Question for Vonage/VoIP users
Posted By: sm on 2005-10-20
In Reply to:
If you are using Vonage for MT, do you use the residential or small business plan, and how many minutes a month do you use?
Thanks!
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I would go AT&T or Vonage VoIP instead
of hassling with unlimited long distance since ULD becomes an issue for MTs.
VOIP - If I am not mistaken VOIP requires a high speed connection.
:(
VOIP
I think I'm going to try Vonage/VOIP, too, as I'm paranoid about getting back charged by a regular company. I already have used Qwest ULD before and got a letter after a few months threatening to terminate (there was no 5000 minute limit when I originally signed on), but fortunately I just cancelled it and there were no back charges. I don't see any minute limit with Vonage, but I have noticed that both the residential and small business plans have the same limitations which say things like continuous call forwarding (not sure that that is). I know a lot of transcriptionists use it and seem to not have problems, so I'm going to give it a try. I don't really know what else to do unless pay by the minute, but it'd cost me a fortune, even with a low rate plan.
VOIP
I have been using Vonage and yes it is true that if your internet goes out you have no phone service but you can set it up quite easily to automatically forward any calls to a cell phone or any number you want if your internet or electricity goes out. My internet rarely goes out and I have had no problems with my Vonage service. It did require some tweaking at first but I love it and I am saving so much money over Bellsouth that I had previously.
VOIP and 911
If you are switching to VOIP for telephone service, whether it is Vonage or another company, please make sure your 911 dispatch center can find you should you need them. The location of a land line phone and more and more cell phones (eventually all because they will all have GPS) will come up on computer-aided dispatch systems. This is not always the case with VOIP. When you choose your provider, give 911 a call in the late evening/early morning when they are not so busy, tell them you have a new phone system and inquire if a location comes up for you on their computer. Actually, anyone who moves or otherwise changes their phone number can (and probably should) do this. The middle of an emergency is not the time to find that 911 thinks you are somewhere you aren't.
VoIP
I use Vonage and I have that same problem. Sometimes it depends on the time of day. Let me know if it gets any better and with what company. I was told that AT&T does not like to help with that.
I have VOIP s/m
And yes, if the power goes out, so does your phone. Power does not go out that often. I do have a cell that is a prepay phone for when I'm on the road, etc., so in case of power outage, I can use that as well if I need to. Just think about it, if the power is out, your not working anyways...
Now I do have a generator as well, so if and when the power does go out, I can get that set up and use that as well.
Voice quality is just like the regular landline for me although I know some people that have had problems with different services. It is normally because of a setting that you need to adjust on your end.
AT&T VOIP has been great! (nm)
nm
Lanier and VOIP
I use digital phone with Time Warner for my Lanier account. I also kept my unlimited LD with Verizon as a back up, but use the digital phone service for my Lanier because I'm afraid that Verizon will catch up with me. Therefore, I have TWO lines, one land one (Verizon), and one VOIP (Time Warner). Both are unlimited LD, but if the cable goes out, I still have my land line. Hope this helps.
VOIP and internet - sm
Yes, the Lanier is plugged into the phone line just like your C-phone. The phone line is connected to the cable modem, so the phone line and your internet connection come through the same modem (I think...not sure of the technicalities). The VOIP is half the price of my land line with Verizon, and VOIP is truly unlimited, while Verizon watches the minutes.
VoIP problems
I have had three different VoIP companies over the years, all at the request of my employer. I never lasted more than a week with any one of them and now I absolutely refuse to do that again. Had the same issues you have with the foot pedal and I was not using a C-phone nor a wave pedal. The audio quality would be choppy, there would be gaps where multiple words were missing, etc.
Out of those three different companies, not one could fix the problem, though they all acknowledged that the choppiness could be an issue "for some people". Lucky me!
Hope you fare better!
