Apple M8799LL/A AirPort Extreme Base Station with Modem and Antenna Port Review

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(More customer reviews)Got this primarily so we could work anywhere in the house on our PC laptops. Granted, a Linksys wireless router would have been cheaper, but the Airport Extreme also serves as a wireless print server and that (plus the fact that our primary computer is a Mac) was what sealed the deal for us. Our cabling setup is:
Cable modem -> Linksys Wired 4-Port Router -> Airport Extreme -> Lexmark Optra E312L

Our laptops use Linksys Wireless-G cards and get good reception throughout the house. Our G4 and PS2 are hooked directly into the wired Linksys Router for their connectivity. The trick to using it with an existing router is to turn off the NAT addressing feature of the Airport Extreme so that it acts only as an Ethernet "bridge" to the wireless computers; the Linksys router assigns all the IP addresses for everything on the system including the PC laptops. The PCs can print wirelessly to the laser printer via the Airport and so can the Mac. Bonus!

Setup was very quick - about 15 minutes to get everything plugged in. The hard part was getting the security set up correctly (and yes, you'd better secure your wireless network) as the format for passwords was different on the Mac vs. PC platforms. Had to do some Web searches to find out how to make them speak the same language (hex). Has worked flawlessly since then. If I had to do it over, would buy it again in a heartbeat.

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Product Description:
The AirPort Extreme Base Station with Modem and Antenna Port is compatible with the industry-standard 802.11b wireless networking protocol, which means all AirPort products, as well as Wi-Fi certified 802.11b wireless products. For higher performance you will need to have both the Airport Extreme Card and the AirPort Extreme Base Station. The range of AirPort Extreme is up to 50 feet at 54 Mbps and up to 150 feet at 11 Mbps. The Base Station can be used in conjunction with an Ethernet connection (such as with a cable modem, DSL modem, or Ethernet network) through the integrated Ethernet port, or with a telephone line through a modem.
The AirPort Extreme Base Station with Modem and Antenna Port also supports USB or Ethernet wireless printer sharing. Just plug in a compatible USB or Ethernet printer and with Mac OS X on your computer you can quickly and easily print. You can use the new USB port to attach a USB printer or use the 10/100BASE-T Ethernet LAN port to plug in an Ethernet printer directly into the base station.
With the new AirPort Extreme Base Station with Modem and Antenna Port, up to 50 users can work and play on the Internet simultaneously up to 150 feet away from an Ethernet connection or a phone line. The Base Station comes equipped with a built-in firewall to protect sensitive data on your computer and the ability to secure transmissions with support for 128-bit encryption.
The AirPort Extreme Base Station with Modem and Antenna Port lets you manage the range of your wireless network. An external antenna port is provided for you to attach an external antenna. There are two types of antennas available: an omni-directional and a directional, which extend the range of the AirPort Extreme base station. There is also a software feature that allows you on reduce the size of your wireless network, down to just a single room for extra privacy.

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Vonage VDV21-VD - Router - VoIP gateway - desktop Review

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(More customer reviews)In fairness, I am a new Vonage customer, having signed up April 27, 2009.Within 48 hours after signing up, I received this new adapter (paid $9 and change for it - was a Vonage deal) and hooked it up to an ethernet switch.Hooked up a corded phone to the device, and had dial tone.I kept this hook-up for 3 weeks, making LOTS of phonecalls and sending faxes to be sure I was ready to say bye-bye to my Verizon landline ($42 a month and never touch the phone for an outgoing call because of the costs involved).I have a networked setup:Modem --> Wired Router --> Ethernet Switch --> Vonage adapter.(I also have a wireless access point connected to my wired router,just to be precise.)
There are 3 PCs hard-wired and 1 wireless laptop.My cable provider is Cablevision (Optimum Online) at 10Mbps down and 3Mbps up.

Service is great.You could not tell between Vonage or the landline.The only issue I had was with faxing via my Canon MP780 all-in-one (outgoing faxes would not complete), and that wound up being just a matter of shutting down and re-starting my Canon.If you have this issue, please do not make yourself crazy changing your fax baud rates or ECM to off until you shut down your fax, remove all cables, replace cables and restart your fax.When I changed my baud rate from 33000 to 9600 because of many, many threads on the net, my fax capability was completely crippled.Now, it works great.And I don't have a dedicated fax line, it's done through my regular voice VOIP line.

