Skype Phone Converter

smanhead1

Could someone please tell me if this device will work with other voip software such as voipdiscount, voipbuster...etc

http://www.firebox.com/product/1185src_t=sbk&src_id=SkypePhoneConverter

Sorry if I am posting in the wrong place. I am not sure where to post this.

Thank you.

BexTech

Depends if you can find drivers for it, otherwise it probably won't detect you picking up the phone or dialling the digits from the phone itself. The device is really just an external sound card. Also means you need the PC to be on when you want to make or receive calls.

If you have a router a device like a Linksys PAP2 allows you to connect up regular phones, once set up without a PC being on.

QuickJim

I had a question about this device

I realise that you need the PC on to make a Skype call, but do you need the PC on to make regular landline calls? Does this thing need power to route regular phone calls through it?

Thanks

BexTech

The Skype phone converter needs the PC switched on for making and receiving Skype calls and calls to and from regular landlines and mobiles. It plugs into the USB port of the PC, so to be able to use the Skype software - it's just an external sound card that uses the phone for ear-piece and mic.

There are a couple of devices that do now allow you to make and receive such calls without a PC with Skype, but they are expensive and not that great a device. Add that to Skype being one of the dearest VoIP players along with Tesco, Skype is really just Hype.

You could use many VoIP providers that use an open standard (SIP) and choose a device that plugs into a router or some in-between the modem (usually ethernet). So no need for a PC to make and receive calls, and the devices are cheaper and reliable.

QuickJim

Really? Wow. Well that's just put me off this thing.

I would have thought that it would be a passive piece of kit that allowed you to use the normal landline when the PC is off. Needing the PC on all the time to make or receive regular calls seems a little bit wasteful to me. True, you could swap the cables when the PC is off, but that's just a pain.

Although I wonder if it's just power that it needs for regular calls, meaning that you could plug it into a powered USB hub and it would work, whether the PC is on or off.

Any thoughts?

BexTech

QuickJim wrote: »

Although I wonder if it's just power that it needs for regular calls, meaning that you could plug it into a powered USB hub and it would work, whether the PC is on or off.

Any thoughts?

That wouldn't work with this Skype phone adapter, as all it is is an additional sound card, using the attached phone as the earpiece and mic. Very similar to just wiring in the mic and earpiece to your sound card on the back of the PC. This Skype adapter requires the PC on as it is the software doing the encoding to digital, accepting the dialling and making and receiving the call, it passes the sound to and from the external sound card (Skype phone adapter) and then to / from the phone earpiece / mic.

There are a couple of devices that will do all this in hardware and not require the PC to be on and running the software, but as the hardware is dear, Skype charge for incoming numbers, have the highest charge for calling out, people use one of the hundreds of SIP services, many of which don't charge you for a real incoming number, don't charge you for voice mail and have much cheaper call rates to regular numbers.

A seller on eBay in Hong Kong as the PAP2 phone adapters - that plugs in to the router on auction, that go for not too much, you can't use these with Skype as Skype is proprietary, but can be used with the numerous other SIP VoIP services, such as Sipgate, Orbtalk, VoIPDiscount, VoIPstunt, FWD and many others. As these are all the open SIP standard you can chop and change, simply by entering the new account details into the device.