October 2000

Actiontec Electronics, Inc.
60 N. Mary Avenue
Sunnyvale, CA 94086
Ph: 408-752-7714
Fx: 408-732-0097

Price: $99

RATINGS (0-5)
Installation: 3.5
Documentation: 2.75
Features: 5
GUI: NA
Overall: B+

INSTALLATION
In order to install the software component of this product you'll need to be running Windows 98 or Windows 98 SE, and have the original installation disc handy. If you've misplaced the disc, you'd best find it, because you may not be able to install the software. As is indicated in the user manual, in some cases Windows will need to copy some files from its installation disc, which it will prompt you to insert during InternetPhoneWizard installation. This, ahem, happened to us. We also found it was very crucial that you follow the order in which you're prompted to insert the discs. Several times, somewhere along the way we pressed "OK" out of sequence, or committed some other infraction that caused us to have to start over. Actiontec might make this process significantly smoother and easier for the less technical users to whom this product is largely marketed, especially since it gave us tech-folks issue.

We elected to use the "dual line installation" intended both for broadband users or those with separate modem and telephone lines for the hardware component. One term, diagram, and set of instructions are afforded for a range of connection scenarios including ISDN, cable, and DSL, so the process was further set back by time lost making sure we were interpreting the vague documentation correctly. We eventually just chose to follow common sense, connecting the hardware to the test machine through an included USB cable and the phone to the hardware through an appropriately labeled port.

The other installation step involves setting up an account with an ITSP, so Actiontec cannot necessarily be praised or blamed for merits or drawbacks inherent within this part of the process. Their product links to at least five ITSPs: out of the mix, Dialpad has by far the easiest setup and usage.

Overall, a "plug and play" device should be just that, plug and play. The installation, while not overly complicated, should have been much simpler and quicker. Less steps equal easier operability.

DOCUMENTATION
The user's manual appears to have been printed out on a regular black and white desktop printer, photocopied, and then stapled together. One of the bent and mangled staples in our evaluation copy went right through some of the instructions, so you'd have to rip it open in order to read the full extent of the manual. There is no online Help, as there is no PhoneWizard interface. The only other piece of documentation was a Quick Start card. Though reasonably helpful, it included the following amusing mistake: The front cover tells you to refer to a diagram appearing "at left," where there is, surprise, nothing but empty air. Outside of appearances, content itself on both the Quick Start card and User Manual are for the most part clearly written. Outside of the issue mentioned in the section above (the documentation for dual line installation), most of the processes were pretty clearly diagrammed, and (fuzzy) screenshots were provided to walk users through software installation. If you should seek more information, good luck calling tech support. When we called them in an attempt to clarify a few things for this review (namely whether or not we'd need an Actiontec Call Waiting Modem in order to try the I-Switch feature, as this was not made entirely clear from the documentation), let's just say we did not exactly receive the most timely or attentive service.

FEATURES
InternetPhoneWizard's most unique feature is its I-Switch. Since freeing up a telephone line is at least part of the reason users choose dual-line or broadband, this feature simply ensures that the original purpose won't be defeated. The I-Switch lets you receive analog calls on the same telephone you are using for VoIP. When an analog call is placed to you on this phone you'll hear a beep, at which point you can answer it by pressing the pound button twice. The pound button also automatically launches your browser, which will open to the homepage of whichever ITSP you're using.

As for the other major feature/benefit, which "turns your phone into an Internet phone," readers should be aware that products from companies like Riparius let you do this for around one quarter the price, offering a phone handset that simply plugs into your PC's mike and speaker ports. And don't worry about missing out on Actiontec's self-touted "echo-cancellation technology" should you go with a simpler, cheaper product. As far as we could discern from the engineer we spoke with (though granted he may not have been a PhoneWizard expert, and certainly hadn't been prepped for a media interview) the echo-cancellation and improved sound quality one gets through InternetPhoneWizard are really a merit of standard telephone handset design, which minimizes feedback between the microphone and speaker.

OPERATIONAL TESTING
We made local and long-distance Dialpad calls using both a regular headset and Internet PhoneWizard. The PhoneWizard did provide a noticeable difference in quality, offering less signal break up, slightly less delay, and better clarity. As for the I-Switch feature, this worked perfectly: We were able to switch back and forth between VoIP and an incoming analog an infinite number of times.

Firewalls, by the way, may make it difficult or impossible to use ITSP services, regardless of whether or not you're also using the PhoneWizard -- Dialpad offers firewall troubleshooting tips should this apply to you. We should also alert readers to the fact that we did not demo the product over a dial-up connection, so we are unable to vouch for the product's performance in this scenario.

ROOM FOR IMPROVEMENT
Aesthetics aside, the documentation should be expanded to include diagrams for each connection scenario, or at least for cable and DSL. Although it's mentioned on the back of the box, and sparingly discussed in the documentation, Actiontec should really include a small, dedicated section explaining that you need a dual line or broadband set up to use the I-Switch. If you have a single line dial-up you'll need an Actiontec Call Waiting modem to enjoy this functionality. This information has no table of contents entry, and the manual lacks an index altogether -- which is another area needing improvement.

As for product usage, another area that could be improved is the following: A value of this product is it comes really close to bringing real telephone functionality to VoIP. You can almost just pick up the phone and make a call through Dialpad, deltathree.com, or another provider ... except you first need to wait for a Web page to open and then to enter your user name and password. If there were some way that authentication information could be entered through the telephone, almost like entering a calling card number, Actiontec could then offer real pick-up-and-dial telephone functionality.

CONCLUSION
Here's the Catch 22: if you're using Dialpad, deltathree.com, or another ITSP out of a serious need to cut costs, then it's hard to imagine you'd really be in the market for what amounts to little more than a $100 accessory. You could just as easily spend around $24 on a Riparius handset offering the same or similar "echo-canceling technology." If the PhoneWizard inspires you to use low/no cost ITSP services more than you normally would though, then it may pay for itself. Its main value seems to be as a cool toy, or as a solution for people who are attached to a particular phone, say a cordless, which they'd like to use both for regular and VoIP calls. If you are in a position to consider such luxuries, we certainly recommend the InternetPhoneWizard, maybe as something to treat yourself to or to fill out your holiday wish list. 

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