Technology Tip

Changing Your Telephone Company

Years ago smaller independent telephone companies competed against Verizon and other major telephone companies by offering lower cost services. They won over millions of consumers. They are still around but the phone companies have countered with competing prices. Now it's the turn of the cable companies. With lower prices and special introductory offers, over 15 million people have switched their telephone service to cable companies such as Comcast. There are also over a hundred small companies that offer Internet telephone service that compete with the cable companies. Vonage is one of the more popular Internet telephone companies. They offer prices that are up to 40% lower than Comcast's Digital Voice service's regular price. However there are differences. Vonage routs their service over the regular Internet which makes it subject to the vagaries of the Internet. Comcast, on the other hand, has its own telephone network which provides isolation from the normal Internet traffic. Also you must have a high speed Internet connection (Broadband) from either Verizon (DSL) or Comcast to install Vonage. A computer is necessary to set it up. The bottom line is that you do the installation and are responsible for it functioning properly. With Comcast the technician does the installation and verifies that it works.

How would this work in Hershey's Mill considering we must maintain full use of our alarm systems? Actually, perfectly well but read on.

I've recently switched to Comcast's Digital Voice after experiencing intermittent noise and static on the Verizon lines. Verizon tried unsuccessfully to find the problem, and with prices lower than Verizon, I decided to give the Comcast Digital Voice service a try. A call to our Comcast center at 215-992-2712 set up a mutually agreed upon installation date. The installer showed up on time and I showed him where to install the unit. The unit is a combination cable modem for high speed Internet service and a telephone adapter for telephone service. It is about 8.5" wide, 7" deep, and 2" high. It can also stand vertically. The new unit replaced my existing cable modem. The installer wanted to open up the telephone wall connection to "hard wire" the unit. I convinced him that was unnecessary and to use the plug-in modular jacks I supplied. He agreed to do it my way. This avoids any chance of miswiring and causing potential alarm system problems. He used his cell phone to "port" my phone number from Verizon to the new Comcast service. Outside, in the NID (Network Interface Device) or Demarc connection box, he disconnected the Verizon lines coming into my home. This prevents any voltages from the Verizon system entering and possibly damaging the Comcast unit. This action isolates the home telephone wiring and makes it possible for all the phones in the home including the alarm system to function on the Comcast system. Using his cell phone, the installer again made a call or two to his support center and then we had a dial tone and Internet service for the computer. After some test calls the new Comcast telephone system worked fine. Now the big concern. Would the alarm system work? A call to HM Security to notify them of an alarm system test was next. After the call I pushed the panic alarm button and it sounded loud and clear for a few minutes. During the alarm I tried to pick the phone up and was unable to place a call. This is normal during emergencies as the alarm system seizes the telephone lines so it can send its signal to the Security Office. The alarm system functioned as it was designed to do. After the alarm automatically stopped I called Security and they verified the alarm test signal was detected. That basically ended the installation. It took less than an hour. The only hiccup was that the installer forgot to install a backup battery in the unit. The battery acts as a substitute power source in case of a power failure. It will provide power to the unit for up to 4 hours of continuous talk. After a phone call to Comcast it was installed the next day.

If you decide to switch from Verizon here's what you can expect. I took advantage of a promotion that gives me 6 months of Comcast telephone service which includes all local, regional, and long distance calling for $19.99/M plus some additional charges - taxes, fees, including modem rental, etc. that added less than $12.00/M to the bill. A one time activation charge of $29.95 also applies. Since I added Comcast telephone service the monthly cost of my Internet service dropped $10.00/M to $33.00/M. All the calling features, about a dozen total, such as caller ID, call waiting, 911 emergency calling, are available. You can still use your own personal greeting if desired. Another Comcast advantage is that if you are traveling and have access to a computer you can log into the Comcast Smart Zone Communications Center and actually listen to your home telephone messages. Welcome to this world of digital communications!

As of this writing I've had the Comcast service for over 2 weeks and there have been no glitches in the service. Of course the noise and static from the Verizon lines are gone and I think the voice quality is better too. If you decide to join the ranks of digital telephone service just make sure your alarm system works properly after installation. It is possible that if you have an old style alarm system it may not work with Comcast Digital Voice or others. One other item. . . it works fine with the visitor's gate too.

To learn more about Comcast's telephone service, Comcast's digital/HDTV service, and of course your computer questions, come to the PC Club meetings. We meet the second Tuesday of every month at 7:00 PM upstairs in Winfield Hall. Also, check the Hershey's Mill website at www.hersheysmill.org and click on Villages. Villages are listed alphabetically and are being added weekly. Check your village's Web page for news and information that pertains to just your village.

Don Trauger

To get answers to your questions about computers, please come to the PC Club meeting. The computer club meets the second Tuesday of each month at 7:00 PM in Winfield Hall.

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