Ternerito
join:2002-08-31
Delta, BC
| Any good, reliable providers in Canada?
I am also a voipGo customer, in Canada. While the service with voipgo has been OK (and the phone is still working), I get a bit nervous now seeing that their US and Canadian websites have been reduced to one page... 
I'm looking for alternatives, or at least for a backup plan. I have a Linksys SPA-2102 which I purchased from voipgo. At the time I subscribed, they said that the ATA would be unlocked. Unfortunately that does not seem to be the case, there is an admin password set. :-(
Could anyone recommend a reliable provider that offers good quality service, and is not likely to go belly up in the next few months? Or should I just go back to telus and get a land line.... It would suck though, after several years using voip.
I read that voipo seems to be the best thing since sliced bread, but of course they're not in Canada yet. |
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Test99
Premium
join:2003-04-24
San Jose, CA | That question comes up often. See this thread started a few days ago: »Voip or Land Line ? ( Canada ) |
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Ternerito
join:2002-08-31
Delta, BC
| Of the providers that are mentioned, most of them seem to offer only some flavour of pay as you go service.
My wife can be on the phone 1 or 2 hours a day, which makes an unlimited calling plan probably less expensive for us.
Callcentric offers a north-american plan for $19.95, which seems reasonable, and has decent "GBU" ratings.
Apparently we'd have to change our existing number, meh, you can't have everything... |
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PX Eliezer
join:2008-08-09
Wickatunk, NJ
 ·voip.ms
·Optimum Voice
·Callcentric
| Yes, if your wife uses that many minutes, then the CallCentric North American plan is a bargain!
Otherwise a PAYG plan from Voip.MS might have been less expensive. But not for so many minutes.
CallCentric has very good customer service.
-------------------------------------------------------
We've seen some "free" Canadian providers but they really don't apply to your province, unfortunately. |
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PX Eliezer
join:2008-08-09
Wickatunk, NJ
·voip.ms
·Optimum Voice
·Callcentric
| reply to Ternerito
BTW, if your wife alone uses so many outbound minutes, then from pretty much any flat-rate provider, you may run into monthly caps (maximums).
Does she need a business phone plan, not residential?
Be prepared for the VoIP provider to ask you that very same question.  |
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Ternerito
join:2002-08-31
Delta, BC
| No, no business plan. I went back and looked at the call logs at voipgo. It's more like we use about 30 min a day, average. Guess it just 'felt' a lot longer than that.
Still, even 30 minutes a day, it adds up to $18 a month with a 2c / minute fee. With an extra couple of bucks you get unlimited calling...
I see that callcentric does not provide 911 service in Canada.
Hmm, voip.ms has a much lower rate per minute... even with the $9 / mo flat fee I get to a total of $15 (using 30 minutes a day), could that be right? |
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Test99
Premium
join:2003-04-24
San Jose, CA
 ·DSL EXTREME
·InPhonex
| said by Ternerito  :voip.ms has a much lower rate per minute... even with the $9 / mo flat fee I get to a total of $15 (using 30 minutes a day), could that be right? Yes.
Who is your broadband provider? I know someone in BC who had to try several VOIP providers to find one that worked well with their cable broadband. |
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Ternerito
join:2002-08-31
Delta, BC | telus is our (adsl) provider. Not many alternatives here in Delta, aside from the local cable company. |
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PX Eliezer
join:2008-08-09
Wickatunk, NJ
·voip.ms
·Optimum Voice
·Callcentric
| reply to Ternerito
If your wife's daily usage is 30 instead of 120, yes, you should look at Voip.MS
Do be aware that inbound and outbound are separate issues. It's still a good deal.
Inbound: Choice of PAYG or flatrate:
»voip.ms/canadadids.php
Outbound:
Good PAYG rates, check by the Canadian destination area code: »voip.ms/rates.php?l=c
911 is optional. |
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Ternerito
join:2002-08-31
Delta, BC | Yes, the way I figure is $9 / mo for the flat fee + $5 / mo (average) outbound (inbound calls should be free).
