A Review of Vonage Internet Phone Service

Is Cheaper VoIP Service Really Better?

Vonage is perhaps one of the most highly advertised voice-over internet phone services available. Voice-over internet phones, or VoIP, have become increasingly popular as more and more consumers switch to broadband internet. The phone line runs through the internet instead of the phone line. Vonage is one of the least expensive options available today. The starting price for Vonage service is $14.99 a month. For this price the customer gets 500 minutes to call anywhere in the US and Canada. The Premium Unlimited is perhaps their most popular service, and offers unlimited calls to anywhere in the US. The price for the Premium Unlimited package is $24.99 a month and currently the first month is free. Both packages include voicemail, caller ID, call waiting, three-way calling, and call forwarding. Vonage also offers packages for small businesses that includes a dedicated fax line at no extra cost.

The process of being set up with an internet phone service is to purchase a router that is compatible with your service. On Vonage’s website they offer two routers that are free after rebate. Which router you need depends on your home network set up. Any phone can be connected to the router, but in order to use the caller ID feature, the phone will need to have caller ID capabilities.

For the most part, Vonage offers clear, crisp calls. However, periodically the calls have a slight echo that is only heard on the Vonage customer’s end. In the beginning of their service there were times when the service did not connect. The Vonage customer could hear the caller on the other end, but the caller could not hear them, but this problem appears to have been handled.