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frequently asked
questions
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Why should
I want voice services over my broadband connection?
Saving money is the primary motivation
for most people. However, some of the other features of this new service offering
are very attractive and are not available from your typical local or long distance
phone company. FamilyLink offers competitively priced calling plans, integrated
voice mail and web-based control of your phone account. With the FamilyLink telephone
service, you can choose a phone number in several different area codes throughout
the United States.
. This allows you to choose a phone number even though you don't live anywhere near New York
. When you call another FamilyLink subscriber, the entire phone call is carried
over the Internet so the call is free. Because our service is digital, you and your
called party will experience better voice quality than with traditional or cellular
phone services.
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How is it possible
to make free calls worldwide?
IP calls are carried over the
Internet without interfacing with the Public switched telephone network. There are
no long distance fees for IP calls between FamilyLink customers.
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How do I dial
another FamilyLink user?
Just dial their seven-digit FamilyLink
IP phone number. These calls are always free, regardless of the distance or country
you are calling.
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How do I dial
someone who has a regular phone number?
Simply pick up the telephone connected
to the FamilyLink network and dial any number in the world. You will need to dial
the full number. For example, in the US, dial 1 plus the area code and the seven-digit number. In the
UK, include the city, like you would when dialing from a mobile phone.
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What do I pay
if I dial someone who has a regular phone number in Ohio?
It depends upon the plan you choose.
If you choose our unlimited plan* for $19.95
a month, there are no additional fees to call someone in Ohio
. If you subscribe to our per minute plan, then the call would cost you 2.9 cents
per minute. Billed in 6-second increments. This means if you talk for 3 minutes
and 5 seconds, you’ll only pay for 3 minutes and 6 seconds, not 4 minutes as most
other phone companies will round up to the next minute.
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Can I make
calls if the power goes out?
Not over the FamilyLink network,
if power is lost, so is your Internet connection. However, your phone service through
your local phone company will still be available.
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Can I make
911 emergency calls?
*
Yes, the Zoom V3 and X5V both
have ports to plug in a normal phone line. As long as this line is plugged in, all
911 calls will go out over that line.
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Can I make
911 emergency calls if I cancel my local phone service? *
Yes, but the 911 operators won’t
automatically know your location.
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Can I use the
FamilyLink phone service for all phones throughout my home?
Yes, we recommend that you use
a cordless phone system. These phone systems come with a base unit and extra handsets.
The base station of the cordless phone plugs into the X5V or V3. The extra handsets
can then be placed anywhere in the house. You could also purchase wireless phone
jacks. The base unit of the wireless phone jack system connects to the X5V or V3
and the wireless jacks plug into your household electrical outlets. You can then
connect any phone to the wireless jacks.
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How do I get
a phone number for incoming calls?
In the US
, if you take the unlimited plan* for $19.95,
we will include at phone number at no charge. If you choose the per minute plan,
a phone number will cost $5.95 a month and include 200 inbound minutes. Additional
inbound minutes cost 1.9 cents per minute. If you plan on retaining your normal
phone company service, you don’t need another phone number from us unless you need
one for a specific purpose.
All FamilyLink customers will
receive a free IP phone number. This will be a different number for people to call
you at no charge over the Internet.
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Are you saying
that I can appear to have a New York
or Los Angeles phone number even if I’m somewhere else?
Yes.
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Can I call
someone free if he or she has a free service different from mine?
Yes, by using our look up directory
you’ll be able to find the phone number of other people around the world that use
other IP services.
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When I make
a free phone call, what happens? How does the call travel?
The X5V or V3 convert your call
from an analog signal into a digital signal so it’s ready to be packetized and sent
through your local ISP and onto the Internet. When you dial the IP phone number,
the X5V or V3 will convert that number into an IP address of the X5V, V3 or other
SIP based device at the other end of the call. Your call is then sent out through
your local ISP, passed along through the Internet, finally reaching the intended
party at the other end. The real difference between this type of free call and a
fee based call is that free calls follow a more direct path without passing through
any switching equipment or billing platforms.
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When I call
someone with a regular phone, what happens? How does the call travel?
The X5V or V3 converts your call
from an analog signal into a digital signal so it’s packetized and ready to be sent
through your local ISP and onto the FamilyLink Network. FamilyLink has the equipment
that will keep track of the number you called and the duration of the call so it
appears on your FamilyLink web page. FamilyLink then hands the call to another provider
to terminate the call at the other end. Call termination includes having the equipment
necessary to turn the digital call back into an analog call and connecting the call
to the local phone company in order to ring the phone at the other end. This is
all done seamlessly and without delay.