After the 3 weeks, we cancelled the landline, disconnected the incoming Telco lines from the house, and then plugged the Vonage adapter into our phone jacks which back-feeds the signal through all of the phone jacks.

I have spoken to customer service for matters relating to my office (which also uses Vonage on 3 lines) and customer service has always been helpful and polite and there pretty much without a wait. Nice to have them available 24 hours, 7 days a week, if you did need them (better have a cell phone too though -- duh!)

I also have the line split and going to my Dish Network ViP722 DVR, which enables the ViP722's on-screen caller id. (So it is compatible--could not confirm this prior to trying it myself.)

As for complaints from others about bad sound quality, please realize that the service will be as good as your internet connection.If you don't have a stable, strong connection -- do not bother with VOIP.And, DSL filters can interfere with the signal, so read up on that.And never, ever plug these adapters into telephone jacks that still have Telco lines connected to them outside -- you can short out your equipment.

I got the $9.95 a month for 3 months deal, and thereafter it will be $24.99 (approx. $32 with tax).I did not port my home telephone number because the Vonage site informed me it was not available, but I was able to search through loads of telephone numbers and pick one that was memorable.Yes, I am in it for 2 years or I will fax a $39.99 disconnect fee.But, as far as I concerned, Verizon violated me for years with its fees and nickel-and-diming for every feature and call.I have to say that I wanted to try Vonage when it first came out, but was hesitant.Since my office has had it for over 2 years now, I decided to just do it myself.

Besides the many features listed on the website, you have access to alpha features like Vonage Fax (free outgoing faxes through your PC) and Vonage Talk.

Also, others here have complained that your trial starts as soon as you order, even though you don't have your adapter yet -- but you immediately can make calls through your computer with a headset.They assign a temporary number if you are porting your own, and the service and online features are instantly accessible.

And, as for the disconnect fee of $39.95, it's still less than what your cell phone provider would charge, so what's the big deal?You can't have everything.

Oh, the adapter...forgot what I was reviewing!The adapter is great.You have an orange backlit screen that shows the date and whether you have missed calls. It has built in caller-id, and you can initiate a call-back right from the adapter itself (your home phone will ring to tell you it's calling the number back).It has some other features too, like calling weather and traffic for free, and you can call your voicemail too.

Highly recommended.If you want to try it, try to do so without porting your number (check if you can port it free after you're sure it works well for you.)Try it risk-free (but keep an eye on the calendar!).

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Product Description:
VoIP gateway and single port router combined in 1 deviceConnect up to 2 Vonagelines through your high speed cable or DSL internet connectionIncludes power adaptor 1 RJ45 cable quick start guide features and FAQ document and warranty card

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Cisco SPA2102 VoIP Phone Adapter with Router Review

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(More customer reviews)This adapter is excellent for those tech-savvy enough to configure.

Echo cancellation and jitter buffer work well.

The latest firmware allows you to increase the DTMF detection timing so that talkoff (spurious DTMF) can pretty much be eliminated. Currently, this can't be done using a PAP2T-NA adapter. This setting is under "Admin -> Voice -> Advanced -> Line1/Line2 -> DTMF Tx Strict Hold Off Time".

If your VOIP provider supports it, then T38 faxing works fairly well, with adjustable redundancy levels.

I've tried many other adapters and always had trouble, this is the only one I'll buy from now on. Anyone interested in a used PAP2T? :)

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Product Description:
Inexpensive, easy to install and simple-to-use, the SPA2102 connects a standard telephone or fax machine to IP-based data networks. VoIP service providers can offer residential and business users traditional and enhanced communication services via the customer's broadband connection to the Internet.
The SPA2102 features two POTS (Plain Old Telephone Service) ports to connect existing analog phones, fax machines, or to a PBX system. The SPA2102 includes 2 100BaseT RJ45 Ethernet interfaces (LAN-WAN) to connect to a home or office LAN, as well as an Ethernet connection to a broadband modem or router (WAN). Each SPA2102 service line can be independently configured via software controlled by the service provider or the end user.

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Cisco-Linksys RT31P2 Wired Router for Vonage Internet Phone Service Review

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(More customer reviews)I had the Motorola ATA (analog telephone adapter).The voice quality was fine unless other people were downloading.Then I would have dropouts.I bought this product specifically because it support Quality of Service, reserving bandwidth when using the phone to maintain voice quality.

