What Are The Disadvantages Of VOIP?
As millions of people are embracing the new VOIP (Voice Over IP) technology, you may be wondering why you don’t switch to VOIP also. There are both advantages and disadvantages to VOIP, but you will have to examine them closely to see if VOIP is right for you.
Disadvantages of VOIP:
- Price. Although VOIP’s low pricing is marketed as a feature, VOIP can actually be more expensive in some cases. For example, at the time of this writing, Vonage, a popular VOIP company, has a mid-range “Premium Unlimited” plan for $24.99 a month. If you’re not a heavy phone user and don’t make many long distance calls, the price of VOIP might really be a disadvantage for you and you might want to compare VOIP prices to regular phone prices.
- 911 Emergency Calls. The US government has gotten involved in the VOIP scene because many people report that they cannot always reach 911 quickly or cannot reach 911 at all sometimes. Also, 911 call centers cannot always detect your location as they can when you call through a regular phone line. If you plan on getting VOIP, be sure that you thoroughly check their 911 emergency policy and plan. It’s a disadvantage of VOIP companies if they do not give full 911 coverage.
- Quality. If you don’t have a super-fast cable or DSL connection, the sound quality of your VOIP connection might occasionally be poor. Sometimes there are tiny delays when you talk so it sounds like there is an echo.
Hopefully these supposed “disadvantages of VOIP” will not keep you from at least trying VOIP services if they look good to you. There are many advantages to VOIP that may outweigh the disadvantages. Also, many VOIP services come with a 30-day money-back guarantee so that you can try the service and decide if you like it or not.