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netTALK Duo review
So what is a netTALK Duo and why would I want one, the simplest answer is that the netTALK Duo is a device that once hooked up to your Internet connection will allow you to completely replace your current landline with a raft of features for only $39.99 per Year!
The netTALK Duo is flexible enough to connect directly to your computer or directly to your Internet connection, so you don't have to rely on a computer for phone service. you can connect the DUO directly to your router. There is no need to leave your computer running to make or receive calls!
The netTALK Duo is designed to connect directly to your router or modem
Here is list of the features:
- Free local and long distance calls (Canada & U.S.)
- Free Canadian phone number
- Live technical support, 7 days a week
- No contracts or monthly bills
- Easy to setup
- Flat-rate, low-cost international call plans available
- Free DUO-to-DUO calls, anywhere in the world
- Ultra-low cost international calling rates
- Clear call quality
- Call Waiting
- Caller ID
- Three-Way Calling
- Call Forwarding
- Visual Voicemail
- Enhanced 911 Service
- Online account manager
- Videophone
- Fax-friendly
- Conference calling
So after reading the information I ordered one from Amazon.ca, just a note here to be careful because if you pick up a US version you will not be able to get a Canadian phone number. I paid $59.99 and delivery was free also the first year of service is included in the price and as mentioned is $39.99 per year afterwards.
Installation
the device came with a note that said "The DUO is pure plug-n-play! Most customers are making calls in less than a few minutes. Just plug in your existing home phones and connect to your high speed internet connection and you are ready to go." The process actually starts by registering your device with netTALK and I will mention of a slight snag I hit when choosing my new phone number and No you can't keep your old number using the netTalk (for now anyway). Part of the setup is logging into the netTALK website where you provide the serial number of the device and input all your basic information, then you proceed to choose your phone number by first choosing your Area Code. 613 is what I used because it would be a local call to me from friends and family, but an interesting twist is that if they lived in another area code you could get a number with that area code and any calls to you would be considered local as long as they reside within Canada or the U.S.
Sorry a little off topic,next you need to pick your Local Code or Prefix which is the next three numbers in a phone number XXX-XXXX here is where you need to pay attention as the list you can select from offers quite a few numbers but if the number is not part of the established Local codes people calling you will get a message saying the call may be long distance, not a great thing for someone to hear when trying to call you! I did some research and found a list of valid codes (which I will list below for Ottawa) and I picked 663 from the list I was offered. lastly you choose the suffix or last four digits from a list and your new phone number is ready. Just a note about Voicemail, Dial *98 on your phone and it will give you the option of recording your greetings and checking your voicemail.
List of three digit Local codes valid for Ottawa
203, 204, 212, 216, 218, 219, 220, 221, 222, 223, 224, 225, 226, 227, 228, 229, 230, 231, 232, 233, 234, 235, 236, 237, 238, 239, 240, 241, 244, 245, 247, 248, 249, 252, 254, 255, 260, 261, 262, 263, 265, 266, 270, 271, 274, 276, 277, 280, 282, 286, 287, 288, 290, 291, 292, 293, 294, 295, 296, 297, 298, 299, 301, 302, 304, 314, 315, 316, 317, 321, 322, 323, 324, 325, 327, 350, 355, 356, 357, 364, 366, 368, 369, 371, 380, 383, 400, 402, 404, 406, 407, 410, 413, 415, 421, 422, 435, 440, 447, 454, 457, 482, 489, 500, 501, 502, 509, 510, 512, 513, 516, 517, 518, 519, 520, 521, 523, 526, 552, 558, 560, 562, 563, 564, 565, 566, 567, 569, 576, 580, 581, 590, 591, 592, 593, 594, 595, 596, 597, 598, 599, 600, 601, 604, 605, 606, 607, 608, 609, 612, 614, 615, 617 618, 619, 620, 627, 656, 660, 663, 667, 668, 670, 680, 683, 686, 688, 690, 691, 692, 693, 694, 695, 696, 697, 698, 699, 700, 701, 702, 706, 707, 709, 710, 715, 716, 719, 720, 721, 722, 723, 724, 725, 726, 727, 728, 729, 730, 731, 733, 734, 736, 737, 