Packet8 Promotion - Limited Time

Telebay (in partnership with Packet8 VoIP service), has just announced a special deal for all new activations between now and December 31, 2005. If you sign up for Packet8 internet phone service through http://www.telebay.com/govoip/packet8.html, the activation fee will be waived. This will save you $29.95 for residential service or $39.00 for Virtual Office business service!. In addition, your first month of service is FREE!!!

Also, if you choose to get a Uniden whole house phone system (this is what I use, and it is fantastic!), you will get a $110 instant rebate. So the Uniden UIP 1868P VoIP phone will only cost you $49. I paid $159 for mine.

This offer is only available through Telebay. If you are thinking about subscribing to VoIP anytime soon, this is a terrific limited-time deal.

As always, if you want to learn more about VoIP or would like to compare providers: visit my website at www.saveonphoneservice.com.

Packet8 Review

I have been a Packet8 VoIP user for several months, and have logged over 10,000 minutes of calling time on this service to date. During this time, I lost my dial tone 3 times and had around 6 incomplete or dropped calls. Two times, the person I was talking to said I sounded like I was in a "tunnel". Other than that, the call quality has been excellent and I have no complaints. Other than the "tunnel" sound that happend twice, the other problems were due to my local network setup and had nothing to do with Packet8 at all. Since the length of my average call is about 45 minutes, I've used Packet8 for around 220 calls so far. With only 2 of these calls having quality issues that I can attribute directly to Packet8 service, I can safely say that Packet8 VoIP service has proven to be over 99% reliable. With unlimited local and long distance calling for $19.95 a month, Packet8 unlimited local and long distance service with +99% reliability is the bargain of the year!

My Packet8 experience has been absolutely wonderful so far. When I received my Uniden 1868P VoIP adapter/telephone combo device, I was able to install it in minutes due to the excellent instructions that were enclosed. After making the necessary cable connections, I lifted the receiver, dialed the special code that was provided, and had an email confirming my activation within minutes. I made my first "live" internet phone call within 15 minutes of unpacking the adapter. As an IT person, I have installed hundreds of new hardware devices and have never experienced a setup as quick and easy as this one. Installation is so simple that I firmly believe anyone can do it!

Most questions can be answered by reading the technical support postings on the Packet8.com website. For issues that are not covered, you can call a customer support number and talk to a "real person" or send an email. I emailed a question regarding the password to my VoIP adapter device, and had an answer within 10 minutes. This is perhaps the quickest response I have ever had from any company's tech support! Packet8 is also very good about keeping subscribers informed of upcoming changes via email. I get an informative email from them every 3-4 weeks, telling me about enhancements they are adding to services or upgrades that are available for my adapter/phone combo device.

All account management can be done through the user section of the Packet8 website. I can logon and see invoice history, download updates and manage my services. The simple online control panel allows me to tailor services to meet my needs. I can set the number of rings before voicemail picks up, change my voicemail password, and turn voicemail on/off. I can also turn call waiting on/off or forward all my calls to a number of my choice if I'm going to be away from home for awhile. Beginning November 2005, I'll be able to enter an email address that voice messages will be forwarded to. This is a great service that I think I will use often; voice messages will come to me via an email attachment that can be forwarded to anyone I wish.

The features I get for free with Packet8 are awesome - call waiting, call forwarding, caller id, distinctive ring (this is a feature on the Uniden 1868p phone), 3 way conference calling, call blocking and voicemail. I never paid the extra price for these features with my old land line service, but I sure do enjoy them for free! I think voicemail is one of the best features with VoIP. I was able to get rid of my answering machine and I can now check my voicemail from anywhere with a toll free number that Packet8 provides. If I want, I can add an 800 number or "virtual numbers" in another area code for a few dollars per month, and the distinctive ring service will tell me which phone number is ringing.

Needless to say, I am totally satisfied with Packet8 VoIP service and highly recommend this provider. Their main competitor is Vonage, who offers comparable service for about $5 more per month. If you want high quality, VoIP service for $60 less a year than Vonage, Packet8 is definitely the way to go.

Read a review on Packet8 and 8X8 company

Compare the Best VoIP Providers

Unlimited Long Distance Calling with VoIP

To compete with the growing VoIP internet phone service market, traditional land line companies are now adding unlimited long distance calling plans to their offerings. In my area, this service is being advertised for around $40 per month. If your long distance bill normally runs higher than this, you might consider this a bargain price – until you see what the alternatives are....

