If you are looking for a google voice "free replacement" after 5/15/2014, I'm sorry to say there really isn't an alternative.. at least not yet. There are very cheap alternatives to the likes of vonage, or your local cable company. I was looking for the cheapest and easiest to set up as well as an unlimited plan. After a lot of research, the provider I went with is http://www.vestalink.com/ (http://www.vestalink.com/#_l_6e) .. I signed up for 12 months unlimited local and long distance (within US) for only $49.99 (that's a little over $4 a month). It includes E911, a free local number at no extra charge and a slew of other standard features like vmail, call forwarding, blocking, rollover, caller ID, spoofing etc. International rates are also super cheap. Setting up my OBI was a snap - literally just one-click to set up via vestalink website. I have been very happy with the clarity so far and I will report back any issues if I run into them. Thanks. ;D
You may want to read thru the forum before making your first post :)
We know all about Vestalink, formerly known as Obivoice, formerly known as Intelafone.
If you had been here a few months ago, you would have beaten the price increase and paid less :) But you did beat the next price increase ;)
Enjoy the service, I did when I took the free trial some time ago and might sign with them if and when I tire of using GV with callbacks to continue making free calls post May 15.
Thanks. I was just directing this post to those of us still on gvoice looking for a decent alternative once the service goes down. I've been using my OBI100 for a while with gvoice but sadly that great service is going away. My hope is that some readers will use this post as a good source to start with a viable alternative since there are so many options out there but few that are as simple and feature rich.
I used GV for a couple years as my only home phone and it worked pretty darn well for the cost of .... nothing, but it wasn't perfect for me and I had to buy e911 and didn't have CNAM. When I signed up with Vestalink (still like name Obivoice better) in January I got the things GV didn't give me and better call quality. I still have GV on SP2 just for kicks but, a few glitches aside, I remain happy with Vestalink.
I signed up for the free trial, and it worked well. But it's missing the features I really need, and I don't really want to go through the hassle of using GV to somewhat get them back.
They have no filtering to fight against telemarketers - only specific caller IDs, which helps almost not at all. Most providers provide at least something simple, such as pressing a key to continue the call, which would cut out automated robocalls, one of the most common and annoying of them.
Anveo has full IVR capabilities. I tried them, and was able to easily set up something that says "Press 1 to continue to voice, press 2 to leave a voice mail". This will probably stop all robocalls, and most telemarketers, who often don't come on line until this message is passed, so they would also get disconnected.
I paid $2.80 to try an Anveo plan for a month. Not a big deal in cost to me.
I considered the IVR feature on Anveo but after thinking about it, I remembered how annoying it is to listen to the dialing options so I could reach someone. I rarely had robo-calls on GVOICE but not nearly as many as when I used a regular VOIP carrier. If I received more than one annoying robo-call from any number, I would just log on to GVOICE and block. That's one of the reasons I chose Vestalink, since it has the same block feature..
Quote from: clawdogs on March 16, 2014, 03:45:49 PM
I considered the IVR feature on Anveo but after thinking about it, I remembered how annoying it is to listen to the dialing options so I could reach someone.
If the service is for home use and you have a known group of numbers that contact you, you can add the numbers to an address book and then configure Anveo to let those calls go straight through and only the Unknown numbers get the Press 1 to continue prompt.
I'm getting very good feedback on this Vestalink option. If anyone has more to share, please do. I also forgot to add that Vestalink provides a free 30 day trial (or 60 minutes) which includes a free local number.. and if you decide to go with any of the promotional plans, you have 30 days to cancel and get your money back, no questions. The promotional prices expire on 3/31. After that I don't know how much the plans will be but it probably won't be much more expensive. One last thing. Vestalink also has an App for iOS/Android which allows you to use your Vestalink account to make calls via your Data Plan or WIFI without having to use your carrier minutes. So your phone / tablet / mobile device can double as a home phone and a wireless phone. How's that for cool? :) http://www.vestalink.com/ (http://www.vestalink.com/#_l_6e)
Vestalink doesn't have local numbers in all areas, and may not be able to port all Google Voice numbers in.
