8x8 Packet8 Broadband VoIP Service with Adapter 410

Other products by 8X8, Inc.

Product Details

• Item Weight: 2 pounds
• Shipping Weight: 2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Shipping: Currently, item can be shipped only within the U.S.
• ASIN: B000935SDC
• Item model number: P8EQU0220
• Average Customer Review: 2.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (18 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank

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  Electronics > Office Electronics > Telephones & Accessories > VoIP > Adapters

• Date first available at Amazon.com: June 9, 2005

Product Description

From the manufacturer

Packet8 is an affordable and easy-to-use broadband telephone and videophone service. Designed with both residential and business customers in mind, Packet8 allows anyone with broadband (high-speed) Internet access to use their regular phone to make unlimited calls to anywhere in the U.S. and Canada for as little as $19.95 per month. Packet8 subscribers with videophones can make video calls for as little as $19.95 per month. All Packet8 subscribers get world-wide unlimited calling to other Packet8 subscribers at no extra charge. Calls to non-Packet8 international numbers (outside the U.S. and Canada) are charged at a very low per minute rate.

By taking advantage of a technology called VoIP (voice over internet protocol), high-speed Internet connections and 8x8's expertise in designing videophones, Packet8 is the complete voice and video communication service. Packet8 sends all calls to and from you through the broadband phone service adapter or the videophone which then route the calls over the Internet, instead of using the traditional public telephone network. There are no extra numbers to dial, no special instructions and no talking through your computer. Just pick up your phone, hear a dial tone and dial any phone number. Incoming calls ring your phone the same as any traditional phone.

To sum it up: with Packet8 you make and receive calls as you always have, but we route your calls more efficiently to save you money. Your phone call will have the same quality and your calling experience will be identical to what you have always had. Only your phone bill for local and long distance calling will be a lot less. And there's NO EXTRA CHARGES for features like voicemail, caller ID, call waiting, three-way calling, or long-distance calls to anywhere in the U.S., Canada or to other Packet8 subscribers worldwide.

What do I need?

To start enjoying Packet8 broadband phone service, you need:

• A broadband Internet connection such as cable or DSL
• A home router that allows you to share your Internet connection with multiple computers or Internet devices. (Many home routers cost as little as $30.00 and take just minutes to set up.)
• A Packet8 plan and some hardware (such as this broadband phone service adapter.)

Product Description

Packet8 Broadband Phone Adapter (BPA410). allows anyone with high-speed internet access to use their regular phone to make unlimited calls over their internet connection for one low monthly rate of $19.95

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

15 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars So far, so good!!!, December 29, 2005

By	J. Alec West (Portland, OR, USA) - See all my reviews

As a former Vonage customer (for a year-and-a-half), I must say that I am mightily impressed with the service I now receive from Packet8. As soon as I received my Adapter 410 device from Amazon.com, I opened the box, read the short instruction card, and was talking VoIP in under 10 minutes.

I live on the West Coast (Portland, OR) and began making a number of local calls and calls to Maryland, Georgia, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, and one call to Halifax, Nova Scotia (Canada). Each call had, to the best of my perception, identical quality ... and the quality was nothing short of superb.

On the billing end of things, they told me there'd be no activation fee and my first month was free. In actual fact, however, I'll end up getting close to 45 days free since customers signing up in mid-month are apparently given the "benefit of the doubt" on this issue. I called up their customer service department to make sure (3 minute wait only). Mind you, I only mean free of Packet8 charges. Until my first paid billing period starts on February 3rd next year, I still have to pay the $1.50 monthly regulatory recovery fee (Federal) and starting in January, a monthly $1.99 fee for e911. So, assuming my math is correct, this will be the makeup of my first normal bill from Packet8 - and subsequent bills that do not include calls outside the US/Canada:

$19.99 - Packet8, unlimited US/Canada calls
__1.50 - regulatory recovery fee
__1.99 - e911 fee
___.60 - Federal Excise Tax
======
$24.08 - total monthly cost of plan

I suspect Vonage's "total monthly cost" has gone up since I left them in July ... but compare that with Vonage's $27.24 "total monthly cost" I paid before I left them. Vonage does have one benefit over Packet8, though. You can call numbers in Puerto Rico free. With Packet8, I'd have to pay 3-4 cents a minute for such a call (assuming I knew someone in Puerto Rico to call, hehe).

There is one complaint I have about Packet8, though ... but it's kind of a funny complaint. When I called up their customer service department, I was appalled at the quality of the call. The automated menu voice wavered in and out and I thought the call might drop. But, when I hung up and dialed them up again, I noticed that the wavering was consistently in the same places. In short, it was not a "call" quality issue. They just have lousy automated-voice menus that need to be re-recorded, hehehe. When the human customer service rep answered (3 minute wait), the wavering magically went away. Every other call I've since made from my Packet8 phone has been fantastic and, at this point, I have no complaints whatsoever.

