Any way to make and receive 'home' number calls via the interweb?

Bendy_House

Hi all.

After TalkTalk has just about doubled my monthly fee for fibre, landline, and calls, I think it may be time to move on - despite having been with them since Tiscali days, some 20 years ago.

As we now make very very few landline calls from the house, I'm considering looking at 'fibre + landline' packages only, with PlusNet looking quite promising, and since mil is also on PN, my wife can call her to her heart's content (which is briefly...).

So that's quite promising.

However, on the rare occasion we do need to make a landline call, it seems it'll cost a 26p 'call set up charge' and then 17p per minute, so even the briefest of calls will cost at least 43p! Hmmmm.

A thought occurred; is there any way - a gizmo, a podule, an interface, a transducer, a yougettheidea, - of connecting an internet-linked phone which operates like a landline type, and uses the home number? Anyone devised this yet?!

flaneurs_lobster

Something like Vonage?

https://www.vonageforhome.co.uk/

But it will cost you a tenner/month and I don't think you are looking to increase your costs. 

Any particular reason why you want to hold onto the landline number and to use it for outgoing calls?

Bendy_House

Thanks, F-L.

Any particular reason why you want to hold onto the landline number and to use it for outgoing calls?

Thanks, Flaneurs.

Good question! A lot of it will be 'tradition', the convenience of three handsets around the house, having a proper 'area code', and a separate contact number (I use my mobile really just for being 'contactable' when I'm out.) I don't think I'm quite ready to ditch my 'home' phone yet  

Little doubt that's how it's heading, tho' - pure fibre bb, and mobile phones.

I'll check that Vonage out if just for curiosity, tho' as you say, it doesn't answer the biggie which is reducing costs.

Anyway, I've found much cheaper bb&phone options on the MSE comparison site, such as fibre & LL for around £15pm, and calls only 13p p min. That looks like a goer. (Even the Plusnet offer was better on there ..)

Many thanks

The_Fat_Controller

TT will only double your fees if you are out of contract.

Time to call their retentions/loyalty team and haggle a new deal as many of us do every 12/18/24 months.

0345 172 0088 is the number.

Aim for a target price of that given to new customers which you can find on the likes of uswitch.

The UK Anytime Calls boost can often be obtained free or a large discount, do not let them add TV or any other unwanted extras.

Bendy_House

The_Fat_Controller said:

TT will only double your fees if you are out of contract.

Time to call their retentions/loyalty team and haggle a new deal as many of us do every 12/18/24 months.

0345 172 0088 is the number.

Aim for a target price of that given to new customers which you can find on the likes of uswitch.

The UK Anytime Calls boost can often be obtained free or a large discount, do not let them add TV or any other unwanted extras.

You are absolutely right - thank you.

And I knew it was coming up - but still caught me on the backfoot!

Just taking the opportunity now to look wider afield, and consider how much we need 'included' calls, as my wife has a work mobile she can use all the time. And, we just don't make many calls at all outside our family circle.

Cheers.

Browntoa

I have a "home" phone number from sipgate which I access from software from my mobile and my pc .

At some point soon I'll set it up with a VoIP ATA adapter that plugs into an Ethernet port on my hub so I can use my "traditional" home phones  ( traditional copper pair home phones swap to VoIP anyway by 2025 ) . The grandstream ht801 and ht802 are highly recommended. 

Call rates are cheap for the UK ( and across the world ) , for me the biggest benefit was being able to make and receive calls anywhere in the world where I could access WiFi and avoid expensive roaming fees .

If you wish to retain your existing home number you can port it to sipgate for a £20 fee but personally I have no attachment to my existing home number so it's not an issue 

The_Fat_Controller

@Browntoa from extensive reading of the TalkTalk forums, they do not currently have any system in place for broadband and phone customers to port their home number to a VoiP provider without cancelling the whole service.

Browntoa

I'd never really looked into the porting side as I've no wish to retain mine but as you point out most suppliers would require you to have both a phone line and broadband with them , very few do broadband only.

400ixl

Broadband only has now started to become much more common, even with FTTC services.

Personally I would dump Talk Talk (they aren't bottom of the customer service charts and top of the complaints for nothing) and get broadband only and then move the phone to a SIP service like Sipgate (as an example).

brewerdave

400ixl said:

Broadband only has now started to become much more common, even with FTTC services.

Personally I would dump Talk Talk (they aren't bottom of the customer service charts and top of the complaints for nothing) and get broadband only and then move the phone to a SIP service like Sipgate (as an example).

No problem UNLESS you want to keep your existing landline number. If you are one of the 100,000s who still can't get a usable mobile signal like me ,then the current landline number is essential for contact with literally 100s of people and Companies. 

Bendy_House

Interesting stuff there, folks - many thanks, especially Browntoa. I'll look into that just out of interest and curiosity.

I've pretty much decided to go with Vodaphone as they have a very good deal currently. This would be for fibre (their ~36Mbps speed, which is all I can have) along with landline - no calls package, their call rates aren't bad either, which is fine as I'll be making few.

Soooo, tried to join via their website. Clicked 'yes' to keeping current number. This returned (a, I now realise, is a quite common) "We cannot port that number... likely because it ain't connected with that address (it is) or you have moved to a different area code (I haven't moved)." Argh.

Called up Voda - "You need to ask TT to release the number!"

Called up TT, "You need to ask Voda to ask us to..."

Unbludybelievable.

Another call to make today, to Voda's technical dept.