Recommendations for decent (i.e. cheap) non-PC VoIP service, Skype et al no good for hostile PC user |
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 Aug 12 2008, 11:49
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#1
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 Enthusiast  Group: Posters Posts: 239 Joined: 6th September 2004 From: Leafy Surrey Member No.: 55,546 Device(s): Samsung SGH-i600  |
I'm looking for a good VoIP service, the type that just requires you to plug a box into a broadband connection and then connect a normal, conventional telephone handset to said box to make free calls to other users anywhere in the world that have the same box. Not really bothered how much UK, mobile or other chargeable calls are as virtually all my calls are abroad to a handful of numbers, all of which will also have the same box. The aim is to do away with the current fixed line that the pirates at Virgin Media (ahoy there!) provide and replace it with a pure VoIP solution with boxes for everyone so we can chat for free with no line rental.
Additionally, as I travel frequently, the box needs to work with any broadband connection, whether it's ADSL or fibre optic, I'm pretty sure this doesn't matter but I have seen adaptors for sale that only work with one or the other. Can anyone advise? Skype, Tesco and the like which need a moby or PC are not required, going down this route means we might as well just use MSN and besides, it's nice to be able to make and receive calls on a whim without having to switch on a PC. After snooping around various offerings both here and abroad, I just wanted to know if anyone had any good recommendations. One of the better deals I've found so far is from a company in the Middle East that charges a one-off fee of £140 for the box that allows you to make unlimited calls to anyone in the world with the same box. Might sound pricey but we're willing to take the hit up front with no further costs rather than an ongoing subscription service. Over here in Blighty, Vonage charges £5.99 per month but has a number of ridiculous add-on charges (£9 line activation, £9 delivery, £24 disconnection, WTF  ) that makes it cheaper over a 2 year period only providing you don't disconnect the phone. Was tempted by this too, after all, who knows where we'll be in 2 years time!Sipgate appears to offer the best of both worlds with an uber cheap subscription-free service but I can't find any info on how much the box costs and their equipment page here lists all manner of flannel that has integrated this and dual port that when all we're after is a no frills box to stick into our own wifi broadband router. Does anyone else have any other recommendation? Anything else we should be aware of? Regards and thanks in advance for any replies, DH |
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Aug 12 2008, 11:51
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#2
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 The Main Man  Group: Admin Team Posts: 21,067 Joined: 6th November 2002 From: Norwich, UK Member No.: 1 Device(s): HTC Advantage |
I have a SIPgate account, that and any SIP compatible hardware should do the trick?
P -------------------- Paul O'Brien - Microsoft MVP, Mobile Devices, MoDaCo.network Founder. Check out my Blog! £10 off a £20 spend at eXpansys - click for details |
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Aug 13 2008, 11:46
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#3
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Enthusiast Group: Posters Posts: 239 Joined: 6th September 2004 From: Leafy Surrey Member No.: 55,546 Device(s): Samsung SGH-i600 |
QUOTE(Paul (MVP) @ Aug 12 2008, 12:51)  I have a SIPgate account, that and any SIP compatible hardware should do the trick? P Cheers for the reply, are there any additional setup costs, minimum term contracts or disconnection fees? What SIP hardware do you have as everything on their website appears to be a combination router with adaptor thing? Also, how have you found the service overall in terms of quality for long distance calls? Any comparisons with similar services? Regards, DH |
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Aug 13 2008, 11:52
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#4
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The Main Man Group: Admin Team Posts: 21,067 Joined: 6th November 2002 From: Norwich, UK Member No.: 1 Device(s): HTC Advantage |
No costs like that at all.
I use my PC, would a WiFi SIP handset serve your purpose? P -------------------- Paul O'Brien - Microsoft MVP, Mobile Devices, MoDaCo.network Founder. Check out my Blog! £10 off a £20 spend at eXpansys - click for details |
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Aug 13 2008, 11:59
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#5
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Enthusiast Group: Posters Posts: 239 Joined: 6th September 2004 From: Leafy Surrey Member No.: 55,546 Device(s): Samsung SGH-i600 |
QUOTE(Paul (MVP) @ Aug 13 2008, 12:52) No costs like that at all. I use my PC, would a WiFi SIP handset serve your purpose? P Ah ok, I think our trades do not match  I'm looking for a non-PC solution, one of those VoIP adaptor things you buy to plug into a router (or directly to the cable/ADSL broadband modem) with a normal RJ45. You then connect a normal telephone to the adaptor and it works just like a conventional BT (or other telco) line that rings when someone calls you. Regards, DH |
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Aug 13 2008, 13:09
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#6
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 Peanut Brain Group: MoDaCo Plus Posts: 6,357 Joined: 10th September 2004 From: Surrey, England Member No.: 56,072 Device(s): iPhone 8Gb. Athena, C600 |
Don't know if this is the sort of thing you are looking for?
http://www.broadbandbuyer.co.uk/Shop/Searc...Phone%20Adapter -------------------- He who asks a question looks foolish for 5 minutes. He who doesn't ask a question remains foolish forever.
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Aug 13 2008, 13:56
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#7
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Enthusiast Group: Moderator Team Posts: 183 Joined: 25th November 2002 From: Devon Member No.: 69 Device(s): HTC Touch Diamond |
Why would you need to plug it in?
