nikon

home : computing : packet8

palmos

Packet 8 Phone Service

April 25, 2004 - Update

We've been using our IP phone for almost a year now. During that time, we've been extremely pleased with it. A month ago we lost our T3 at home and have been downgraded to cable modem. Now we occasionally have less than perfect call quality, but it nearly always corresponds to having less than stellar performance from our cable provider.

Aug 16, 2004 - More IP Phone problems

This evening our IP phone service went AWOL again. Apparently Packet 8 had a database issue where they lost a cluster of accounts. Ours was one of them so when we tried making a call, it didn't work. Fortunately, we have three other phone lines in the house with which to call them.

They fixed the problem in about 12 minutes and are giving me a $4 credit for the inconvenience. I'm not as happy as if it hadn't happened, but twice now I've called with a problem and I get a support person very quickly. They resolve issues very quickly as well. I am quite satisfied with their technical support thus far.

Aug 13, 2004 - Phone Issues

Well, my land line (775-0119) is currently in a state of disrepair. It works, I can call out just fine, but nobody can call me via it. If you dial that number, you'll get a nice message stating that the number is not in service. Lovely.

So much for the promise of LNP (Local Number Portability) being easy. This is, of course, what happens when two phone companies have to work together. My previous phone company (Sage Telecom) is losing my business as I've have dropped them in favor of my new IP phone service, with the option of getting my old number placed on my new phone.

It all works great in theory. You keep your old phone, and your new one arrives. That happened a few weeks back. The new phone service get's hooked up with a temporary number while the LNP process begins. Some weeks later (today), the new phone company gets the number from the old one and calls get routed to your new phone. Well, that routing is currently FUBAR.

This will be a wonderful thing, when it's all sorted out. In the mean time, you can call us via our IP phone number (231-577-4113). It's a local Cadillac exchange so it dials just like any other 775, 779, or 876 number.

July 30, 2004 - Internet Telephony

I've been wanting an IP phone for quite a while now, and keep checking with the providers of IP phones every now and again. Finally, packet8 got local service in northern Michigan so I just had to sign up. I got the phone in a couple weeks ago and so far, it's been great.

It took 5 days for the terminal adapter to arrive, and less than 5 minutes to get it working. It works quite well, even better than my copper based "land line". For $20/mo I get unlimited coast-to-coast long distance, dirt cheap international long distance ($0.02-$0.05), and I can use the phone anywhere I have high speed internet.

I've used it to make quite a few long distance calls and the people I call can't tell the difference between it and my land line. I'd have probably chose Vonage based on their reputation but packet8 has the better coverage and less costly plan.

Last modified on 4/25/05.