Recommended service for my circumstances

[Vector]

Hello,

I currently have Comcast's Triple play bundle with phone service being a part of it. I am seriously considering dropping the phone part of it so I can buy a modem that is not fused to the phone service like my current Comcast modem with my current set up.
I have a cordless phone system with a base unit, answering machine, and handset that connects to the unit, and three other handsets all with pretty good reception.
I have a phone number I'd like to keep, but it is not mandatory. I have unlimited local and long distance as part of my service, and I'd like to stay with that if possible. The reception is clear and I do not have a problem with dropped calls.

If I were to switch from Comcast, I'd like to know the top three recommendations for home phone service to go with my existing phone equipment.

I am not adverse to paying a monthly fee, or buying a specific piece of equipment to run it via my internet connection.
I am not looking to spend more than I have to, but am willing to pay for quality sound, dependability, etc.
So this is not a thread where I am looking for a cheap service at the expense of quality.

Please advise.

 

[Vector]

I suspect by the lack of a single response I am asking a question that if either very subjective, or more likely one that has been asked ad nauseam.

I did try to review/search some other related threads, but some were either confusing to me(limited knowledge base on the subject), or seems to have different needs/equipment than my situation.

For instance, some people seem to use Ooma, but it seems that in addition to buying a box to make it work(which I would be willing to do), you must also buy their handsets as well?
If so, that is a big turn off since I already have an expensive multi-line system with 4 handsets.

So advice is need to help transform me from a newbie with very little knowledge, to someone who can help others in the future.

TIA

 

[Vector]

Maybe I put this in the wrong section, or need a breath mint

 

[stevech]

Opinion: Stay with the devil Comcast.
I tried 4 VoIP providers and none of them were satisfactory. Too many glitches, problems with outages, some long duration, may issues with Can't dial into that area code/exchange due to VoIP provider's choices of suppliers, etc.

U-Verse is stupid technology - copper wire to your home.

 

[scotte]

I realize this is an old thread, but here's my opinion, having used SIP based VOIP for primary home telephone service since 2006 or so.

After some initial experimentation with running an Asterix server and playing with various trunking and routing options, I finally settled in on a simple solution that works well and keeps the family happy - an ATA and basic SIP trunking.

I've used a few different SIP providers, but for the last couple of years I've been using Flowroute, and they are great. It costs us around $4/month - $2.64 for the DID and E911 plus per-minute usage. (US dollars).

On the hardware side, I was using a Linksys PAP2 ATA for the last 5 years, but it bit the dust a couple of days ago. I replaced it with an Obihai OBi100 for $40. Can't beat that price.

This approach keeps the rest of the family happy - super simple to use and my wife prefers a regular answering machine over voicemail. Plus, we can just use cheap analog phones.

Voice quality is great - use G729 codec and QOS if you need to, but with broadband speeds these days I've found I no longer need to do anything special.

Frankly, if you are paying more than about $5 a month for home phone service you are paying too much. I think it's crazy how much Comcast and others charge for VOIP.

 

[AdvHomeServer]

Comcast for internet by far.

Ooma for VoIP. They can port a number as well as anyone.

TV from whoever gives you the best deal (I use Dish but am grandfathered into some old pricing and free services. Comcast is competitive for small implementations.)

 

[fistv]

Motorola makes a base unit for cell phones, bluetooth connected, then you add handsets. The cell phone does all the incoming and outgoing, it also has an RJ11 for land line and you can setup which outgoing service the base uses. Granted it's more expensive with the cell phone plan.
We switched two years ago to our cable company phone service and dropped verizon, saved us $60 a month, it has an all in one cable modem and can handle up to 4 phone lines, so far it's been flawless and hoping it will stay that way.
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B003H3HBU4/?tag=snbforums-20

 

[stevech]

I suggest using cable modem ISP's digital phone if you don't use cell phones at home. It costs more, but less than Ma Bell by far. I tried 3 or 4 Internet backhaul based VoIP providers - all were unacceptable in reliability, quality and call routing failures.

I have an Arris cable modem DOCSIS 3, and a separate Arris box for phone. CableCo does not charge me more for two boxes. I wanted it this way, separation of functions. They own the boxes, by my choice, so the ISP cannot finger-point/blame.