My experiences and lessons learned with VoIP

davidraw

As a computer techie, I heard about VoIP before many but it has not been easy to get the best (good value, most convenience) solution.

Here are the results of about a year's worth of fiddling.

I wanted to connect my ordinary phones to VoIP rather than use a piece of PC software. I also wanted a geographic number for incoming calls (I didn't want my callers to have to call 0845 or 0870 numbers - I won't, so why should they).

I am now on my 3rd Voip router.

Router 1 - Billion BiPAC 7402VGP that was good but had features missing and was unable to link to my VoIP provider voicemail.

Router 2 - Zyxel 2002L. Pretty hopless, it had no smart features.

My set up now is:

Draytek Vigor 2700V ADSL modem/router/VoIP with lifeline (at a fairly hefty £127 delivered)
Account with voip.co.uk to get my geographic incoming numbers.
Account with voipcheap.com to get my free outgoing calls.

The beauty about the Draytek is that you can set up calls to automatically get routed to voip.co.uk, voipcheap.com or BT. In fact you can have up to 6 VoIP providers and the BT line.

Because the Draytek has a lifeline, it is always connected to your ordinary phone line so you can still receive calls on your old number. (And if your internet goes down calls will be routed over BT automatically).

I have set the Draytek to route:
- 121 through voip.co.uk (to pick up voicemail).
- freephone (0800/0808) through my BT line.
- emergency 999/112 through BT.
- local numbers (6 digit numbers) via voipcheap having prepended my area code
- Geographic and mobile (01, 02, 07) through voipcheap.

Beacuse you can have 6 VoIP providers on the Draytek, you really can chose a different supplier for each type of call.

The Draytek lets you have two phones in use at once with either the same or different numbers. If you've got kids or run a business you'll really appreciate this feature.

voip.co.uk allows to send out any number you already own as the caller id, so you don't even have to let everyone know your new VoIP number (unless, of course, they can call you for free on it). To anyone you're calling, nothing has changed.

I used to pay BT for 3 seperate lines. Now I have one line with one of my original landline numbers, 3 pure VoIP numbers (one in my area code, and two in far away areas so people can call me as a proper local call) and up to two phones in action at any one time. And my phone bill has dropped through the floor.

billsavings

davidraw wrote:

(one in my area code, and two in far away areas so people can call me as a proper local call)

Welcome David.

Are you not aware that BT abolished local/national georaphical calls some considerably time ago,and their is now just one georaphical call rate that the majority of people use to call numbers starting 01/02. So it doesnt matter where the person is calling you from in the UK its still the same price.

clark1982

i use BT Broadband Talk. Free as a BT Broadband customer.

Inc's eve and weekend calls to Uk Landlines. Lots of Free features. Geo Number. Works throught seperate handset, no need for comp to be on.

BexTech

I use VoIPStunt, via an ATA using my own DECT and corded phones. Had 15+ months of completely free calling. I don't have a regular landline anymore, nor need he PC on to make and receive calls.

Heinz

BexTech wrote:

I use VoIPStunt, via an ATA using my own DECT and corded phones. Had 15+ months of completely free calling. I don't have a regular landline anymore, nor need he PC on to make and receive calls.

But wouldn't a mains power failure mean you lost outgoing and incoming (i.e. no power for the router)?

BexTech

Heinz wrote:

But wouldn't a mains power failure mean you lost outgoing and incoming (i.e. no power for the router)?

Yes that it would.

However there are so many people now who only have a cordless phone and no corded backup, so would be in the same situation.

Then there are people who are on cable for their phone service, if there is a local area power-cut and not just a problem with your own electricity on the consumer side of the meter then they lose the use of the phone service anyway.

davidraw

Stop Press, in my original post, I praised the Draytek 2700V.

I have hit a serious showstopping bug that seems to be NOT a hardware fault. (Incoming VoIP calls that are terminated before you answer cause the router to reboot, causing a loss of VoIP and Internet connectivity for about a minute).

So, hold fire on buying a Draytek 2700V (or I guess any of its variants) until Draytek finalise their investigation.

I am about to evaluate another box, so I will let the board know how that fares.

BTW, I would not even consider installing a solution that relies on mains power being available to make phone calls. Always look for a box (router or ATA) that has a PSTN lifeline function that connects to your ordinary BT line. Calls are then made over BT if the power fails and it means that 999/112 calls are always sent via BT.

bubieyehyeh

davidraw wrote:

Draytek Vigor 2700V ADSL modem/router/VoIP with lifeline (at a fairly hefty £127 delivered)
I have set the Draytek to route:
- 121 through voip.co.uk (to pick up voicemail).
- freephone (0800/0808) through my BT line.
- emergency 999/112 through BT.
- local numbers (6 digit numbers) via voipcheap having prepended my area code
- Geographic and mobile (01, 02, 07) through voipcheap.

Beacuse you can have 6 VoIP providers on the Draytek, you really can chose a different supplier for each type of call.

Is it possible on the 2700V to router geographic numbers through a prefix operator on the BT line like 18185, 1899, 18866?

If not I suppose you could put a orchid dialer between the router and the BT socket, assuming the router uses two cables to connect to the ADSL and voice sockets like my Draytek 2500V.

davidraw

Yes... the router dial rules are quite comprehensive and you can chose which provider any call goes out over. (SIP1-6 or PSTN).

But beware the Draytek 2700V, as mentioned above, mine has a serious software fault...

bunking_off

BexTech wrote:

Then there are people who are on cable for their phone service, if there is a local area power-cut and not just a problem with your own electricity on the consumer side of the meter then they lose the use of the phone service anyway.

Shouldn't do generally. ntl/Telewest boxes in the street have battery backup. In saying this, however, there have been instances of the batteries being nicked...

BexTech

bunking_off wrote:

Shouldn't do generally. ntl/Telewest boxes in the street have battery backup. In saying this, however, there have been instances of the batteries being nicked...

In all the years of friends, family and ourselves (in the past) having cable phone, even though we all lived in different areas, when there has been a street / area level power cut, we have always lost our telephone service, there has never once been an instance where power to the area has been lost and the cable phone continued to work, yet neighbours with BT lines were fine.