Time Warner Digital Phone vs. Vonage

Time Warner allows you to purchase the voice service individually or bundled with their Internet and cable television services. The phone service is installed by a Time Warner technician, so someone needs to be home during the installation. The technician installs a Digital Home Phone/High Speed Data Service modem, which replaces your existing cable modem if you already use Time Warner's high-speed Internet service. In addition to money-saving bundles that package two or three Time Warner services together, the company offers a selection of calling plans. The plans can include unlimited calling within the U.S., within your state or within your area.

You can purchase a Vonage phone adapter from a variety of retail stores, or order the service from the Vonage website and Vonage will mail one to you. You connect the adapter to your high-speed Internet and plug your phone into the Vonage adapter. Adapters mailed from Vonage are already activated. If you purchase the modem from a retailer and the salesperson doesn't activate it, you'll can complete the process online. Your computer does not have to be turned on to use your Vonage service. To have phone extensions in more than one room, connect the base unit for your cordless phone to the Vonage adapter and place the handsets in other rooms.

Time Warner charges additional fees for features such as voice mail, a private listing and a second line. Free features included with their phone service include caller ID, call waiting, anonymous call reject, speed dial and call forwarding. Available only if you also subscribe to their cable television service, Time Warner's caller ID on TV feature displays the number of the phone that's calling you on your television screen. The company's VoiceZone program serves as an interface between your phone and the Internet by providing visual voice mail, which is delivered to an email address as an audio file. Time Warner also provides caller ID on your computer via an AIM instant message and you can set up a distinctive ring tone to identify callers for up to 30 numbers.

Using Vonage as your phone service requires that you have high-speed Internet service. Vonage offers a wide variety of calling features at no additional charge, including call waiting, call transfer, three-way calling, caller ID block, do not disturb, anonymous call block and visual voicemail, which transcribes voicemails into emails and text messages. Features unique to Vonage include SimulRing, which allows you to receive calls on up to five additional numbers, and Vonage Access Number, which provides a local number in distant locations so distant friends or relatives won't have to dial long-distance number to reach you. Vonage also has a Bandwidth Saver setting that can improve voice quality during calls. If relocation is in your future, Vonage lets you take your phone number with you to most locations, whether you're moving locally, across the U.S. or overseas.