[msnln]

Here is my update on the phone setup since March. As reported above, I have dedicated FI DSL service and am not required to have phone service through Verizon. I decided to ditch Vonage as my usage did not justify paying close to $20 a month for 500 minute plan and signed up for Skype. Skype has Skypein plan where they sell you the phone number (and voice mail) for $12 for three months or $36 for 12 months and you can get incoming phone calls through Skype. They also have Skypeout, which allows you to call regular phone service through Skype.

At this time, PC to phone calls (Skypein and Skypeout) are free. This promotion is until end of the year, at which time, Skype may continue free offer or charge their regular rate of about 3 cents a minute. In order to use my regular phones, I purchased Yealink B2K Internet-VOIP Phone Adaptor on Ebay for around $25. I had this setup for about a month and it has worked well. So, for initial $25 investment, and $3-$4 number charge is all I pay for phone service at this time. Voice quality is comparable to regular landline, although I have experienced a second or two delay on some bad days. Oh, one more thing. As Skype is true VOIP (Voice of Internet Protocol), my PC has to be on all the time to receive calls at home. I guess this add $1 or $2 to my electric bill. For times when I am out, I have Skype programmed to forward calls to my cell phone when call is not picked up within 30 seconds. When Skype does decide to charge for their call, I will be utilizing my cell phone to make and recieve all my calls but I have preschool age children who stay with a nanny during the day and I need to stay in touch with them.