There is no way I would use any VOIP company
for dictation. I used Skype, and I used Packet 8 for home service. I have known people who have used Vonage. They are entirely too unpredictable and the sound most times is horrid. It might be okay for home use if you didn't call much, but there is no way I would use VOIP for something as important as dictation.
Anyone using VoIP (internet phone) with a
DVI or C-phone to transcribe, and does it work well? If so, what company do you use? Are those companies cracking down on transcription like the regular LD carriers?
My employers forbids us to have VoIP because...
it fouls up lots of things. Also, I have a friend with Vonage and we are constantly cut off, or it sounds like she is talking from the bottom of a fish tank. She hates it.
VoIP plans are the only ones without restrictions
x
Anyone use VoIP phone system
and are you having problems with connectivity? We switched to internet-based phone service a few weeks ago and recently I started having problems with downloading the voice. I get the report but without any voice. If you have had this problem, how did you remedy it? I'm about at my wit's end. Thanks!
VOIP and internet connection - sm
I have VOIP with my cable provider, Roadrunner, and I can use my Lanier at the same time as I am on the Internet, no problems. In my area, this is much cheaper than unlimited long distance phone service with my land line provider (which I kept, by the way, as you have NO phone if your cable goes out). I have not had any problems at all. Hope this helps.
VOIP as second phone line
Is it possible to use VOIP as an extra phone line instead of investing in a second land phone line? I'm going to be working at my mom's a couple days a week. She has one phone line and DSL. At my house I only have dial-up. I have an account that requires two phone lines with no DSL, one for dictaphone, one for Meditech. I really hate to ask her to pay for another land phone line and was wondering if I could use VOIP. Thanks for any input.
my concern with VOIP with a C-phone is
how is the voice quality? I would be interested in something like Vonage as I can take that with me and travel.
voip.com has true unlimited
I called this morning and questioned her extensively on whether it was truly unlimited, and she assured me it was. www.voip.com - not to be confused with the generic voip service like Vonage. She did say that satellite internet users would probably not be happy with the connection, but I have DSL and it works perfectly. One warning - it disconnects at exactly 5 hours, so you have to remember to hang up and re-dial in prior to that.
VoIP in lieu of landline phones?
I read a little article in one of those free local trade publications which discussed ways of saving money on everyday household costs. VoIP was listed as a way to save a ton of money by using your Net connection for your phone service.
The article didn't explain how it all works. Is anyone doing this? Do you hook up your phone to your cable connection or are you using some speaker system/software on your PC to make calls? I just don't get it. All I know is that they said you can call anywhere in the world and it doesn't matter, it's a fixed inexpensive monthly cost. I also don't know if you trade your landline telephone number for something through thte VoIP service.
So, I'm intrigued but totally in the dark about this concept. TIA!
I had VoIP back in Nov with my cable provider and then went with another IP and just used..sm
my landline because they did not offer VoIP. Now my IP offers it and it works great other than the pedal. Thanks for your help!
VoIP and foot pedal issues
For anyone using VoIP, do you find that your foot pedal does not always respond? IOW, you lift your foot from the foot pedal and the dictation continues along? Or, you have to press the foot pedal twice to get the system to respond. Sometimes, I'll press the rewind pedal for a second and I'm thrown back to the beginning of the report. --- My C-phone and foot pedal are both new, so it's not with my equipment. And AT&T says they don't support my equipment (although they were helpful once before).
Any suggestions to resolve the problem?
Lingo that is who we use...VOiP, $22.95/month, six months already, no probs.
You might want to investigate further the post someone made about 2007 and VOiP. Seems the government is all hot and bothered because they need to tap phones and cannot do so with VOiP. They probably will end up taxing and surcharging eventually, as well, but for a while it can save you a lot of money...
