Cheapest/Best Headset for use with 1899/Skype VOIP

mk-donald

Previously posted this recommendation when this topic has arisen, and I still totally stand by this set-up, using it myself and have two friends with it now.

Q: How can I connect a REGULAR phone (corded or DECT) for use with VoIP (cheaply) ?

A: One cut-price option which I & Friends been using very successfully for 3 months or so is the Trust Internet Phone Station ST-1200 #14485
http://www.trust.com/products/product.aspx?artnr=14485

It's available currently for just £17.99 from https://www.7dayshop.com (though there's P&P to pay on an order with them)

I've also picked one up in the last week reduced from £39.99 (!) to £19.99 at local Staples store [in their reduced/clearance area], and spent 4p on a photocopy to use their £5 off a £20 purchase coupon to reduce it to £15.03.

It's a USB gizmo that you plug in to your broadband'ed PC and between conventional phoneline and your (DECT master/base) phone. (It has 2 US style RJ11 sockets and comes with a RJ11-RJ11 cable so assumes your phone has a RJ11 socketed cable that you move to the box instead.)

There's "VoipBusterMate" software that integrates it fully with https://www.VoipBuster.com and https://www.InternetCalls.com (to name two I've used very successfully) as well as Skype (though not tried that yet) at:
http://www.yealink.com/en/otherdown.asp and the Skype Users page there too. It is sold PRIMARILY as a Skype device (though you don't need to use any of the CD software actually in the box).

To dial OUT via VoIP from your regular/DECT phone you just press * and then dial and it routes the call via USB->PC+VoIP

VoIP calls IN just ring on your phone in the same way as landline calls and it supports CLI if your VoIP service does.

If PC is off or VoIP software not running then your landline works as before.

As I say works very well with Betamax/Fineria InternetCalls' software etc clients (using the "VoipBusterMate" software to integrate it).

To set it up
- wire it into your phoneline and check you still have your landline dialtone
- just plug it via USB into a Win XP PC and Win XP automatically reads the relevant drivers from the device itself tho may have to reboot at end
- download the latest relevant 'linkage' software - ie VoipBusterMate or SkypeMate and install and run (it defaults to autorun when you run Windows)
- download and install and register the latest InternetCalls/VoipBuster/Skype software and you should be all set.

Don't forget to work through the 'Advanced' settings with the VoipBusterMate (click with that other mouse button on the icon in the taskbar to find it) .

The only downside in integration is that InternetCalls etc expect you to dial an international format number (eg 00441234... to dial a Bedford number) whereas your phone memory would have it already as 01234.... BUT you can use features in InternetCalls software to add short speeddial numeric codes you can press on your handset (eg any DECT handset off your line) as an alternative to dialing the full number from the handset. Alternatively you can initiate the call from the PC and just pick up the handset and press * to link the phone into the call. You can also default the phone to the USB VoIP, so you only need to press * when you want to dial via your landline.

Certainly it seems better to me to spend the ££ on integrating your existing, presumably satisfactory landline phone(s) into VoIP, rather than setting up a parallel system, particularly in you have a DECT basestation with multiple DECT handsets.

Think it's a brilliant solution at £15-£18, though more dubious value at c£40.

Paulee

mk-donald wrote:

Previously posted this recommendation when this topic has arisen, and I still totally stand by this set-up, using it myself and have two friends with it now.

Q: How can I connect a REGULAR phone (corded or DECT) for use with VoIP (cheaply) ?

A: One cut-price option which I & Friends been using very successfully for 3 months or so is the Trust Internet Phone Station ST-1200 #14485
http://www.trust.com/products/product.aspx?artnr=14485

It's available currently for just £17.99 from https://www.7dayshop.com (though there's P&P to pay on an order with them)

I've also picked one up in the last week reduced from £39.99 (!) to £19.99 at local Staples store [in their reduced/clearance area], and spent 4p on a photocopy to use their £5 off a £20 purchase coupon to reduce it to £15.03.

It's a USB gizmo that you plug in to your broadband'ed PC and between conventional phoneline and your (DECT master/base) phone. (It has 2 US style RJ11 sockets and comes with a RJ11-RJ11 cable so assumes your phone has a RJ11 socketed cable that you move to the box instead.)

There's "VoipBusterMate" software that integrates it fully with https://www.VoipBuster.com and https://www.InternetCalls.com (to name two I've used very successfully) as well as Skype (though not tried that yet) at:
http://www.yealink.com/en/otherdown.asp and the Skype Users page there too. It is sold PRIMARILY as a Skype device (though you don't need to use any of the CD software actually in the box).

To dial OUT via VoIP from your regular/DECT phone you just press * and then dial and it routes the call via USB->PC+VoIP

VoIP calls IN just ring on your phone in the same way as landline calls and it supports CLI if your VoIP service does.

If PC is off or VoIP software not running then your landline works as before.

As I say works very well with Betamax/Fineria InternetCalls' software etc clients (using the "VoipBusterMate" software to integrate it).

To set it up
- wire it into your phoneline and check you still have your landline dialtone
- just plug it via USB into a Win XP PC and Win XP automatically reads the relevant drivers from the device itself tho may have to reboot at end
- download the latest relevant 'linkage' software - ie VoipBusterMate or SkypeMate and install and run (it defaults to autorun when you run Windows)
- download and install and register the latest InternetCalls/VoipBuster/Skype software and you should be all set.

Don't forget to work through the 'Advanced' settings with the VoipBusterMate (click with that other mouse button on the icon in the taskbar to find it) .

The only downside in integration is that InternetCalls etc expect you to dial an international format number (eg 00441234... to dial a Bedford number) whereas your phone memory would have it already as 01234.... BUT you can use features in InternetCalls software to add short speeddial numeric codes you can press on your handset (eg any DECT handset off your line) as an alternative to dialing the full number from the handset. Alternatively you can initiate the call from the PC and just pick up the handset and press * to link the phone into the call. You can also default the phone to the USB VoIP, so you only need to press * when you want to dial via your landline.

Certainly it seems better to me to spend the ££ on integrating your existing, presumably satisfactory landline phone(s) into VoIP, rather than setting up a parallel system, particularly in you have a DECT basestation with multiple DECT handsets.

Think it's a brilliant solution at £15-£18, though more dubious value at c£40.

Hi mk-donald,

After reading your very useful info on this device, and finding it easy to understand, I bought myself one and it is working very well on Skype calls to my daughter, who is at uni and only has access to us via her mobile phone. Thanks very much for the onfo. However, I have discovered that I have a couple of small problems and wondered if you may be able to give me some advice, if you have the time.

I am running the ST-1200 with my DECT phones on my Dell Computer using Win XP and Telewest (now Virgin) broadband. Whilst installing the ST-1200 a message came up (& still does occasionally) telling me that this device required a high speed USB port to function at optimum performance. All of my USB ports appear to be the same, and I do not know how to obtain a faster one. The second problem is more of a nuisance as I have "lost" the sound to my computer speakers. After checking all of the cables and working through the software setups I discovered that when I have my Windows Media Player running, and I switch my phone onto USB via Skypemate, the sound comes through my phone earpiece. By unplugging the USB connection on the ST-1200 the sound is restored to my computer speakers, but as soon as I reconnect the ST-1200 I loose my sound again as soon as I change a music track on Media Player.

Have you come across similar problems and, if so, have you been able to cure them?

I thank you in anticipation and also for increasing my awareness to these type of cheap phone systems.

Paul

BTW, if you have any more info sites relevant to these systems I would very very interested to know about them.

pennypincher_2

£12.95 http://www.expansys.com/p.aspx?i=135658