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Hi,
I'm new to both Viopo and Google Voice. There's a fair amount of overlap between the GV and Voipo simulring + voicemail, so I'm wondering how you are choosing between them or integrating them.
Which do you use as your primary (give out) number, which do you use for voicemail, etc.
Basically what's working best for you and what isn't?
Thanks.
Google Voice is the primary number I give out to people for a few reasons:
- I've had it longer. I joined when it was GrandCentral before Google bought it.
- I have 4 phone numbers I want to be reached at: VOIPo, office, personal cell and work cell. VOIPo currently only allows you to simulring one destination simultaneously. (I prefer not to use Ring In Order since the person calling me needs to wait for all my phones to ring in sequence before they get sent to voice mail. If I make the ring times shorter to help with that, I might not pick up the phone in time.)
- VOIPo simulring is still officially a beta feature.
- Google Voice supports SMS text messaging so I don't have to give out a separate mobile phone number to receive text messages. (However, they don't support MMS messages so I still need to give out my mobile number if I want to receive them.)
- Google Voice transcribes voice mail messages. Although the transcription is usually pretty bad unless the caller talks slowly and clearly, most of the time you can get an idea of what the message is about if you're not able to listen to it right away. I never rely solely on the transcription though and always end up listening to the voice message at some point.
Aside from those items, I could accomplish everything I use Google Voice for with VOIPo.
One of the things I extremely dislike about Google Voice is the audio quality, particularly latency and echo. I frequently have times where the caller and I are talking over each other or there's a slight echo that's very annoying. Google Voice is VoIP on the back end which causes part of the latency. Two of the phones I use it with are mobile (one GSM, one CDMA) and the other two are VoIP so their inherent latency makes it even worse. Using VOIPo by itself without Google Voice has extremely better audio quality.
One of my favorite features VOIPo has implemented is Outbound Caller ID (also still officially in Beta). I have my VOIPo line set to use my Google Voice number as its Caller ID. This way I can make outbound calls solely through VOIPo with better audio quality but they appear to be coming from my Google Voice number. That feature alone makes using Google Voice a little more tolerable for me.
I also have Google Voice number. I have it ring my Voipo number. One problem that I have noticed is, Google voice will randomly start Call recording and announce it to both sides of the call. I don't even press "4" when this happens. I think it might be related to "DTMF talk off" issues. But I don't even hear any tones when GV starts recording.. Other than that, my incoming calls sound good.
Nice write-up, Jim.
Yeah, it's the quality issues of GV that have me scared. I don't make or receive a lot of calls, so this still needs a good bit more testing, but what I have now is to have Voipo simulRing to my cell, which uses GV voicemail. Voipo VM is off. So with this, my home and cell ring, and if I don't pick up GV takes the message and provides the transcription to my cell and email.
Seems good enough for now as those are the only phones I presently need. Google Voice offers call screening and more destinations, but this avoids the quality issues.
Just feels like both simulring and GV are betas, but if I had to bet on one being more refined/complete in the future I'd say GV. So I'm having a hard time deciding on which number to standardize on.
Does anyone have Voipo simulring their GV number in order to gain additional destinations?
Be aware that GV actually answers the call, so VOIPo phone will not ring.
Can you elaborate?Quote:
Originally Posted by voipoh
If the GV number is used as Sim-ring number and a call comes in, your Voipo number may give a brief ring, but you won't get a chance to pickup that phone, as the call is Answered by GV.Quote:
Originally Posted by dude
You can ring multiple phones with GV but at Voipo it is effectively the same as forwarding.
Also, since the call is answered at GV, even if no one answers the cal, it counts against your Total 3000 (In & Out combined) minutes. If you are not close to the max shouldn't be an issue.
Quote:
Originally Posted by voipoh
Ah, thanks. I didn't realize you were answering that aspect of my question because I'm having even more basic problems than that. Currently I have SimRing set to my mobile number (not GV) and even at that the mobile doesn't ring. IOW, at the moment SimRing is busted for me. Various support slips have been entered, but no resolution as yet.
But you can successfully call the cell from the VOIPo line?
If so, that does sound like the ticket route.
Yes. And there are times where it's worked, but then something changes (not by me) and it no longer works. I'm losing faith.Quote:
Originally Posted by usa2k
FINALLY!
Someone articulates the same symptom we've encountered.
We have all calls forwarded to our GV number precisely because simulring dies NOT work with GV.
It pains us that the only phones we can use to answer incoming calls are our cells because voipo cannot be picked up when GV is set to simulring. And... we must have two cells reachable so we cannot do without GV ...
Can't someone nail this already?!
Please.
I have an open ticket but haven't had (more) time to tackle this with support.
Quote:
Originally Posted by voipoh
Can't you just "ring-in-order" and give yourself a few seconds to answer on your main line before it even rings GV? I'm asking because I don't have GV yet (waiting...), but GV shouldn't even have a chance to take over if you ring the main line first. I'm guessing you want it to "ring-all" to avoid the delay.Quote:
Originally Posted by fergessen
We've had to disable simulring altogether because it has not been working reliably for us lately. I don't know what happened; it used to work great. That's one feature I really miss because we used it all the time to ring our cells if we didn't pick up at home.