Lingo v Vonage

[David Farber <dave () farber net>]

Begin forwarded message:

From: Jock Gill <jg45 () mac com>
Date: July 23, 2004 10:30:51 PM EDT
To: Farber Dave <dave () farber net>
Cc: Mallery John <jcmallery () mac com>, Hendricks Dewayne 
<dewayne () dandin com>
Subject: Lingo v Vonage

Dave,

For IP if you wish.

I now have accounts with both Vonage [July 2003 / $29.95] and Lingo 
[July 2004/ $19.95].  For testing I now have their respective ATAs 
running off the same D-Link-524 [$40] plugged into a cable modem.

Lingo has the advantage with its more advanced and feature rich ATA.  
For example, the Lingo ATA only requires 21 kB upstream so you should 
be able to run two Lingos on one Cable broadband connection. [ Or two 
separate numbers off of one Lingo ATA ]  The Cisco ATA [186] Vonage 
sent me wants 90 kB upstream.  Practically, this means the computer [an 
old iBook G3 / Panther] can be doing some pretty heavy duty P-2-P file 
sharing and I can still make a decent quality phone call most of the 
time -- as Dewayne Hendricks can attest.

The Lingo ATA also includes a full one port router, NAT & DHCP and all. 
 It also provides two VoIP phone lines as well as a PSTN connection so 
you can place calls over the PSTN if the broadband fails.  Or Lingo 
could enable you to merge your PSTN service and VoIP service in a 
single device, ala SipPhone.  Or Linco could let you provide a gateway 
to the PSTN if you wanted to set up a single line phone co. for your 
FWD friends etc.  It is all in the firmware.

Not to mention that Vonage, with no support for unlimited service to 
Western Europe,  is 50% more expensive than Lingo.

Bottom line, with Lingo I save money, get a much larger coverage area, 
with much more efficient use of the lousy asymmetrical, tourist grade 
broadband offered by the cable TV companies.

Round one has to go to Lingo.  What will be Vonage's competitive 
response?

Personally, I am about to abandon Vonage for a double Lingo setup.  
Unless Vonage can give a very good reason not to.

Regards,

Jock

Jock Gill
Media Intelligence
jock () jockgill com
(781) 577-2888

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