Dixons to launch cut price phone service. (Freetalk).

Graham1 wrote:

I agree, not much to offer cost-wise, but it might appeal to some people if Dixons provides full technical support on getting it set up.

For anybody thinking of signing up - make sure it doesn't use an adapter locked into using that service only (like vonage does with its locked-in version of the Linksys PAP2). Otherwise the box cost gets wasted if you decide to discontinue the service after the first year.

Signed up this evening, easy enough. I now have 4 cordless voip phones in the house. Quality is much better and more reliable than PC based voip as it uses a router (no delays caused by hard disk cacheing etc).

The router has a fairly standard password to access it, although it isn't listed in the manual. You need to guess it once you have worked out the IP of the router (standard range). I believe the router could be used with other providers even though it has freetalk logo on the configuration pages (quite detailed configuration available). It records the last 10 calls within the router together with line quality etc.

Made about 10 test calls. One call was unuseable, the others fine. I did notice that it struggled to identify the DTMF signals I tried to send. Could be a problem these days as main businesses have auto attendant phone systems.
I went for £20 router plus £7/month but if you know you are going to use it then go for the £80 annual deal i.e. equivelant to £20 router plus just £5 per month. Also with the annual deal you don't pay for 0845 & 0870 calls whereas you do on the monthly contract (to be verified, see below).

Cheaper to use 1899.com but may interest some people.

BarGin wrote:

Unfortunately you do still have to pay for 0870 and 0845 calls on the Annual plan. The peak rate costs are 10p and 5p per min. respectively.

BarGin

I can see the rates you quote on the website. I can't find where I saw they were free, I'll keep looking.

http://support.freetalk.co.uk/index.php?x=&mod_id=2&id=18 does this not indicate free to 0845 & 0870? It differs from the tariff guide as you indicate.

They seem to have taken Packet8 as their provider - they have a poor customer record in the USA

To help people with some more first hand info on the Dixons Group Freetalk that I bought and set up today - DESPITE two staff in PC World trying to talk me out of it as THEY were convinced I had a USB ADSL connection that it wouldn't work with (even though I have an Ethernet connection AND the freetalk CAN per its documentation work, albeit suboptimally, in a USB scenario).

The 'blackbox' (a SVA-510M incorporating Springvox technology) has four sockets:

- an Ethernet RJ45 WAN port to connect to your upsteam Ethernet
ie either via RJ45 Ethernet to a cable/ADSL modem (like I have)
or an Ethernet router which is itself connected to broadband somehow

- an Ethernet RJ45 LAN port to allow you to connect downstream Ethernet
eg connect your PC to this if previously it was RJ45 Ethernet to the ADSL modem
ie very convenient for a simple one PC homestead

- a US style RJ11 phone socket + a convertor to standard BT phone socket
ie for your touchtone regular telephone to talk through

- for the 110-230v Power Supply (12V 1A) - looks like any 'mobile phone' transformer

If your PC gets its ADSL via a USB modem, then the documentation says you can use Windows XP Internet Connection Sharing to attach the freetalk box to your PC's ethernet port (if it has one, most modern ones do, can add a card for c£5 otherwise). Remember as pricefighter says above, this would mean leaving your PC on all the time - or waiting the 5 minutes for it to power up to make your phone call, and find out about all the missed calls/voicemails while the PC was off.

The freetalk box has a 'message' LED that is lit when you have any voicemails.

If you get a pay monthly box (means you are paying £24 extra over the first year, but are only paying £20 up front instead of £80) and hence can rely on the 14-day cancellation period to test it out and return it then note that you're allowed 250 mins of 01/02 calls before you have to pay at 2p/minute. If you cancel the monthly a/c AFTER the 14-days but before 1 year there is an extra cancellation charge of an amount they dont specify, but AT LEAST £23.99. I've asked them to clarify what their T&C's mean on this point (Section 8.8).

Oh and it comes with an Ethernet cable. So in my scenario I didn't have to buy a hub/switch to increase my Ethernet capacity (as it has 2 Ethernet ports). Instead I just unplugged PC's Ethernet from ADSL modem and put it in Freetalk LAN socket instead, and then Freetalk WAN socket to ADSL Modem with their cable. I didn't have to buy any phone cable adapters as both BT and US/RJ11 catered for.

Call quality good so far for UK and a call to Italy (at 2p/min). I'm on a 1Mbit ADSL that isn't heavily used, especially when I'm talking on the phone.

I'm confused why people think this is such a good idea with companies like talktalk doing free landline calls 24 hours a day for effectively £2.99 per month! Talk3 = £7.99 per month but if you have line rental with them then you get £60 cashback every 12 months! So Unlimited free landline calls + line rental for 12.98 per month! :T