I have a friend who normally spends around $60 a month on long distance, with some months reaching over $100. This is not an uncommon scenario in today’s mobile society. At $40 per month, her phone company's unlimited long distance calling plan would easily save her $240 a year. This is quite a bargain, but she could save even more by switching to a non-traditional telephone service like VoIP. VoIP technology relies on the inexpensive internet to route calls, as opposed to expensive PSTN (public switched telephone network – also known as a “land line”). Internet phone service has been around for several years, but the technology is perfected now and the quality and reliability is suitable for everyday residential phone use.

Cable television companies are now offering unlimited long distance calling (which includes unlimited local calling as well) for around $40 per month in my area. If my friend were to disconnect her land line phone service and switch to cable VoIP, she would save even more money – around $300 per year. Since disconnecting telephone service means she can no longer use dial up internet, she will have to cancel this and get cable internet too. Cable internet costs more than dial up, so we have to take that into consideration.

Here’s a breakdown of her cost savings using VoIP from her cable company:

Current Land Line Phone + Dial Up Internet
Basic monthly phone service = $25
Average monthly long distance = $60
Dial up internet service = $20
Total monthly phone + internet = $ 105
Annual phone + internet = $1260

Cable Internet + cable phone service (disconnect land line phone)
Phone service (with unlimited l/d) = $40
Broadband internet = $40
Total monthly phone + internet = $ 80
Annual phone + internet = $ 960
Total annual savings vs. current with Cable VoIP= $ 300

VoIP phone service through the cable company will save my friend $60 more a year than the phone company’s unlimited long distance plan. That’s quite a bargain, and she will get high speed broadband internet too! Also, with the internet phone service she’ll get a lot of bonus features that she would have to pay extra for with traditional phone service. Most VoIP phone service includes free voicemail, caller id, call waiting, call forwarding, 3 way conference calling, etc… Whether she chooses to use them or not, the features are included if she wants them. Unlimited local and long distance is a great deal through the cable company, but there is yet another option that will save even more…

Unlike cable companies who offer internet phone service as an “add on” item, true VoIP providers focus totally on internet telephony. VoIP service providers are the pioneers in the industry, and internet phone service is their forte. These companies offer even better deals on unlimited long distance calling, and have the most experience with VoIP. There are several VoIP providers to choose from, but since I subscribe to Packet8 I’ll continue the savings example with them.

Packet8 offers unlimited local and long distance calling for a mere $20 a month. Just like cable VoIP, they also give you all the extra features for free. If my friend were to get broadband internet through her cable company, subscribe to Packet8’s unlimited plan and disconnect her land line phone – she would save a whopping $540 per year! Now that’s what I call a bargain. As an added benefit, she will never have to see another long distance phone bill again.

Here’s how it breaks out:

Cable Internet + Packet8 phone service (disconnect land line phone)
Phone service (with unlimited l/d) = $20
Broadband internet = $40
Total monthly phone + internet = $ 60
Annual phone + internet = $ 720
Total annual savings vs. current with Packet8 = $ 540

As you can see, it’s easy to save money with unlimited long distance calling. The type of service you choose determines how much you will save. If you never want to pay long distance charges again, you don’t have to. Put the extra money away, buy yourself a special treat or pay off some bills – and then make all the long distance calls you want for free! Before deciding on a VoIP provider, be sure to review pricing and packages of the best VoIP providers.

Broadband Booster Can Improve VoIP Quality

Although cable broadband internet is a whole lot faster than dialup, I usually experience a slight delay when opening a webpage. Perhaps most people don’t notice the latency associated with cable internet, but as a former DSL user it got my attention right away. I noticed a distinct difference in speed between cable and DSL, but I realized I had to live with it in order to use internet phone service in the most economical way. DSL requires a phone line, which requires telephone service – so if you want to replace your land line phone with low cost internet phone service, the only option is to use cable or T-1 for internet. With my internet phone up and running over cable broadband, the voice quality was better than expected. I noticed no big difference between VoIP and my land line phone, but did experience “dropped” calls and “incomplete” calls periodically. This is due to the latency in my broadband connection, but since VoIP saves me over $500 a year (unlimited calling for less than $20 a month) an occasional dropped call is fine with me!

While flipping through a computer magazine, I spotted an ad for the Hawking Broadband Booster. This device is designed to eliminate the “lag” in your internet connection by monitoring the data that is coming and going and re-prioritizing the packets. It installs between your cable modem and router, and acts like a “traffic cop”, eliminating congestion by ensuring that both router and modem get nice even streams of data. In an attempt to decrease the latency with my cable modem, I decided to try out this device. Although it is a bit pricy ($75 - $100), I figured I could always return it if it didn’t work as claimed.

