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VoIP

  1. Does this really work? Yes, it really works. It costs nothing to try. All you need is the free software. Your friends will need the same software for free peer-to-peer calls. A microphone is also necessary.
  2. Will it work with any ISP/ADSL connection? My experience is with a cable connection. I have called persons on dial-up, with good sound quality.
  3. Which VoIP companies can anybody recommend? Voiceglo is good to try your equiptment. Get the free "Bluephone" at
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    even give 30 minutes free to new users) if you plan to call a regular telephone, you will need a paid plan. PC-to_PC calls are free (p2p or peer-to-peer) Your friends will need the same software.
  4. What is P2P? Do I need to know anything about this? If you plan to call a regular telephone, you will need a paid plan. PC-to-PC calls are free (p2p or peer-to-peer)

It costs nothing to try. The only cost is for calling regular wired phones and to maintain a number reachable from regular phones. They will issue you a number for peer-to-peer calling between PCs. Best quality is with cable connections.

many other services have free peer-to peer calling and free software.

Get the glophone software and drop me an email; I'll help you test it.

Pepperoni

Reply to
Pepperoni
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Hello all,

I am new to this (VoIP) and would like to know a little more about this to get up and running. (I have a lot of family abroad and would be cheaper for me if this actually works!)

So:-

  1. Does this really work?
  2. Will it work with any ISP/ADSL connection?
  3. Which VoIP companies can anybody recommend?
  4. What is P2P? Do I need to know anything about this?

All advice appreciated. Thanks.

Cap Smith

Reply to
Cap Smith

There's lots of information around. I suggest looking into what's already posted in Usenet and on the Web.

Because I just started dipping my feet in the VoIP pool, I'll go ahead and give a few quick answers...

Yes.

It can. (I use VoIP through multiple NAT boxes.)

LiveVoIP, VoicePulse (Connect!), BroadVoice

If you only want to communicate with your family, you might not need to go through any providers - just get them some VoIP hardware/software.

Stay away from proprietary systems. VoIP is so good that you're likely to want to do more with it. There's no reason to be hamstrung by some company.

--kyler

Reply to
Kyler Laird

Skype works for us - even with our manufacturing plant in China. (our engineer just talks to his laptop with wifi card anywhere in the factory)

Reply to
René

Yes, it does work! However, VoIP is a VERY broad term. As a matter of fact, when you call your family around the world, you are likely using VoIP one way or another for the last five years or so.

The configuration of your own VoIP solutions will greatly depend of whether or not your family has access to reliable Internet connections abroad. If they do, one of the easiest ways to call them would be to use P2P (peer-to-peer) application, such as Skype. I'm personally having a lot of fun using Skype, but if you read this newsgroup, you can find different opinions. You should try it yourself to decide. Anyways, if you do not have a reliable connection (good quality dial-up will work as well), you are better off getting a VoIP service for yourself and use cheaper international rates they normally offer. There are dozens of services available ; Net2Phone, Packet8, and others as well as their second-tier resellers galore.

Read this newsgroup, you'll see every imaginable service mentioned and discussed here. If you want to read messages from few months back, we keep archive of this newsgroup here:

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Reply to
Dmitri(Cabling-Design.com

It all depends really on what you actually want to *do* with VoIP. If all you want is to talk from computer to computer with similarly-equipped friends or colleagues, then a system like Skype will probably suit your needs.

If however you want to break out onto the PSTN (public telephone network) then you may not find this to be the best option. It also depends on your location; do you want a US phone number, a UK one, a German one..? Here in the UK I'm very happy with the service provided by Sipgate

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who supply a free UK telephone number, plus I bought an adaptor which allows me to plug an ordinary analogue telephone in, so as long as my ADSL connection is up and running, with the router switched on, no computer actually needs to be switched on and I can use the phone in exactly the same way as my ordinary landline (but calls are a lot cheaper..!)

Ivor

Reply to
Ivor Jones

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