How to Choose a VOIP Service Provider

Steps

1. Find out if your internet connection is "VOIP-ready". Most of the time when people are unhappy with VOIP service it's not the fault of the service itself, but the internet connection of the subscriber. Go to http://www.testyourvoip.com and run some of the call quality tests there to see if your connection is fast enough to support VOIP.
2. Look at your phone bill to see how much you're paying in services and what services you really need such as call waiting, call forwarding, three way calling, caller ID, etc. Jot down your total amount paid each month for services. If you're looking to VOIP to save you money, consider how much it would cost you to lose "bundled services" such as DSL, and Television if you were to cancel your landline phone service.
3. Research several different VOIP providers to find out which has the features that you need or desire for the best price. IPvaani (http://www.ipvaani.com), Google Talk (http://talk.google.com), SIPphone and Skype are free ones.
4. Look at the money back guarantee, contract term, and equipment return policies. Make sure that any service provider that you're considering has at least a 30 day guarantee. If they don't offer a guarantee then don't even consider them. All of the major providers offer a solid guarantee. Be sure you understand the contract term and know how long you are commiting yourself too. Watch out for "FREE" ploys which lock you into a long term contract or charge you for the equipment when you cancel service. No contracts required for some service provides like IPvaani (http://www.ipvaani.com)
5. If you are using DSL, be aware that you may not be able to cancel your phone service. Most phone companies will offer a "metered service" that you will pay for per call. Since you're going to be using VOIP, you will not be making many (if any) calls over your copper line, only running DSL over it. It's really essential to look into metered service if you're using DSL. After all, why would you want to pay for a standard line if you're going to be paying for VOIP?
6. Look into number portablility for the provider that you're considering. If you need to keep your current phone number then don't consider a provider that cannot let you keep your current number.
7. Order your VOIP service and enjoy all of the fancy phone features for free that you would pay an arm and a leg.

Tips

• Have a backup line such as a cell phone or a land line on metered service. As you may already know, 911 service on VOIP connections is not perfect yet. Also consider that when your internet connection goes down via power outage or problems with your ISP, your VOIP line will not be available.
• If you do not want to switch your main phone service over to VOIP, you can still reap some of the benefits of it. There are free VOIP providers such as IPvaani (http://www.ipvaani.com) Google Talk (http://talk.google.com), SipPhone(http://www.sipphone.com), and Skype (http://www.skype.com). SipPhone and Skype allow you to place and receive calls from standard phones for very little money.
• Look into buying a VOIP router. A VOIP router will allocate more bandwidth to your VOIP calls than other internet activities on your home network. This improves call quality and will help to eliminate dropouts. Without a VOIP router if you're in the middle of the call and start downloading a bunch of data from the internet your calls will decrease in quality or be dropped depending on how much internet activity there is and how fast your internet connection is.
• Most providers will offer a telephone adapter or a brand new phone that is compatible with the VOIP service to you when you sign up. The VOIP phones are nice and have lots of features, but the adapters let you use your standard telephone with the service. Be aware of these options when comparing providers.
• If possible choose a provider that will allow you to purchase or use a device that is not specifically locked to their service. This will allow you to continue using this device even if you need to change providers.

Warnings

• Always choose a well known or reputable VOIP service. This is a young technology and there are bound to be those offering cheap, substandard service. Looks for since how many years they are providing reliable service.
• Make sure that you can return your equipment that you purchase and get your money back in the event that you decide that VOIP is not right for you. Check and see how long you have to return equipment.
• Have a Mobile Phone or a metered landline handy as a backup. Remember, if your internet connection goes down, so does your VOIP line. Always be prepared in case of an emergency.
• Be sure that the company you choose is E911 compliant. E911 is a system where upon calling emergency services, your address and information are automatically forwarded to the operators. Some VOIP providers offer "virtual phone numbers", telephone numbers that can be relocated anywhere and must be manually registered with emergency services. If a customer moves without registering their information, it can result in their call being routed to the wrong emergency services altogether. So it is always better to update your information use mobile phones or landlines for emergency calling.
• Beware of clauses in the contract including charges for returning equipment, cancellation fees, or maximum usage limits on money back return policies.

Sources and Citations

• ipvaani.com
• testyourvoip.com
• skype.com
• vonage.com

Article provided by wikiHow, a wiki how-to manual. Please edit this article and find author credits at the original wikiHow article on How to How to Choose a VOIP Service Provider. All content on wikiHow can be shared under a Creative Commons license.