VOIP

[Lazarus]

As I'm binning my Landline in the New Year, and replacing my dire 0.72Mbps Broadband with 20Mbps Community Broadband, I've had to think about how to deal with Voice Calls.

Rather than relying upon my PAYG Mobile (Horrendous for 0845, though 0800 will be permitted and free by Law from next June) and EMail, I have decided to use VOIP.

To which end, I've opened an account with voipfone, who give you a free 056 number, and I've installed the Zoiper softphone on my Netbook (Runs fine under Linux Mint).

2 minutes to configure Zoiper and I was up and running. Even on my existing ADSL, voice quality is as good as over copper.

Going to get a VOIP Adapter so I can use the existing DECT phone pack in the customary manner.

And once my current phone contract expires in March, I'm going to Port my existing geographic number across to voipfone. They charge £2.40 per month to host that.

Call Charges are miniscule, so for light users like SWMBO and I, it'll be almost free.

Anyone else using VOIP as their main phone method?

 

[PaulR]

Well we do in France as our modem router does it automatically as part of our package. You really wouldn't know it was voip and many times people I've phoned in the UK can't believe that we're in France. It's totally transparent, an ordinary phone plugs into a RJ10 socket in the modem.

 

[Archive-8]

I can highly recommend orbtalk, I have used them for years now. And I have a local area code, so for other people phoning it, it comes out of free minutes ect.

Plus it is set up on my iPhone so I can phone out on that number or take incoming calls.

It's limited to 5 pap adaptors/iPhones

And as long as I make at least 1 chargeable call every 6 months it dosn't cost me anything.

When you top it up they have to charge vat. So £5 credit cost £6.50.

You can also get pay for plans.

 

[Lazarus]

Interesting stuff.

As the DLM on my BT Line has at some point today chopped me down to 0.46 Up and 0.12 Down, I ran another test by calling my VOIP # from our Landline.

Incoming Audio was still fine, but outgoing sounded like I was underwater! Also, I'm currently using it via WiFi and there are a number of other Network devices active, so the outgoing audio isn't getting much of a crack of the whip.

Should not be a problem with 10Mbps Up .................. can't wait.

 

[smoggy07]

I use sipgate.co.uk

I have a local 01642 number and can dial 0800 numbers free, to call mobiles it's just under 10p per min and uk landlines its just under 2p but you can get 1000 minutes to uk landlines for £5.90 per month and you can call other sipgate users free too

I've got a number registered to my sip house phone, one to my iPhone and one to the wifes iPhone and we can call each other (and the house phone) free when we have mobile data or wifi

 

[Lazarus]

Ah, sipgate.

There are rumours of them stopping the Basic service soon.

Also, they don't allow Porting into Basic Accounts.

 

[Lazarus]

Just installed the CSipSimple App on my Tablet.

All working.

 

[smoggy07]

Ah, sipgate.

There are rumours of them stopping the Basic service soon.

Also, they don't allow Porting into Basic Accounts.

They used to charge £25 for porting landline numbers in and last I heard if you have a number from them before they change their terms or services (i.e start to charge per DDI number) you could keep it but I've not heard anything about the basic service ending (although I think it has in either America or Germany or both)

 

[skomedal]

Going to get a VOIP Adapter

Hope its not the "" obihai "" VOIP adapter, have had so much trouble with these adapters, 3 in 7 months that I now have a Telio ( norwegian provider ) subscription free and only pay for connection and can speak as long as I want.

Regards

 

[Lazarus]

They will Port into the Team Account (starts at £15/month for that!)

Some people got an E Mail saying the service would end on 31 Jan 15, but it seems now to have been rescinded. Nevertheless, it is looking dodgy. Don't know why they don't just do as others do and make a small monthly hosting charge.

 

[Lazarus]

Hope its not the "" obihai "" VOIP adapter, have had so much trouble with these adapters, 3 in 7 months that I now have a Telio ( norwegian provider ) subscription free and only pay for connection and can speak as long as I want.

Regards

Cisco is the one I'm ordering. And voipfone will pre-configure it if I want.

 

[Lazarus]

Anyway, I'm really impressed with having turned the Tablet into a VOIP phone >> Even SWMBO is impressed, which says a lot!!!

Works with far higher (ie "Normal") voice quality even with all the downsides to my Network as mentioned before.

No point in keeping the softphone on the Netbook - I was using some Earphones as a Mic, which won't have helped either Obviously the tablet has an integrated Mic for shouting at Google etc.

 

[sonnetpete]

Like PaulR, my Orange Broadband includes VOIP in the package. Never had a problem with it, though I rarely use the phone nowadays (except to ring up the ansaphone and delete all those stupid cold callers wanting me to let them take over the computer). Luckily my broadband is just quick enough to let me video call on Skype and shout at my Mum that she has turned her camera off....again...

 

[smoggy07]

I had a bit of PayPal cash a few years back and I got this





I can add upto 10 VoIP numbers and 2 regular landlines, you can plug in a normal house phone and it also has a built in wifi router and arrived with a nifty little cordless wifi phone, it was quite expensive if I recall but worth every penny because I've not had any issues to date really

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[EDIT] Ruddy iPhone, I never meant to post the pics that big

That's better lol

 

[Terryl]

I don't know if it's available on your side of the big pond, but I use an VoIP Ooma box for my business line, when we moved the wood shop up here to the boonies from the SF bay area (no rent) we used the Ooma VoIP service, it's a stand alone box that plugs into your internet router, then a standard telephone plugs into it, it has it's own power supply so it can run several phone at once.

Kept the same business line from SF and customers can still call on the old phone number, the service for a business is under $20 US a month and has a message machine and voice answering system to text, customer can leave a message and I get text on the mobile #, lots of other services also.

 

[Lazarus]

Just thought I'd update this Topic: The VOIP Adapter arrived today.

It has two independently configurable telephone ports (ie For two numbers, even on different VOIP providers), and I configured them both identically within a couple of minutes of setting a Static IP for the box in my Router. Port 1 is connected to my DECT triple pack and Port 2 will be connected to a bog-standard BT phone in due course. I've got a UK Master Socket ready to fit once my Landline number is Ported (A few days time) - The latter being necessary to permit Ringing.

Anyway, I've done Echo Tests and done back to back testing to and from the Landline with SWMBO as my oppo, and we find the sound very much clearer on the VOIP connected number than it was, using the same phone handsets, on the Landline. The inherent volume is greater too.

All in all, we are chuffed to our collective moonboots with VOIP and are now fully committed to ditching the copper wires for ever.

 

[Terryl]

The only thing about dropping the copper lines are the 911 calls, some VOIP services need to know were to re-rout the 911 calls so you get the correct service you need.

This may not be a problem in some major city's but out here in the boonies it is, one service routed 911 calls from the end user to the ISP head end's location, that town was almost 100 miles away from the end user, so watch out if you do this. (some of out ISP service around here comes over microwave links)

 

[Terryl]

One other thing to check is the ISP's jitter on the line, if it's too high it will cause call garbling. on incoming calls.

 

[Lazarus]

In the UK, Emergency Access is now enabled for all VOIP providers to the universal 999 number.

And, for new sign-ups, you cannot activate your VOIP account unless you have submitted verified contact details.

PS: My Broadband/ISP Services now come via Microwave Relay (I changed to that a week ago). As for jitter? Undetectable!

 

[Lazarus]

Rapid progress now.

E Mailed the documentation requesting Porting in of my PlusNet Phone # to Voipfone yesterday morning.

Voipfone processed it within thirty minutes and PlusNet have accepted the request with Porting on 27 Jan.

Well happy.