Verizon's VoIP offering is called VoiceWing ( http://www.verizon.com/voicewing ) and it is better than the Verizon Metro Unlimited plan you mentioned.
The service you (parent author) use has some special features not supported by Voicewing, but Voicewing offers a LOT more time.
Voicewing offers unlimited* calls TO numbers in the US and all US territories (including Guam). This works from just about any broadband connection, even from outside the US! [*-Normal usage is less than 5000 minutes, but there's no cap.] They also have decent international rates.
They offer conditional call forwarding for when your device doesn't have connectivity, when the line is busy, and when you don't answer. You get 3-way calling, caller ID, call waiting, and more.
And you can get phone numbers that are local to many cities in the US. You pick your city/area-code and all calls to that number are sent to your device. You can get multiple numbers to your device, too. (Also they support keeping old numbers from previous services if you want to kee a current phone number.)
You plug your regular phone into the VoIP device and dial just like before (except you dial all numbers as long distance).
Also, more and newer features are planned and on the way (or so I'm told).
It runs about $40/month and the device is provided free. There's a $40 setup charge.
(I'm not advertising; I'm educating and sharing my experience.)
As far as 911 calls are concerned - you tell them your service address, and all calls to 911 will report your listed service address as the originating location. (This is VERY IMPORTANT!) When you move, or take your equipment to a new location for an extended period, UPDATE THAT INFO!
I'm sure you don't want calls to 911 being sent to your 'old address', especially when you've moved out of state.
So far, I really like the service. Good call quality over DSL - the people I have talked with don't even know it's VoIP.
To summarize... VoIP won't replace regular lines for a few years. Prices and features will vary widely. But the VoIP industry wants to get people away from their POTS (Plain Old Telephone System) by providing services and features that are competitive. And a LOT of people are getting rid of their land-lines completely -- opting for cell phones and cable modems.
As the VoIP services continue to become more like POTS (like offering 911 support, etc.), they will become more appealing to the general public.
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Verizon's VoIP offering is called VoiceWing ( http://www.verizon.com/voicewing ) and it is better than the Verizon Metro Unlimited plan you mentioned.
The service you (parent author) use has some special features not supported by Voicewing, but Voicewing offers a LOT more time.
Voicewing offers unlimited* calls TO numbers in the US and all US territories (including Guam). This works from just about any broadband connection, even from outside the US! [*-Normal usage is less than 5000 minutes, but there's no cap.] They also have decent international rates.
They offer conditional call forwarding for when your device doesn't have connectivity, when the line is busy, and when you don't answer. You get 3-way calling, caller ID, call waiting, and more.
And you can get phone numbers that are local to many cities in the US. You pick your city/area-code and all calls to that number are sent to your device. You can get multiple numbers to your device, too. (Also they support keeping old numbers from previous services if you want to kee a current phone number.)
You plug your regular phone into the VoIP device and dial just like before (except you dial all numbers as long distance).
Also, more and newer features are planned and on the way (or so I'm told).
It runs about $40/month and the device is provided free. There's a $40 setup charge.
(I'm not advertising; I'm educating and sharing my experience.)
As far as 911 calls are concerned - you tell them your service address, and all calls to 911 will report your listed service address as the originating location. (This is VERY IMPORTANT!) When you move, or take your equipment to a new location for an extended period, UPDATE THAT INFO!
I'm sure you don't want calls to 911 being sent to your 'old address', especially when you've moved out of state.
So far, I really like the service. Good call quality over DSL - the people I have talked with don't even know it's VoIP.
To summarize... VoIP won't replace regular lines for a few years. Prices and features will vary widely. But the VoIP industry wants to get people away from their POTS (Plain Old Telephone System) by providing services and features that are competitive. And a LOT of people are getting rid of their land-lines completely -- opting for cell phones and cable modems.
As the VoIP services continue to become more like POTS (like offering 911 support, etc.), they will become more appealing to the general public.