Has anyone used Sun Rocket VOIP? If so, how is the voice quality and service? nm
I've heard C-phone with VOIP works well (sm)
and a lot cheaper, too. Forget the costly unlimited long distance and business plans! It may be a good idea to have another phone-line as a backup for your C-phone in case DSL/cable goes down.
cable phone and VoIP are the only TRUE unlimited
I can't find a single phone company that has TRUE unlimited. I've used VOiP in the past through Vonage with no problems. I got rid of it only because I didn't need ULD anymore, and they when I started needing ULD again I decided to switch to cable phone and internet. I bundle my cable, internet, and phone all together at a pretty reasonable price. Cable phone works great and no problems with heavy daily use.
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Any green tea users out there?
I have tried green tea on 2 separate occasions and both times experienced what appears to be bloody stools with it. As soon as I stop the intake of the tea, the blood goes away. I really like the tea as it does a good job of promoting energy and weight loss, but I cannot understand why it causes this reaction. Would anyone have any idea why this happens? Is there another natural energy booster I can try? Thanks for any and all help.
It is MQ-wide for DQS users?
Well, I sure would hope it would be for SE's too, as some of us also use DQS. I havent heard anything, nor gotten a letter or check..Im wondering is it MQ-wide? All of MQ that uses DQS? Or could it be just certain regional offices did not have the count of lines set up right?
TransNet users
1. Have long have you been using TransNet? Is it hard to learn?
2. Does it work with Word 2003?
3. Do you d/l the files through a modem or through a cable or DSL line?
4. If you have a cable or DSL line ... how long would it take for you to download, say, all of the Alta Bates or Sequoia reports. I ask about those only because I can translate that into lines in my head. IOW, "it takes 1 hour to d/l a full day of Alta Bates." This way I could figure out where things would stand on one of the accounts I work on.
5. Would you rather use TransNet or C-phone? Why (whatever your choice is) <-- this is the critical question, so feel free to go into detail
6. What happens if you've download a batch of files and your hard drive crashes? Are those files gone forever or are the "originals" still on the master system?
Flashtype users?
I recently downloaded Flashtype expander. I like the set up of being able to put in what I want but I am having trouble with capitalization. I work in Meditech and the CAPS status sometimes changes for no reason. This program is also suppose to print in all CAPS if wanted but this does not happen either except only occasionally. It also does not capitalize the word at the beginning of a sentence if it is typed so such as Copd, Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. It does all lower case. Is there something I can do or is just a program error or is it just using it with certain programs such as Meditech?
Just wanting to know if any IT users
would care to share tips on getting started with Instant Text, especially the best way to go about customizing the glossaries . . . just received my IT and I'm anxious to get going, but it does seem that there is a learning curve and takes some getting used to.
Thanks to all!
For DSL users..... is it possible to use a C-phon
and still have your home phone hooked up and running for calls? I remember trying to get a fax machine to work about a year ago and I ended up getting a new phone line for that because it ended up being too much trouble and SBC was of no help. Any suggestions?
DocQscribe users sm
Does anyone work for more than 1 company that uses DocQscribe. I work for 1 company with DocQScribe and just got a part-time job at another company that uses DocQscribe. Is there any way to use DocQscribe for 2 companies on 1 computer?
Thanks!
? for TransNet users
What do you use to listen to the dictation, and where do you plug it in?
EXText Users - help
I too am looking for ways to cut keystrokes. For those who use EXText and the Word client, can you tell me how to set it up to automatically start each sentence with a capital letter? Also, how do you set it up to space twice after a sentence?
Thanks again!
Vianeta Users
I have read old posts from users who do not like Vianeta. I would like to hear from those MTs who have used this software and like working with it. Is it better since the new owners took over? Do you prefer Vianeta to any other software? What is your favorite feature? I am not a Vianeta representative, just interested in your opinion.
Thanks!
TL
Shorthand users
I'm not sure if this will help you or not but it can't hurt to check.
On the autoreplace options page in ShortHand there's a box called "options" after the line for Use Alt+Ins to add current word to dictionary. Click on the options and make sure there is not a blank space in the keyword suffix box.
