PC Magazine's In-Depth VoIP Review

Voipster writes "PC Magazine has completed their in-depth review of six VoIP providers. The Editor's Choice award goes to AT&T's CallVantage service. Unlike other reviews that consist of making a few phone calls, PC Magazine uses Minacom's PowerProbe 6000 VoIP testing equipment which provides hard numerical scores for a DTMF detection test, a fax transmission test, and two voice quality tests, PESQ (Perceptual Evaluation of Speech Quality) and VQES (Voice Quality Evaluation System). However, after a very detailed analysis of each provider, the calculated scores don't carry much weight as they award AT&T's CallVantage the Editor's Choice and four other services strangely tie for second place."

Comments

Interesting Idea

[Bumjubeo]

What will happen to the phone companies that offer dsl and phone service when the cable etc.. companies start offering VOIP. I myself know that when my cable ISP starts offering voip im dropping my phone service from the local provider. Anyone Else?

Re:Interesting Idea

[zymurgyboy]

I already long ago dumped traditional phone service in place of cell-only telecomm at my crib.

However, I might consider getting a VoIP replacement at home through Comcast (are you listening Comcast guys??) when they offer it for two reasons, assuming they include call plans I want and it's cost effective.

1) Clarity on the cells in my brick/plaster walled townhome are often kinda crappy. The cheaper, multiuse, single number for everything, unfettered nature of cell phones has far outweighed my desire for a better quality phone experience, however. 2) Getting international calling plans for the cell phones would be more expensive than I'm willing to fork over. I've tried to use prepaid calling card services with the cell but found them too cumbersome. If I could get a plan that offered international service to Western Europe (I have several friends from the days I attended the University of Sussex I like to keep in touch with and it's just not the same when I can't hear their voice), for say, a flat rate of $10 a month or some reasonable per minute charge of, say 5 cents or less per minute) I'd consider getting one.

That would have to be weighed carefully with the risk of inviting telemarketers back into my life however. It's been so nice without them for the last 3 years. And no, I don't trust the National Do Not Call list to do what it advertizes.

Re:Interesting Idea

[LiquidCoooled]

I would rather tell somebody my address than sit there screaming into some piece of dead electronics while I burn to death.

Re:Interesting Idea

[Leo McGarry]

That's not necessary. If you pick up a phone on a disconnected line with no dial tone, and dial "911," you'll get an operator. That's a key part of the 911 system.

Do not try this to see if it works. In most places, there's a fairly steep fine for making a non-emergency call to 911.

AT&T Bleh!

[Anonymous Coward]

"However, after a very detailed analysis of each provider, the calculated scores don't carry much weight as they award AT&T's CallVantage the Editor's Choice and four other services strangely tie for second place.""

Could you elaborate further?

Re:Early in the game

[drinkypoo]

SBC left me without POTS service for three days when the fault was absolutely in their wiring. I responded by dropping SBC and getting a cellphone. Since then, I have had zero outages, though reception and thus call quality is poor in my area. With a better antenna, I'd be better off. My comcast cable internet connection was down for two days once and has been down for a few hours at a time many times. Cellular is still the best non-POTS option IMO.

Article leaves some important things out

[johns582]

We tried VoIP from Verizon in November 2004. One important thing that the article failed to mention is that you still have to maintain a regular analog line (and the associated cost of that line) if you have certain services (such as Direct TV) that use an analog line. We decided it was worth the price anyway, so we gave it a try. But we ultimately had to switch back. The VoIP translator provided by Verizon was supposed to grab a random IP when in use, but it always seemed to grab the IP of our webserver (hosted on the same network). We couldn't figure out why this was happening and no one at Verizon could help either. So we cancelled it and went back to the analog line. Interestingly, Verizon didn't want any of the equipment back: apparently once you configure it, it's worthless to them. (?)

Re:No Skype? Here's my review

[hanssprudel]

Skype uses other users as proxies to allow people to talk even when both parties are behind a NAT/firewall that doesn't allow incoming connections. The reason you are seeing those connections to strange places is probably that you are being used as a proxy for somebody located there. Conversations are end-to-end encrypted, so it should not be possible for the proxy to intercept the discussion (I say should because I have not reviewed there security, and I have questions about how well there distributed index system could stand up to MITM attacks).

I'm not saying that it wouldn't be better if it was a standardized open system, but in this case you are just being paranoid.

Re:Lots of VOIP phones in 1 house

[bwags]

Unfortunately this sometimes does not work. I have a packet8 setup and when the box is plugged into the existing house wiring, there is just not enought juice to supply the house phones. I ma thinking it is a voltage drop issue. Actuall you can make calls out, but incomming calls get dropped. I am going to buy a base unit with handsets to solve the problem. Unless anyone out there knows of a telephone signal booster.