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Marlene


Aug 25, 2005, 1:48 PM

Post #1 of 27 (5523 views)

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VOIP similar to Vonage here in Mexico?

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Has anyone heard of a company or service here in Mexico which will provide a similar set-up as Vonage does?



lakechapaladreamer

Aug 25, 2005, 3:58 PM

Post #2 of 27 (5505 views)

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Re: [Marlene] VOIP similar to Vonage here in Mexico?

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So do you want VoIp so that you can call around Mexico for free (after the monthly charge, of course)? If you want it to call the US or Canada, I'm wondering why you don't want to go with Vonage? Just curious... ;)


Marlene


Aug 25, 2005, 4:15 PM

Post #3 of 27 (5500 views)

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Re: [lakechapaladreamer] VOIP similar to Vonage here in Mexico?

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The main reason I don't go with Vonage at this point is that they are very specific that you must have a US or Canadian residential address and credit card. They haven't approved those with Mexican addresses and credit cards yet and in fact the last time I read it, their fine print says they don't support service outside their authorized areas. I was hoping to find something comparable rather than expend energy skirting the rules. From the Vonage website:


Quote
2.6 Use of Service and Device by Customers Outside the United States. Although we encourage you to use of the Service to place calls to foreign countries from within the United States, we do not presently offer or support the Service in any countries other than the United States and Canada. If you use the Service or the Device outside of the United States or Canada, you will be solely responsible for any violations of local laws and regulations resulting from such use. We reserve the right to terminate your Service immediately if we determine, in our sole and absolute discretion, that you have used the Service or the Device outside of the United States or Canada.


I am currently using Dialpad with Telmex broadband for VOIP and it is great for outgoing calls. What I need now is ability to have a US (California) phone number with 1-800 inbound capability, for business reasons.


(This post was edited by Marlene on Aug 25, 2005, 4:32 PM)


johanson / Moderator


Aug 25, 2005, 5:26 PM

Post #4 of 27 (5487 views)

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Re: [Marlene] VOIP similar to Vonage here in Mexico?

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Yes Marlene, there is a Mexican equivalent of Vonage in Mexico. However I do not have access to that information right now as I am up north. But not for long. Although it got up to 28 today, CBUT said that we could expect rain and 15 C soon. So I'm heading south in two weeks. In case no one else can answer your question, remind me when I get back and I will get you that information.

What I don't know is whether they offer US 800 numbers, I guessing not.

PS: for those of you who don't know, CBUT, channel 2 is a CBC affiliate located on "The lower mainland" between Horseshoe Bay and Coquitlam, you know where the Fraser River enters the Strait of Georgia which leads to the Pacific Ocean.


(This post was edited by johanson on Aug 25, 2005, 5:32 PM)


lakechapaladreamer

Aug 26, 2005, 9:08 AM

Post #5 of 27 (5454 views)

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Re: [Marlene] VOIP similar to Vonage here in Mexico?

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2.6 Use of Service and Device by Customers Outside the United States. Although we encourage you to use of the Service to place calls to foreign countries from within the United States, we do not presently offer or support the Service in any countries other than the United States and Canada. If you use the Service or the Device outside of the United States or Canada, you will be solely responsible for any violations of local laws and regulations resulting from such use. We reserve the right to terminate your Service immediately if we determine, in our sole and absolute discretion, that you have used the Service or the Device outside of the United States or Canada.

Hi Marlene,

I read the VonageTerms of Service (which includes the above statement). I am presently waiting for a callback from Kelly Powers in Vonage Customer Relations to try to clear up the inconsistency between this and the claims they make in the rest of their website. I'm not advocating skirting the rules. When I signed up, I specifically asked customer support about use in Mexico. The answer I got was basically what the US medical insurance companies say. As long as you have a US or Canadian mailing address and a credit/debit card, you qualify. Many, if not most of the full-time US and Canadian expats have a mail forwarding service for insurance issues, car registration/licensing issues, etc. I see this in the same light.

