Is anyone using Vonage or similar services where you can use your regular telephones to call other regular telephones via your cable modem? I heard an advertisement and I am wondering what people who are really using it think.

There are a couple of services that allow you to use cable modems or DSL to make telephone calls. The most popular one is the one you mention. Vonage is currently servicing about 24,000 customers in the USA and overseas. The service is pretty cool.

There are several reviews of it on the internet if you search around... on Google this one comes up and is pretty accurate:


http://www.longmeadcrossing.com/vonage.cfm

Good luck.

Go for it.

I finally solved my problems by doing away with my phone company.
I am very happy with my Vonage phone service. For $27 a month, I get free calls anywhere in my area code, all the features, and 500 minutes of long distance. For $41, I could have unlimited long distance. The $20 a month I save on phone almost pays the extra for cable internet. I have much better voice and never a problem connecting to the internet. Biggest drawback is that Road Runner tech service stinks. See www.vonage.com.

How big of a problem are power surges? For years I have fearfully shut my computer down at the first crack of thunder. Recently I solved my long standing phone/internet problems by going with cable high speed internet and using Vonage Internet phone service. Told my phone company to come take down their wires. I restrained myself from rude comments about their poles.

For my phone to work now I must have my cable connected and the cable modem and Cisco 186 ATA hot. I can connect the ATA directly to the cable modem, but if I want to use it and a computer both, I need to have the router going too. I added a UPS to power the cable modem, router, and ATA. The phone plugs into the ATA. I have the UPS plugged into one of several surge protectors in the house. Can I safely leave the phone and everything else on in a lighting storm? Does anybody have any real numbers on electronics getting fried? The cable does have a lighting arrestor.