[TWC] digital phone

[kael]

I'm not sure if this is the forum for this question but here it goes. I am looking at the digital phone service by twc and wondering how folks like it? How is the sound quality? And does it slow down the internet speed ? I guess the Question is whats it like?

 

[LonghornXP]

I'm not sure if this is the forum for this question but here it goes. I am looking at the digital phone service by twc and wondering how folks like it? How is the sound quality? And does it slow down the internet speed ? I guess the Question is whats it like?

Well I can only comment on digital phone that my mother has in Pinellas County with BHN along with Comcast Digital Voice that I have in Nashua but they should be good tests as they both work pretty much the same.

With both BHN and Comcast if your also a high speed internet customer you will get your cable modem replaced with a new modem that will handle both the voice and internet services. This unit also has a battery backup as well. The units so far are different on BHN and Comcast. BHN uses a Scientific Atlanta combo modem while Comcast uses a modem made by ARRIS. The one I use is the ARRIS Touchstone TM402P and it works quite well but its a very big sucker compared to the SA one my mother has. Both modems can use the existing phone jacks in the house and I can verify this as I've seen both in action. This is how it is connected.

First for this to work you must have a phone jack (not a wireless one but a real phone jack connected to the switching system within the house itself) near the computer itself you are connecting it with. Please note that nearly all houses will work with this as they all have switching systems. So say if you have a phone jack in the kitchen, living room and the two bedrooms. Say you have the computer in the living room near the phone jack. You would take a plain old phone cable and connect it to both the modem and the phone jack. At this point in time that jack in the living room cannot be used with a phone but all other phone jacks in the house (both bedrooms and the kitchen) can have any phone plugged into them and they will work as if you have Verizon. All the extra jacks in the house can have a phone plugged in and they will work like your existing phone company.

I like the service quite a bit and I've even told Verizon that until they offer fiber I'll be with Comcast and not them. So far I've had the Comcast Voice service for about a day and its been perfect so far and my mother's has been perfect after the first couple of days because of unrelated issues caused by the power company in the area. The power company cut the cable lines but beyond that her service has been rock solid.

Both include all calling features such as Caller ID along with at least unlimited long distance calling to anywhere in the USA. Time Warner Cable and Bright House Networks offers unlimited calling to Canada as well while Comcast doesn't offer Canada.

Either way they are very good deals when being bundled. I'm not sure if TWC offers this or not like BHN but if you switch to digital phone and you have HBO/Cinemax/Showtime/TMC and Premiums On Demand you can get 10 bucks off per month on this package as long as you keep phone service. The normal rate is 30.00/month so the same package will cost 20.00/month with digital phone. Also don't quote me on this as this might not apply to you.

At least for me as a new customer with Comcast I'm getting digital cable with all premium channels, two HD DVR boxes, internet and digital voice service in a bundle for 12 months that costs me with all taxes and fees 195/month which is a great deal. I was paying BHN 212/month for just cable and internet with no voice. I'm saving tons of money and getting more on both the phone front and OnDemand and HDTV offerings so I'm sure not complaining.

I'll be sure to give updates on my mother and I so you can be better informed. Also you do have a 30 day free trial so if within 30 days you don't like it you will get the entire 39.99/month back. If you call anyone outside of what is unlimited you must pay these costs though. I'm also assuming that you would pay 39.99/month but it might be more if you don't get the triple play but I'm assuming you have both digital cable and high speed internet today with TWC and are just adding TWC digital phone.

I hope this helps you out and I also hope things didn't get too complex.

 

[nateman99]

I can't speak to the quality of TWC's Digital Phone Service. What I can say that, though, is that Internet Telephony is a brand new world. Make sure you look at offers from other providers. BellSouth and TWC are monopoly providers. The field is now W-I-D-E open and you can choose from many different providers.

I personally use Vonage (and have for over 2 years) and I love it. Problems have been very rare (usually relating to TWC's service outages, not Vonage).

I shared similar thoughts at this post: http://www.satelliteguys.us/showthread.php?t=60192.

Good luck with your decision!

 

[kael]

digital phone

Thanks guys for the info. I let my wife read your info and that is what see wanted to hear now to decide which service to use vonage does sound cheaper and cnet,and pcmag gave vonage a good review. thanks again.

 

[terryfoster]

kael,
Vonage uses the same vendor for VoIP as TWC in most areas so you would be paying less for effectivly the same voice service if you go with Vonage. If I had known this when I decided to get VoIP I would have picked Vonage over AT&T CallVantage.

DO NOT go with TWC due to high cost (even with bundling) and fewer calling features like voice mail is only available over the phone while Vonage and AT&T CallVantage provide your messages over the phone and on the internet with optional email notification.

DO make sure that you get a VoIP gateway or router that goes between your modem and your computer/router. QoS (Quality of Service) is key when it comes to VoIP and they only way it works is if the VoIP box is between your computer and the internet. QoS will throttle down your internet traffic from the computer to allow for clear phone communications.

Before I continue I will say that I LOVE my VoIP service and have NO plans on ever switching back to POTS.

My parents went with Earthlink for their VoIP services and ended up switching back to AT&T (POTS) because Earthlink didn't provide QoS. Vonage and AT&T CallVantage(VoIP) both provide equipment with QoS. I'm not saying that Earthlink doesn't provide equipment with QoS, but the TA (Telephone Adapter) they gave my parents went behind the router and could not provide QoS.

Even if you are provided a battery backup for the TA, it doesn't mean it will work when the power goes out. My experience has been that if we lose power our cable goes out and so even if our TA has power it cannot communicate with anything. I would only recommend VoIP if you have cellular phones you can use to dial 911 in case of an emergency during a power failure.