This being said, it still may not work for you as it appears that you don't have a US credit/debit card or any kind of US or Canadian address.

I feel fine using the service in Mexico based on the statements below which are taken from their website and the info I got when signing up. I will pass on any info I get from Kelly. I will suggest that they remove section 2.6 as it completely negates the info put forth on the rest of their website.

Take It On the Road

Your Free Phone Adapter makes a great travel companion. You can use it anywhere in the world where you have a high-speed Internet connection. Bring it anywhere overseas and you won't pay international dialing rates when you call back home. The same is true when you travel to other area codes in the US for both business and residential Vonage accounts.

Can I use the Linksys Phone Adapter Overseas?

Currently we do not sell our service internationally (except Canada and the United Kingdom) and therefore do not ship internationally or accept international credit cards. However, our service will probably work in other countries. We advise you to check the local VoIP laws of the country that you are using it in because some countries regulate the use of VoIP. Unfortunately, we cannot guarantee the quality of service due to the long latency between your local ISP provider and our service in the United States.

If you use our service in another country, you will have to accept a U.S. telephone number and pay our international rates to call within your country. See our current list of international rates.

Note, for more information on our Canada service please visit www.vonage.ca.

Note, for more information on our United Kingdom service please visit www.vonage.co.uk.

Will my Vonage phone adapter work when I travel?

Yes, you can use your Vonage service any place you have a high-speed Internet connection. Callers who need to reach you from your local calling area will be making local calls to your Vonage line even if you are out of town or outside the country.

If you plan on using the service outside the U.S., we suggest checking with local Internet Service Providers in the area to see if there are any regulations on using VoIP service in that specific country. Due to certain restrictions of Internet Service Providers outside of the U.S. and Canada, we cannot guarantee the quality of the Vonage service.

If you use our service in another country, you will have to accept a U.S. telephone number and pay our international rates to call within that country. See our International Rates page for our current international rates.

For example, let's say that you live in Chicago and bring your Free Phone Adapter on a trip to Hong Kong. With Vonage you can call your next-door neighbor from Hong Kong and it's priced like a local domestic call. This is also true when your neighbor calls you. So it's very convenient for people dialing you, and it's extra easy on your wallet too.


Marlene


Aug 26, 2005, 9:18 AM

Post #6 of 27 (5453 views)

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Re: [lakechapaladreamer] VOIP similar to Vonage here in Mexico?

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Right. I understand the Vonage requirements and they don't work for me. I live in Mexico and do not keep an address in Canada. The billing address on my Canadian credit card is Mexico where I live permanently.


Brian

Aug 26, 2005, 9:46 AM

Post #7 of 27 (5448 views)

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Re: [Marlene] VOIP similar to Vonage here in Mexico?

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Marlene

Take a look at this company and see if it meets your needs. I don't have any personal experience with them. The page can be read either in Spanish or English. Curiously, the unlimited Mexico/USA/Canada plan costs 699 pesos on the Spanish link but on the English link it's 799 pesos. Another case of the gringo tax?? LOL

http://easycallmx.com/english.htm

saludos
Brian


(This post was edited by Brian on Aug 26, 2005, 10:30 AM)


Marlene


Aug 26, 2005, 10:10 AM

Post #8 of 27 (5444 views)

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Re: [Brian] VOIP similar to Vonage here in Mexico?

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Thanks for that link Brian. It looks interesting, especially the free trial part. If anyone has used this company, some feedback would be great.


lakechapaladreamer

Aug 26, 2005, 10:24 AM

Post #9 of 27 (5441 views)

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Re: [Marlene] VOIP similar to Vonage here in Mexico?

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Marlene:

I knew from your reply that Vonage probably wouldn't work in your circumstances. I posted the additional info in case folks do a search for VoIp on the forums in the future. I wanted to make sure that all of the info they present on their website was out there so that people can have all the facts and make a decision based on that. I know that there are many happy Vonage users in Mexico and, except for section 2.6, Vonage doesn't seem to have a problem with it.

