Residential VOIP Providers in NZ

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482 posts

Ultimate Geek

#2157931 11-Jan-2019 09:29

SirHumphreyAppleby:

Cody64:

Hero has popped up too, interesting to see who owns that company! Could mean pretty good things going forward.

I signed up for a trial. There are clearly a few rough edges, but they have indicated that updates are coming in the next few days and they are eager to get feedback from users.

Unfortunately, local calling is not free. Apparently this is due to the way carrier interconnects are done these days, but it's also a significant limitation compared to 2talk, which does include local minutes. The only real benefit to switching would be the ability to call NZ and Australian mobiles in the included minutes, but I already have more of those than I need with my mobile provider (and they roll over). So, sadly, it doesn't look like I'll be moving, but it's good to see some long overdue movement in this market.

I went ahead and signed up with Hero and have ported over one of our numbers. They were quick to do the port change and the service seems fine so far. A few minor teething issues with their billing system, but their support has been been very responsive and the self-management portal is pretty good and offers good functionality.

SirHumphreyAppleby

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Uber Geek

#2157983 11-Jan-2019 10:28

spacedog:

I went ahead and signed up with Hero and have ported over one of our numbers. They were quick to do the port change and the service seems fine so far. A few minor teething issues with their billing system, but their support has been been very responsive and the self-management portal is pretty good and offers good functionality.

My trial has now ended. Unfortunately, I wasn't able to find the time to test things as much as I would have liked. As with 2talk when they initially launched, I found support to be very responsive. The lack of local calling meant I was unlikely to move from 2talk.

networkn

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#2158014 11-Jan-2019 10:55

Having spoken to them a couple of times I am certain they would extend your trial but with your other limitation probably not worth it. I understand they have some new plans coming which may include local calling.

AKT

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#2161199 14-Jan-2019 21:47

networkn:

Having spoken to them a couple of times I am certain they would extend your trial but with your other limitation probably not worth it. I understand they have some new plans coming which may include local calling.

Unless I am missing something, their plans include all NZ(and Aus and many other places) calls.

Signed up with them for my business and just in the process of trialling now.

A

kfella2000

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Ultimate Geek

#2163713 19-Jan-2019 14:17

So with this no local calling on Hero (every call coming off your allotted monthly minutes) does that mean when dialling out you have to put an area code in front of all calls or because you no doubt will get a local number you dont have to dial the area code to make a local call but the minutes will still come off your allotted time?

kfella2000

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Ultimate Geek

#2164487 20-Jan-2019 23:57

I can answer my own question here you don't have to dial the area code to make a local call. I have joined up on their trial and have dialled a local number without the area code. Because mobile minutes are included in the monthly call minutes I think I will be changing to them after my trial period ends.

kfella2000

495 posts

Ultimate Geek

#2183862 19-Feb-2019 18:32

SirHumphreyAppleby:

spacedog:

I went ahead and signed up with Hero and have ported over one of our numbers. They were quick to do the port change and the service seems fine so far. A few minor teething issues with their billing system, but their support has been been very responsive and the self-management portal is pretty good and offers good functionality.

My trial has now ended. Unfortunately, I wasn't able to find the time to test things as much as I would have liked. As with 2talk when they initially launched, I found support to be very responsive. The lack of local calling meant I was unlikely to move from 2talk.

My trial ended earlier than I expected. Daughter made calls which used up the 1 hour of free minutes. So I took the plunge an decided to leave 2talk. With there being both local and mobile calls included in the 300 minutes I am also using Hero's mobile app on my phone. Being with Warehouse mobile for my mobile provider where I can pick and choose what I want to buy. I just buy data packs and make calls using my Hero account . I do text messages either through FB messenger or IMO. Hence I don't have to buy 200 minutes of call time for $4 or unlimited texts for $4 each month.

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Trade NZ and US shares and funds with Sharesies (affiliate link).

freitasm

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#2183869 19-Feb-2019 19:03

Interesting you mentioned Hero - they just booked an ad campaign on Geekzone... Running through mid-March (you will see the banners if you are not blocking ads or if you are a subscriber with the option to still show ads).

AKT

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#2183876 19-Feb-2019 19:11

Using them for my business phone lines and any issues have been sorted out swiftly. To be fair they have been minor teething problems and mainly of my own doing but support has been good.

Faxmail doesn't work with all fax machines so I have had some issues with faxes not getting through (receiving), but I assume I will be alone in needing a fax!

gurumeditation

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#2184288 20-Feb-2019 12:49

I just thought I'd introduce myself on the thread here and will avoid the sales pitch! I'm Ray, the creator of Hero and have been working in VOIP in NZ since 2001 (TelstraClear then CallPlus/2talk). We are just getting started out and will undoubtedly have a few teething issues here and there but just drop me a PM here on Geekzone or email support@hero.co.nz if you have any issues or concerns. Anyway, I just thought I'd pop my head up and say hello to the VOIP community here and hope to work with some of you in the future! :)

networkn

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#2184289 20-Feb-2019 12:50

Good to see local representation here. Good move.

Rikkitic

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#2184304 20-Feb-2019 13:13

I don't really understand the value of a home VOIP provider. We have basic phone services bundled with RBI Internet. What would be the difference in having a separate service?

Plesse igmore amd axxept applogies in adbance fir anu typos

networkn

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#2184306 20-Feb-2019 13:14

Rikkitic:

I don't really understand the value of a home VOIP provider. We have basic phone services bundled with RBI Internet. What would be the difference in having a separate service?

In your situation, not much potentially.

shk292

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#2184455 20-Feb-2019 17:10

Rikkitic:
I don't really understand the value of a home VOIP provider. We have basic phone services bundled with RBI Internet. What would be the difference in having a separate service?

I’m seeing an advantage in delinking voice from the ISP-supplied hardware. I can use a mesh solution for my UFB router, connected directly to the ONT so no double-NAT or feature loss. Then I can use a separate device to provide voice and deal with a voice provider who is set up to enable this configuration. All in one ISPs and their hardware are fine if that fits your requirements, but not so good if you want to step outside their box

stinger

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#2184543 20-Feb-2019 22:22

freitasm:

Interesting you mentioned Hero - they just booked an ad campaign on Geekzone... Running through mid-March (you will see the banners if you are not blocking ads or if you are a subscriber with the option to still show ads).

Or have a non kiwi IP address. I have an VPN with an Australian end point, and see adverts for Australian companies. The home page has an advert for Telstra selling home broadband from $69/month.

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