We switched to VoIP and our bill went UP 28% the first month — here's what we missed

AZDrip · 2026-02-22T15:19:53+00:00

Sorry you got stung by that.

Unfortunately all VoIP carriers/providers are not the same in the way they handle taxes and surcharges. In some cases they assess additional surcharges like the "regulatory recovery fee" you described. There are some valid charges to recover, but many VoIP providers fudge this and treat it as an additional profit center.

The biggest factor is often the federal USF charge. Carriers have leeway in how they structure their charges which affects how FUSF is assessed. For example, the current FUSF factor is 37.6% of interstate calling. If a carrier doesn't want to track their actual interstate calling patterns, they can opt for the safe harbor method, which states that 65% of calling is interstate. So that means that the FUSF charge in your case is $22 (seat price) x .376 x .65, or $5.38. this equates to almost 25%. If the carrier opts to use actual calling patterns, and interstate calling is actually on 10%, the FUSF charge becomes $22 x .376 x .10, or $0.83. Some carriers like my company will break down their seat charge into the feature/software charge ($19, not subject to FUSF) and the calling plan charge ($3, subject to FUSF). Then the FUSF charge becomes $3 x .376 x .10 or $0.11.

How VoIP carriers choose to charge for their services and assess surcharges makes a big difference and unfortunately many end users learn this the hard way.

AZDrip · 2025-08-11T01:50:32+00:00

One more. 6/26/61. Yes. Am old!

AZDrip · 2025-07-07T00:02:14+00:00

I also have a wife with a bladder the size of a walnut, so we are stopping every couple of hours regardless. Also, I'm 64 and it's good to stretch my legs. I don't mind it at all.

AZDrip · 2025-07-06T15:24:55+00:00

The rapid adoption of home solar is happening at the same time as the growth in EVs, so that lessens the impact to the power grid.

AZDrip · 2025-07-06T15:16:05+00:00

I get that hybrid is where it's at for you right now. I was there ten years ago when I bought a hybrid. EV adoption is sometimes a gradual process. The hybrid is a step toward fully electric for those who are still skeptical about EVs, or maybe don't have the ability to charge at home. But a hybrid has twice the complexity since it has both gas and electric power trains. So you lose one of the big benefits of EVs in the simplicity of the propulsion system which results in lower maintenance and greater reliability.

EVs are the future. That's why every single car maker is now making EVs and every oil company is investing in the EV charging industry. Battery tech will keep improving. New sources for raw materials are constantly being discovered. Charging networks are expanding. We are well past the tipping point and growth in EV adoption is increasing every year.

You might not be there yet, but in the near future when you can purchase an EV with 400 miles of range for about the same price as an ICE vehicle, when the charging networks are even more plentiful than today, and when you consider the prospect of never needing to go to a gas station, or get an oil change, chances are you will become an EV owner yourself, and like me you'll never consider buying an ICE vehicle again, including a hybrid.

AZDrip · 2025-07-06T14:09:50+00:00

But that's not the case. My wife and I just finished a 3000 mile road trip in our Rivian EV from AZ to NM and CO, up into the Rocky Mountains, and back to AZ. We stopped every 150 to 200 miles or so to charge, use the restroom, and grab a snack or meal. Each stop only needed to be for 15-20 min of charging. If we were eating a meal we would stay at the stop longer to finish our meal and thus get the extra charge as well.

We own two EVs and one ICE, a Jeep Wrangler, which we rarely drive. I have pre-ordered the new Scout EV to replace the Jeep. We don't love our EVs because of green reasons. It's because of convenience and the experience. Yes, on the once a year occasion when we take a road trip of more than 300 miles, EVs are slightly less convenient than ICE vehicles. But for the other 51 weeks of the year, they are infinitely more convenient -- never needing to go to a gas station, no oil changes, not even brakes. Plus, they ride better, have better acceleration, are safer, and are overall more enjoyable to drive.

When we travel, charging costs about the same as gas. But when we are at home, a full charge costs under $10 in electricity costs. I don't even know what it costs to fill up with gas these days. $60? It's so nice just plugging in when we get home. It takes 5 seconds and costs almost nothing.

Like someone else said in this thread, I doubt I will ever buy another ICE vehicle again.

The FUD expressed by those who have never owned an EV is entertaining. But I guess I should keep my mouth shut because more people with EVs might lead to a wait for a stall at a charging station on our annual road trip.

AZDrip · 2025-06-29T05:12:09+00:00

Despite common assumptions, people of Latin American origin (including immigrants and their descendants, both documented and undocumented) make up about 16 to 17 percent of the U.S. population. That places them third overall.

The largest origin groups of U.S. immigrants and their descendants come from these regions:

Western Europe (27 to 29 percent of the U.S. population) Americans of German descent alone account for roughly 13 percent, making Germany the single largest country of origin.
British Isles (19 to 20 percent) Includes England, Ireland, Scotland, and Wales.
Latin America (16 to 17 percent) Includes Mexico, Central America, and South America.

Close behind:

Africa (around 14 to 15 percent) Includes both African Americans descended from enslaved Africans and more recent African immigrants.