Quote from: clawdogs on March 16, 2014, 03:45:49 PM
I considered the IVR feature on Anveo but after thinking about it, I remembered how annoying it is to listen to the dialing options so I could reach someone. I rarely had robo-calls on GVOICE but not nearly as many as when I used a regular VOIP carrier. If I received more than one annoying robo-call from any number, I would just log on to GVOICE and block. That's one of the reasons I chose Vestalink, since it has the same block feature..
That's one reason I originally was going to port my number to GV, but decided against that.
However, as of now, Vestalink does not have the same spam filtering as GV - I voted on some suggested features, including that, which I believe they are considering or planning. But so far, they only seem to have a blacklist.
One problem with blacklisting is that the same calls keep coming in, but under different numbers every time, so it's a losing proposition.
And how hard is it to press one key to continue a call, when it's the first option? Personally, if it's too hard for someone, then I don't care to talk to them anyway, since the call is not very important.
Day 15 with Vestalink and no sign of trouble. I'm actually surprised I have had zero problems. No down-time (at least that I know of) no static on the lines, no call drops, nothing strange. My GV number ported with no problems and it's been working fine since. I have 15 days left before I decide to drop the service, but I doubt I will be doing that. I will keep reporting back.. :)
Because of this thread I signed up for a trial of Vestalink.
It seems that the caller hears many more rings than actually happen. And I haven't been able to make it play nicely with Google Voice forwarding yet.
I'll keep trying and report back. Any suggestions?
Hi. The rings are a general feature of almost all phone providers.. It's how they tell the caller that the call is being connected, otherwise they might hang up before the call actually connects. In most cases the caller should hear no more than three rings before it actually rings the phone. If callers are constantly hearing more than 3 rings, you should contact customer service and have them look into it. With Gvoice forwarding you will probably have issues with lot's of rings since it has to hit google's servers before being routed to the actual number and GVoice isn't as reliable as it used to be. No real customer service for GVoice either. I had the same set up and issue before porting my gvoice number to Vestalink. Hope that helps.
Thank you- This is quite helpful. Did you, or has anyone on this thread, have success with Google Voice and Vestalink?
The call quality of Vestalink is fantastic. And not that it should matter, but out of all the smaller VOIP sites I've looked at to replace GV, it has the most friendly interface.
Even their number porting is cheap. But I wish I could stay with GV, because what's the over/under that Vestalink goes bankrupt? I don't want to lose my father's phone number forever in the process.
I saw someone else make a joke that Vestalink's CEO also does wedding DJ work, but I think its true: http://www.yelp.com/biz/ryan-tilton-seattle. He also personally answered my tech support email.
But I know even less about the other small VOIP companies. So at least with GV, the worst case scenario is I'm out 49 bucks, and the phone number is safe.
You can read what I've done regarding the GV>>Vestalink issue here:
http://www.obitalk.com/forum/index.php?topic=7486.0 (http://www.obitalk.com/forum/index.php?topic=7486.0)
I contacted Vestalink about this issue and here is the email I got back from Ryan:
QuoteThis delay is due to calls being forwarded through Google Voice. The only way to resolve this issue is to transfer your Google Voice number. Changing your phone number will not fix the issue as Google Voice still has to essentially echo the conversation between it's carrier and the one we have numbers with.
Bottom line is I don't think there is a solution to using Vestalink as a forwarding number in Google Voice. It just plain does not work well for a lot of people. As Ryan says the only real solution is to port your GV number to Vestalink which I would never do. So my current solution is to use a free DID (IPKall and Anveo) and configure it on my Obi as another service provider for incoming calls and just use Vestalink for outgoing calls. This works fine for me. The only real downside is I don't get incoming CNAM.
Yea, I guess porting is the only option, if you want better service, but it does make sense. Any voip has to make a few hops before it terminates. The fewer hops, the better. As for Vestalink being around in a few years, who knows? Everyone thought Google Voice would be around longer than it will be so it doesn't matter if you're big like Google or small like a mom and pop. I guess the bottom line is the bottom line... Google was free, no real incentive to make it any better than it ever was so google never bothered with it. It's been pretty much the same service ever since day one. At least Vestalink/Intelafone/obivoice has been actively trying to make a better service. I'm happy to support a small business - especially that the economy is still trying to get out from under a mess. For me, it's a good service so far and it exceeds my expectations for the price. I'm willing to take a small risk.. Worse case scenario, they fold, I lose $50 bucks for my plan.. I paid $50 for a full tank of gas just yesterday... As for your ported number, when packet 8 went out of business, they sold to some other company, I just ported my number to my cable company.. There are risks but I guess you need to determine what costs you can live with, as with anything.. :)
thanks for the info. been looking for a solution! just signed up. it's too easy. i'm done :)
I take back my hesitations about Vestalink. I signed up with a new account, and it plays nicely with Google Voice. No ring delays or voicemail issues anymore. I wonder what made the difference?
