(Last revision: 1/7/08 — added Viable’s announcement of the VPAD videophone)
I’ve tried my best to list the various video relay services available in the United States, in alphabetical order. I also included their IP addresses that you could add to your videophone, the number (if any) that voice callers can call, and any special features these VRS services provide. If there are any errors or omissions, please let me know in the comments and I’ll add or revise accordingly. A couple of these VRS providers’ webpages depended heavily on Flash animation and did not have specific links to features.
- What to dial: ATTVRS.TV
- Hearing callers: 1-888-VRS-9998
- AT&T VRS also offers vSoft (a downloadable computer program), web browser-based calling, VCO, and a phonebook.
- HOVRS / GoAmerica provides VRS services for AT&T.
CACVRS- What to dial: CACVRS.TV
- Hearing callers: 866-500-9662
- CACVRS also offers web browser-based VRS and Nextalk (a downloadable program through NXi Communications and URelay)
- CACVRS also provides HawkRelay VRS.
CADVRS- What to dial: CADVRS.TV
- Hearing callers: 1-866-459-0248
- CADVRS also offers VCO services (CSDVRSvco.tv), Spanish translation (Spanish.CADvrs.tv), webcam access from a computer, VP call-back, and CADVRS mail (where a hearing person could leave a message for you if you’re unavailable)
- CADVRS is being provided through CSDVRS. While this service is through California Association of the Deaf, calls (whether to/from hearing or deaf individuals) do not seem to be limited to residents of California.
- What to dial: CSDVRS.TV
- Hearing callers: 800-538-9881
- CSDVRS also offers VCO, Spanish VRS, personalized voice mail, web browser-based VRS, VRS call-back, and Personal 800 Numbers.
- What to dial: HamiltonVRS.tv
- Hearing callers: 866-498-4777
- Hamilton VRS offers web-based VRS and video mail.
Hands On VRS (acquired by i711 / GoAmerica):
- What to dial: HOVRS.TV
- Hearing callers: 877-467-4877 English or 877-467-4875 Español
- HOVRS also offers web browser-based calling, Spanish VRS, simultaneous hovrsIM / VPchat, Videosign (a downloadable computer program), HOVRS Widget for the Macintosh, your own phone book, and point-to-point (deaf person to deaf person) calling via Videosign.
- Acquired in 2007 by GoAmerica.
- What to dial: HawkRelay.tv
- Provided by CACRelay.
- What to dial: web-based only
- i711 VRS provides web-based calling (Internet Explorer only) and “VRS Notepad” (for numbers and other difficult-to-spell information)
IP-Relay VRS (acquired by i711 VRS / GoAmerica):
- What to dial: TV.IPVRS.COM
- Hearing callers: no number (?)
- IP-Relay VRS also offers HCO / VCO and web-based VRS.
- Provided by Verizon, acquired in 2007 by GoAmerica
- What to dial: 69.18.207.166 or 38.98.86.70
- Hearing callers: no number (?)
- Lifelinks VRS also offer Sightspeed (a downloadable computer program) and Spanish VRS.
- What to dial: 1-866-327-8877 or SVRS.tv
- Hearing callers: 1-866-FAST-VRS or 1-866-327-8877
- Sorenson also offers its own VP-100 and VP-200 videophones, EnVision (a downloadable computer program), and a customized NetMeeting computer program. If using these, the ability to call Sorenson VRS is built in.
- Special feature: You can use Sorenson VRS to call 911! See my recent post on this.
Snap VRS- What to dial: call.snapvrs.com
- Hearing callers: 1-877-711-SNAP
- Snap VRS will is now distributing free, cool-looking Ojo Video phones.
- What to dial: ViableVRS.tv
- Hearing callers: no number (?)
- Viable VRS supports any PC videoconferencing program that can dial ViableVRS.tv
- Viable just announced a new type of videophone, the VPAD
- What to dial: SprintRelay.tv (for VRS calls), help.sprintrelay.tv (customer service), espanol.sprintrelay.tv (for Spanish VRS calls), vco.sprintrelay.tv (for VCO calls)
- Hearing callers: 1-866-410-5787
- Sprint VRS also offers MySprintVRS Number, SprintVRS Mail, Spanish VRS, and SprintVRSvco.
- Sprint also operates Federal VRS.
- Sprint VRS may be provided by HOVRS / GoAmerica.
- What to dial: FedVRS.tv
- Hearing callers: 1-866-448-2503
- Federal VRS also offers Federal VRS Mail and Spanish VRS.
- Federal VRS has some limitations on who / when can use this service.
- Federal VRS is operated by Sprint.
There are also numerous state-specific VRS services, but all of them are being provided under contract with Sprint or Hamilton VRS. TDI Online has a complete list of links to these state VRS services, although a couple of links may be outdated.
Wikipedia has some good information on Video Relay Services, with links.
March 9, 2007 at 11:13 am
[...] and to make them easier to find, I’ve created separate pages (Doing everything online and Video Relay Services) for these posts. You can check these pages out anytime by looking at the right column of this [...]
