Rogers Reviews and Plans

HQ in Toronto, Ontario Rogers is one of Canada's telecommunications behemoths. Rogers started offering Home Phone service on Canada Day, July 1st, 2005.  At the time it was a disruption to Bell's monopoly. Fast-forward thirteen years and Rogers Home Phone is as obsolete as it was Bell's a decade ago.

Before we launch on the Rogers Home Phone review, we need to make sure to cover the basics. Rogers Home Phone, or Rogers landline, is using VoIP (Voice over IP) technology. Rogers Home Phone does have an analog telephone adapter (or ATA), same as all other VoIP Home Phone providers. Though Rogers uses a variation called Managed Fixed VoIP. It is Managed because Rogers has remote control over the ATA (Analog Telephone Adapter), the configuration and in fact retains ownership of the equipment. It also fixed because the user cannot take the modem with them when traveling, and is little what you can do if moving - you still have to call Rogers in any case so they change in their end the things required so you get service in your new address.

These are key differences with other VoIP Home Phone Providers. For example, Phone Power is considered a nomadic VoIP service. Because you can take the ATA adapter with you anywhere, and have control over the configuration of the service thru a web interface. The web interface allows changing, for example, the address used when calling the 9-1-1 service. May be considered technical differences though these have implications in the daily use of the service.

Though the differences do not stop there. Let us look now to Rogers Home Phone plans, features, and pricing.

At the time of this writing, Rogers Home Phone has only 1 plan that we review below.

• Ignite Home Phone: Unlimited Local Calling / 4 Features @ $10 per month

The key part is to note it is bundled with Rogers ignite Internet service. Also "Unlimited" Rogers Home Phone part is, in fact, limited; Rogers gives you 44,640 minutes available in a month. It is a generous amount though, good enough to be talking 31-days straight but it is not unlimited. 

Rogers uses a 'local calling' definition that is somewhat ambiguous. For example, if you are in the Greater Toronto Area you 'should' be able to call all of the GTA without having to pay as Long Distance. But, if you have to call someone in Barrie or Ajax or Hamilton, you are out of luck and you'll pay dearly. Rogers has pre-packaged Long Distance plans, for example, 500 minutes can cost $10 extra a month if you have the Essential package, or $5 a month if you have the Favourite or Deluxe plan. It is a bizarre way to price a Long Distance add-on.  Hard to justify the cash-grab, why the difference if in the end, the minutes in the network have the same cost to Rogers regardless of the plan a subscriber has? In any event, lets move-on to review the features available with Rogers Home Phone.

If you want to call internationally, Rogers does offer a plan called "Whole World Plan". You pay $3 per month for the service PLUS the usage. What that means is that if in a month you call to someone in India and then Brazil you'll pay the only once the $3 but you will pay for each call according to the rate to each country. For example for India is, landline $0.07 per minute and mobile is $0.11 per minute. 

You have the choice to have either 4 features, or 7 features. Varing in price from $5 per month, to $2 per month. In general, the features available with a Rogers Home Phone plan are: 

• Voicemail. Online management, Voicemail to Text, Voicemail to Email
• Call Display ID
• Call Display ID Blocking
• Three-Way Calling
• Call Return 
• Long Distance Lock

There are more features available for Rogers Home Phone Service, a-la-carte, for an extra $6 a month each:

• Call Forwarding
• TV Call Display
• Call Waiting
• Call Transfer
• Distinctive Ring
• Auto-Connect

Some additional costs you'll also have to consider when looking at Rogers Home Phone are the installation fees. If Rogers determines there is a need to send a Technician to your home, then you'll be greeted by a 'onetime fee' of $49.99... Oh, and if you need additional phone jacks in your home, each is an additional fee of $20.

With this, we conclude Gonevoip's Rogers Home Phone review. Rogers has lowered the price of their Residential Phone, but making it a bundle only service is somewhat of a fishing tactic. It is no wonder why people are choosing other providers. It is hard to imagine why anyone would search for Rogers Home Phone deals. In the end, concluding Rogers Home Phone is more expensive with inferior features, has an over schemed pricing model and, add insult to injury, a well known poor Rogers Home Phone technical support service record! 

Features

Call Blocking
Conference Calling
BYOD:
Smartphone App:
Call Forwarding
Call Hold
Caller ID Name:
Enhanced VoiceMail:

Call Blocking
Conference Calling
Fax Capabilities
Fax to Email
Call Forwarding
Call Hold
Call Transfer
Music Hold
Caller ID Name:
Call Waiting:
Web Management:
Do Not Disturb:
Multiple Users:
Area Code Selection:
Extra Number:
Toll Free Numbers:
BYOD:
Desktop App:
Smartphone App:
Enhanced VoiceMail:
VoiceMail to Email:

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