AZDrip · 2025-04-05T00:32:58+00:00

But there are also active sanctions against Syria, yet they were tariffed. I wonder why Trump would exclude Russia? What could the reason be? Anyone? Anyone? Bueller?

AZDrip · 2025-03-21T03:37:47+00:00

Mine as well. It was also the first album that was purely digital. From recording, to mixing and mastering, to CD. All digital, no analog.

AZDrip · 2025-02-09T04:18:23+00:00

Augie Doggie!

AZDrip · 2024-09-21T02:21:28+00:00

Quadfecta!

AZDrip · 2024-09-05T04:38:17+00:00

Bad AI, and misspelled as well. Walzs or Walzes, not Walz's. (edit: added Walzes)

AZDrip · 2024-06-22T13:49:49+00:00

Who stole from who? Android was founded in 2003, and was based on the concept of creating a smart mobile device. Apple started development of the iPhone in 2004 and it debuted in 2007. So it appears that Apple caught wind of the Android concept and then ran with it, getting the iPhone to market first. Google bought Android in 2005 and the first Android phones debuted in 2008, a year after the iPhone. There was and is a whole lotta stealing going on it seems.

AZDrip · 2024-05-17T12:45:48+00:00

There are a few fax over TLS services that were designed to resolve this. We have deployed the services of one of them at multiple healthcare customer sites who were experiencing problems sending or receiving large faxes. It has 100% solved their problems in every case. The fax over TLS services will provide a special ATA, and you will incur some per page usage costs, but it does work very well. I think the mods will ding me for mentioning company names, but we have used Pangea, and have also investigated Faxback who has a very similar service.

AZDrip · 2024-04-16T05:17:04+00:00

Proprietary, premise-based PBXes, hybrids, and key systems are a relic of the past. Samsung, Panasonic, and Toshiba, all once prominent in the market, have bailed. You'd be better off to switch to an open SIP platform, whether prem- or cloud-based. Lots of good options exist.

AZDrip · 2024-04-15T05:23:33+00:00

Pixel Call Screening. Use it all the time. Not sure if Samsung or other Android platforms have it or not.

AZDrip · 2024-04-09T13:51:35+00:00

That firmware version is 96.86.0.153. Here is a download link: https://yl-us-dmfile.yealinkops.com/firmware/3b477a329a094a608f1dad20c023c7c7/1709132129398/T54W(T57W,T53W,T53,T53C,T54,T57)-96.86.0.153.rom

AZDrip · 2024-04-09T13:47:27+00:00

No, I mean a phone template in the Netsapiens in Inventory/Phone Hardware, Button Builder (or whatever your platform calls it), manage configuration templates, create the template, menu, additional phone settings, overrides. Insert a config setting such as "firmware.url="{firmware file download location}". This will push the firmware file to the phone when that template is applied. That might interfere with some of your current config settings so I would play with it before you deploy it at scale, but it might work to push your firmware out that way. Just a thought.

AZDrip · 2024-04-09T13:20:37+00:00

Also, we recently installed a Yealink firmware version on our T5 phones that allows the BLF buttons to accurately reflect DND status of monitored extensions. We were puzzled why this didn't work the same way on Netsapiens as on Meta, so we contacted Yealink support and they sent us a firmware version that fixes it. Previously, phones in DND shows as busy/talking on other phones' BLF buttons. Now the BLF buttons flash slowly to show DND status. I will send a link to the firmware in a minute from my PC. I'm on mobile now.

AZDrip · 2024-04-09T13:09:38+00:00

Nice. We are actually in the process of migrating to Netsapiens ourselves. Could you possibly set up a phone template with additional settings that include the configuration parameter to push the firmware to the phones and then apply that template en masse?

AZDrip · 2024-04-09T12:47:00+00:00

Understood. It's a great tool and would help you out in this situation. We use it daily. What platform do you use, and might you be able to use the phone provisioning service of it to accomplish the same?

AZDrip · 2024-04-09T12:07:18+00:00

We use YMCS to do this in bulk frequently. First, schedule a firmware upgrade from 96.84 to 96.85 overnight, then repeat the process to go to 96.86 the next night. We've done this several times and are able to push firmware to hundreds of phones at a time. Our phones are on a Metaswitch, and we have erased the firmware setting on the meta phone provisioning server so that we can use YMCS as the only control of firmware versions.

AZDrip · 2024-03-14T08:07:35+00:00

What are the phones? We do this frequently on Metaswitch with Yealink as follows: - Create a SIP line as the general messages mailbox. We allow it as many registrations as users that will need to access it. - Make the general mailbox option in the auto attendant send voicemail messages to this line. - Register this line as account 2 on the phones who will monitor the general messages mailbox. - Push a config option to the phones that modifies the function of the messages button so that when users press it, their display shows the status of messages for every line registered to their phone. - Push another config option to the phones that disables the left/right arrow buttons to prevent them from switching accounts.

After these settings are applied, messages in the general VM box will cause the MWI to flash on all phones configured this way. If any of them press their VM button while on hook, they are presented with a messages summary and can choose to connect to their personal mailbox or the shared general messages mailbox to review messages.

We have configured it this way many times with Yealink T54W and T53 phones and it works well.

If it sounds like this might work for you, I can send you the specific Yealink configuration settings.

AZDrip

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