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Hearing the VoIP call, and giving it a whirlFrom Houston Chronicle By DWIGHT SILVERMAN Copyright 2005 Houston Chronicle In the late 1990s, I remember being called to a small kiosk at a tech trade show and offered a test of something called Voice over Internet Protocol, which is a way-too-geeky way of saying 'phone calls over the Net.' I got to make a call with what looked like a regular phone handset to my home. The volume was very weak, and there was a slight delay as I talked to my wife. It was like talking on a bad cell phone connection. Thanks, I said, but I'll pass. Fast forward to the new century, and VoIP, as it's called, is changing the telephone business. From big businesses to families, a growing number of people are letting the Internet do the calling. And that tinny, frustrating phone call I made is a thing of the past. Most of the time, anyway. Net-based phone service is everywhere, with companies as big as AT&T; offering it alongside smaller names you've likely never heard of. For home users, it usually works like this: You need a high-speed Internet connection, such as DSL or a cable modem. You connect a box for the phone to your modem or router — there also are some combo router/phone interfaces — and plug a standard phone into the box. Voilà , you've got phone calls. I decided to give VoIP a try, and have been testing a small service called Sunrocket. It works the same way as the more familiar names, but with an appealing twist — extremely simple pricing. Sunrocket charges either $24.95 per month, or $199 for a year's service. The latter is a great deal, coming to just over $16.58 a month. There are no additional charges or fees. That's all you pay — the price even includes taxes. For that amount, you get all-you-can-eat local and long-distance service in the United States and Canada, with a $3 allowance for international calls. International rates vary from country to country, from 3 cents a minute to call France to $1.78 to reach cell phones on the Solomon Islands. Gaining a second numberAs with most other VoIP services, you can switch your main current phone number to Sunrocket, but it's easier to do when you start the service than if you want to do it later. You also will be given a second phone number for incoming calls. You can use this to set up a distinctive ring, so you can give that number to specific people and know who's calling. As with most Net-phone services, there is also a slew of technologically advanced features that are the result of this being a computer-based product. Voice mail messages can be forwarded in a variety of ways, including as a sound file to an e-mail address, or even as an instant message. You can set up the system to do what's called "find me" — you provide a series of phone numbers and the system will ring each one consecutively until you answer, or it goes to voice mail. The system generates call logs that you can view on Sunrocket's Web site, and you can even click on one to dial a call. There's also a program to download from the site — though it requires a fairly complicated process to get access to — that will pop up caller ID info on your computer screen when a call comes in. The service questionIt all sounds groovy, but how's the service? Installation is fairly simple. Sunrocket sends you a box it calls the Gizmo, which you plug into your DSL or cable modem. If you have a router, it will plug into the Gizmo. (You can try putting the router first in the chain, but if you have problems, switch back to the recommended setup.) Next, plug a phone into the Gizmo. The company sometimes runs specials in which it sends a cordless phone with a satellite handset, giving you two telephones linked to the service. This highlights one downside to VoIP service. Because you are not using the phone company's lines that come into your home, normally you cannot use the phone jacks and wiring in your house. However, if you disconnect your home's wiring at the phone junction box so you're not on the traditional phone network, you can then run a line from one of your home's jacks to the Gizmo. This will "light up" your phone wiring with the Sunrocket service so you can plug any phone into a wall jack and get a dial tone. Keep in mind, though, that if you have a home burglar alarm that calls out over the phone company wiring, you won't be able to do this — or even give up your land line completely. Check with your alarm company for work-arounds. You should also know this about all VoIP services: If your power goes out and your cable or DSL modem dies, so will your phone service. Some folks I know who have VoIP put their modems and phone boxes onto a standard computer battery backup, or UPS. When the power goes out, they've got a brief period while the phone service keeps working. You also are at the mercy of your Internet provider. If you have frequent outages, you'll also have phone outages. How's the sound quality? For the most part, pretty good. Early on, I heard an occasional delay, and some callers said they heard a slight echo, but it was not severe. Over time, the audio quality has improved. I made a few calls to France, and the quality for those international calls was clear. There was a bit of a delay, but I've had that making international calls with traditional phone service. Some report problemsI've had no problems with the Sunrocket service, but it has not been perfect for others. Reports in the user reviews area of BroadbandReports.com, which tracks Internet and VoIP providers, show some Sunrocket customers initially have problems with incoming or outgoing calls. There are also complaints about customer service being slow to resolve some issues — a complaint typical of rapidly growing companies. But Sunrocket has its heart in the right place, I think. I recently got an e-mail sent to all Sunrocket users apologizing for a two-day outage. Though I was not affected, I was impressed Sunrocket even bothered. When was the last time a utility mailed you an apology? If you're willing to be a guinea pig for a relatively new service for a low, simple price, Sunrocket is a great deal. If you insist on the same kind of reliability you get from traditional phone service, you still may want to do what I did years ago — take a pass. | |
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