Steve Mensing, Editor
♦ The day of the expensive home or office telephones is over. Today all home and office VOIP phones or landlines operate over the internet and are called Voice Over the Internet Protocol or VOIP. Because so much competition exists among VOIP phone providers, prices are generally super cheap and in some cases FREE. Surprisingly performance among most VOIP phones is pretty much the same even though there is a major disparity in price. The sound quality of a VOIP phone often depends too on the connection speed of your internet. If you have a 10 Mbps or speedier connection your sound quality will generally be excellent. Know too that many Americans (an estimated 65% presently) are using their smart phones as a home phone. If you have a high-speed internet connection you can save a bundle by using cheapo services like Google Voice, MagicJackGo, Ooma, Walmart’s “Basic Talk”, or Skype.
Let’s look at 2015’s very best buys/performers in Rowan County/Salisbury VOIP phones:
• In 2015 no major VOIP phone provider can beat Google Voice’s price which is FREE and likely the equal of many VOIP phones out there. Google Voice has numerous bells and whistles and can be integrated with cell phones, reducing their rates. It’s difficult to compete with FREE. Find out more about Google Voice here: http://www.google.com/googlevoice/about.html
• Next is the very excellent MagicJack Go VOIP which was introduced in 2015. This outrageously good performer, which can be used at home or in a small office is $59 dollars for the whole first year, along with their software gizmo. The MagicJackGo’s price drops after the first year and MagicJackGo offers great deals to re-up. I use its terrific MagicJack App on my IPAD and use my IPAD as phone. The App can be installed on a most smart phones as well. MagicJackGo’s possesses High-Def sound that is unsurpassed. http://www.magicjack.com/magicJackGO.html
• An excellent choice, especially if you are a small business or several persons in your office, is the pricier Ooma (It’s still far less expensive than any major internet provider’s business VOIP network and outperforms their VOIPs. It’s sound, features, and ease of use make Ooma a top performer. It is rated as the top performer by just about every consumer rating service. Learn about Ooma here: http://www.ooma.com/products/
• Walmart has partnered with Vonage and sells their VOIP phone under the name “Basic Talk”. It’s 9.99 a month and its initial hardware is inexpensive. Walmart’s “Basic Talk” is excellent for home or small office use. It’s basically Vonage with Walmart’s “Basic Talk” name on it.
• A final choice is Skype, famed for its video chat suitable for video conferencing. A good office choice. Their VOIP has excellent audio sound quality. Learn more about Skype here:
In Rowan County and Salisbury all the large telecoms VOIP phones (Time Warner Cable, AT&T U-verse, Windstream, and especially Fibrant) are non-competitive in price with the above mentioned VOIP phone companies. If you want a professional VOIP phone for your office any of the above phones can be easily installed in minutes by even grandma or grandpa. All of the VOIP phone companies mentioned are quite helpful in their assistance.