March 9, 2007 at 11:13 am
[...] page on my blog; I will no longer edit or update this post — instead, please visit the Video Relay Services [...]
March 16, 2007 at 8:19 pm
[...] the arrival of Video Relay Services, we deaf and hard of hearing folks still need our TTY and IP / Internet relay services. Only a [...]
March 19, 2007 at 7:17 am
[...] 19th, 2007 I just added Snap VRS to my page listing Video Relay Service providers. Snap VRS will even be distributing uber-cool Ojo Video Phones for free! These video phones takes [...]
April 12, 2007 at 2:39 pm
[...] 12th, 2007 I just added CADVRS to my page listing Video Relay Service providers. CADVRS is being provided through the California Association of the Deaf under contract with [...]
April 13, 2007 at 8:40 am
Hello – this is a great blog!
I just wanted to make sure that you knew that CSDVRS offers a special feature – Personal 800 Numbers.
With other VRS Providers, for a hearing person to call a VP user through VRS, the hearing person must have two “sets” of numbers. First, the number to call the VRS center, and then a second “number” to connect to the VP user (VP Phone Number, IP Address, or Extension Number).
CSDVRS’s Personal 800 Number is unique because each VP user is assigned their own number and the hearing person only needs to know ONE phone number, eliminating the need for a phone number to contact the VRS center.
Personal 800 Numbers are perfect for forms, listing on resumes, and require no instructions and look “familiar” to hearing people.
With Personal 800 Numbers, VRS calls are now truly a 2 way street, instead of deaf people always having to make the VRS call to hearing people.
You can get yours by going to http://www.csdvrs.com/800 for FREE.
Thanks for your time!
April 26, 2007 at 8:46 am
I noticed you didn’t give an IP or DNS address for Sorenson. The phone-number-lookup you gave only works for DLink (which are actually mostly designed by Sorenson, and are effectively the same as a VP100 – even the casework is the same).
April 28, 2007 at 8:45 am
Hi Randy — I looked high and low on Sorenson’s website to see if they had an IP or DNS address for non-Sorenson VP-100/200 callers. Only could find a “phone number” for D-link users to call. If someone has an IP or DNS address for Sorenson, let me know!
August 4, 2007 at 5:25 am
It looks like SNAP has started to roll out their service. Here’s a link to a video on YouTube.
August 4, 2007 at 7:01 am
Thanks, Richard — cool vlog. I’ve modified the info on SnapVRS to say that they’re now distributing those cool videophones.
August 7, 2007 at 6:24 pm
[...] list of video relay services (tags: vrs) [...]
September 13, 2007 at 8:44 am
For Sprint VRS, the IP addresses name changes to:
VRS: sprintrelay.tv
VRS Customer Service: help.sprintrelay.tv
VRS espanol: espanol.sprintrelay.tv
VRS VCO: vco.sprintrelay.tv
For more information, look it up at http://www.sprintvrs.com. Hope this helps. Thank you.
September 13, 2007 at 9:50 am
Thanks, FillUp! I’ve made the changes.
October 26, 2007 at 3:42 pm
Sorenson VRS address is SVRS.tv
October 26, 2007 at 11:55 pm
Thanks, Tazzy! I’ve made the change.
October 28, 2007 at 2:16 pm
Viable is not operated by CACVRS. It is a separately owned and operated company.
June 27, 2008 at 10:45 am
HELLO L FIRST TIME L HAVE READY HERE WED HOW ON TV LOOK PICTRE
September 11, 2008 at 2:09 pm
This is a good resource, however, how about creating one that lists VRS providers who also provide IP & Wireless Relay services, Including Web CapTel and traditional TRS based services?
Thanks!
January 19, 2009 at 5:38 pm
Hamilton VRS and Federal VRS are no more. Add BISVRS. There are dozen state associations thru VRS have signed up.
Have a great year!
Ed
February 8, 2009 at 9:45 pm
* What to dial: ViableVRS.tv
* Hearing callers: 877-VIABLE1 (877-842-2531)
* Viable VRS supports any PC videoconferencing program that can dial ViableVRS.tv
* ViableVision Software –
http://www.viable.net/product/vv
* Viable just announced a new type of videophone, the VPAD+ (WiFi/Bluetooth/Touchscreen/
* Viable VRS en Espanol ( sp.viablevrs.tv )
July 15, 2009 at 9:44 am
Viable is under CACVRS. FCC will not pay directly to Viable. Viable will billed to CACVRS. However, Viable is in hot water due to subcontractor under Viable have runs illegal mins. FBI bust Fla and Texas center call so more to come…..
August 17, 2009 at 11:30 pm
Hi Deaf Canada in speaking. We need special VRS is importance to communication with hearing. Government should given permission or to something about VRS in Canada.
I give special importance to hearing need a job as an interpreter for VRS…
God Bless You,
Sam Saab