Question

We use skype, it's generally not bad. Occasionally it can have a bit of an echo, or static, but for the most part, we don't hear complaints. We did do a video conference between parties in Denver and Ireland, and the only issue was that it dropped the connection after 30 minutes. Not at all a problem since it was free. The paid service is extremely cost effective, and really helped us when we traveled to Canada, whereby we didn't have to pay outrageous fees to Sprint, we just talked from the hotel on the laptop and our clients never knew we weren't in the office. We use a Netgear phone, which doesn't require a connection to a computer, so it's always available independently. It has speakerphone, and voicemail, making it great to still enable productivity on the computer. We have a local phone number, and overall the value is the best.

I have found that an incredibly easy to use and full featured product is Skype. Available for free at skype.com, users are able to make and receive telephone and video calls to other skype users at the click of a button. I utilize this for my business as well and have purchased a package for a few dollars per month to have a static phone number, in my area code, that allows me to make and receive unlimited US calls to landlines and cell phones. They have a variety of headsets that can be purchased and it can be used anywhere that Wifi is available as well. Great product, great add-ons for business tasks and clear calls.

I have Vonage, so far the quality has been excellent. For my needs it is the right choice. I need to be able to forward my number to my mobile phone as well as check messages via email. Both are very easy to set up online without having to go through numerous prompts over the phone.

The Ooma Telo offers unlimited free US phone calls and hooks up between your cable modem and router/computer. I have been happy with the phone quality. Because the unit hooks up directly through your modem ,your computer does not have to be on to make calls. You can currently get the product through Amazon for about $235 so it should be paid for within a year and will have no additional cost thereafter unless you upgrade to a premium account for additional services.