the countries Lingo offers for free, than this is the service for you.
Specials:
Fist Month Free
Click Here To Visit Site |
Consumer VoIP Guide's 3rd Choice
At&t Call Vantage
Rating: 8.6/10
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Overview:
At&t is a huge company well known for their standard phone service and DSL internet. At&t's VoIP service or "Call Vantage" is solid service, well worth looking into. However, they are more expensive than more VoIP providers. The only way you can really benefit from At&t's VoIP is if you are already a At&t customer and would like to expand your service. At&t offers a bundled service, that includes DSL, VoIP, and regular phone service at discounted price that beats the other services if you were to sign up for them separately.
Pricing:
At&t's VoIP rates are on the expensive side. The unlimited plan, which is the best deal, is $24.99 per month. However, that is for unlimited calls to the US, Canada and Puerto Rico. There is a $29.99 activation fee, and $9.95 for shipping and handling with a one year contract as well. So, once again, only sign up for At&t if you already use their others services and can save money with the bundled package. If that's not the case, go with Phone Power.
Features:
At&t offers all the standard feature you would expect to get with a VoIP service, such as call forwarding, caller id, 3 way calling, call waiting and voice mail. At&t also offers conference calling, for an additional charge of 35 cents per minute. Not bad, but also, not nearly as good as some of the other VoIP services out there.
Set up:
At&t's set up is not too difficult, all you do is connect the adaptor to your cable or DSL modem, than connect the ethernet cable from the adapter to your PC. Once your start up your computer, the adaptor should connect to the internet and you should here a dial tone.
Bottom Line:
Though not the cheapest service out there, At&t does offer good customer support and bundled together with other At&t services, Call Vantage is not that bad of a deal. However we would still only recommend them to you if you are already an At&t customer.
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