how to use voip?

joe134

Hi, What,s the best way, besides earphones to use voipcheap ? Can it be used with landline phone, or do you have to buy voip phone?Cheers

aerostar

You need to think how you would use voip, as against how you use and pay for your calls landline or otherwise.

Have a look on the www.sipgate.co.uk site, there is some good information on there as to what it is and how to use it with voip adaptors, phones and software.

joe134

aerostar wrote: »

You need to think how you would use voip, as against how you use and pay for your calls landline or otherwise.

Have a look on the www.sipgate.co.uk site, there is some good information on there as to what it is and how to use it with voip adaptors, phones and software.

Hi, Thanks for reply. My daughter has Vm, evening, weekend free, she is already a voipcheap user between spain and here,GB.18185 charge with Vm, voipcheap is free daytime, or other, but headphones and mike a nuisance.wireless phone would be ideal, if not too dear, £19 for usb on that sipgate, resonable enough.cheers

OldGreyFox

joe134 wrote: »

Hi, Thanks for reply. My daughter has Vm, evening, weekend free, she is already a voipcheap user between spain and here,GB.18185 charge with Vm, voipcheap is free daytime, or other, but headphones and mike a nuisance.wireless phone would be ideal, if not too dear, £19 for usb on that sipgate, resonable enough.cheers

Neither VM e&w or Voipcheap is free.;)

Inigo_Montoya

i have recently started using voip myself & found the following web page extremely useful

http://backsla.sh/betamax

It seems there is one company called Betamax that own all the websites listed on the above web page but that each website has different rates (& varying payment methods)

The web page allows you to compare all the web sites to see which is best for you e.g. cheapvoip.com gives you 3.6p/min calls to mobiles & many of them give you free calls to UK landlines via "free days" (you get some free days with each top up)

As they all offer PAYG services then you can download the software for each one you want to use e.g. cheapvoip.com for mobile calls & another one for free landline calls

IIRC at least some (if not all) of the websites including voipcheap.com (which you mentioned ?) allow you to use there service via your landline by dailing an UK landline access number

Snakeeyes21

Inigo_Montoya wrote: »

i have recently started using voip myself & found the following web page extremely useful

http://backsla.sh/betamax

It seems there is one company called Betamax that own all the websites listed on the above web page but that each website has different rates (& varying payment methods)

The web page allows you to compare all the web sites to see which is best for you e.g. cheapvoip.com gives you 3.6p/min calls to mobiles & many of them give you free calls to UK landlines via "free days" (you get some free days with each top up)

As they all offer PAYG services then you can download the software for each one you want to use e.g. cheapvoip.com for mobile calls & another one for free landline calls

IIRC at least some (if not all) of the websites allow you to use there service via your landline by dailing an UK landline access number

And if you read reviews about them they close accounts and steal peoples money for no reason one to avoid

Stacey_D

WanWig wrote: »

Instead of using VOIP i would say its better to use SKYPE or yahoo for calling purpose if its an international call

I definitely we agree with this - we've got family over in Bermuda and use it on a weekly basis.

A fantastic piece of software.

Inigo_Montoya

Snakeeyes21 wrote: »

And if you read reviews about them they close accounts and steal peoples money for no reason one to avoid

did have a brief look at a few reviews & didnt really see much to be concerned about personally - looks like their software might be a bit buggy rather than them maliciously trying to "steal money"

I have read about people having problems because they tried to "abuse" the free calls system - apparently there are ways to get free calls without having to pay anything e.g. by repeatedly downloading the VOIP software and using the "free trial" - apparently once betamax figure out you are doing this they cut you off from the service

So far my experience is ok but I guess time will tell - I am fully aware they have poor/non existant customer service but so do 18185.co.uk, 1899.com etc... & I am prepared to tolerate that because they are so cheap

As I will only ever be topping up by £5 at a time when I run out of credit then thats all I can lose if they "close my account and steal my money" & if that happens I obviously won't use the service again - furthermore I will try to fund my account via text topup with spare PAYG sim credit I get for free via various deals/promotions so major loss there

With 3.6p calls to mobiles & completely free landline calls (no connection charge like with 18185, 1899) the pros easily outweigh the cons

joe134

Stacey_D wrote: »

I definitely we agree with this - we've got family over in Bermuda and use it on a weekly basis.

A fantastic piece of software.

Thanks all. We all use Skype, great piece of kit. I use 18185 also, with AOL.free landline to landline.Vm, doesn,t allow it, 0808 allows use if 18185, but at a cost as you say.She also uses Vpoipcheap, hear and spain, free L2L, as long as sheis in credit.Going to buy voip phone, for mobility, use it with skype as well.:beer:

FIK

SKYPE is a type of VOIP. Its not the cheapest by a long shot but its kind of idiot proof. No offence intended. Its the type of thing you could install on Grans PC and she could use. You also get skype on some '3' network mobile phones. Its ok to use to comunicate with someone else who has skype but its not really a good VOIP as the call quality is not great (when I tried). If you use on a PC and are talking to someone else on PC then its ok to fairly good.

VOIP stands for Voice Over Internet Proticol. It basically uses your internet conection to send the call.

You can use four ways:

From a PC or laptop with software installed.

Use a 'normal phone' and have a special box fitted to the phone that plugs into your router.

A Voip phones that plugs into your router (you also get phones that are 'normal' phone and VOIP in one and plug into both router and landline.

Smartphone running software like skype or 'Fring' (some networks may try and block).


I have a VOIP phone and landline in one. When I make call I can tell it to use landline or VOIP when a call comes in it comes to same phone although I have 2 phone numbers. I also use Fring on my mobile.

I use VOIPCheap (as mentioned above) and also sipgate (also mentioned above). The way I have set up is VOIPcheap is used to make calls and looks to recipient as if I am calling from my mobile. sipgate gives me a number that looks like a landline number so people can call me.


The reason I do this is so I can have 2 phones one for clients and one for personal use, without the 2 lines.

jumbles_2

We use a program Voipstunt, used for uk calls to landlines and also "Free" calls to Canada and Newzealnd

You lodge about E8(euros) about twice a year and get Free calls, we have used it for about 4 years and are very happywith it

it gives a list of which countries calls are FREE

:T