I wasn't looking forward to sending my father new voip equipment. Glad he can keep the obihai.
At this point I'm totally happy and willing to risk the $39. whoopie!
Update: Here is my referral link to Vestalink (which used to be called Obivoice) http://www.vestalink.com/#_l_7t (http://www.vestalink.com/#_l_7t)
Quote from: fuzzyeddie on March 23, 2014, 05:01:27 PM
I take back my hesitations about Vestalink. I signed up with a new account, and it plays nicely with Google Voice. No ring delays or voicemail issues anymore. I wonder what made the difference?
I wasn't looking forward to sending my father new voip equipment. Glad he can keep the obihai.
At this point I'm totally happy and willing to risk the $39. whoopie!
Glad it's working for you. No VOIP connection is perfect. For me, If most of the time it works fine, I'm ok with that. Heck, for the price and service, this really exceeds my expectations.
Weird that monthly Pots Line taxes alone, are more than some monthly VOIP bills.
Quote from: dircom on March 24, 2014, 07:04:28 AM
Weird that monthly Pots Line taxes alone, are more than some monthly VOIP bills.
RIGHT!?!?
LMAO!
Yea, it's really a great value. Just to reiterate, the cost of a Vestalink plan is roughly equal to or less than what you would pay a traditional local carrier (POTS) in taxes alone.. I'm going on 1 and 1/2 months with zero issues. I have nothing negative to report with my Vestalink service. Zero. Zip. Nada. It's been up and running without a single glitch since I signed up. I'm very happy with this option. If you are one of the few people who has recently signed up, share your story..
Trying to get my OBi100 and hooked up w/Vestalink but can't get a PIN sent (called) to me. Can't receive the PIN texted because this is a landline phone at home, not my cell. Anyone having trouble obtaining the PIN in the final setup stage?
Hi. Did you try contacting customer service? I think my pin was emailed..
Thanks for the idea. I'll give it a try. Having to put my laptop in the shop tomorrow a.m. but may try once it's fixed.
hi. i registered to thank you very much for this post. this was by far the easiest install for me. took me less than 5 minutes and i had a dial tone. i will be porting my gvoice number but for now forwarding seems to work just fine. i signed up for the 2 year unlimited plan so i don't have to keep track of minutes. i've been using it for about 2 weeks now and not a problem yet. the price i paid for 2 years is what i pay verizon for a single month right now for my cell phone.. sweet. lol. thanks you!!
dircom,
The taxes are the reason that we decided not to provide inbound service. We discovered the cost of taxes and state level compliance were almost twice the cost of providing the service. ???
Sam
CircleNet
Trying to sign up for Vestalink. I can't find a location with any phone numbers.
Quote from: mellaby on May 07, 2014, 11:08:08 PM
Trying to sign up for Vestalink. I can't find a location with any phone numbers.
Hi mellaby. what do you mean? Follow link in my signature below. Cust service is available via email.. support@vestalink.com from 9AM–6PM Pacific Time, Monday–Friday
Quote from: clawdogs on May 15, 2014, 07:33:33 AM
Today is officially the last day of XMPP on Google Voice :(
REALLY? OH MY GOD!
- FIRST WORLD PROBLEM - !*
Spent the last couple weeks looking over these forum posts trying to find the service that would be best for me since google is going away. I have looked over several of the approved service providers and have decided to go with Phone Power. I decided to go with the one year lite plan for $34.99 a year, and can update to the unlimited plan in the future if necessary. So far the service has been great and the services they provide seems to be very good, I have chatted with them on line and that alone to be able to communicate with someone is great. When it comes to communicating Obihai isn't very good, they are a so called technology company and to be able to communicate with someone from Obi is sad, their responding to trouble tickets are really lacking. I use my phone primarily for residential service as a home phone and don't make international calls. I am retired and now live in Florida and decided to post my experiences with this dilemma so others might be a little better informed of what actions others are taking.
