Making phone calls by internet

littleboo

For a standalone voice service, I'd suggest that you look at either A&A, a very highly regarded provider, or Vonage. With A&A,  they can sell you a pre-configured phone which will plug into a network port on your router (not RJ11) Vonage will provide you a box which plugs into a network port on your router and provides an RJ11 socket into which you plug a phone of your choice. 

400ixl

Yes you will still be able to have a home phone. Where you plug it into will change from the wall socket to the router the provider gives for your broadband.

You will be able to use the same phone you have today with a converter or get a new phone that plugs straight in.

This will be the case when they switch off the PSTN network regardless of the type of connection you are on and your ISP will be able to help you on the migration when it needs to happen. But as you are moving this may need to happen earlier.

No need to complicate it at the moment. Identify a new provider who offers both broadband and landline for that property and then just look at whether you want to try to use your old phone or just buy a cheap compatible one.

flaneurs_lobster

iniltous said:

WiFi calling in some respects is a different question, if you have a mobile and it supports WiFi calling ( and your broadband provider supports it ) you can connect your mobile to your broadband and not worry about using the mobile minutes or data allowance because you are not connecting to the mobile network ,  when at home and connected to your home broadband, but TBH , if the mobile is also PAYG then WiFi calling may not be offered,  so check that’s available first with your mobile provider.

This is not true, Wi-fi calling does utilise your mobile call allowance (although most PAYM contracts have unlimited call allowances). The Wi-fi just offers a different way to access the mobile network, it's still billed.

armith

With reference to the "you'll need to plug the old landline phone into your router". I don't know how widespread this is but my ISP supplied router (something called a FritzBox from Zen) is also something called a "DECT base station" - so the cordless "landline" phone still sits where it's always sat - in a different room to the router. The only difference from when it was a real landline is that it doesn't need to be plugged into the BT socket in the hall. Of course this only works with existing, and in my case ancient, digital cordless DECT phones.

I know WI-FI calling is good - but the cordless phone is so much nicer to have long calls on (can literally be thrown round the room, lovely chunky design, geographic number etc). £6 extra a month (including 1000 minutes of calls) is fine for me.

iniltous

Happy to be corrected, if using WiFi calling on a mobile but that’s using your own paid for ‘broadband’ and yet it still attracts the same call charges from the mobile phone  company as if you connected to the mobile network directly , then it’s a bit of a rip off , as the mobile phone company obviously has ‘less’ costs than if the call was connected in the normal mobile way, but I would think the number of customers on a limited minutes mobile plan will be pretty small 

flaneurs_lobster

iniltous said:

Happy to be corrected, if using WiFi calling on a mobile but that’s using your own paid for ‘broadband’ and yet it still attracts the same call charges from the mobile phone  company as if you connected to the mobile network directly , then it’s a bit of a rip off , as the mobile phone company obviously has ‘less’ costs than if the call was connected in the normal mobile way, but I would think the number of customers on a limited minutes mobile plan will be pretty small 

Not really a "rip-off", the mobile provider still has to route the call from the ISP onto its own network for onward connection in the "normal mobile way". You may be thinking of internet calling on services such as WhatsApp which are truly cost-free, but are of no use to the OP when calling their GP or sofa shop.  

It's providing an alternative access path for when the mobile signal is poor, as it often is when indoors. Also it doesn't have to be your own home broadband Wi-fi, any Wi-fi access will work.

littleboo

Wifi calling just replaces the leg from where you are to the nearest cell tower

quartzz

armith said:

I know WI-FI calling is good - but the cordless phone is so much nicer to have long calls on (can literally be thrown round the room, lovely chunky design, geographic number etc). £6 extra a month (including 1000 minutes of calls) is fine for me.

this exactly. call me luddite, but proper buttons that do the same function so you can pretty much use them with your eyes closed (this is from my nokia 3310 days, in the pub with vision less than ideal), no screens that change their function every few seconds (or decide to go black), no mis-swipes or 'where's the keypad?' or 'did I accidentally press the screen' or hows-the-battery. that turned into a rant

this sort of thing https://www.amazon.co.uk/BT-Advanced-Blocker-Certified-Refurbished/dp/B01H40NN0W/ 

400ixl

And here is the version that works with the new digital voice services that you just plug into the router rather than the master socket.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/BT-Digital-Voice-Essential-Cordless-Black/dp/B0D5MFN1V8/

No need to over think this. When you move, choose your supplier who does both Broadband and phone line. Depending on the line status it will either be still available on the old PSTN network in which case you plug in the existing phone, or a digital voice service where you either plug in a new phone as above, of buy a converter to plug into the router and the old phone into the converter.

You need to check that you can get a phone line from the provider as well as broadband. Some don't offer digital voice (e,g, Plusnet) but others will (e.g. EE, BT, Sky etc).

quartzz

400ixl - thanks. I guess the crux question and the reason for "landline over broadband" is the idea that I'll be paying for the broadband fee (£40 or something), and won't be paying the extra £10 per month for a dial tone on top of the broadband. best laid plans and that, I'm sure they'd find a way to recuperate the £10. can but ask. ideally it's all about converters hopefully