A growing number of Pioneer VoIP users are looking for an alternative to their service. There may be several reasons for this, but the most common one is cost. Pioneer VoIP can be expensive, especially if you need to make international calls. Another reason people are looking for alternatives is because of poor customer service. Some people dislike Pioneer VoIP and prefer a reliable landline with better customer service.
This article provides information on the drawbacks of having a Pioneer VoIP landline and Community Phone - the best Pioneer alternative that provides world-class support and reliable landline service at affordable prices.
Drawbacks of Having a Pioneer VoIP Landline
1. Credit Checks
Pioneer’s terms and conditions require customers to authorize a credit check before they process your subscription.
Switch to Community Phone, the best wireless landline service provider in the US that does not require credit checks to prevent such checks from impacting your rating negatively.
2. No Accountability for 911 Emergency Tracking
First responders, especially 911, cannot trace your location accurately if you have an internet-based phone. Since the information comes from an IP address with no GPS data and is not from a physical address or cell tower, location tracking becomes difficult.
Since wireless service can often be unreliable, Pioneer requires customers to absolve the company of any responsibility if they cannot complete 911, can't connect them, or provide incorrect location information, per their terms and conditions.
3. Possibility of Being Mistaken for a Spam Number
Statistics reveal that about 66% of spam calls originate from VoIP numbers. So, having a VoIP number may mean your number could be mistaken for spam and deactivated by your provider, or your recipients may block or ignore your calls.
Getting a landline number seems to be the best solution for this problem. Contact Community Phone to learn how to get a FREE local number when you sign up with them or port your existing landline number!
4. Specialized Hardware and Installation Challenges
Pioneer requires you to have fiber internet to provide you with landline service. They will install internet lines from an outside connector point to devices like the phone and computer in your home. To start using your landline, you must get their specialized VoIP router, special ethernet cables, and a VoIP-compatible phone.
The expertise required to install fiber lines due to the sensitive nature of the cables can make the installation expensive and complex. You can be stranded without a landline if the technician installs the internet incorrectly or does not complete the setup.
5. Limited features
Pioneer offers limited features, such as unlimited calling, call forwarding, and voicemail-to-email for plans at $31.95. The company also holds the right to change prices by giving a 30-day notice to customers.
Get excellent calling features like call forwarding, landline texting, voicemail, unlimited nationwide calling, 3-way calling, call waiting, caller ID, spam call blocking, and more with Community Phone at affordable prices. With plans starting at $39/month, you can enjoy the reliability of a traditional landline through their FCC-approved wireless technology. Talk to their specialist to learn more!
6. Patchy Connectivity
Pioneer's VoIP phones need more bandwidth for calls than you would use for average browsing. So, you need a high-speed internet connection for good call quality. Since the internet is unavailable or patchy in rural and suburban areas, Pioneer phones are unavailable in all areas.
Since internet speed depends on several factors, such as time of the day, equipment, network congestion, surrounding vegetation, etc., it may not be consistent throughout the day. Fluctuating internet connectivity and blind spots at home will lead to issues such as dropped calls, jitter, and terrible call quality, even if you have a high-speed internet connection from Pioneer.
7. Unreliable Service
Pioneer's internet-based phones will go down:
1. If you or the company have a power outage
2. Pioneer has internet issues
3. Network outages
4. Scheduled or unscheduled maintenance
These issues make Pioneer VoIP phones highly unreliable if you want to stay connected with loved ones or emergency services.
8. Does Not Work During Power Outages
Your Pioneer VoIP phone will go down if you or Pioneer have a power outage. Investing in a battery backup unit can be an option, but it is expensive and is not the perfect solution. Backup power units can help you only if you have a power outage, but if your VoIP provider has an outage or other issues, your phone lines will be down.
9. Safety and Security Issues
Using Pioneer's VoIP phones will leave you vulnerable to hacks, attacks, malware, and internet-related threats, negatively impacting your safety and internet speeds.
Hackers may intercept your data when you use the internet for communication, leading to data and identity theft.
For example, you may be liable for credit cards, expensive purchases, and loans you never took.
10. Poor Call Quality
The favorite catchphrase of all VoIP providers is "fast and stable internet," which means you will need expensive high-speed internet from Pioneer to have good call quality and clarity.
Since consistent internet connectivity is subjective per the Pioneer T&Cs, so you will have poor call quality and clarity.
11. Lack of Flexibility
Pioneer's VoIP phones boast flexibility claiming you can make or receive calls anywhere. However, since call quality and connectivity depend on your internet's strength, it will only be consistent in some places.
Blind spots at home, the distance from the modem/router, and the number of obstacles between you and the modem/router will influence call quality and connectivity. These scenarios can lead to call drops, jitter, latency, and poor call quality, even if you have a high-speed internet connection.
Community Phone - The Best Alternative to Pioneer VoIP
Community Phone, the best home phone service in the US, is fighting to keep the landline alive. The company’s wireless landline base connects your home phone to local cell towers, eliminating the need for internet or copper connections.
