You might have seen the commercials, or heard about them... Vonage is one of, if not the, biggest Internet phone company.

They work great and the price is fantastic. Its about $25 for a residential line and $49 a month for a commerical line (which gets you two phone lines, one for talking and one for fax).

Many of the plans offer unlimited US/Canada calling -- it's all one zone. No "local" and "long distance" rates. And if you have an allotted minute plan and go over, its only 3-4 cents per minute. International calls are extremely cheap too.

The best features about Vonage:

* If you go to your local CompUSA/BestBuy or other computer chain, you can buy the Vonage hardware, go home, and install it within an hour. Also, once you have one line setup, adding more numbers or lines can be done in minutes through an online system.

* If you travel abroad, you can take the miniature Vonage box with you, or use the new computer software and a headset to have access to your home phone. If you live in NYC, you can travel to China, plug in your Vonage box (to a broadband connection) and get/make phone calls just like you are in NYC for no charge!

* You get ALL the features you would normally pay for, for free -- voice mail, caller ID, call waiting, transfer, call forwarding, multi-ring, you name it, they have it. It's all included in your phone package. Just adding those features to your regular phone would cost you $40-50!

* In most areas you can transfer your current phone number to Vonage

* It works exactly like a real phone -- you can even plug your existing phone into it and use your home wiring.

* For $5 a month you can add 800 service, or add a local phone # anywhere in the US/Canada and now I think the UK. So if you are based in NYC, you can have phone numbers all over the country for a low cost that all connect to your NYC phone!

The Negatives -- yes, there are a few:

* You need a broadband connection (DSL or Cable), which costs some money, but if you already have one you are all set.

* It can take weeks to transfer your current number to the Vonage service if you decide to switch -- so you have to keep your existing number in the mean time. I've done it, and it transferred fine, it just took a while. Hopefully they will improve this over time.

* It is not as reliable as a real phone -- I have been using it for about 3 years, it has its quirks. I like to say "it's 98% of a real phone". If your broadband connection goes down, or the power goes out, most likely you are going to lose your Vonage service. Also, you are at the mercy of the Internet. However, the cost savings definitely makes up for it if you can live with minor inconveniences.

* If you have a TIVO that dials out on the phone, it may or may not work with Vonage. Also, most security alarms that dial out on the phone will not work and some fax machines have problems.

* Vonage customer service is hit or miss -- sometimes you get right through sometimes you wait a little bit. They have improved -- they went through a huge growth spurt earlier this year and have been adding staff. However, on the positive side, you rarely need to talk to them. Most everything you need to do can be done online.

Definitely check them out -- you can signup and try them along side your current phone, and if it does not work out just cancel. I use them for business and love it -- the fact that I can add new lines in minutes is fantastic.

Vonage Website

-John