Re: Something for nothing

[Robert L Bass <sales@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

> Keep in mind that the technology is relatively new,
> and the very simple, very cheap broadband boxes
> most people are using for it are just that: simple
> and cheap. They're obviously not going to have
> the same level of error-correction and other such
> "filters" that enterprise-level systems will have.

I've been using VoIP for quite a while now.  I tried one of the
cheap services and it was just that.  Voice quality ranged from
OK to extremely poor.  Service was terrible.  The company was
Vonage.

We switched to a higher quality, professional VoIP service
several months ago.  We now use VoIP telephone instruments with
built-in PABX functionality and a high-end auto-attendant service
provider.  The difference is like night and day.

Vonage and similar services from AT&T and the like are probably
OK for residential users.  For business use we needed a better
system.  I now have 17 "lines" split into two hunting groups, the
ability to handle two incoming and one outgoing calls per station
simultaneously.  All of this runs on three (and soon five)
virtual PABX stations, each in a different location.  We can
conference between multiple inside and outside parties, transfer
calls from within and outside the United States while I'm in
Brasil, etc.

I can also preview or scroll back through Caller ID history with
name and calling location.  This comes in very handy in the event
of an occasional dropped connection, which does still happen now
and then due to fluctuations in DSL service.

I've found that one of the important keys to a successful VoIP
application is reliable bandwidth.  DSL makes a huge difference.
I have half-T1 at all but one location and it is much better than
cable.  Even though cable advertises higher bandwidth, it is very
irregular, causing that "underwater" sound you mention, lots of
dropped calls, etc.  Business grade DSL is expensive but it's
well worth the cost when your business depends on it.

--

Regards,
Robert L Bass

Bass Burglar Alarms
The Online DIY Store
http://www.BassBurglarAlarms.com