The unique design of the landline base and partnership with carriers nationwide ensure you get solid coverage with Community Phone across 99% of the US, including rural areas.
Enjoy great voice quality, the reliability of a landline, and wireless access at affordable prices. With features like call waiting, 3-way calling, spam call blocking, caller ID, call history, and landline texting, Community Phone is the best landline service for you.
How It Works
The Community Phone landline base does not tie your phone to the internet as it works off resilient cell towers. The company's partnership with nationwide carriers and the unique design of the landline base ensure connectivity across 99% of the U.S., including rural areas. The built-in antennas on the base amplify signals from mobile towers to ensure superior voice quality in low-reception areas.
The 12-hour backup battery in the base ensures your phones continue working during a power outage or blackout in your area.
Why is Community Phone better than Pioneer VoIP?
Here are some salient Community Phone features that make it better than Pioneer VoIP:
1. No Credit Checks
Community Phone does not run credit checks to process your subscription.
2. No Specialized Hardware
You don't need fancy equipment for your Community Phone landline, except the landline base and a SIM. You will receive the SIM with the base when you sign up with Community Phone.
The landline base is compatible with all phone models, saving you the hassle of buying new phone equipment. Save time and money with the zero-cost installation of the landline base.
3. Zero-cost Installation
You do not need a technician or advanced skills to install your Community Phone landline. You can set up your landline in 30 seconds with the following steps:
1. Unwrap the landline base
2. Connect the base to a power outlet. Do not turn it on yet.
3. Hook your phone to the base per instructions in the manual
4. Toggle the ON/OFF switch to the ON position
5. Turn on the power and wait for 5 mins. Once the base finishes setup, make a test call to ensure your phone works as intended.
4. Emergency Tracking
First responders can easily track your location in an emergency, as they can trace the data originating from the cell tower and zero in on your location.
5. Connectivity
Community Phone has partnered with nationwide carriers to ensure coverage across 99% of the U.S. Since the wireless landline base does not need an internet connection to work, you will not face issues such as call drops, jitter, or latency.
6. Reliability
Resilient technology and thoughtfulness make your Community Phone landline the most reliable option to stay connected with loved ones and emergency services. Their landline base works off resilient cell towers with power backups to support them during a massive outage. The base also has a 12-hour backup battery that keeps your phone working during a power outage or blackout in your area.
7. Security
Since Community Phone does not tie your landline to the internet, it does not leave you vulnerable to hacks, attacks, data, or identity theft. You get an additional layer of security as the wireless landline cannot be wiretapped like conventional landlines.
8. Call Quality
Community Phone has partnered with carriers nationwide to ensure robust coverage and clear voice quality in rural areas. The landline base has built-in antennas that amplify mobile signals to ensure crystal-clear voice quality in poor-reception areas.
9. Geographical Limitations
Community Phone's landline service covers 99% of the U.S., including rural areas, making geographical limitations and the monopoly of certain carriers a thing of the past. The landline base's unique design and revolutionary wireless technology provide superior voice quality even in low-reception areas.
10. Flexibility
Community Phone's partnership with nationwide carriers and the unique landline base design ensure excellent voice quality and connectivity across 99% of the U.S. Experience extreme flexibility with your Community Phone landline, as you can take it anywhere without changing the number. Plug it into a power outlet and a phone, and your landline will work as well as new!
Community Phone Landline Features
Spam Call Blocking
Of the 68.4 million Americans who fell prey to phone scams in 2022, 61% were duped by robocalls. Statistics reveal that wired landlines are susceptible to receiving 20% more spam calls than wireless numbers.
With scammers being persistent in their brutal attacks, manual call barring, *60, DND, and phone features are insufficient to block spam. You need a wireless number that can block unwanted calls before your phone rings.
Get the Community Phone spam-blocker, your one-stop solution to block unwanted and unlawful calls from ringing your phone. The spam blocker challenges robocalls and blocks them before the call can ring your phone, ensuring protection against spam.
The "Safelist," a new Community Phone feature, allows you to list the numbers you want to accept calls from. Your phone will ring to let calls from these numbers through and block all others before the phone rings. You can update your allowed list anytime to add or delete numbers, or Community Phone specialists will be happy to assist you.
Studies report that several people miss legitimate calls fearing spam. Understanding the need to balance robust spam protection and legitimate calls, Community Phone is launching another iteration of the Safelist soon.
This feature will allow you to accept calls from numbers you want and route the rest to voicemail. Since Community Phone will not block other numbers, you can check your voice messages and respond to the ones you deem necessary.
The soon-to-be-launched "blocklist" is an aggressive spam blocker that blocks over 6 million spam calls based on an ever-growing database of spam numbers and a spam score. You can actively contribute to this database by adding a spam number to protect yourself and other Community Phone customers from scams and fraud.
Talk to Community Phone specialists to learn more!
