Hello from new member

[muttcats]

Hi. I just gave DU the last of the money in my PayPal account just so that I could participate here and in the homeschoolers group. I'm not sure if that's frugal or not.

So hurry up and help me recoup my investment.

To start, I'm thinking of cutting my phone bill in half by going with Voice over IP. I'm specifically looking at Sunrocket which is $199 per year and comes with a free phone. Has anyone used them or another similar service?

[politicat]

1. We have one. Sunrocket.

I've been 90% happy with the service - they're having problems getting our cell phones switched to the house number (we're giving up on cell phones. What's the point?) But that may be t-mobile being difficult; we haven't been able to suss out who is to blame, but my money's on t-mobile.

The install is very easy and fast, the handsets are great; the gizmo works really well with my retro corded phone and our fax machine. Other than the transfer issue, I couldn't be happier.

Welcome to DU!

(And it was a frugal decision... I promise. There's a ton of great people and ideas on this site.)

[preciousdove]

2. Do they have a referral program?

Haven't checked but I will contact you privately if you can get something if I decide to join.

[politicat]

3. They do have a referral program.

I'd be happy to refer you if you decide to take them.

Best,

PCat

[supernova]

4. I might be interested

I'm unhappy with my land line. I presently have DSL through the phone company and I pay about $110/month for both phone and DSL service. Problem is I have a chronic problem that the phone company doesn't recognize as a problem. Every time it we get one of those days-long soaking rains, my phone gets too much static and noise on it, to the point I can barely hear the other caller. Sometimes I lose dialtone completely..... for hours at a time.

I'm tired of calling and reporting it and them saying it's fixed, but the problem comes right back again the next time.

I guess my question is, do you still have to have a land line for voice over IP? Or can I do that if I switch to say a satt service for internet connection?

[shrike]

5. I was wondering the same thing

Maybe someone on the board will enlighten us.

Then again, I know someone who's on VOIP. Maybe I'll ask him and report back.

[politicat]

6. Not necessarily a land line.

You can do VOIP over a cable modem or a satellite modem (DirectWAV) or DSL. Your choice and kinda based on what's out there.

If you have Qworst, your phone line only has to be good enough to do 28.8 K, (slow dialup) - we had that problem in our old house. The problem you may be experiencing (we had this in a house when I was a kid) is that the line from the "street" to the house has a break, so when they test the line at the junction box, it looks fine. If your service has some sort of inside wiring insurance, get it, then call. They behave better and it only costs a few bucks for a couple of months. Or go over to a cable modem.

We did Sunrocket over a Cable modem for about 6 months - no problems; we're now using a stand alone DSL line because Comcast pissed me off (when we moved, they tripled my rate and charged me for moving the account AND made a mess when they installed and didn't clean it up).

[FloridaPat]

7. Here's the solution to your static problem. Next time it happens - or

tomarrow - call your public utility commision and tell them about your problem. They will call your telephone company and your line should be fixed in a day or two. Keep calling the public utility commission often with progress reports if it doesn't get fixed.

[catnhatnh]

10. Hey...That static thing.....

can often be traced to the exterior junction box for your phone....about a 4x6 to 6x8 plastic box mounted on the outside of your house....water infiltrates in spite the box being "waterproof" and static ensues....try finding the box and wrapping it with a plastic bag and seal with an elastic...Also try to mount some form of shield above the box to prevent moisture from pooling on top of the box (drips from the eaves) and if possible check drainage below the box to make sure that standing water is not being splashed upward towards the less protected bottom of the box...wait till after the next torrential rain,and if the static is gone you have found the culprit....

[benny05]

8. hello muttcats

Welcome to the DU

Not familiar with the service you mention, but your investment here will be well worth it.

:hi:

[Wordie]

9. Welcome to DU, muttcats!

:hi:

That's something I've been curious about too - alternatives to landline phone service. Apparently Consumer Reports just did an article on the subject (January 2006 issue). I've found Consumer Reports, over the years, to be an excellent source of info. They don't have ads, so they aren't beholden to advertisers. The article is online, but to see that article requires a subscripition:
http://www.consumerreports.org/cro/electronics-computers/phone-service-wired-wireless-web-106/consider-longdistance-use.htm?resultPageIndex=1&resultIndex=4&searchTerm=internet%20phone

But you can almost always find the Consumer Reports magazine in the library.

[benny05]

11. Consumer Reports still recommends Land Line

For the same reasons I have one: secured conversations when you have to pay bills online. OTH, w/Bush listening to us, I wonder as Paul Krugman did why Bush doesn't pay for listening on sexlines...lol

[SuperWonk]

12. Consumer Reports

The gap between quality and reliability of landlines vs. a service like SunRocket is getting much narrower every month. The real draw of SunRocket, as I see it, is cost. You can save a ton of money on phone calls. Getting unlimited calling for $199 a year with no extra taxes or fees is definitely quite a deal.