VoicePulse VoIP Service
Reviewed by Travis Griggs on 06.10.2004

Conclusions

A VoIP provider can offer hundreds of features but it isn't worth a dime if the quality of calls are not up to par. VoicePulse goes beyond this with its call quality. Over 400 minutes were used, in this review, without one single complaint from either party about the call quality. During this review of service, VoicePulse was tested on 7 different home networks ranging from hardware routers to software routers. During each installation no special setup was needed, just plug in the SPA. Various standard cordless/corded phones were tested with no problems encountered. I am unable to comment on VoicePulse's tech support. During the entire course of the review no one had to contact tech support.

A few unforeseen advantages are sometimes not obvious to the user. With more hotels providing broadband internet connectivity, a traveling user could take his/her VoicePulse adapter and make unlimited calls from the hotel room. Going one step further, have a friend or family member overseas? Send them a VoicePulse adapter! They now have a US phone number in their overseas home for as little as $15 a month.

With the mobility of the phone service and being unlisted there is a drawback. Due to the nature of the beast, there is no 911 service currently available. The 911 call center has no way of knowing where the call originated. This issue seems to be stumbling block for all VoIP providers. There are several workable solutions available; go back to the old school way of posting emergency numbers by the phone, keep a stripped down traditional telephone line, or even use a deactivated cell phone.

During the review of VoicePulse's service I had an opportunity to interview Ravi Sakaria, CEO & Cofounder. VoicePulse is a little over a year old and has grown to a level never conceived of 1 year ago. During the first year of business, Ravi and his team focused on providing the widest range of features available to VoIP users. The focus of the second year is to increase availability of area codes. Ravi stated users will soon be able to port traditional telephone numbers over to the VoicePulse service. The amazing technology of VoIP as known today is only the beginning. Providers, such as VoicePulse, offering an astonishing amount of features at a low prices will be here for the long haul. After reviewing this service, VoicePulse will be handling all of my household phone calls!

Pro's:
No more surprises from the monthly phone bill
Block visitors from making 411(directory assistance) and/or international calls
Unlimited regional and/or unlimited national long distance
Call Waiting, Caller ID, Voicemail, etc. are free of charge
Advanced features not available through a traditional phone company
Plans to encrypt all phone calls unlike other providers
One of the few VoIP providers to offer 7 digit dialing(area code is user selectable)
Phone number is unlisted(no extra cost) - a reverse lookup cannot be done on the phone number
Line2 on the SPA can be configured for a $5 Open Access line or FreeWorldDialup

Con's:
No 911 service
Calls to Canada are long distance
No phone service when the household's internet service is down

More information on VoIP:
How to Distribute VoIP Throughout a Home

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