VoIP extra credit

• How easy/difficult was this exercise? What are your thoughts about these services? What would entice you to “buy”?

Vonage is available in my area, and costs 24.99/mo plus $9.99 (after rebates) for initial hardware costs. They do have an option for me to keep my old number, but I wasn’t able to check availability because I don’t have a home phone number to check.

With speakeasy I was unable to get anywhere. I entered my address and zip code, and their system said they didn’t match, or were unable to find my zip code (same thing after multiple tries.) Speakeasy also seems to be more geared toward business and internet access than home VoIP.

Vonage was very simple and easy, and were definitely geared toward residential phones. On their website it was very easy to find the information I needed. Speakeasy on the other hand didn’t even really advertise Home VoIP, and the link to find a quote was toward the bottom of the page in smaller print. It seemed to me a simple reflection of who their target customer is; Speakeasy advertises for T1 monthly internet service at 279.99/mo on their homepage, clearly not something most families would have at home.

I don’t think I would be convinced to buy anytime in the near future because i am simply not in need of an alternate phone (one other than my cell.) When I’m older and have a family I could understand the need for one, but if the 911 issue wasn’t solved I probably would opt for a POTS phone for safety.