VOIP Experience

[Furu]

1. We use VOIP over Starlink. One downside to our system is that since Starlink reassigns the IP address and it can take awhile before the VOIP system realizes that your VOIP link has moved. Outgoing calls are fine, but incoming are routed to voicemail.

2. When we had a failing cable/router, they FedExed us a replacement router and cable.

3. If you get and pay for the RV version, you can move it, but it costs more per month to have.

Peter

1. How often does Starlink reassign the IP address for your unit since they do not use static address assignment?

2. Did you have to pay for the replacement router since you bought the original unit for $599?

3. yes the RV version is 50% more per month and would be great for RV travel lots of moving around. I am wondering if you can use the home unit in a different location (house 2) or does the system know that is is not at your address (house 1). This would not be a common occurrence.

 

[timbatrader]

I don't know if its available where you are but over here (New Zealand) some cell phone company's offer WiFi calling once enabled on your cell phone the cell phone works like normal even outside of cell coverage as long as it can connect to a Wifi network. I have a high power "whole farm wifi modem" which means my cell phone works up to 500 meters from my house several advantages only one phone bill instead of landline plus cell, my cell phone works anywhere I can get Wifi so at my neighbours down the road even overseas without roaming charges

 

[JJT]

We dropped the DSL and copper land line this summer with a switch over to fiber. We've had 2 VOIP outages in the past 6 months for a few hours each. The copper land line was 99.9999 reliable, maybe one outage a year for an hour. DSL was a different story, multiple outages every few months for a few days. The land line number converted over to VOIP. The DSL + landline bill was $50 more per month than the current fiber bill, with a price lock for 2 years. Overall we're happy with fiber, its 300 times faster than our old DSL, much more reliable and cheaper.

We're 10 miles away from a cable provider, so that was not an option for internet.

NY state has a big push to get broadband to rural communities. I would not be surprised to hear the fiber providers get an incentive for every rural customer they sign up, they were quite aggressive trying to get us to convert.

 

[Oz_Kioti]

We use VoIP with our existing analog Panasonic "cordless" phone system. The base unit plugs into an ATA (Analog Telephone Adapter) which is a small adapter box made by Cisco. After programming it, it then takes an ethernet cable from the router to complete the connection.

Our Panasonic system consists of the base unit, and two additional wireless unit/handpieces, so we have two in the house and the third in a shed. Works well, and doubles as an intercom as well.

Now - the main issue with the VoIP, at least in our case, is that we have to use it somewhat like the old walkie-talkie system, in that if the person on the other end of the call is talking, they can't hear any interjection I might make. So you have to wait for them to stop talking (or take a breath) before you speak. You get used to it, but it's still annoying.

I have not heard of the concept of using your smartphone with wifi though - I'll check that out and see if we have that function available here.

 

[Chewwy]

Scammers and robocalls are all so called businesses. VOIP is much cheaper for businesses than the legacy landline.

None of the couple of dozen businesses I do business with are VoIP. Likely because cellular services are readily available and are also much cheaper than landlines.

 

[plowhog]

the RV version is 50% more per month and would be great for RV travel lots of moving around.

One of my neighbors in an obstructed environment was having difficulty with wifi calling and Starlink. It would drop out, then come back in about 5 seconds. He always warned callers not to hang up, just wait.

Then he upgraded from SL RV system to SL residential. He said those problems immediately went away.

 

[Furu]

We dropped the DSL and copper land line this summer with a switch over to fiber. We've had 2 VOIP outages in the past 6 months for a few hours each. The copper land line was 99.9999 reliable, maybe one outage a year for an hour. DSL was a different story, multiple outages every few months for a few days. The land line number converted over to VOIP. The DSL + landline bill was $50 more per month than the current fiber bill, with a price lock for 2 years. Overall we're happy with fiber, its 300 times faster than our old DSL, much more reliable and cheaper.

We're 10 miles away from a cable provider, so that was not an option for internet.

NY state has a big push to get broadband to rural communities. I would not be surprised to hear the fiber providers get an incentive for every rural customer they sign up, they were quite aggressive trying to get us to convert.

Fiber is coming. They say 2 years out

 

[dodge man]

My wife worked for the phone company for about 37 years before she retired and my son works for them now. They are 100% fiber now so people that still have “land lines” are really using some form of VOIP rather they know it or not.

 

[goeduck]

We use VOIP over our Xfinity coax connection. The modem/router has a built in RJ12 phone port. I had to sign up for the service (about an extra $10). I use my cell only but the wife is deaf in one ear and she hears better with a corded phone.

 

[BryceSteiner]

When I'm in southeast kentucky we use Starlink RV. This is where cell service is spotty at best and may not get a hint of a signal for hours. DSL isn't available for us and the land lines are virtually non existant (especially since I found a big section of underground phone trunk in my beaver dam).
It works very well most of the time. It will go down during heavy rain. Our iphones work just fine as phones when SL is connected. We use it with our computers for video uploading to our youtube channel / graphics and newspaper publishing when we are pretty much off grid.
Disadvantage is it's a little pricey. It's nice that we can turn on and off the subscription when we come and go. Sometimes we get charged a full month and other times we just get charged by the week. I'm not sure what is actually going on with that. It's nice too that I can take it when I travel to other places in those trips because we have found that most of the cabins we have stayed at have terrible internet, contrary to what their descriptions say when we are investigating to stay.