Nettalk Duo The Best VOIP service

Vonage was the first VOIP service I used. The service was okay.

1. Tinny sound, voice dropout, occasional dropped calls.
2. Price - not cheap. But it is cheaper than a regular landline and the free, unlimited long distance and lack of extra fees for taxes, caller ID, call waiting, etc.
3. Now, with NetTALK and the other choices we have, Vonage is just a slighly cheaper alternative to a regular landline phone, but without the
voice quality you get with a landline.
4, You have to have a contract with Vonage and if you cancel early, it will cost you! Just like a cell phone, but without the convenience being able to take it with you when you leave your house.
5. Canceling can be a nightmare. You can't cancel online and have to call Customer Service, wait forever wading through computer voice prompts and BS to finally get a human on the phone, and they ask you a thousand questions and make it really hard.

Features:

Free U.S. Phone Number
Call Waiting, 3 Way Calling and Caller ID
Voicemail to Email
411 Directory Assistance
Enhanced 911 Service
Priority Call Forwarding
Customer Portal
Technical Support
Fax Friendly/Compatible
Free nationwide calling throughout the U.S. and Canada
Free calling to any other netTALK device worldwide

http://the-gadgeteer.com/2010/09/30/nettalk-duo-review/


This is a picture that I found showing the way NetTALK looks when you hook it up. I would take a picture of my own setup and show you mine, but his looks far neater than mine does, it's easier to see. LOL

Inside the box you get:

One netTALK DUO device
Power adapter.
3-foot USB to Mini A connector - to connect yout duo to the power adapter or to your USB port.
3-foot Ethernet cable - connects modem or router
Quickstart Guide

The DUO device has 3 connectors; a mini usb on one end and an ethernet port and RJ45 socket for the telephone on the other. There are several LEDs that indicate the status of the DUO.

1. Register your and activate the DUO. Your TetTALK device comes with a temporary username and password that came in the box with the hardware. Once you log on and create your account, you wil be able to choose your phone number and set up your 911 service for your location.

2. Connect the hardware. You can connect to the computer or connect your DUO to your router. Using the router is your best option, so you just connect the phone, ethernet and power cables as instructed in the manual and wait for the phone to ring once. It sometimes takes a minute, but once you get the ring, you know you're all set to go!.

When you dial a number with the NetTALK DUO, there is usually a delay of about 10-20 seconds before the phone startst to ring. When I first tried to make calls, I got a message that said the numbers were unavailable, but then I figured out that you need to dial 1 and the area code you are calling, like making a long distance call every time.

Image by Cool Text.com

1. You have to leave your computer on 24/7 to use MagicJACK.
2. MagicJack has come down a bit in price over the past few years, so it's only about 40.00 to buy the device, and for people who rarely use a home phone and only want it for emergencies or to occasionally make a long distance call or something, but not to use a primary replacement phone for their regular landline, the MagicJack is probably fine.
3. Overall, the call quality is usually passable, but it can be occasionally tinny and sound like you're talking in a well, and frequently there is a lag in the service so that you end up talking over each other. You have to wait for the other person to stop speaking completely and give it a few seconds before you speak, sort of like on a walkie-talkie or CB or something. It gets VERY frustrating, VERY fast.
4. If more than one person is trying to use the internet, or you want to work on your computer while you talk, it causes lag and other voice quality issues. Could be related to the speed of your internet, I'm not sure.
5. There is no option with the MagicJack to connect it to the modem directly like you can with NetTALK. I can connect the NetTALK directly to my computer if I like, which is great for traveling and things like that, but having it connected to the modem instead of the computer frees up my 6. 6. Having the MagicJack connected to your computer ties up a USB port constantly.
7. You have to install software on your computer to use MagicJack, and every time you use the phone or someone calls you, the soft phone pops up and interrupts anything you're doing on your computer.

Skype is another VOIP: alternative. They have a free option that only allows you to call on the computer with your USB headphones or handset, to another person who also has Skype installed, and it is most well-known for the ability to do one-to-one video calling with other Skype customers. They also have instant messaging. Other than that, you have to pay. They have several plans, Pay As You Go or monthly plans that allow you to call from your computer to cell phones or landline phones to anyone. There is no offline option that allows you to use your regular house phone to call anyone, anywhere, unlimited like you can with NetTALK.

