ALTERNATIVE TO HOME PHONE SERVICE

Earlier this week I had the opportunity to speak with my cousin who is residing in Maine.  They have recently made the switch to "cutting the cord" and  and have changed to Roku and TIVO as I have described in a earlier post on here.  I found out that she is paying A LOT of money to be able to have a home phone in her home so that she may telecommute from home.

I have come to the conclusion that there is still millions of Americans that are paying for traditional home phone service from the typical bell company- You have options!
There is so many companies advertising their 'cheaper phone service', there is Vonage, MagicJack, Skype and Ooma.  I have tried them all.  Vonage tends to have 'QOS' (Quality of Service) issues due to the inability to access the Vonage router to dedicate specific bandwidth for the VOIP phone.  MagicJack is a nice idea, but unless you want to sit on your computer or laptop and the computers are always on, they do not provide a true solution for home phone service.  Skype provides the ability to have a landline with the ability to home phones that are not on the internet, but the cost is more then Ooma.com.   Then there is Ooma (Ooma.com) which provides a system that allows for a true home phone solution, the ability to control QOS and no monthly fee (except for taxes and fees).  Taxes and Fees for my area is $3.47 per month.

I own a Ooma home phone system and I love it.  I have wired the system into the home so that the entire home has a dial tone.  Because the interface is separate and no dependent upon a computer in order to operate, it is plugged into the internet router and always on.  The Ooma system provides you with a separate administrator IP address so you can access the advanced controls and dedicate bandwidth so your phone system does not south like it is under water.

I have to admit- I am still shocked when I hear that people have a 'home phone bill' and pay $40.00 per month for what I pay almost nothing to have.  I have a dial tone with caller ID, caller waiting, and free nation wide long distance for $3.00 per month.  If you are trying to find a way to cut your home phone service and need a phone for fax  or for company telecommuting, consider looking into the better deals with VOIP (Voice Over Internet Protocol Service).