SIPGATE - has anyone any experience of it

[etccarmageddon]

In my search for relacing a BT line with a VOIP solution I discovered Vonage.co.uk.

But now I find Sipgate is even cheaper for me as there is no monthly cost... has anyone experience of it? I would be purchasing a netgear router with built in voip to sipgate. Have you used Sipgate and by what method? computer to computer or computer to landline or landline to landline? what was the call quality like?

this is the box I need

http://www.dsl-warehouse.co.uk/product.asp?pr=TA612VSPUK

I can get it for around £65 elsewhere and my landline calls will be 1.2p and mobile calls 15p and 0845 3p and 0870 7.5p per min.

[Kliro]

I've used it computer - computer using X-lite, quality was very good, although if you are on to more than one person it can be a bit 'scratchy' or if you are using a lot of your up/downstream. Overall though, is very good, and operates very much in the same way as a normal phone.

[etccarmageddon]

I've updated my post above with details of the netgear device.

Thanks for your comments Kilro. So it's ok then for me to replace my BT line with this?

[Bifta]

I've updated my post above with details of the netgear device.

Thanks for your comments Kilro. So it's ok then for me to replace my BT line with this?

Bit of a risk surely? You're relying on your broadband to be up or you lose not only your internet connection but your phone too.

[etccarmageddon]

I've always got my orange pay as you to fall back onto.

[KingPhoenix]

Am i right in assuming you have ADSL or do you have Cable?

If you have ADSL... then you cant get rid of your line, as you will have nothing for your ADSL to come through..........

[etccarmageddon]

ntl baby!

[KingPhoenix]

ntl baby!

So by the time you have laid out for all the equipment, how long should it take you to be in profit, if you were to use your NTL phone line.... Just wondering how long it takes to start making a saving, if its worth it then i might go down that route too (all be it with a BT phone line though)

[etccarmageddon]

If you're talking in the region of £70 for the equipment (sipgate) then assuming this cancels out the BT line rental and caller display of around £14 a month then it pays for itself in the region of 6 months.

but I've found another supplier which appears to be cheaper!

http://www.cableforum.co.uk/board/showthread.php?p=523378#post523378

[etccarmageddon]

http://www.broadbandbuyer.co.uk/Shop/ShopDetail.asp?ShopGroupID=77&CategoryID=320&ProductID=2222&Title=Linksys%20PAP2%20Voice%20over%20Broadband%20 (VoIP)%20Phone%20Adapter

here's a cheaper bit of kit - for around £40 you can have one of these - I will report back soon on it's performance.

[etccarmageddon]

installed at my fiends house - he has used it today and the call quality is as good as land line. no noticable difference. and it's using sipgate.

[etccarmageddon]

installed at home and the sound quality is as good as if not better than my current BT line! brilliant. It was a bit of a pain to setup as it required a RJ11 to BT converter with ring capacitor from maplins but wasn't too much bother. And strangely no NAT or DMZ or other router settings were needed to link it into the outside world - bloody brilliant!

I expected there to be some micro delays on the phone conversation - none at all. Quite amazing. My current connection is from www.sipgate.co.uk as this allows you to sign up without paying anything for a uk phone number.

Cost was - £30 plus vat for the box plus £7 delivery. plus £7 for the connector I purchased from Maplin which is cheaper if purchased on line.

So total cost was around the £50 mark.

[JediMaster]

How do you still find sipgate?

I was going to try Skype-Out (I only use it for Pc-Pc) But I saw a few sites & I like sipgate because I can buy a Phone & Connect to NTL & NO PC online :D

Will http://www.sipgate.co.uk/voipshop/grandstream/gxp2000 & Sipgate work on my NTL 4MB (£24.99) Broadband via my www.ebuyer.com (http://www.ebuyer.com) Quick Find Code: 52629 (Extra Value 54Mbps 802.11g WI-FI Wireless Cable/DSL 4 Port Broadband Router)

I like idea FREE New Number & Phone no PC switched on.......
Looking forward to your Reply

[etccarmageddon]

I use the linksys pap phone adaptor for my setup - which connects to my router - my standard BT phone then connects into the PAP and caller display still works! which is better than NTL can offer! The only problem is sometimes I dial out and it fails to connect plus recently call quality sometimes degrades (recently as in the last couple of weeks) - I recon NTL are traffic shaping.

for a wireless router I'd recommend linksys - find code 63763.

---------- Post added at 14:57 ---------- Previous post was at 14:56 ----------

I'm on the NTL top tier so sound quality is fine - when I was on 1meg the upload was 100k which meant poor sound for my phone calls.

[TheBlueRaja]

I use the linksys pap phone adaptor for my setup - which connects to my router - my standard BT phone then connects into the PAP and caller display still works! which is better than NTL can offer! The only problem is sometimes I dial out and it fails to connect plus recently call quality sometimes degrades (recently as in the last couple of weeks) - I recon NTL are traffic shaping.

for a wireless router I'd recommend linksys - find code 63763.

---------- Post added at 14:57 ---------- Previous post was at 14:56 ----------

I'm on the NTL top tier so sound quality is fine - when I was on 1meg the upload was 100k which meant poor sound for my phone calls.

I would avoid Linksys like the plague - in fact i just ripped out my Linksys kit and replaced it with Netgear and the difference is unreal - no dropouts, no problems, does exactly what it says on the tin.

[brundles]

To play devils advocate and counter TheBlueRaja, I've been using a Linksys router with the PAP2 ATA for quite a while now and don't have any problems with them :D

Admittedly the router isn't running Linksys firmware, which might have something to do with it ;)

Oh, and I'm using voip.co.uk (http://www.voip.co.uk) rather than SIPGate.

[JediMaster]

Just ordered a Phone & Joined Sipgate :) Waiting for it to Arrive Now

[TheBlueRaja]

I should add that my issues have been with the WAG line of Linksys routers.

[TheNorm]

This might be a stupid question, but that doesn't usually stop me...

This PAP2 ATA device allows analogue phones to be used with a router/cable modem setup, yes? But what about digital phones (DECTs)?

[etccarmageddon]

it has a phone jack socket so should work ok as long as it's a phone with the usual plug - I think!