The broadband booster was really easy to install (just connect two cables and restart your cable modem) and required no configuration whatsoever. The device is tiny (2” X 4”) and weighs only an ounce or so. I noticed an immediate improvement in my internet connection, although there is still a very slight lag. In the past several weeks I have logged nearly 3000 minutes on my VoIP service and have not experienced any dropped or incomplete calls. I am very satisfied with the Hawking Broadband Booster and recommend it to anyone using broadband and/or internet phone service. Although I am not a gamer, the company claims it really helps with online playing as well. Many people with satellite internet cannot use VoIP due to the inconsistent satellite signal. If satellite internet is your only choice for broadband, it may be worth your while to give this little device a try.

I subscribe to Packet8 internet phone service, and highly recommend it. You can read about Packet8 service and get a coupon that will save you money here.

VoIP Saves Money and Brings Loved Ones Closer

Many people have friends and family scattered all over the country (or the world for that matter), and keeping in touch via telephone can become pretty expensive. Most of my loved ones live far away, so to avoid long distance charges I always saved my calling for the weekend when cell phone minutes are free.

Although I love the portability of having a cell phone and will never give it up, I really hate the thought of paying $40 a month for a secondary phone service. Even though there are plenty of monthly minutes on my plan, I think about overage charges every time I use the darn thing. Waiting for the “free nights and weekends” time to make long distance calls saves money, but it’s really inconvenient. I wanted to be able to call anyone at any time and not have to worry about minutes or fees, so I gave internet phone service a try.

I cautiously subscribed to broadband phone service a few months ago, thinking “$20 a month for unlimited local and long distance calling sounds too good to be true”. My main concern was the call quality, since I tried VoIP a few years ago and found it too choppy and cumbersome to bother with. Boy was I pleasantly surprised! Within the first week of using Packet8 internet phone service, I called the phone company and had my land line telephone disconnected. My internet phone acted and sounded just like my old “ma bell” service, and I could make all the long distance calls I wanted (any time I wanted) for no additional charge! My first month’s minutes totaled over 2000, and I still only paid around $23 ($19.95 + taxes and fees).

Broadband phone service has changed my life. I call long distance friends and family nearly every day now, and talk as long as I want to. I no longer worry about long distance charges or cell phone minutes, and actually saved more money by reducing my cell rate plan down to the bare minimum. I no longer have to plan my long distance calls around “nights and weekends”, and I’ve become much closer to my family because we talk more. As an added bonus, I can use the conference calling feature and talk to two people at once! Thanks to my VoIP service, everyone I call saves money. When someone wants to talk to me, they call and let my phone ring once. The free caller-id tells me who called and I call back using my “unlimited long distance”. A good friend recently told me that her long distance bill is now under $20 a month thanks to my internet phone.

Internet phone service isn’t for everyone, but if you make frequent long distance calls it will pay for itself immediately. VoIP is saving me around $45 a month (over $500 a year!). As an added benefit, you can spend so much time talking to far off loved ones that it feels like they live next door!

Best VoIP Providers for the Money - http://www.long-distance-savings.com

Packet8 Announces Enhancements to Service

Internet phone service provider Packet8 announced this week that they will begin offering some great new service enhancements in November 2005. These services are:

E911
To comply with recent FCC regulations requiring that internet 911 calls are routed to local emergency services, Packet8 will provide enhanced 911 services (E911) to all subscribers beginning in November. E911 ensures that all 911 emergency calls are routed to the appropriate operator and will also provide emergency personnel with a call back number and the address of the caller. E911 can be used while roaming. This is important for those who travel with their internet phone. For E911 to be effective, users must register their current service address to ensure that emergency calls are properly routed.

7 Digit Dialing
Currently, all calls must be dialed as long distance (even within same area code). With 7 digit dialing, all calls within the same area code can be dialed as local.

Voicemail with Email notification
This allows subscribers to receive an email with the actual voicemail message attached. Users can forward voicemails to others or save them to disk.

Call Waiting Disable
Subscribers can use *70 to disable call waiting for individual calls. Call waiting can be turned off/on any time within online account management.

Simultaneous Ring
Within online account management, subscribers can choose to have their Packet8 number ring another number at the same time.

Packet8 is providing free VoIP adapter upgrades to enable all of these new features. They are not increasing prices; unlimited local and long distance phone service is still $19.95 a month. With all the free features they provide, Packet8 is clearly the low cost leader in the residential VoIP industry. Packet8’s main competitor is Vonage.



If you are interested in learning more about VoIP, or would like to compare providers, please visit: http://www.long-distance-savings.com.

Packet8 Review and 8X8 Company Information