Good luck with your search. ;)


Esteban

Aug 26, 2005, 2:57 PM

Post #10 of 27 (5418 views)

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Re: [Marlene] VOIP similar to Vonage here in Mexico?

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Cesar the Mazatlan centro computer guru is selling http://www.telextreme.com service which is licensed in Mexico and, you can use a US or Canadian area code. They ship to Mexico etc. Check it out.


Marlene


Aug 26, 2005, 3:08 PM

Post #11 of 27 (5415 views)

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Re: [Esteban] VOIP similar to Vonage here in Mexico?

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Thanks, I have spoken to him about it but the set up fee seems outrageous at $270.00 USD. He was very nice though and knows his stuff. He said that when I access the webpage I should add /cesar after the .com He says they don't offer 800 number options, which is what I need.

www.telextreme.com/cesar

Last evening I got a very good lead and I am just trying to confirm that I can add on an 800 number to that particular plan. If I can, it will be exactly what I need at a very reasonable price and it will be the one I go for.


jennifer rose

Aug 26, 2005, 5:27 PM

Post #12 of 27 (5400 views)

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Re: [Marlene] VOIP similar to Vonage here in Mexico?

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Take a look at Packet 8, http://www.packet8.com. It's available to customers in Mexico. I've been rather pleased with the service, and if anyone would like a referral for even lower rates, please e-mail me privately.


johanson / Moderator


Aug 26, 2005, 6:58 PM

Post #13 of 27 (5393 views)

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Re: [Marlene] VOIP similar to Vonage here in Mexico?

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I would like to second Jennifer's recommendation of Packet8. Although it is not as well known as Vonage, it is the system recommended by the technical staff at one of the Lakeside (Ajijic) ISPs.

They had no problems with Vonage, but felt the packet8 configuration was simpler and that Packet8 used less bandwidth.


(This post was edited by johanson on Aug 26, 2005, 6:59 PM)


kirkswig


Aug 27, 2005, 5:21 PM

Post #14 of 27 (5361 views)

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Re: [Marlene] VOIP similar to Vonage here in Mexico?

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Marlene, I feared it would be a lost cause but this packet8 thing seems to hit all your requirements.

They will ship to Mexico (although it's via Fedex, will no doubt be very pricey.)

They appear not to care about U.S. address, only requiring that you have a credit card.

And they offer a toll-free option.

I might just do this myself.

To boldly go where no wig has gone before.


Marlene


Aug 27, 2005, 5:35 PM

Post #15 of 27 (5357 views)

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Re: [kirkswig] VOIP similar to Vonage here in Mexico?

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Hi!

The price is definitely right on the special offer Jennifer has. I called them yesterday to check on some wordings, and the whizkid that answered the phone, albeit confused about some pricing they offer, told me that they "don't ship internationally"... They have no problem with me being in Mexico, but I would have to have someone else ship it to me. Did you speak to someone or actually see it in print? I thought I saw the Fedex option somewhere on their site as well. We'll get to the bottom of this! Thanks again.


jennifer rose

Aug 27, 2005, 6:02 PM

Post #16 of 27 (5351 views)

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Re: [Marlene] VOIP similar to Vonage here in Mexico?

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Packet 8 will ship internationally.


Jerry@Ajijic

Aug 28, 2005, 7:55 AM

Post #17 of 27 (5320 views)

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Re: [jennifer rose] VOIP similar to Vonage here in Mexico?

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Does Packet 8 offer "virtual telephone numbers" for your contacts in the states that you want to be able to call you, free?


johanson / Moderator


Aug 28, 2005, 9:12 AM

Post #18 of 27 (5314 views)

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Re: [Jerry@Ajijic] VOIP similar to Vonage here in Mexico?

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Jerry: Go to the web page that Jennifer Rose gave above, and link to the appropriate page. The information is all there. I just did. It said that a virtual number costs $4.95 per month and that there is a $9.95 activation fee


jennifer rose

Aug 28, 2005, 9:27 AM

Post #19 of 27 (5310 views)

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Re: [johanson] VOIP similar to Vonage here in Mexico?