Quote from: Harley on May 15, 2014, 10:13:30 AM
Spent the last couple weeks looking over these forum posts trying to find the service that would be best for me since google is going away. I have looked over several of the approved service providers and have decided to go with Phone Power. I decided to go with the one year lite plan for $34.99 a year, and can update to the unlimited plan in the future if necessary. So far the service has been great and the services they provide seems to be very good, I have chatted with them on line and that alone to be able to communicate with someone is great. When it comes to communicating Obihai isn't very good, they are a so called technology company and to be able to communicate with someone from Obi is sad, their responding to trouble tickets are really lacking. I use my phone primarily for residential service as a home phone and don't make international calls. I am retired and now live in Florida and decided to post my experiences with this dilemma so others might be a little better informed of what actions others are taking.
Hi. did you get a promo price? I checked Phone Power plans before I signed with Vestalink and the cheapest price I could find was for $99.95 for 1 year and after taxes and surcharges it was actually $147.22.. That's not a great deal. Vestalink currently offers 2 years unlimited for only only $99 with BYOD and taxes are included in that price..
If you are bringing you own OBI device to Phone Power this is the offer that is posted on the Obihai website for approved providers. Personally I think this is a great deal, but it's your choice.
Phone Power, one of the largest VoIP providers in North America, is pleased to offer an exclusive promotion to Obihai customers. With live US-based support 7 days a week, a fault-tolerant geo-redundant network, and consistently high marks for Customer Service, Phone Power was awarded #30 by INC Magazine for the Fastest Growing Companies in America. All customers receive our crystal clear digital sound quality, advanced call forwarding and call blocking, voicemail, voicemail-to-email, and a host of other features.
Offers:
OBi Lite
$34.99/year
No hidden fees. Includes all taxes.
$2.92/month - Billed Annually
US or Canada phone number
Free incoming calls
300 outgoing minutes/month to USA and Canada
Live US-based Support 7 days/week at no charge
Show Details
OBi Unlimited
$59.99/year
No hidden fees. Includes all taxes.
$5/month - Billed Annually
US or Canada phone number
Free incoming calls
Unlimited outgoing minutes/month to USA and Canada
60 min/month of international calling to 55 countries
Live US-based Support 7 days/week at no charge
phone power's lite plan only includes 300 minutes vs 500 minutes for vestalink's lite plan and for the same yearly price of $34.99. That's a difference of 2400 minutes. i do like the unlimited phone power plan though which is very comparable. does phone power include an app like vestalink? i have the same gvoice ring-to feature as well and it's great to receive calls when i'm away from my home phone..
Wow, Wait a minute the PP's lite plan of 300 minutes you refer to is for outgoing minutes only and vestalink's lite plan The 500 minutes is a combination of incoming plus outgoing minutes. To keep the playing field even lets just assume that you use half and half, outgoing vs. incoming that would equate to 600 minutes for PP, however your incoming minute usage could be much higher with PP but remember your only charged with outgoing calls using PP and are charged both ways with the other service you mention. Hope this clarifies the issue a little.
lol, that's why people should just go with unlimited, like i did. you guys are splitting hairs on usage minutes that are way limited.. both lite plans suck. i went with vestalink's unlimited plan to avoid exactly this. who wants to keep track of minutes? come on people, it's cheaper than a few subway sandwiches and chips for the year.. ;D
So GV is still going strong.... and now ring.to offers free voip service too. Whose mad they jumped ship too soon? :)
I wish I could say I was mad but my service is still going way strong with Vestalink. The service is greater than any free voip provider at an exceptional cost. just got an email and they have a promo through the end of July that makes it even cheaper:
$50 off until July 31st using coupon code "julysavings" on the 2 year unlimited plan
$40 off until July 31st using coupon code "julysavings2000" on the 2 year 2000 minutes a month plan
$30 off until July 31st using coupon code "julysavings500" on the 2 year 500 minutes a month plan
not hating on free, but this is just better than the "free" options i've tried, hands down..
I'm not the least upset in porting out of GV to Vestalink. I have had great service and I got another GV number to use. If it is cut off, nothing lost. If not, I have an additional number which is great as well.
If anyone is still interested in Vestalink for your OBI device they are still running promos this month through the 16th at pretty competitive prices...
And, worth every penny of it. :P