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ComFi.com, Corp. (Communications Fidelity), established in 1996, is a leading Internet communication company based in Boston, Massachusetts. The strategy for this company is to offer customers high quality service with the best possible long-distance rates. ComFi has partnered with other telecommunications carriers and chooses manufacturers based on quality of services, prices, and customer feedback.

Installation and Interface

When you sign up for ComFi VoIP services, you can be assured that you are using the most secure online payment processing system through VeriSign. The purchasing process is simple, and you can receive your PIN and instructions instantly on screen and through email. The whole process “takes less than a minute” for most services.

ComFi offers a PC-to-Phone plan, where you can call anywhere in the world from your computer after you download and install the software provided. You need a soundcard, headphones or external speakers, a microphone and a 64Kbps+ connection. Rates are based upon destination and not on location, along with no connection, setup or monthly fees. Downloads are available for Windows, Mac, Linus and pocket PC 2003 and SE 2003. ComFi also offers an online WebSMS call, where you can send an SMS text message with a phone number you want to call, and ComFi will connect you.

Businesses can benefit from learning about their TurboPBX plan, where business owners have the flexibility of an advanced phone system without the associated cost of ownership.

Finally, users can take advantage of the “Plug and Save” service that requires easy installation of hardware provided by ComFi. No computer or software is needed for this plan, which allows unlimited calls to the U.S., Canada, and many other countries. ComFi also offers cell prepaid services and calling cards.

Features

Features vary from plan to plan with ComFi. For instance, they offer a conference call service that is available through an 800 number with no hardware or software to purchase. Using your office, cell or home phone, you can call anytime to anywhere in the world with this feature. But, they say little about any features available for the PC-to-Phone service.

The TurboPBX plan, however, has features one might expect from any business phone. Online Voicemail, inluded local number, additional local numbers, auto attendant and more are available either free or for a monthly fee. This is the perfect service for any small company that wants to appear larger. ComFi provides a Toll Bypass service, which is for companies with multiple locations that want to retain thier existing phone infrastructure while still taking advantage of low cost VoIP calling. The base price is no more than any traditional residential phone service. You can access your phone system over Wi-Fi or from a softphone on your laptop in a hotel room.

TurboPBX is actually hosted in ComFi’s fully redundant data center, so incoming phone calls will always be answered by your auto-attendant and voicemail system. With the call capabilities of TurboPBX, your calls can be forwarded to your cell phones should your broadband service experience problems.

Performance

Generally, the best results with ComFi’s PC-to-Phone service are obtained with upstream and downstream bandwidths greater than 128 kb/s in both directions. ComFi service will not interfere with your ability to go onto the Internet, and it will route incoming and outgoing voice calls alongside incoming and outgoing data from your computer. You can make and receive calls while you use your computer to access the Internet, as well as when your computer is off or not connected to the Internet. The way their service works is that it routes your incoming and outgoing voice calls right alongside the data being sent to or from your computer.

With Turbo PBX, performance depends upon the CODEC used in the service. Some default settings for softphones and SIP desk phones need up to 85Kbps each way using G.711 which means that you will only have ‘room’ for two concurrent calls on a nominal 512Kbps connection (which usually has 256Kbps in one direction). However ComFi uses G.729 by default, which uses a fraction of this bandwidth. This means you can comfortably make up to 8 simultaneous calls on a 256K upstream rated connection. Note that the limiting factor on broadband lines is the upstream bandwidth which is always lower than the more commonly advertised download speed.

Service and Support

ComFi offers online ticket support and toll-free numbers are available for use from Monday through Friday 9:30 am to 8:00 pm EST, and Saturday from 10 am to 6:00 pm EST.

List of Features Available on ComFi

Support: Yes Guarantee: No Residential Plan: Yes Small Business Plan: Yes 411 Service: Unknown 911 Service: Unknown

Call Return (*69): Unknown Call Waiting: Unknown Caller ID: Unknown Click-to-Call: Unknown Fax Line (FoIP): Unknown International Calling: Yes

IP PBX Solution: Yes Keep Your Number: Yes PC-to-PC Calling: No PC-to-Phone Calling: Yes Virtual Phone Numbers: Yes