I have not had a home phone for some time. I really haven’t used one since 1999. I may have had one on and off between now and then, but it wasn’t my main phone. I use my Mobile Phone. Unfortunately I like to switch phones and providers allot. I just find something new and switch. My situation always changes. A phone may not work at the office, or my apartment if I move, I need to travel and it doesn’t work where I am going, etc. So I switch allot. Well the people at Vonage have a home phone solution using Voice Over IP (VOIP). I still don’t want a home phone, but I want a phone number that will stay with me. I also want 1 number that I can route to multiple phone numbers. I had this solution in college. AT&T offered a 500 number service that allowed a follow you number. I guess the service never took off so they canceled it. I have been looking ever since for something that will do the same thing. Vonage looks like it will do that. For a flat rate I can route calls to any US phone number, retrieve voice mail from the computer, take the number anywhere, and other cool features. It works by plugging it into my cable modem.
I have known about Vonage for a while. A guy at work loves it, but I wasn’t sure I wanted it or needed it. I decided to give it a try because I am moving and I want to start having 1 number people call no matter where I am. So if I cancel a cell phone, it doesn’t matter people just have the VOIP number and get routed to whatever number I tell them. I also don’t need to keep my cell phone on all the time when I am at home. Another big plus is that I can finally get rid of my second cell phone. I always had a second one for the past 2 years or so because service was always spotty on one phone or another. So hopefully I can save some $$$.
If all works out, I won’t get people asking me what my phone number is ever 6 months when I change it. My family still tries to call me at numbers I haven’t had or used in over a year.
I should get the new Vonage equipment in about a week or so. I will let you know how it works. I just hope I get a decent phone number. I will call and try to change it if I don’t. I don’t care how much it costs, I need an easy to remember phone number. that is one of the reasons I still have crappie AT&T Wireless Mobile phone, I got a great phone number and I don’t want to loose it.