Using My PC as a Telephone?

Oblivion

Does anyone know whether here in the UK a PC with a microphone plugged in can be used to make telephone calls to real telephones (not other PCs) for free?

Something like Google Voice which seems to only be available for US & Canada calls (but I may have misunderstood this). My need arises from the failure of our landline the other day and we have extremely poor mobile signal where we live. To be able to use the computer instead to make the call would have been brilliant, especially if free.

torbrex

Not free but skype is cheap to call from PC to telephone.

Fightsback

Skype or some other Voip provider, there are loads of them.

Just a thought, if your BB runs over your telephone line won't that fail too ? :doh:

Boxman

I use Skype all the time for my calls and while they are not free, they show a roughly 70% saving over the cost by normal landline. I could use the mike built in to my webcam and the normal sound system speakers but personally I like using my headset with built in mike.


Not a techie by any means but if the landline fails does that not stop you from connecting to the internet and subsequently also prevent you from using Skype?

grumbler

Oblivion wrote: »

...My need arises from the failure of our landline the other day... To be able to use the computer instead to make the call would have been brilliant, especially if free.

Do you mean that the landline failed, but the internet connection remained fine? Is in an independent line/cable?

Oblivion

Fightsback wrote: »

Skype or some other Voip provider, there are loads of them.

Just a thought, if your BB runs over your telephone line won't that fail too ? :doh:

No, I'm on VirginMedia cable 50mbps. I also have my landline with Virgin and it failed because they were rewiring the local street cabinet.

They remembered to put my broadband cable back in but somehow missed my landline's twisted pair. Fortunately it was only a brief outage as they came back the next day to sort it out. Got me thinking about a backup phone service though.

Oblivion

Boxman wrote: »

Not a techie by any means but if the landline fails does that not stop you from connecting to the internet and subsequently also prevent you from using Skype?

grumbler wrote: »

Do you mean that the landline failed, but the internet connection remained fine? Is in an independent line/cable?

See my response to Fightsback. I'm on VirginMedia cable for broadband. The separate landline cable is also VM.

Chino

Oblivion wrote: »

See my response to Fightsback. I'm on VirginMedia cable for broadband. The separate landline cable is also VM.

and there's your problem - Virgin Media employs a bunch of cowboys to maintain its network. Round my way, once VM installers have done some work they frequently leave the front panel of the street cabinet propped-up against the cabinet instead of closing the cabinet properly.

RumRat

Chino wrote: »

and there's your problem - Virgin Media employs a bunch of cowboys to maintain its network. Round my way, once VM installers have done some work they frequently leave the front panel of the street cabinet propped-up against the cabinet instead of closing the cabinet properly.

Guess it depends on where you are.....They are efficient and quick to respond here. Not that they are needed very often.:)