In order to take advantage of QoS, all traffic has to go through this router.No problem, I did my homework and ensured that it had all the features I needed; port forwarding, a DMZ setting, and IPSec and PPTP passthrough.I installed this in front of my current firewall, assigned my current firewall to the DMZ address, forwarded all ports, enabled IPSec and PPTP passthrough and I was all set - I thought.

My current firewall is also a VPN device - it establishes an IPSec tunnel to a matching firewall to another location.This works fine, the RT31P2's IPSec passthrough works well.All servers behined the RT31P2 are also functional, Web, mail, ftp, etc.Great!

But for 2 weeks I could not understand why no one could complete a VPN conection PPTP) to our Microsoft remote access server.Turns out the the "PPTP Passthrough" setting on the configuration menu (and in the manual) is for show only - it doesn't work.A search on the Vonage forums and a Vonage tech representative confirmed this.So even though I did my homework, downloaded the manual ahead of time, etc, I still have a paperweight - I have to go back to my Motorola ATA.Worse, Linksys says it's a Vonage problem, and Vonage has no plans to fix this issue.

As an aside, I bought the RT31P2 about 5 weeks ago (I can't return it for an RMA).Back then I found a number of sources that sold it.I just did another search and most have taken it off their web sites.Is the word getting around that this is a Mickey Mouse device? (No offense to Micket).

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Product Description:
With Vonage, you can make phone calls over the Internet, potentially save on long-distance charges, and access a rich assortment of calling features. Plans start as low as $14.99 per month, and the Premium Unlimited plan offers unlimited calling to the U.S. and Canada for only $24.99. And it's easy to use--for making and receiving calls, Vonage works just like traditional phone service, with no special access codes or account numbers required.
Easy Hardware Connections

All Vonage plans let you enjoy the call features you've become accustomed to: call waiting, caller ID, voice mail, call forwarding, three-way calling, call return, repeat dialing, and reliable long distance... plus other features that may be new to you. For example, you can receive your voice mail as an e-mail attachment, and you'll have a phone number that travels with you. Visit www.vonage.com/amazon to see which plan is best suited to your lifestyle and budget. The low monthly rates are quite reasonably priced, in our opinion, and with them you may save considerably compared to traditional phone service. International calls are available for additional low fees, with one economical exception: calls from the U.S. to Canada are treated as domestic long-distance calls, rather than international ones. Vonage also supports short-form emergency 911 service, where available. (Dialing 911 requires activation and operates differently than traditional 911. See Vonage's website for details.)
The starter kit comes with a Vonage-certified Linksys RT31P2 router, avoiding the need for a separate phone adapter. All you need is a high-speed Internet connection (cable or DSL) and a touchtone phone. After setting up your Vonage account, you'll have instant access to two lines, each with a separate phone number--you can even assign them different area codes, subject to availability. You'll still be able to surf the Web while talking on the phone or receiving faxes.
The router allows you to connect up to three PCs and two telephones or fax machines, and they'll all share a single Internet connection through which you can smoothly transfer data of all kinds. While talking on the phone, you can still share a printer, make backups, or simply move your latest presentation notes over to your laptop. With easy Web-based configuration, all these options are available at the click of a mouse. Linksys backs the router with a generous three-year warranty.
What's in the Box
The Linksys RT31P2 broadband router with two phone ports and three switched Ethernet ports, a power adapter, a setup CD with user's guide, a network cable, Vonage plan and support information, a Quick Installation card, and a registration card

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D-Link VTA-VR Broadband Telephone Adapter with Vonage Review

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(More customer reviews)I was having some problems with my Linksys Vonage box in that I was getting random, and quite frequent line goes dead in the middle of a conversation.I decided to try this unit as it was quite inexpensive and the rest of my hardware is already D-Link.So, I switched out the Linksys and in with the D-Link and we've not had any dropped calls since.

Its nice that it is small/compact and doesn't take up much space and the wall wart AC adapter is smaller than what it replaced.Hope this one lasts longer than the Linksys box.

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Product Description:
Take adapter anywhere there is a high-speed Internet connection to make or receive calls using the same phone numberEquipped with 2 telephone jacks allowing 2 separate Vonagephone linesEasy installation connect to router and plug in a corded or cordless telephone Includes stand telephone cable ethernet cable power adapter and software

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