VOIP Options

[SOSAGES]

Well, it seems life is getting expensive so i have to cut back on the basics.

I never use the phone so paying the line rental every month is silly.

So im currently looking at VOIP options. I call (if ever) Local numbers and i have a 4mb (when working) virgin connection.

my experience so far with VOIP is that call quality is useless, i have used various hardware/internet connections and found them all lacking

Anyone offer some advice?

the only bad thing is i lose my phone number it ends in 666!

[anduin]

Vonage are ok call quality wise, but its a 12 month contract and they are complete jockeys if you want to leave them.

SKy talk is cheaper ( if you have a bt line and are a sky customer )

[Acathla]

if you dont plan to use your phone much look at sipgate.

Used then for over a year and had no problems.

No monthly fees and no setup cost!

Highly Recommended!

[ferretuk]

I use voip.co.uk and the call quality is excellent. Hardware wise I use a Sipura SPA-3000 but voip.co.uk sell a reasonably price ATA that might be worth looking at.

Peter

[Callumpy]

even if you do get VoIP, wont you still need the phone line for the internet to go through?

[setch]

I use Sipgate and Voipcheap. In the early days the quality was not that good, but recently I have not had any problems with quality.

---------- Post added at 17:31 ---------- Previous post was at 17:30 ----------

Originally Posted by Callumpy

even if you do get VoIP, wont you still need the phone line for the internet to go through?

Not if you have a broadband connection, it goes over the ethernet cable either via the PC or using an ATA box.

[chickendippers]

I'm surprised noone's suggested this already; Skype!

Calls to landlines are the same quality as a regular telephone conversation (and really cheap) but Skype - Skype calls are perfect quality, free, and there are always 8 million people (!) online when I'm signed in.

You can buy a little box that you connect to your router which allows you to use a normal-style handset to make/receive calls without needing to turn your computer on.

[zachysat]

why not get a pay as you go phone that way you are able to controll better your finance

zachysat

[Shaun]

Are you looking to get rid of the land line is the first question.

Is it the cost of calls that bothers you or the line rental.

Are you on ADSL or Cable

How many calls a month do you make and where to (as a guess).

VOIP may be an option but remember if you have no land line and only VOIP if your BB goes down you're stuffed (0906 number from a mobile - ouch)

You need to know where you want to save before you commit to VOIP.

If it's call sot and line rental then Skype may be for you - if you only make a small number of calls. If you want normal phone functionality and make a fair few nation/local calls then Vonage are great.

[altis]

There's a lot of info in this thread although some of it is out of date:

http://www.cableforum.co.uk/board/26...telephone.html

I use Gradwell for work. It's generally okay but their support sometimes loses the plot. Sound quality is excellent, but then we use G.711 a-law so that's not surprising. No noticable delay even though the connection to the PSTN is way down in London.

http://www.gradwell.net/

[chamoan]

I use tesco internet phone, 2p a min to landlines in about 50 countries, its cheaper than VM's international package! 10p a min to mobiles, thats cheaper than my o2 pay&go mobile! and free to other tesco internet users. i purchased a usb phone from them for £14.99, came with £5 free voucher.

[alferret]

Originally Posted by anduin

Vonage are ok call quality wise, but its a 12 month contract and they are complete jockeys if you want to leave them.

Jockeys is not a harsh enough word for them if you want to leave, but the service is ok as stated by anduin.

[Shaun]

Originally Posted by alferret

Jockeys is not a harsh enough word for them if you want to leave, but the service is ok as stated by anduin.

Not had the need to leave them, what problems have you guys had?

[Hom3r]

I can vouch for skype.

I was talking to one of our engineers who was in Brno (Check republic)

[SMHarman]

Thought the 12 month was to cover the cost of the router they provide you with. If you cancel before 12 months they want to penalise you the cost of the router, or maybe you can return it.

I have a vonage box on an account in the UK here in the US. That way anyone in the UK can call me for the price of a local call and I can call anyone in the UK on an 01/02 number for free. Call quality is excellent. I have set QoS to high on the router port it is plugged into, though that did not make much/any difference.

It also has an additional US virtual phone number attached to it so anyone here can call it on their inclusive minutes or free domestic call package.

Pretty cool solution really. My cable provider keeps trying to sell me a phone line. I keep trying to tell them their package is overpriced. Oh well.