738, 739, 740, 741, 742, 744, 745, 746, 747, 748, 749, 750, 751, 755, 759, 760, 761, 762, 763, 765, 768, 769, 773, 778, 780, 781, 782, 783, 784, 785, 786, 787, 788, 789, 790, 791, 792, 793, 794, 795, 796, 797, 798, 799, 800, 801, 804, 805, 806, 807, 808, 809, 816, 818, 820, 823, 824, 825, 828, 829, 830, 831, 834, 835, 836, 837, 838, 841, 842, 843, 844, 850, 851, 852, 853, 854, 857, 858, 859, 860, 862, 863, 864, 866, 867, 868, 869, 875, 878, 880, 882, 883, 884, 886, 889, 890, 891, 894, 895, 897, 898, 899, 901, 903, 904, 907, 909, 910, 912, 913, 914, 915, 916, 917, 934p, 939, 940, 941, 943, 944, 945, 946, 947, 948, 949, 951, 952, 953p, 954, 956p, 957, 960, 963, 971, 977, 978, 979, 983, 986, 990, 991, 992, 993, 994p, 995, 996, 997p, 998, 999
p=Protected against assignment in 613 - Government of Canada offices
911 service
911 service
works but a little differently, instead of being directed to a local 911 service it gets routed to a 911 database where the address you entered during registration is stored and used to redirect your 911 call to your local 911 service so keeping your adress up to date is imperative and can be updated or changed at any time throught the netTALK website.
Call Quality and issues
Our family has used the netTALK Duo for the past 6 months and has reported everything from slight echoes in the sound (kinda like a very faint repeat of what you just said) to delays, sometimes the caller dropping out or the caller not hearing you properly. Occasionally the Calls were dropped altogether and we had to wait 3-4 minutes to reconnect to the Caller but this was almost always due to them still on the line not realizing we were gone or them trying to call us back. I played with my router settings trying many different things and the problems are almost always related to Internet traffic during heavy usage. We found that typically call quality was the worst between 6:00pm to 9:00pm. Also during the busy times I could hear the conversation perfectly clear but the caller would complain my voice was cutting in and out. Usage outside those hours provided good quality calls with very minor annoyances. I mentioned I tried changing some settings on my router and most made little or no change but the information below may help diagnose problems.
- Open Port UDP 5060 - Used to check status of device
- This port is always connected with no call in progress. Private IP (DUO) makes out bound connection to Nettalk Server at 208.87.3.206.
- On an Inbound call it opens UDP port from Private IP 12000 or 12001 to Public 208.87.3.199 address.
- Without ports 12000 or 12001 dst mapped to device no inbound call sound will be heard although outbound and inbound calls can be placed.
- Also tftp port 69 is connected to when device is initially connected to the network to check for firmware updates.
- Lastly, ports 20 and 21 need to be opened for FTP access by device.
Time to ditch my current phone provider?
That really depends on how bad you want to save some money versus the inconvenience of peak period usage problems. My phone bill with call display was $45 per month so $540 per year versus $40 per year is a savings of $500 per year and over a 10 year period is over $5,000 saved. If you have the cost of any long distance plans added to your bill currently the savings will be even higher. This of course assumes you already have an Internet connection that you are paying for versus obtaining one to use the phone service. I should mention that obviously if the internet is down so is your phone so something to consider if you have problems with service in your area. I decided to use the savings to pay for a mobile phone with unlimited Local calling from Wind.ca at $25 per month so I still save $200 per year and 911 and service outage issues don't cause problems as we have the mobile as a back-up.
Not exactly a glowing endorsement but the device and per year fees are great it's just the darn internet that needs fixing during peak periods the netTALK duo or any other similar device such as the Magic Jack Plus will also suffer from the same issues. Set-up is painless in most cases, factor in the unlimited long distance and it makes for a compelling choice for those who want a landline but have an existing mobile phone service. As I mentioned the netTalk will save you enough money to pay for the mobile service and that alone should be a good enough reason to pick one up.