If its a router you want to plug it into then most offer wifi? I have a really cheap Pirelli i-max phone that used voip via wifi. I use this with sipgate for incoming and outgoing calls.... It also take a sim card so if you wanted you can use it on mobile networks at the same time. -------------------- Mark
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Aug 13 2008, 14:02
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#8
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Enthusiast Group: Posters Posts: 239 Joined: 6th September 2004 From: Leafy Surrey Member No.: 55,546 Device(s): Samsung SGH-i600 |
QUOTE(Confucious @ Aug 13 2008, 14:09) Don't know if this is the sort of thing you are looking for? http://www.broadbandbuyer.co.uk/Shop/Searc...Phone%20Adapter Confucious, you utter genius, that's *exactly* what I'm looking for  I had no idea that you could just buy one of these adaptors though and stick it in an existing broadband connection for free calls to anywhere in the world unless the recipient has the same box? My understanding is that the box is programmed by the provider with your VoIP telephone number which is why you can't buy off-the-shelf to use immediately since different providers operate different networks and have their own numbers allocated. Also, it says that analogue phones must be connected to the adaptor (sipgate also says this), I wonder if there's any provision for connecting a digital handset? Cheers anyway though, that site is enormously useful, gives me a good idea on what to search for too Regards, DH |
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Aug 13 2008, 15:34
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#9
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Peanut Brain Group: MoDaCo Plus Posts: 6,357 Joined: 10th September 2004 From: Surrey, England Member No.: 56,072 Device(s): iPhone 8Gb. Athena, C600 |
As per usual I have no idea what I'm talking about but occasionaly stumble over something useful. I've never used VOIP!
Good luck. -------------------- He who asks a question looks foolish for 5 minutes. He who doesn't ask a question remains foolish forever.
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Aug 29 2008, 11:02
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#10
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Enthusiast Group: Posters Posts: 239 Joined: 6th September 2004 From: Leafy Surrey Member No.: 55,546 Device(s): Samsung SGH-i600 |
Just a quick update on this for the two of you who might be interested
I signed up with DrayTEL and bought the Linksys PAP2T box as found by Confucious (thanks again). Got the thing, plugged it into my router, configured the box that took all of 5 mins and am now up and running with VoIP. No need for Virgin Media's extortinate charges and price mood swings so the conventional landline has been ditched. A quick word about DrayTEL, (see http://www.draytel.org, they offer a no frills service with no line rental, uber cheap calls, credit that doesn't expire, excellent reliability and loads of extras for free such as a geographical number, free calls to other SIP users, voicemail and call diverting. Highly recommended to anyone who wishes to dabble in VoIP without the overhead of a contract or line rental! Do feel free to post any questions if you'd like any further info or need help setting up, the Linksys instructions are pretty dire and despite DrayTel having excellent tech support and a good online user guide, it's very much a hands-on type of service for users who don't mind messing around with their kit. Regards, Dark Horse This post has been edited by Dark Horse: Aug 29 2008, 11:09 |
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Sep 1 2008, 23:54
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#11
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 Staff Team Leader Group: Admin Team Posts: 17,188 Joined: 24th November 2002 From: Southampton Member No.: 53 Device(s): C550 and JasJar |
I use the Tesco phone, not bad but sometimes questionable call quality.
It could be down to the handset and where the base is located and the bandwidth restricting Virgin media connection. When it works it works fine, when it plays up then you want to throw it in the bin. -------------------- 3 mobile where the words "customer" and "service" only exists in the dictionary
Smartphone and PocketPC History SPV, E100, E200, C500, C550, C600 (MoDaCo Edition), MPX200, MPX220, MIO8380, Voq Pro, Lobster 700, JasJar, Vario  New and updated Smartphone History Life's too fast can I get off and walk for a bit? I used to be top poster....... |
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Sep 5 2008, 21:30
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#12
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Newbie  Group: Posters Posts: 1 Joined: 5th September 2008 Member No.: 423,413 Device(s): PAP2T |
Dark Horse, could you help me with the settings on the PAP2T on Draytel - I cant get it to work...
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Sep 6 2008, 10:41
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#13
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Enthusiast Group: Posters Posts: 239 Joined: 6th September 2004 From: Leafy Surrey Member No.: 55,546 Device(s): Samsung SGH-i600 |
QUOTE(kbrent @ Sep 5 2008, 22:30) Dark Horse, could you help me with the settings on the PAP2T on Draytel - I cant get it to work... Sure, here's what you need to do:
Regards, Dark Horse Edit: Added steps to change date, time and time zone This post has been edited by Dark Horse: Sep 24 2008, 13:23 |
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Sep 6 2008, 10:52
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#14
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Enthusiast Group: Posters Posts: 239 Joined: 6th September 2004 From: Leafy Surrey Member No.: 55,546 Device(s): Samsung SGH-i600 |
QUOTE(awarner (MVP) @ Sep 2 2008, 00:54) I use the Tesco phone, not bad but sometimes questionable call quality. It could be down to the handset and where the base is located and the bandwidth restricting Virgin media connection. When it works it works fine, when it plays up then you want to throw it in the bin. What Virgin Media broadband connection do you have? I didn't realise they throttle bandwidth but an absolute minimum of 64k upstream should be sufficient for ok call quality. |
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