I've never personally tried Ooma, so I can't testify as to the quality, but the reviews of the service seem to be pretty favorable in terms of the voice quality with the Ooma and with their Telo device. The service comes with basic caller ID and voice mail services, with a 2nd virtual line so that other people can make phone calls at the same time in the same house.


1. There are addiitonal Premium services available for about $10 a month, but then you're paying monthly again for phone service, which is what you're trying to avoid.
2. Unlike NetTALK, Ooma says their service is free once you purchase the initial hardware, which costs anywhere from 200.00 to 259.00 , depending on where you buy it from. They say the only cost is the Ooma Telo device, but then you have to pay "taxes and fees" about 3.50 per month, which actually means the service costs $42.00 per year, plus the initial $229.00, and another $10.00 if you want Premium, which would be $120.00 a year. The NetTALK service only costs the initial 69.00 and then 30.00 a year for the service.
3, According to the Terms and Conditions, they only accept credit cards or debit cards as payment, and your card will be charged monthly for the applicable fees (3.50 per month).
4, There is also a 5000 minute per month limit, but I think that's pretty standard with most VOIP services.


One thing Telo does have over NetTALK, at this time, is they say they are able to port your existing phone number to their service in most cases. NetTALK can't do that, at this time, so you'd have to get a brand new phone number. They say they are working on that. Fortunately, there is a work-around with Google Voice if you really, really don't want to give up your number that I will explain a bit later.


You can use your current home phone with Ooma and it hooks up to your router the same way NetTALK does, so you don't have to leave your computer on 24/7. They have very cheap international rates and calls to another Ooma customer are always free ( I assume international calls as well).

As great as the NetTALK service is, it's not for everyone. There are some known issues with the service:

1. It doesn't work with all makes and models of modems. The NetTALK website keeps a list of the modems that and do and don't work with their service. It is updated regularly when more people add to it. You can find the list here. Here's a complete list of compatible routers.

2. If you have DSL service you need to check with your provider to be sure you can have DSL service if you cut off your phone service with them. Some DSL providers won't allow you to cancel your phone.

3. It is a VOIP service, so you may experience occasional issues, like call drops, voices cutting out. If you aren't prepared to deal with that, you should stick with your regular traditional phone service. I have had it for a few months and have had only 1 or 2 incidents of voice dropping, much better than I had with MagicJack.

4. You may not be able to get a local number, depending on where you live. I think most places you should be able to, but check and see before you buy the NetTALK if you care about something like that.

5. The NetTALK service is pretty bare bones in terms of voice mail. If you use your voicemail a lot and don't have an answering machine on the phone you intend to use with the service, this may be an issue for you. But you can always integrate it with Google Voice and use their much better voice mail and call forwarding services if you really need your voice mail.

I'm generally a huge fan of all things Google, and Google Voice is no exception. I haven't used it much but it It has some pretty cool features, and it's completely and totally free. I have only used the Google Voice service on occasion to call my Dad, since he's the only one who has Google Voice set up on his system that I know of.


The sound is okay, but it does occasionally have the same issues that MagicJack has with the tinny sound and lag. It's convenient to be able to pop up the little box, type in your number and just talk using the microphone on your headphones. Unfortunately, unless you have a USB type phone made for use with Skype, Google Voice, etc, you have to use your headphones to talk. You can, however, call landline phones using Google Voice, if you have it tied in with another phone (NetTALK, cell, landline, etc). There is no off-line option using Google Voice alone.

Because NetTALK's voice mail and feature system is pretty basic, a lot of people pair their NetTALK service with Google Voice. If you sign up for Google Voice and port your NetTALK number to Google Voice, you can give people your Google Voice number instead of your NetTALK number or cell number, and when they call those numbers it wil ring your NetTALK number and allow you to use Google Voices better voice mail and contact list options, while still taking advantage of the great NetTALK service and price. You can port all of your numbers to Google Voice, and tell Google Voice where to route your calls.

Google voice transcribes your voice mails and sends them to you in email..or tries to, it's not really great in terms of accuracy sometimes.

International calls do cost money. Google Voice does let you pick a phone number, and then you can forward it to a landline or confine your calls to internet calls to other Google Voice users. I think it has to forward to an actual landline phone, or a NetTALK (Ooma, Vonage,etc) account to make and receive calls with Google Voice.

Google Voice has a pretty nifty IPhone App