WiFi VOIP

psychic_teabag

Would it be mostly incoming or outgoing calls ?

Would her friends appreciate potentially having to pay more to call her on a mobile number ? (My mum rather resents having to call my brother on his mobile after he ditched his landline phone.)

victor2

psychic_teabag wrote: »

Would it be mostly incoming or outgoing calls ?

Would her friends appreciate potentially having to pay more to call her on a mobile number ? (My mum rather resents having to call my brother on his mobile after he ditched his landline phone.)

That's a very good point, but I think it would be mostly outgoing calls in this case. I certainly won't call someone who has a mobile unless it's a dire emergency, I'll just leave a missed call and they can call me back. I don't have a mobile with a bundle including free minutes to other mobiles.
If somebody does tell me they're thinking of ditching their landline for a mobile, I just tell them I won't be calling them. Not that it really pees me off you understand...

RumRat

People are moving to mobile because it's cheaper than having a landline...
I have a landline with Virgin, purely to make the BB package cheaper, but no one phones it, they all call my mobile
To be honest, if someone doesn't want to call me because it's a mobile number, then it's more than possible I don't want them to....;):D

buglawton

victor2 wrote: »

Must admit, the more I consider VOIP, the more a good old mobile sounds like the better solution. Particularly like the one above, which looks like it would be familiar to an elderly person, and easier to use for someone with poor eyesight and hearing.
Just need to find out what good mobile signals there are in the place!

That's a nice retro beastie! Would be a nice addition to my Bond villain lair.
Got a feeling it won't work with 3 though which is a pity as 3's ideal for low users but also can call most of world for around 3p/min using 3 digit prefixes.

Anne_Marie_2

Some big button mobile phones, which might fit the bill.
http://www.amazon.co.uk/s/ref=a9_sc_1?rh=i%3Aelectronics%2Ck%3Alarge+mobile+for+elderly&keywords=large+mobile+for+elderly&ie=UTF8&qid=1452122677

Have been looking at these for an elderly relation who is going into hospital, and just can't get on with a small mobile phone. A few of them look more like a landline phone, which he is used to. Just going to have to plough through the reviews to see what's the best option.
Sorry, don't want to hog your thread here, just another idea for you to look at, particularly if your friend is already familiar with a landline phone in a docking station.

Anne_Marie_2

Another thought. If you do end up going for a mobile phone, and you do know your friend very well, you could check what her normal monthly calls are like, to see if it would be worth getting something other than PAYG which could work out quite expensive. I'm thinking of something along the lines of https://www.giffgaff.com/ here, rather than a lengthy contract. There are probably other similar companies in the UK these days, I'm just a bit out of touch, but there are plenty of good folk on here who can advise if you need any help there.

victor2

Thanks everyone, some really good suggestions here.
It has also transpired that the person in question gets on better with a loud hands-free telephone because her hearing is not very good and she has hearing aids in both ears. Holding a telephone up to one ear is not as effective as hands-free and letting both ears work at it!
Her family are still looking at homes with her, but at least they have much more idea about what to investigate...

Lorian

Don't overlook a large screen windows mobile phone. With all the contacts set in there, and all the unwanted tiles removed from the main screen then it becomes a very friendly device for those with poor sight.

J_B

victor2 wrote: »

I'm trying to help an elderly person looking at going into a care home. Her telephone is her lifeline to friends and relatives.
A potential car home has free WiFi but no provision for corded phones in the rooms. Does anyone have any experience with WiFi enabled VOIP phones? It wants to be self contained (or with a dedicated base unit) so a computer is not required, with it's own capability to connect to a VOIP provider. Does anyone provide the complete package and service?

Sorry, not had time to read all the replied, but ... I volunteer in a local care home and my 'client' got BT to put him a landline in as the 'free wi-fi' wouldn't reach his room.

Anne_Marie_2

victor2 wrote: »

Thanks everyone, some really good suggestions here.
It has also transpired that the person in question gets on better with a loud hands-free telephone because her hearing is not very good and she has hearing aids in both ears. Holding a telephone up to one ear is not as effective as hands-free and letting both ears work at it!
Her family are still looking at homes with her, but at least they have much more idea about what to investigate...

Some more ideas for you.
http://www.hearingdirect.com/products/Amplified-Mobile-Phones/