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Yes, you do get a virtual number. Mine didn't cost anything extra with the package. The hardest part was picking an area code, sort of like deciding where you want to be from, difficult when you've got friends scattered all over the place, so I opted for Austin.

There's no limit on incoming calls to a Packet 8 number, calls between Packet8 people are free, and calls beyond the 1000 minutes are billed at $.029/minute to the US. I even use Packet8 to call within Mexico, because it's only something like $.06 or $.07 per minute. When I call friends just down the street who are also Packet 8 customers, sometimes I even use their Packet8 number instead of their local number, because it doesn't count against the 100-call allotment Telmex provides.

At the support page at http://www.packet8.com are FAQs explaining everything.

And remember, if you'd like a referral to Packet8, which will get you a better rate than shown on the webpage, write me at jrose@infosel.net.mx, and I'll send you one. (Yes, I get a $25USD credit on my bill for anyone who signs up.)


johanson / Moderator


Aug 28, 2005, 1:06 PM

Post #20 of 27 (5294 views)

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Re: [Jerry@Ajijic] VOIP similar to Vonage here in Mexico?

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Jerry: My answer was misleading. What I should say is that extra virtual #s cost $4.95 per month, each.

Why would you want an extra virtual number(s)? So that friends and relatives in two or more different areas would have toll free #s they could dial to reach you. Maybe half of your friends and relatives lived in Seattle, and the other half in Toronto. Each would have a local # they could call.


kirkswig


Aug 28, 2005, 1:47 PM

Post #21 of 27 (5288 views)

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Re: [Marlene] VOIP similar to Vonage here in Mexico?

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Quote
Question

Can you ship to international addresses (outside the United States)? How much does it cost?

Answer

Shipping addresses outside the United States will incur an additional shipping charge. We ship via Federal Express International Economy, and our shipping cost on these orders will be charged to the customer. The customer will be contacted via e-mail to approve any additional shipping charges before the equipment is shipped. Freedom Unlimited plans are not available to customers outside of the United States.


http://www.packet8.net/...AQ&SolutionID=68

To boldly go where no wig has gone before.


Jerry@Ajijic

Aug 29, 2005, 6:37 PM

Post #22 of 27 (5259 views)

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Re: [johanson] VOIP similar to Vonage here in Mexico?

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Pete, in our case we have one daughter in Canada and the other one was in Orlando and now has just moved to Ashville, NC.


toddmc


Nov 24, 2005, 7:35 AM

Post #23 of 27 (5059 views)

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Re: [Marlene] VOIP similar to Vonage here in Mexico?

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So, How did it work out?

An update would be appreciated.

I am starting a new job and will be operating from my home office in canada, but hope to to be able to spend 4-6 months a year in mexico.
Seems to me I can save myself some trouble and money by planning ahead so that I won't have to change thing a year or two down the road.
Like you I will need a toll free number for incoming call.

Thanks

Todd

*************************
Our new life in Patzcuaro: http://lifeinthecorazon.blogspot.com



johanson / Moderator


Nov 24, 2005, 8:04 AM

Post #24 of 27 (5053 views)

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Re: [toddmc] VOIP similar to Vonage here in Mexico?

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Hey you guys when you post about how good or bad your Vonage or other VoIP systems are, could you also mention the type and speed of your internet connections?

I am curious whether the slowest Prodigy Infinitim works well or whether one needs to upgrade to the next faster speed.

Oh and happy Thanksgiving. for those of you from the US and a belated 44 day late happy Thanksgiving from those of you from Can.


Marlene


Nov 24, 2005, 8:31 AM

Post #25 of 27 (5047 views)

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Re: [toddmc] VOIP similar to Vonage here in Mexico?

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Todd, You should be able to get all set with Vonage in Canada and continue to use it in Mexico.
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