[BlindLemonLars]

Originally Posted by dpoon

7) Broadvoice won't take incoming SIP calls

The only incoming calls Broadvoice accepts are those coming through the public phone network. You can't have a SIP client call your Broadvoice device directly through the Internet. I guess this minor point won't matter to 99% of Broadvoice subscribers.

Have people call **282xxxxxxxxxx@fwd.pulver.com from their SIP accounts to reach your Broadvoice number. (Obviously, replace the XXXXXXXXXX with the BV number.)

I too was disappointed when Broadvoice stopped accepting direct SIP calls, but at least there is a workaround. It works well, with no noticeable increase in latency.

[BlindLemonLars]

Originally Posted by slicemaster101

P.S. don’t think I am letting the VoIP providers off easy though, I personally think every VoIP provider should have a speed test right on their site that people can run and see if they have enough bandwidth and make it a prerequisite to the signing up process so that they can warn those who don’t pass the basic speed test about the potential issues they may run into, and inform them of possible solutions (aka faster internet, lower quality codec, etc.)

Slice, I'm glad you added that PS, as I agree that the VoIP providers need to be more accountable as well. They aggressively promote their services as being a plug and play, transparent replacement for POTS, but in most cases they simply are not. Likewise (as you point out) the only vague prerequisite they give is a "broadband connection," as though all connections were created equal.

I do agree with the gist of what you say, although I'd refrain from calling unhappy VoIP customers "stupid." "Uninformed" might be a better description. My initial experiences with VoIP were very disappointing, and it took a lot of learning and experimentation before I was confident enough to give SBC the kiss-off. But I found the technology quite interesting, and it morphed into a quasi-hobby...that's simply not going to happen with most consumers, who just want to save some $$$ on their phone bill! So while most VoIP customers ARE uninformed, I don't think it's a reasonable expectation that they be SIP experts, particularly given the manner in which the services are marketed.