Average Reviews:
(More customer reviews)I ordered Callvantage service through the AT&T web site on a Monday and received the unit on Friday via FedEx. As part of my order I asked AT&T to port my current home phone number over to the Callvantage service. The port was completed 5 days after my adaptor was received. Once I received the adaptor I was able to activate the unit and service and make outgoing calls. You have to wait until your number is ported over before you can receive calls, until then you will receive your calls on your existing providers network. This whole process was very smooth.
Once I had the service up and running we noticed that there were some issues with the voice quality. Incoming voice was clear but our outgoing voice was dropping off from time to time and made having a conversation difficult. I called AT&T and they did some testing of my cable line and said everything looked ok. They suggested that it might be my cordless phone. I changed phones but still no luck. I ended up calling my cable provider and they came out and found two issues with my internet setup on their end which would cause dropped packets and lead to voice quality problems. Once they fixed this up we have had very good call quality from our AT&T service.
The lesson learned is that you have to deal with two providers and as usual both providers at first blammed the other provider for the issue.
On the positive side, I love being able to call long distance anytime of the day and not worry about charges or cellular minutes etc. AT&T has some nice features which I'm sure will get better over time. I like the call log and phone book feature as well as the locate me feature where you can have the service ring up to 5 phones to locate you if you are not home. Comes in handy if you need to be out of the house and are waiting for a call.
All in all I'm pretty happy with the service now that my issues are worked out. If there is one thing that will cause voip to not take off right away, it is the fact that there are more points of failure in having voip then with regular phone service. Your internet can go out, the voip gateway can lockup, your power can go out (unless you have a battery backup for the equipment). These are things that most people are not use to worrying about in regards to phone service. Also, since the unit only comes into one location, you have to have your home wiring adjusted for it to reach all your extensions or buy an expandable cordless system. This is an extra cost and extra effort that many people might not want to bother with.
If you are technically inclined then these issues might not be a big deal but if you are someone who struggles with PC's and internet basics then pass on voip until it becomes more standard and tested.
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AT&T CallVantage Service VoIP Telephone AdapterAT&T CallVantagesm Service from AT&T is a Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) telephone service that utilizes the latest in Internet technology to deliver features that are beyond the means of traditional phone companies. With VoIP, calls are transmitted over the Internet, allowing you to communicate nationwide for a single monthly fee. You pay additional charges only for international calls, which are billed at competitive prices. (AT&T CallVantage Service treats calls to Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, and Canada as domestic calls.) Plus, AT&T's Advanced Quality of Service (QoS) provides high voice quality.
AT&T CallVantage Service is easy to set up. To establish an account, just follow the instructions on the welcome letter, included in the box. Setting up the hardware is also very simple: just plug the telephone adapter into your existing phone and plug the other end into your cable or DSL modem. All DSL and cable modems with an Ethernet port and at least 90 Kbps upstream and downstream speed are supported, as well as both Windows computers and Macs.
In addition to the standard features you expect from your traditional phone company, like caller ID, call waiting, three-way calling, and call forwarding, AT&T CallVantage Service provides a number of features made possible only by use of Internet Protocol technology. You can have voice mail forwarded to your e-mail inbox as an attachment, and then forward that attachment to relevant third parties. You can take your home area code with you when you travel, so your family or work can reach you without paying long-distance rates. And, with an elaborate variation of call forwarding known as "Locate Me," you can maintain a list of places you'll be visiting; when you're out, AT&T CallVantage Service will ring them in sequence (or all at once) until it finds you.
Accessible either by phone or the Internet, the Phone Feature Manager provides access to a phone directory that can store up to 250 numbers, to call logs (incoming and outgoing for the last 60 days), and to many of your other phone settings. A reverse lookup feature lets you access the name and address information of an incoming caller, while the add-to-Phone Book feature lets you move any number from your call log to your Phone Book with the touch of a single button. A display-and-dial feature lets you easily call any number displayed in either your call log or Phone Book, and you can set up to nine speed dial entries. Taken together, that's a lot for a phone service to do. With all the features that AT&T's CallVantage Service makes possible, you can simplify and organize your communications like never before.
What's in the Box A telephone adapter for use with AT&T CallVantage Service, a 12-volt, 1-amp DC power adapter, a telephone line cord, an Ethernet cable, manuals, and service and promotional information
Terms and Conditions Buying this item signifies your intention to sign up for AT&T CallVantage Service and to pay a monthly subscription fee. For details about how the Service works and for complete terms and conditions, visit www.att.com/amazon.
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