It used to make me nuts because every time I created a new shorthand entry it would put a space and . behind it and I had to manually delete them. I did that for 5 years before someone told me about that suffix box and sure enough the space and period were in there.
Hope this helps.
Wow 335 users on this site right now
you-know-who was here.
Meditech Users
Help!!!! Question for IC MTs who use Meditech currently. I need to get another
"Medical/Pharmacological Spellchecker. What do some of you have and use right now?
I work PT for this hospital but and the only spellchecker they have on Meditech is called this: Proximity Merriam-Webster Database Dictionary. It does not have drugs on it per say.
Bought a Stedmans but now people tell me that will not work and I have not tried it yet. I do have PCShorthand but there are no drugs on it either.
Does anyone know what would work? Thanks
EditScript users
I have a few questions about Editscript that I was hoping someone could help me with. The tech requirements state that USB infinity pedal version 14, and of course, I have the "non version 14" one. Does anyone know where I can get a version 14 one? The specs also state that Editscript is only compatible with Norton or McAfee, but I have a paid version of AVG and was hoping that I would not have to switch. Is there a free version of Mcafee? Geez..so many things to figure out. Any help would be appreciated!
Question for VR users...
Just a quick question for everyone who is willing to respond: When doing VR reports, do you listen, read/proof and upload or do you listen, read/proof, proof again and upload? I am just trying to figure out what everyone else is doing. Thanks  .
IT users email at WMX
Please ask our training person to get on the Instant Text email group at Webmedx. (Lori) We all help each other out! Productivity Talk is an awesome site too, but sometimes they don't have the tricks we need to use in the platform specifically.
meaningful EHR users
Electronic Health Record Users
Beginning in 2011, physicians and hospitals can receive bonus payments under Medicare and Medicaid if they are found to be "meaningful EHR users." But with all the talk surrounding "meaningful," what does it all mean from the physician's point of view?
The federal government has said they might publish criteria for the definition of "meaningful use" of electronic health records as early as June 16, according to the HIMSS Electronic Health Record Association, a trade group for EHR firms. And with June 16th right around the corner, this survey is meant to explore the value of the physician narrative as it relates to electronic documentation and the meaningful use of an EHR, as well as shed light on what meaningful EHR use is.
Express Scribe users?? sm
Getting ready to take on a side job in which I will be using Express Scribe. Did a search and couldn't find any posts since '04. Anybody out there now using it have any comments? Seems pretty straight forward and easy to use. Have already downloaded and it works with my current foot pedal already..so that seems to be good since that was the only issue I really saw on previous posts. Thanks for your time! :)
Question for Shorthands users....sm
1. Can you import AutoText entries into this program?
2. What's their website?
For all Bytescribe waveplayer users, I need help - sm
Does the Bytescribe waveplayer version 4.3 or 6 work with the Docshuttle bytescribe program or do I need to have different software.
I can't open compressed wave files from the Bytescribe Utility Export program. Anyone have any answers?
I was on the phone with BS today for 2 hours, and still no answer as to why - I think I need another version of bytescribe waveplayer to work correctly - any thoughts on this or has this happened to anyone else?
Thanks for your help
Editscript/Escription users
Am I the only person who has a squatty hourly average line count with this system? I would love to hear from those who don't mind sharing how many lines you average an hour.
For those of you who are thinking about posting a response that says 'I don't give out this info'...save it please.
My question is for people who ARE willing to share this info.
Thanks.
Editscript/Escription users
I'm worse off than you. What does Editscript/Escription stand for?
IT users?? Need ideas on how to record (sm)
the rad report MR#s, DVI#s, Accession #s in IT so to save me time. This is radiology and at times, recording the exam numbers takes longer than typing the report, so hopefully, you understand.
My idea is to open a daily list on the blank page of the IT screen and then save it at the end of the day. Does this sound plausible to you?
Thanks for your feedback!
Rad MT
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