ok i am in the market for a good voip phone system or a good ksu... would rather not use panasonic... any insight?

ed

I've seen the CX from INter-tel at a few trade shows and it seemed pretty cool. Very modular. Have a friend who has one in his own house and seems to like it. I believe Capitol Sales just started to sell it.

[Link: inter-tel.com]

Cingular, Verizon, Sprint, etc.

We don't really put in KSU's any more unless there is a true home office with workers in the office. Families all have their own cell phones now so they can be reached directly. The only execption I would have to say is if they lived in the mountains where cell phone signal is sparse.
But as far as VOiP. Vonage is ok. Some of these cable companys are starting to do this now. Bright House is advertising this localy.

Interesting system...but what a joke. I'm searching their site to find telephones and they are called "endpoints".
[Link: inter-tel.com]
All these f*cking idiots who take the simplest concept and make it complicated for people should be taken out and shot. This is why so many people hate technology and find it too complicated. Because some moron has to take even the simplest concept and complicate it.

"Endpoints". Give me a f*cking break!

I see where A** is now doing disto for a VOIP/4 port Router combo...

Service is $19.95 per month to the end user with unlimited calls. Small residuals to the selling dealer for each account....

No history on the company though, so it could be a service/reputation nightmare....Shades of Phast/C4?

Funny - I've also been chasing around their site trying to find some actual info on this system. Not making this easy.

If you can't use the lingo in a sentence without feeling like a geek, then maybe the terminology is kind of a stretch...


"Honey , the endpoint's for you!"

"Answer the damn endpoint!"


Hey, I also just noticed that their Cordless Phone "facilitates mobility"...

not looking for voip phone service.....i'm looking for voip phone system...big diff.....erence ya know.....

the phone system is not to replace cell service but to basically be used to manage incoming phone caLLS and intercom

ed

We had a client who had Panasonic digital KSU's in three of his homes, he built a hanger and was talked into replacing them all with a Cisco VOIP system by the T-1 guy. Needless to say he ripped them all out after two days, you couldn't even intercom in one touch like the Panasonics because the "endpoints" didn't have one touch assignable buttons, you literally had to scroll through a list just like on your cell phone to intercom or call another room, as well as with any other function such as transferrinng calls and so on. Beware of functionality!!

I have had Vonage for a few weeks now, just bought a new place so nothing besides the fax machine is hooked up yet. I have lots of wires hanging out the wall throughout the house. It seems to fax okay though.

My advice is try not to use one. Most people have major complaints over just about every sytem I have seen. Never had 100% satisfaction.

-Peter

First line of description for the top of the line 8690:

Runs on Microsoft� Windows� CE .NET



Interesting about the Cisco problems as it seems like those phones are on every TV show where there is a high tech office (24, Boston Legal, West Wing, Gena Davis as Pres show...). They look cool too.

Yep, those are the phones, and they don't even come close to the ease and functionality of a Panasonic system. These systems are not Vonage, that is something completely different. These are just phones that run over a network rather than a KSU with extension specific wiring and as I said above No One Touch intercomming or transfers or anything like that, everything is menu and folder driven on the phones. The Cisco's have a main router/switch that has the ports for installing the incomming Telco line and then the phones just sit on the network. If you want a phone system to connect multiple homes I would just stick with the Panasonics or a similar system and then get Vonage or a similar service. You could then just program in the phone number for each home as a one touch button to call back and forth.

Seriously CMA, I am very discouraged by your report. Thanks for the info.