I’d like to start off by saying I’m no expert in this field by any means, but I have had my share of voice over IP phones in the past. I have tried everything from Skype to Vocalocity and the range from cheap to really expensive. I have used each and every one of these VoIP devices personally and the review is based on my personal experiences.
While working on a client site, I had the rare opportunity to familiarize myself with the use of VoIP phones; what they are and how they work. Much to my amazement, they are pretty simple devices that require some knowledge of the Internet in general to get them working. These devices are not for the faint of heart.
I started out trying Vonage. Vonage was a decent system, but at $24.99 a month they have almost priced themselves out of the phone market. The Vonage service was easy to use, simple voicemail, and the ability to email .wav files of your voice mails to you, but it has no teleconferencing ability.
Then I decided to try Skype. It costs about $30.00 a year, which is very affordable. At first it seemed to work well using it on the computer. After buying Skype’s hardware device, it seemed to really throw off the system and all of a sudden I was dropping calls, echo sounding, and clients complained that it sounded like I was talking in an aquarium. Skype’s ability to teleconference was pretty seamless and easy to use through the computer, but through the hardware device the handset never could recognize the key commands or work efficiently. This was a major downside to the product and service.
Vocalocity costs about $39.99 a month, plus buying their phone that costs around $199.00. Well all I can say is “if you have the money to throw away, then this is the system you want”. The system is really efficient, easy to use, with 24×7 support and great teleconferencing abilities built in. To me, it’s a bit pricier than I wanted to pay.
Finally there is Ooma, Ooma is a device that you plug-in to your current high speed Internet connection and instantly get phone service for free. The device at the time I purchased it was a $399.00 one-time fee, which covered the device and unlimited calling in the United States. The major plus side of this device was that Ooma’s system controlled the throttling of bandwidth allocated to the unit. For example, if you’re on the phone and everyone in your office or family is downloading YouTube videos, Ooma automatically recognizes the telephone is priority over other Internet usages. Another feature that Ooma offers is the ability to be notified via SMS or email sent to you directly when a new voicemail arrives. I really love this feature because I’m always on the move or out and about and I never miss a call. There is only one down side to Ooma, there are no real teleconferencing abilities.
After comparing all the devices for quality, ease of use, and reasonable expense, Ooma wins hands down. Especially with no monthly service fee required to make phone calls.
When it comes to teleconferencing, there are always great services to use such as freeconference.com that really take the work out of needing a device that does teleconferencing at all.
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