In today’s digital age, communication has become easier and more convenient than ever before. One such technology that has revolutionized the way we connect with others is Voice over Internet Protocol (VOIP). In this article, we will take a look at FusionPBX, a popular VOIP platform. We will also compare it to traditional landline services, and compare Earthclick.net’s offering to other companies like 8×8.
What is VOIP? VOIP stands for Voice over Internet Protocol. It is a technology that allows you to make phone calls using an internet connection instead of traditional telephone lines. With VOIP, your voice is converted into digital data and transmitted over the internet to the recipient. VOIP uses software to manage telephone services as well as your connnection to a VOIP provider.
We use FusionPBX/FreeSWITCH software to manage our VOIP Installations, although there are other open source software products like FreePBX/Asterisk, and many of our competitors use custom/in-house software solutions.
FusionPBX/FreeSWITCH (both open-source software) offer a wide range of features for businesses and individuals. They provide a complete PBX (Private Branch Exchange) solution, which means it can handle all your phone system needs, including call routing, voicemail, conference calls, and more.
Landline Comparison: When comparing FusionPBX to traditional landline services, there are several advantages to consider:
- Cost-effectiveness: VOIP services like ours offer lower monthly rates compared to landlines if you have more than one line, or if you have a landline and a fax line. This can result in significant savings for businesses and individuals.
- Flexibility: With our VOIP, you can make calls from anywhere with an internet connection. This flexibility allows you to work remotely or take your business on the go.
- Advanced Features: our VOIP offers a wide range of advanced features that are not typically available with landlines. These include call forwarding, voicemail-to-email transcription, auto-attendant menus, and more.
Comparison to other VOIP proiders. While both Earthclick.net and other providers offer VOIP services, there are some differences to consider:
- Pricing: our software (FusionPBX) is an open-source platform, which means it is free to download and use. You are paying Earthclick.net for use of our server and for our expertise. We don’t charge you for phone lines (DIDs) or trunks — you subscribe to a third party like Flowroute or Vitelity for those. On the other hand, other providers offer a variety of bundled services with different pricing plans — most of which charge you per line or per user.
- Scalability: Earthclick.net’s VOIP is highly scalable and can be customized to fit the needs of businesses of all sizes. Most VOIP providers offer scalable solutions but may have limitations depending on the chosen plan.
- Support: Earthclick.net is a small, family owned ISP. We don’t offer 24/7 support. However, when you call us during business hours, you’ll speak to a person. FusionPBX software relies on community support for troubleshooting and updates. In contrast, most providers have dedicated customer support for customers, but their software is proprietary.
Plans: we have several plans to choose from.
| Feature | Landline Elimination | Basic | Silver | DIY | Gold |
| Cost/mo | $4.95 | $14.95 | $49.95 | $49.95 | $79.95 |
| Forward Calls | That’s all it does | Optional | Optional | Yes | Optional |
| Users/Lines | 1/1 | 2/1 | Many | Many | Many |
| Music on Hold | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | |
| Voicemail | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | |
| Time Conditions | One Line | Yes | Yes | Yes | |
| Ring Groups | Yes | Yes | Yes | ||
| Call Recording | Yes | Yes | Yes | ||
| Fax Server | $ | Yes | Yes | ||
| Advanced (IVR, Queues, Call Center, etc.) | $ | Yes | Yes | ||
| Feature Management | $ | $ | $ | DIY | Included |
Compare our “Basic” service to CenturyLink’s “Simply Unlimited” $50/mo Service.
DIY vs Gold: Both our DIY and Gold plans include all available features. The difference is that the DIY plan allows you to purchase and provision your own lines, provision your own features, and not have to wait for our tech support to help. This is the perfect plan for techies. With our Gold plan, you contact us by phone/email/text and we do the configuration for you.
Hardware: VOIP systems use either physical phones (such as Polycom or YeaLink) or “softphones” (such as Zoiper), which are installed on your computer. Physical phones can handle multiple lines and support numerous traditional phone system features. Softphones generally come in two versions – free and premium. The free versions tend to be limited, but the paid version tends to mimic physical phone features. See VOIP PHONES for more information.
VOIP technology has transformed the way we communicate, offering cost-effective and feature-rich alternatives to traditional landline services. Earthclick.net uses FusionPBX software, an open-source VOIP platform, that provides a comprehensive PBX solution for businesses and individuals. When comparing it to landlines and companies like 8×8, Earthclick.net offers cost savings, flexibility, and advanced features that make it an attractive choice for those seeking a reliable VOIP solution.
