Packet8 Virtual Office Business Phone System

 from 8x8 Inc. was by far the easiest VOIP system to set up.

The Virtual Office internet phone system consists of an landline phone and the DTA-310, which resembles a small router and has a power supply port, an RJ-45 Ethernet port and a standard RJ-11 telephone port.

Setup was easy and consisted of running a standard Cat 5 cable from the DTA-310 to an IP network, connecting the landline phone to the DTA-310 and turning it on .

8x8 also sells a single-user version for home offices. It installs and operates the same way as the larger business system with a few differences. For example, the single-user version did not include a phone.

Each Virtual Office package costs $99, and you must buy at least 3 the DTA-310 alone is $75. Single-user service costs $19.95 per month for unlimited calls in the continental United States, Alaska, Hawaii and Canada, but with only one phone line.

The Packe8 Virtual Office costs $39.95 per month and includes unlimited calling in the areas listed above. An activation fee applies to both plans. For government buyers, the normal activation fee drops from $39 to $19. The single-user service costs $29.95 to activate.

That $39.95 per month for the enterprise version buys many extras the single-user version doesn’t have. For example, you get automatic extension-to-extension dialing, three-way conferencing, full conference bridging for larger groups, multi call capability, voice mail and a receptionist line—a designated IP line that can control the direction of outgoing and incoming calls.

The best thing about the Packet8 service, and the main factor that differentiates it from competitors, is no monthly bill of any kind so long as the service is used only to communicate with other 8x8 users. And the other difference, perhaps the most important. The Packet 8 service uses up less of your internet connection's bandwidth than does the other interne phone providers service. Packet 8 says that the phone uses about 17kb of bandwidth up and down, and suggest not using it on lines slower than 64kb for excellent quality. Others recommend a minimum line speed of 128kb. (Source: Government Computer News)