 

[LonghornXP]

kael,
Vonage uses the same vendor for VoIP as TWC in most areas so you would be paying less for effectivly the same voice service if you go with Vonage. If I had known this when I decided to get VoIP I would have picked Vonage over AT&T CallVantage.

DO NOT go with TWC due to high cost (even with bundling) and fewer calling features like voice mail is only available over the phone while Vonage and AT&T CallVantage provide your messages over the phone and on the internet with optional email notification.

DO make sure that you get a VoIP gateway or router that goes between your modem and your computer/router. QoS (Quality of Service) is key when it comes to VoIP and they only way it works is if the VoIP box is between your computer and the internet. QoS will throttle down your internet traffic from the computer to allow for clear phone communications.

Before I continue I will say that I LOVE my VoIP service and have NO plans on ever switching back to POTS.

My parents went with Earthlink for their VoIP services and ended up switching back to AT&T (POTS) because Earthlink didn't provide QoS. Vonage and AT&T CallVantage(VoIP) both provide equipment with QoS. I'm not saying that Earthlink doesn't provide equipment with QoS, but the TA (Telephone Adapter) they gave my parents went behind the router and could not provide QoS.

Even if you are provided a battery backup for the TA, it doesn't mean it will work when the power goes out. My experience has been that if we lose power our cable goes out and so even if our TA has power it cannot communicate with anything. I would only recommend VoIP if you have cellular phones you can use to dial 911 in case of an emergency during a power failure.

You made some very good points it just so happens for me at least that Comcast is cheaper for the stuff I want compared to ordering Vonage. If I got the TV and internet services I wanted and added Vonage I would be spending about 25 bucks a month more than I am now getting the digital phone with Comcast. Now if my deal wasn't as good as it is I would be with Vonage. The whole point is that we all have a choice now with many different companies for phone service with many different service levels and pricing. Having TWC and Comcast in the mix offering bundled pricing only keeps Vonage and others in line and forces them to innovate and do more. The end result for customers is more choice and better value. Unlike cable TV where we have very little choice for TV service (for those of us who want HD DVR boxes and VOD) we have many more choices for phone service even with the cable companies in the mix. In no way are the cable companies going to hurt choice on the phone side of things.

Things aren't perfect as we see with the no power and 911 issues but last I checked my cordless phone needs the base to be powered or it won't work and my thinking is if I'm out of power than something bad enough happened that I wouldn't count on EMS showing up anytime soon.

 

[CbandLover]

Keep in mind that TWC will install the phone modem for you and make sure that it is properly connected to existing lines in the house. With Vonage, for example, you are all on your own to set it up and connect it into your house line if you choose. Sure, it is not difficult in most cases, but I personally have seen some challenging installations. Also, you can have a phone connection anywhere that the modem is. Just have them install a double port outlet, one for modem, and the other for a phone, no big deal. And remember, if you have trouble, you call TWC and make them troubleshoot it and fix it, should there be issues. With Vonage, good luck (I speak from experience-my friend has it).

Finally, in CERTAIN areas cable phone service DOES work when the power is out, so long as the plant is backed up and you are provided with a modem and battery. There is no other VoIP service I know that has that capability anywhere.

 

[terryfoster]

Finally, in CERTAIN areas cable phone service DOES work when the power is out, so long as the plant is backed up and you are provided with a modem and battery.

The exact same thing can be said about ANY VoIP provider. As long as your cable works when the power is out, then your VoIP will work provided you have a UPS connected to it. Cable cos doesn't know what VoIP provider you have, so as long as your internet is up your phone can work.

As for your other comments:
TWC has poor customer service. I cannot speak for Vonage but I can't imagine it being worse than TWC.

If you aren't comfortable in installing VoIP yourself, then TWC would be a good option. Do keep in mind that loads of people, including my mom who is not the most computer literate, have been successful in installing their own VoIP. The installation comes with an idiots guide to installing VoIP, kind of like the same road map that now come with computers. There are also lots of forums like this one on the internet there to help (people do the same thing for TWC support). Also keep in mind that TWC would have me believe that I can't install my own cable box.

 

[CbandLover]

The exact same thing can be said about ANY VoIP provider. As long as your cable works when the power is out, then your VoIP will work provided you have a UPS connected to it. Cable cos doesn't know what VoIP provider you have, so as long as your internet is up your phone can work.

As for your other comments:
TWC has poor customer service. I cannot speak for Vonage but I can't imagine it being worse than TWC.

If you aren't comfortable in installing VoIP yourself, then TWC would be a good option. Do keep in mind that loads of people, including my mom who is not the most computer literate, have been successful in installing their own VoIP. The installation comes with an idiots guide to installing VoIP, kind of like the same road map that now come with computers. There are also lots of forums like this one on the internet there to help (people do the same thing for TWC support). Also keep in mind that TWC would have me believe that I can't install my own cable box.

Dude, chill.
I am in no way arguing with anyone. Just putting my two cents in. As far as backup power goes, a large percentage of customers who are new to VoIP and get cable phone, regardless of provider, are not going to know or be comfortable with configuring a UPS for their equipment. That is what I was getting at. You telling someone NOT to get TWC phone is fine, because that is your personal experience, but you also may be more knowledgeable about other services and how to hook them up. That does not apply to everyone.

As far as customer service, I never said that they were the best or worst. I am not disputing that. All I am saying is that if the not-too-saavy tech person orders from a provider like cable, his hands are washed from dealing with any issues. Not his problem, its the cable company's problem. That's all.