Some closing comments. For VoIP to work properly, you must have a true "high-speed" connection. I have 3-megabit broadband. If you have a more marginal broadband connection (like most DSL providers give you), your results may vary. The slower a connection speed is, the more 'artifacts' you'll hear. In short, don't blame Packet8 because you've chosen a cheap broadband provider. Electrical (radio, TV, computer, etc.) interference near your modem or router could be another culprit causing marginal quality. Again, a personal issue, not a Packet8 issue. Finally, I've seen a number of complaints regarding the porting of an existing number to Packet8 ... that it takes a long time. Again, this is not a Packet8 issue. While competing phone companies are required to surrender an existing number to a competitor when asked, they take their own sweet time about it. I suspect they're hoping users will blame the NEW provider for the delay and throw up their hands in frustration, choosing to stay with their CURRENT provider. In fact, delays in porting an existing number to a new service are largely the fault of the CURRENT provider, not the NEW provider.

Solution? Dump your old number and get a new one. Problem solved. In the future, I hope the FCC will address the issue and impose a porting "deadline" on providers. Complaints on porting time delays are inherent with many providers, not just Packet8. And, like I suggested, customers blaming the "accepting" service provider for the delay are blaming the WRONG provider in most cases. It's basic consumer logic. Who is more likely to give you the worst customer service ... a new provider eager to have your business ... or an old provider you're abandoning? Think about this.

P.S. One thing you may notice. All VoIP calls are routed through hubs. Vonage's hub is in New Jersey so caller-ID stamps are Eastern time. Packet8's hub is in California so caller-ID stamps are Pacific time. This can also create some confusion with people who dial "region-based" toll-free numbers. Example.

I occasionally call into the Coast-to-Coast AM radio show, originally done by Art Bell. They have two toll-free lines. One is designated for callers East of the Rockies, another for callers West of the Rockies. When I was with Vonage, and even though I live in Oregon, I could only call in on the "East" of the Rockies line (because Vonage's hub is in New Jersey). But now I'm with Packet8, I can call in using the proper line.

If you normally dial "region-based" toll-free numbers as a matter of business, you'll probably have to start dialing a non toll-free number (which is free with Vonage or Packet8 anyway) if your provider's hub is located outside the region specified by the business's phone.

BTW, if you're wondering why I left Vonage, it was because I was paying (in part) for 911 service I was NOT getting ... and found out I wasn't alone. Three state attorneys general, so far, have filed deceptive marketing practices suits against Vonage for 911 "irregularities" (Texas, Michigan, Connecticut). And, I waited until after the November 30th FCC deadline mandating e911 coverage to start shopping around for a new provider. Packet8 is e911 compatible.

One final cautionary note. If you have a power failure or if your broadband ISP has a service interruption, your VoIP phone will not work. This can be dangerous if you need to make a 911 call during such a time. The solution is to buy a $19.99 Nokia 1100 TracFone which comes with 20 minutes of airtime (through TracFone.com or at local Target and WalMart stores). Just keep it charged up and, if you NEED to make a call during downtimes, you can. Also, keep this in mind. Once, I had a power failure but needed to make a call. I went next door to my neighbor to use her landline phone - but it was out, too. The same falling tree limb that cut our power also cut her phone line. So, I recommend ALL users of landline or VoIP phones to have this cheap alternative handy. Between the time I dumped Vonage and enabled Packet8, it was my only telephone. And, I still use it as an emergency backup phone on the rare occasion it's needed.

9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Get rid of your land line, October 26, 2005

By	Brad T. Brown - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I got rid of my home phone because my bill was about 65 dollars a month. I thought I could survive on just my cell phone, I was wrong. Then I found packet 8, after tax 21 dollars a month and it sounds just like my old home phone. The disconnecting that has been posted I never had that problem I think in the 6 months I have used this service for over 2000 minutes a month I dropped 1 call, because my cable internet went down. There are firmware updates on there website so some kinks are worked out. The only difference between the packet 8 phone and your home phone is the cost and you have to dial 1 and the area code before every number. NO BIG DEAL.

8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Loving It!, September 21, 2005

By	Wifey Poo - See all my reviews

I don't usually write reviews on products, but I really wanted to share my experience with others. I got my broadband phone adapter home and followed the instructions included with the package to start making internet phone calls. It was sooo easy! My cell phone doesn't work in my home and my telephone bill was getting ridiculously expensive. The Packet8 service is AWESOME! I can place calls to my mom in Arizona and talk as long as I want -- with no extra 'per-minute' charges. I can call my sister in Florida just to say 'hello' and it's still just one low fee per month. The sound quality is perfect. It's like the person I'm speaking to is right across the table 'face-to-face'... I'm not a real 'technical' person, so I thought VOIP would be way out of my league. My husband talked me into the purchase and I'm so glad he did!