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How does FamilyLink
handle a call?
FamilyLink has many network partners.
Depending upon where you are calling, your call will be passed through series of
different networks on its way to the final destination. At all times the call will
be going through the FamilyLink platform so that we can invoice the call and display
it on the your web interface.
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Does FamilyLink
have a huge telecom infrastructure?
Not at all, FamilyLink uses normal
PC computers to capture call data and route the calls. We partner with other providers
around the world that do have huge infrastructure and can handle millions of calls
at a time.
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When does
FamilyLink bill my credit card?
In most cases, your credit card
will be charged once a month. We may charge your card earlier when your long distance
balance reaches $30. If you use less than $2 of service in a given month, we will
roll that charge into the next month.
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How do I keep
track of my FL calls and make sure the charges are right?
You can track all of your calls
online. FamilyLink keeps all of your bills on our webpage. Your online bill has
the same level of detail (call logs, information on how each call was billed, etc.)
as a long distance phone bill.
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What if I
think the charges are wrong or I need a refund?
If for any reason you think your
account was improperly charged, please contact customer service at (248) 246-1899.
Any applicable adjustments will be refunded immediately.
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How do I find
out who else has an IP phone number?
Go to
www.familylinkvoip.com and use our directory service.
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Is there a
way for FamilyLink to forward calls to my cell phone?
Yes, use your web interface to
set up call forwarding.
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How about
to some other phone?
It doesn’t matter where we forward
the call.
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What do I
need to install the X5v or V3 hardware?
The X5v requires a DSL Internet
connection.
The V3 requires the ability to
plug into a broadband connection via an RJ45 jack.
Neither unit requires a computer
to be on to use the phone.
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What equipment
do I need to use the FamilyLink service?
A cable modem or DSL broadband
Internet connection is required. You will also need an X5v to work with DSL or the
V3 to work with any other form of Broadband Internet service. You will also need
a standard household cordless or corded telephone.
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Are there
any specific PC or software requirements?
No. The service works with PCs,
Macintoshes and Linux systems.
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Where is the
FamilyLink Service currently offered?
Anyone that has a broadband Internet
connection can use the FamilyLink Service, regardless of their geographic location.
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Can I find
a number of a call that I have placed or received?
The Call Logs list all calls you
have received from U.S.(non-international) phone numbers, along with the numbers for calls identified by
Caller ID. It also lists all outbound calls that you placed and your missed calls.
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How do I program
the X5v or V3?
You don’t, they come fully programmed
to work with the FamilyLink phone service. You’ll need to tell us about yourself
and give a credit card number but everything else will work once it’s properly plugged
in.
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Can the X5v
or V3 work with any other VoIP service?
Yes, both of these units come
preprogrammed to work with the FamilyLink service but they can be reconfigured to
work with almost any SIP based service.
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What does
SIP stand for?
SIP, the Session Initiation Protocol,
is a signaling protocol for Internet conferencing, telephony, presence, events notification
and instant messaging.
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Can someone
still call me collect through FamilyLink?
No.
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Can I use
dial-around (i.e. 10-10) numbers from my FamilyLink service?
No.
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Can I call
a 900 or 1-900 number from my FamilyLink phone?
No, we block all calls to 1-900
numbers.
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Can I make
toll-free calls such as 800, 888, 877, 866 calls with the FamilyLink Service?
Yes, you can place calls to these
toll-free numbers.
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Can I use
the FamilyLink Service to make TDD (Telecommunications Devices for the Deaf) calls?
No, TDD capability is not supported.
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When I place
an outbound call, how do I tell the V3 whether I want the call to go out over the
LEC (local phone company) or VoIP line?
Simply dial a # in front of the
number you wish to reach and the call will go out over the FamilyLink Service. If
you don’t dial the #, the call will go out over through the LEC and be billed according
to their rate schedule.
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Do I have
voice mail?
Yes, every FamilyLink user has
a voicemail box. You can retrieve calls using your phone, have them automatically
sent to your email address or have just a notification sent to your email. The subject
of the email will show you the time of the call and the caller ID information, if
available.
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Can I make
conference calls?
Yes, every FamilyLink account
includes a conference room for up to five people at the same time. You control who
can access your conference room with a personal access number.
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How can I
have multiple phones throughout the house using one X5v or V3?
We suggest using one of the cordless
phone base station phones that are currently available at retail stores.
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Will my alarm
system work with the FamilyLink service?
It depends on the alarm system—
if your alarm system needs to make a voice call to notify an alarm company or emergency
number of an issue, it will work fine. If your alarm system needs to make a data
or modem call, it will not work with the FamilyLink Service at this time.
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