Would an SPA-2102 be a good choice for an ATA? Don't see any point in wasting time with my existing voipgo one. |
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PX Eliezer
join:2008-08-09
Wickatunk, NJ
·voip.ms
·Optimum Voice
·Callcentric
edit:
December 3rd, @07:58PM
| I have a Linksys/Sipura PAP2T-NA which is somewhat similar. I think it's good. I run two separate VoIP services on it simultaneously, behind a router, with no problems.
Here's an interesting discussion:
»forum.voxilla.com/linksys-sipura···989.html
EDIT: Oh, yes, one of the VoIP providers is VoIP.MS so I know that that's a good match. |
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Ternerito
join:2002-08-31
Delta, BC
| I just ordered an SPA-2012-NA. I'm also waiting for an definite answer tomorrow from voip.ms about my number portability. I wonder why a certain number would be portable and another would not, and I have no idea... Thank you test and px for your very helpful replies! |
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Test99
Premium
join:2003-04-24
San Jose, CA
·DSL EXTREME
·InPhonex
| said by Ternerito :I wonder why a certain number would be portable and another would not In order to accept an incoming call in a particular rate center, a VOIP provider or its agent must have equipment physically colocated in the telco switch for that rate center. Without this equipment, the switch cannot connect the call to the VOIP provider. |
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zaldy
join:2007-12-07 | reply to Ternerito
Just don't go with Vonage because I think they're the most expensive plan out there at $40 for unlimited calling. |
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DougF
@bell.ca
| reply to Ternerito
I am also a VoipGo subscriber with a Linksys SPA2102. My service is currently working, but I am concerned that if something should go wrong, there may be no support. Live Chat appears to be offline whenever I check. I sent an e-mail query and received no reply. I made what may be a mistake in signing up for a year. I suppose the lesson is that if the price seems really good, then sign up for just month to month.
I found that using the interactive voice response menu as described in the manual I could get the Linksys adapter to tell me its local IP address which turned out to be »192.168.1.1. This took me into the configuration menu. I could get to the Advanced menu as well but the Admin Login required a password. If I end up switching providers perhaps the options on the Advanced menu will be sufficient to configure the adapter. If I need to unlock the adapter, I found that a Google search for Linksys SPA2102 unlock provides sites with instructions. |
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Ternerito
join:2002-08-31
Delta, BC
| I decided to go with voip.ms After a bit of initial confusion, about whether they'd be able to port my number on not, it turns out that they can. voip.ms has good ratings on this site.
Unfortunately, I too had recently payed for a (second) full year at voipgo. :-( I don't know how much of that money (if any) I'll be getting back. My guess would be zero. |
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soitgoes2
join:2005-01-14
·Future Nine Corpor..
| said by Ternerito :Unfortunately, I too had recently payed for a (second) full year at voipgo. :-( I don't know how much of that money (if any) I'll be getting back. My guess would be zero. Did you pay by credit card? If so, recent is better, but dispute it ASAP! |
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PX Eliezer
join:2008-08-09
Wickatunk, NJ
·voip.ms
·Optimum Voice
·Callcentric
| reply to Ternerito
said by Ternerito :I decided to go with voip.ms After a bit of initial confusion, about whether they'd be able to port my number on not, it turns out that they can. They are good folks. Just be prepared for your port to possibly take several weeks. They have said that they are trying to revamp their porting processes. |
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Ternerito
join:2002-08-31
Delta, BC | PX, they were honest about that, they clearly stated it may take 2 to 8 weeks. I'm not holding my breath. I just hope that voipgo does not implode before I get the number ported. |
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Ternerito
join:2002-08-31
Delta, BC
| reply to soitgoes2
quote:
Did you pay by credit card? If so, recent is better, but dispute it ASAP!
I did pay by CC. However, I'm still getting the service. And I understand it may take up to two months to port my number over.
I was told NOT to cancel my existing account until the port was completed. |
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