Re: VOIP - What Works? What Doesn't?

[Jim <alarminex@xxxxxxx>]

On Friday, March 23, 2012 9:26:49 PM UTC-4, Chris wrote:
> On Friday, March 23, 2012 6:13:43 PM UTC-7, Bob La Londe wrote:
> > I've been playing with voice over IP telephone service for the last cou=
ple=20
> > days.  I've had a plain old Magic Jack plugged into a USB port on my de=
sk=20
> > computer for a while now (2 years maybe).  I use it as a spare line, an=
d for=20
> > the tackle and mold making sideline business.  It works pretty decent.=
=20
> > Sometimes its a little tinny sounding, but as long as my Internet works=
 it=20
> > seems to work.  Since I upgraded my internet service a while back it ha=
s=20
> > worked much better.
> >=20
> > Well, I decided to check out 8x8.  They are a service claiming to provi=
de=20
> > professional grade VOIP services.  I know of businesses much larger tha=
n=20
> > mine who are using them.  So far I am not impressed.  They setup my acc=
ount=20
> > wrong, and they couldn't fix it.  They had to send me another piece of =
VOIP=20
> > equipment to get it to work the way they set it up.  Its so I can send =
faxes=20
> > using an ordinary analog fax machine over their VOIP service.  It doesn=
't=20
> > work.  (I haven't had an actual fax machine hooked up in years for my=
=20
> > business, but I need to test everything.)
> >=20
> > They claimed to make some adjustments to their compression codecs, and =
it=20
> > supposedly tested in both directions, but I never received a test fax. =
 When=20
> > I tested further just to make sure hardware was good I plugged both the=
 fax=20
> > machine and the fax modem into a plain old telephone service (POTS) lin=
e.=20
> > Both pieces of equipment worked fine on POTS.  Then on a lark I decided=
 to=20
> > plug the fax modem into the Magic Jack.  I don't figure there was a=20
> > snowball's chance in heck of that working, but amazingly it did.  Then =
back=20
> > to the VOIP port from 8x8.  No joy.  Call goes through, I can hear the =
fax=20
> > tones, but it fails every time.
> >=20
> > Sadly I must conclude that 8x8 is not quite were they need to be just y=
et=20
> > for me to recommend them to my customers.  If they want a cheap phone l=
ine=20
> > for occasional use I think a Magic Jack would be a better choice.
> >=20
> > I've got three 8x8 VOIP adaptors sitting in my communications room righ=
t=20
> > now.  All different models.
>=20
> Bob,
>=20
> On a bit of a side note, how has it been without a fax machine for so lon=
g?  Are you using something else like eFax instead, or just simply email an=
d snail mail?
>=20
> I figure at least 99% of the faxes I get are junk mail, and I don't remem=
ber the last time I needed to fax something out (other than to start up acc=
ounts, but those are emailed now).
>=20
> And yet, it seems like it's some sort of necessity to have a fax machine =
to run a business.
>=20
> - Chris

Chris, I have a cure for your "junk" faxes.

I used to get all kinds of faxes from Delicatessen menus to porn.

I got fed up so I made 25 blank photo copies on my copy machine with the co=
ver open. That makes black pages on my machine. The next time I got a fax, =
I copied down the telephone number. Then, late at night when I thought that=
 no one would be there, I faxed about 100 pages of the black copies to them=
 with the final page note saying .....=20

Since you continue to waste my paper and toner supplies, I thought I do the=
 same to you. STOP SENDING ME YOUR FUCKING FAXES!!!!!!!!!=20

I did that to about five of six of the worst offenders and the faxes stoppe=
d. Obviously, turn off your fax at night so that they can't return the favo=
r.