Suggestions on a better VOIP provider?
May 26, 2010 8:50 AM   Subscribe

What is the best provider for telephone service for a small office? We are looking for a VOIP solution that allows forwarding of 800 numbers, allows everyone to have their own VM box, and call holding, forwarding, everyone to have their own extensions, etc.?

My office currently has its phone services with Packet 8, it runs VOIP through our internet connection, but we are not happy with the service, the phones have not been working lately, the call quality is not spectacular (when someone else calls in while you are on a phone call the phone call drops out and there is an annoying beeping noise) and we are thinking of switching.
posted by banished to Computers & Internet (5 answers total) 1 user marked this as a favorite
 
I do VoIP, though I'm UK based, so unable to suggest a provider for you, but that sounds like a classic case of not enough bandwidth for your requirements. Of course, not knowing anything about your internet connection, or what kind of traffic you're putting over it, whether you have sufficient upstream bandwidth rather than an ADSL connection, if you're separating voice and data either physically or via VLANs makes it hard to diagnose. If bandwidth is the issue, short of using a lower bandwidth codec, you probably won't see much improvement with any provider until you improve your network.
posted by dirm at 9:38 AM on May 26, 2010


We have 10 or 12 lines with RingCentral. It seems to work fine. Call quality is good, voice mail notifications show up in email almost immediately, and the client software will pop up a CallID notification if you want it to.

The main thing I don't like about it is that you have to choose between a phone adapter and a softphone. Becuase I have a phone adapter in the office I can not make outbound calls with the softphone. I think I can receive calls on it though.
posted by COD at 11:37 AM on May 26, 2010


check out phone.com as well. We use them for precisely these features.
posted by aberrant at 11:45 AM on May 26, 2010


I have heard good things about Anveo. I further suggest posting at the VOIP Tech Chat forum at DSL Reports aka Broadband Reports for suggestions.
posted by teg4rvn at 12:01 PM on May 26, 2010


Wouldn't each user having VM be preferred to be a function of the local system (as well as things like forwarding to different extensions? I'd use Asterisk or something Asterisk based for that. As for VOIP providers, check out Flowroute.
posted by Brian Puccio at 1:59 PM on May 26, 2010


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