Call Waiting
The call waiting feature helps you handle two calls simultaneously. You will hear 2 beeps when there is an incoming call while you are engaged on one call. You can place the first call on hold, talk to the second caller, or route it to voicemail.
Call Forwarding
Enable call forwarding to forward important calls when you cannot answer them from your business landline. You can opt from one of the several Community Phone options to forward your business calls to a number of your choice.
Temporary Forwarding: Use the manual process to turn call forwarding ON/OFF if you are temporarily away from your business phone. Here'sHere's how you can enable it:
- Get a dial tone
- Dial **21*1
- Dial the 10-digit number you want the calls forwarded to and #
- Three beeps will indicate you have enabled call forwarding
Follow the same steps, but press ##21# to turn off call forwarding.
You can also set unconditional forwarding, enable forwarding without a phone, or set conditions like busy, unavailable, or simultaneous ringing to manage your incoming calls efficiently. Talk to a Community Phone specialist today to learn more and enable these features.
Call History
Enable the call history feature and access information on incoming and outgoing calls to and from your Community Phone landline.
You can use this feature to
1. Return missed calls from known contacts
2. Store legitimate contacts
3. Check caller information against known contacts
4. Send a message or
5. Block spam calls.
Caller ID
On Outgoing Calls
Opt for the caller ID feature so the recipient can see your number or name when you make outbound calls. This feature can help loved ones answer your call or return missed calls without mistaking them as spam.
Incoming Calls
You will be able to see the caller ID of the person calling you if:
1. The person has enabled caller ID
2. Has registered in the national register
3. Your phone can support the caller ID feature.
Community Phone does not use third-party apps to provide the caller ID feature.
Landline Texting
Studies reveal that millennials and later generations prefer texting to talking. Stay in touch with younger children or grandchildren by texting them from your Community Phone landline through the landline texting feature. The unlimited text feature and 2-way messaging enable you to see the messages from the recipient and continue the conversation.
3-way Calling
Connect with 2 or more of your loved ones simultaneously with the 3-way calling feature, spend some great moments, and create memorable experiences. You can connect with your loved ones on the same call and hear them speak simultaneously without worrying about free calling apps, internet bandwidth, or patchy and dropped internet calls.
Benefits of Switching to Community Phone
Besides having a reliable landline service that does not require internet, Community Phone members enjoy the following benefits:
Unlimited nationwide calling and text: Stay in touch with loved ones across the U.S. with Community Phone's unlimited talk and text.
No internet needed: The Community Phone landline base works off cell towers without tying your phone to the internet. Since your phones are not dependent on the internet, they will continue working during an internet outage or maintenance.
Number choice: You can get a new local number FREE when you sign up with Community Phone. You can also transfer your existing number through their unique hand-held porting process.
Zero-cost Installation: The landline base does not require a technician to install it. You or anyone in your business or household can install your Community Phone landline in under 30 seconds and be ready to make calls in 5 mins.
24/7 reliable customer support: Contact Community Phone customer support via phone, email, and live chat 24/7 to experience world-class support from live agents. Glowing customer reviews on BBB and Trustpilot are testimonies of their commitment to customers.
Works during power outages: Save money you would invest on installing costly inverters or backup power, as the 12-hour backup battery in the landline base ensures your phones continue working during power outages and blackouts.
How to get a Community Phone landline?
Follow these steps to get a Community Phone landline:
1. Call Community Phone at (866)-340-6256 and speak with a specialist.
2. The rep will check your area for coverage. Since Community Phone covers 99% of the US, this should not be an issue.
3. You get a local number FREE when you signup. Choose a new number or port your existing number. The specialist will help you get a similar number if your preferred number is unavailable.
4. Choose a plan to suit your needs.
5. Complete the signup process
6. Wait for your landline base, and install it per instructions. You can contact Community Phone support if you have challenges or questions.
7. Wait until the base completes the setup. Make a test call to check if your landline works as intended.
FAQs
What are the drawbacks of Pioneer VoIP?
The drawbacks of Pioneer VoIP are that it does not work during power outages, requires a strong internet connection, and is unavailable in all areas. It also has limited features and runs credit checks before processing your subscription.
What is the best alternative to Pioneer VoIP?
Community Phone is the best alternative to Pioneer VoIP because it offers more features for a lower price. With Community Phone, you can get unlimited calling in the US, and a wide range of features like voicemail, call waiting, landline texting, and spam blocking, which are unavailable with Pioneer VoIP.
Conclusion
Community Phone is the best Pioneer VoIP alternative as they provide reliable landline service, the freedom of wireless access, and outstanding calling features at affordable prices.
A recent study revealed that the Community Phone landline service is 31-35% cheaper than traditional and digital landlines, 20-25% cheaper than VoIP, and a whopping 73% cheaper than a cell phone. Talk to their specialists today to learn more, choose the best features and plan for you and stay connected with loved ones across the US.