Reviewers Comments: I have been a Callvantage customer for years. Yesterday, I had a few calls from NRK in
Norway. I had the Callvantage system set to ring both cell phones and the TA, with 2, 2-line
handsets connected. Nothing rang. Alf had reached my voice mailbox 3 times. I had to
make 3 more international calls, because the first 2 calls were dropped.
All the calls I make through ATT Callvantage, including those I picked up on the cell phone,
have unacceptable time delays. It reminds me of the days of simplex carphones. Alf in
Norway, called my cellphone directly, and to the surprise of both of us, the delay was
unperceivable. All the equipment was the same, except for the ATT Callvantage routing.
Audio quality is quite good, except for the random packet dropout problem, and this varies not
only from day to day, but also hour to hour. In the case of the calls to Norway, Alf, an
engineer with NRK, reported only be able to hear one out of three syllables. I use
PingPlotter Pro software to analyze our internet connections. I set PingPlotter Pro to ping
every second, and it indicated that the connection through all nodes was ok, latency was less
than 19 ms (worst case) and router flap was virtually non-existent. This left only ATT
Callvantage servers in the loop.
2 Years ago, ATT did not bother to tell me that the TA I was using was replaced the previous
year, because it could not handle the increased speed of the Comcast cable connection.
Instead, they let me call and report dropped calls and voice dropouts for months. It was only
after I threatened to discontinue service that I was allowed to speak with someone in a higher
service tier.
Connection speed is unpredictable. Speech quality is acceptable, but this is offset by voice
dropouts. Better foreword error correction is necessary.
You would think that service would improve, but keeping the bottom line high appears to be
more important than keeping their customers on top.
PS It is 5:02 pm est, and I just received another business call that was dropped after 6
minutes. I called my own number, and received my voice mailbox after 2 rings. I will be
quitting service soon. You cannot run a business with ATT Callvantage. My six year old
might enjoy it, however. |