Captel with Vonage and vs VRS
When we switched over to Vonage, it rendered the captel device totally useless, so the $595 captel was sent back to Ultratec with a "thanks, but no thanks" note.
That was a probelm with your Vonage service. You should have contacted Ultratech about that. Here's what you can do, to get your CapTel to work with Vonage.
Remove any routers, existing house wiring, splitters, etc. and ensure the Vonage adapter is connected directly to the Cable/DSL modem and directly to the CapTel. Connect all your other equipment, such as a router, to the redundant "Ethernet" jack, on the Vonage adapter.
1) Log into your Vonage account at
http://www.vonage.com
2) Click on "Feature"
3) Click "Configure" at Bandwidth Saver options
4) Move slider towards "Highest Sound Quality"
If you still have problems, Vonage on how to disable the "Bandwidth Saver" feature for your VoIP line or setup for "Highest Sound Quality". If you're still having problems, contact Ultratech.
I hope that the quality of captel has improved since then.
CapTel call quality improves on a daily basis. I remember it was not as good as when I recently used it. I also noticed that Spanish captions are not as good as the English ones. (I also speak Spanish.) This is because the Spanish captioners are not as experianced, with FastTran voice recognition software, as the English captioners, because they don't get as many calls. Except for Federal VRS, Spanish CapTel is the only relay service that is not 24 hours. I've also noticed that the captions differ highly, depending on the individual captioner. I've called CapTel Customer Service many times to praise wonderful captioners and complain about bad captioners. If you don't let them know, they won't know how to improve the service.
Can anyone vouch for captel quality and effectiveness, especially in comparison to using VRS?
CapTel and VRS are very different, but in order to compare "Apples-to-Apples" ("the same things"), I'll compate VRS with VCO to CapTel.
CapTel gives you exactly every word the Hearing person says. This can be good, because it gives you the exact message, however, if English is not your first language, you may have a difficult time understanding idioms. CapTel does not subject you to the mercy of a specific interpreter's interpretation of what the Hearing person says. For example, I remember I was speaking with one of my friends in Spanish with VRS with VCO, and my friend said something I didn't understand. I had to tell my friend to hold on, while the interpreter gave me a different interpretation. I still did not understand, so the interpreter fingerspelled it, and I understood it. You do not have this problem with CapTel, because every captioner will caption almost exactly the same... almost. CapTel usually has a 2-3 second delay, where VRS has almost no delay, but addresses and proper names can be a nightmare in VRS (unless you're using Hands On VRS with AIM or Videosign, CSD VRS with a webcam or VP call, or i711 VRS, where the interpreter can type it). In addition, VRS interpreters are more dependant on asking Hearing people to repeat themselves, whereas CapTel captioners cannot, so you may notice that captions are correct the first time around, but in a VRS call, the interpreter may ask the Hearing person to repeat. Also, CapTel allows you to save the entire conversation. If you have CapTel with USB, you can even save it on your computer or print it. It's editable text. The major downfall to CapTel is, unless you have good residual hearing, you cannot destinguish the caller's tone as easily as you can from Sign Language. CapTel also allows you to call absolutely anyone, including relay. You cannot call relay with VRS. For example, if you call one of your Deaf friends on the videophone, but your Deaf friend doesn't answer, the videophone does not have an answering machine. If your friend has a i2eye videophone or webcam, then your Deaf friend will not know you called. If your Deaf friend has a Sorenson videophone, the only thing the your Deaf friend will see is "missed call". If you have CapTel, you can call VRS, with your CapTel, to leave your Deaf friend a video e-mail, and your Deaf friend can be notified via both e-mail and pager, such as the Sidekick. Also, if your state allows for translation, you can either use STS (Speech-to-Speech) or switch your CapTel to VCO mode, to speak with someone in another language, such as Spanish or French, and the relay operator will translate. Although it is possible to use VRS for Spanish, there is not French VRS. Also, you cannot call relay with VRS, so if you want to make a relay call, such as calling a TTY user, that is not possible with VRS. It is possible with CapTel. CapTel also allows you to get captions for an external answering machine, whereas VRS does not.
My solution is simple. Why not use both? I already have a videophone, but I'm going to apply for a CapTel with USB soon. One of my Hard-of-Hearing friends uses VRS with CapTel. He uses VRS with VCO, and his VCO is a CapTel. That way, he can read the captions during the call for added clarity as well as save the conversation.