Help with VoIP choice

[Henning]

Hey all. Been pretty busy the last couple of months, but I finally got the cable broadband hooked up and I am looking to VoIP. Here's what I want to be able to do. I want a VoIP number with a Ft. Lauderdale (954) US prefix, and I want it to ring me here in Brisbane Australia so a US caller calling me can dial a US number. Secondarily, I would like to combine a Brisbane Queensland local exchange onto the same phone. Is that possible? I also want to be able to ring land lines and mobiles in the US and land lines in Europe. Can I have everything I want? What will it cost? What equipment do I want? I was shown a box that I could just plug a regular phone into, worth it? ($120 AU = $95 US for box). Kind of like the cordless phone answer. Who are the best companies to go with?

Thanks all. BTW I'm gonna head over to Straddie (North Stradbroke Island, Point Lookout more precisely for those with an atlas) to do some diving over my short Christmas break. Once I'm there, no internet till Boxing Day, so if you don't hear back right away....

Wishing everyone a great holiday season. Christmas in the middle of Summer is nice but a bit weird... Christmas barbie by the river.... Oh well, at least I get to go dive with the manta rays and the water is starting to warm up, although I still have to wear a 3/2 wetsuit.

Cheers

 

[wsuffa]

Hennig,

For the international calling, take a look at Skype. It's a great deal, I used it on some 3-way calls between the US, London, and Brussels. 2.1 cents (US) per minute. That'll probably change since EBay bought it, but it worked fine for me. They do have a dial-in service, I don't know whether you can specify the exchange location.

Vonage works fine, and it should allow you to grab a number in the area code you want. But I don't know how the rates fall for int'l calls.

I don't think any of them will give you numbers in both locations on the same inbound line, though...

 

[KennyFlys]

I have Vonage. It works great for me at home as well as when I've taken the "router/adapter" to a hotel and plugged it into HSA. When I get a call or send a fax, no one is the wiser I may be any number of miles from home.

 

[cherokeeflyboy]

Merry X-mas Henning, (and all!)you are indeed missed around here!
Good to hear all is well.
Now that you have internet connection, dont be a stranger.
Regards,
KD

 

[tomcat]

Henning - I am a big fan of Skype, even though I only use them to dial-out internationally (Germany and Austria) and for Skype-to-Skype calls.

And: Froehliche Weihnachten!!!

 

[EdFred]

I have Vonage, they also have a USB device that turn your computer into a Phone so you don't have to take the router with you when you leave "home." I haven't tried the USB device (looks like a flash drive) yet, but no complaints from the phone service. With the Vonage routers you can hook up two phone lines with different area codes. But you need two phones, or some kind of way to recombine the two lines into one, into a two line phone.

International Rates for outgoing calls.

 

[tonycondon]

I say you should get skype. That way we can talk, and I can learn.

 

[mikea]

Henning you'll want to sign up for the Skype Out deal and a Skype In with Voicemail. Voicemail is free when you buy Skype In. There's some urgency because they're offering a deal on Skype Out until January 31. They're offering unlimited calls in the U.S. for $14.95. It will be $29.95 after that. It's mostly about the end of free calls in the U.S. but you may be able to get in on it.

You definitely can get a phone number about anywhere in the world you want it. I dunno about the call forward part, but it's cheap enough that you might add Skype on to whatever else you find. You need a PC or Skype Phone or phone interface to use Skype. They have a bunch of WiFi phones that you can use at home or in WiFi hotspots.

 

[SkyHog]

There is a problem with using anyone other than your ISP's VoIP product. If your internet service goes down, so does your phone. With Comcast's VoIP, they are run off separate networks, so there is a redundancy there.

And I'm not being a Comcast whore, just telling it like it is (and as it states on the Vonage user agreement).

 

[wsuffa]

There is a problem with using anyone other than your ISP's VoIP product. If your internet service goes down, so does your phone. With Comcast's VoIP, they are run off separate networks, so there is a redundancy there.

And I'm not being a Comcast whore, just telling it like it is (and as it states on the Vonage user agreement).

And then there are some cable & broadband ISPs that are blocking VoIP in order to sell you their own product. That's part of the reason some of the big companies are opposed to Net Neutrality.... A couple of cable/phone companies have gone so far as to block the ports used by Vonage and others.

(different deal) I was looking at getting a wireless internet card as it seems I may be getting closer to a "deal", and it will require some travel. Both Cingular and Verizon prohibit anything other than "web browsing, email, and access to corporate networks for productivity applications", specifically prohibiting computer-computer access, VoIP, any kind of streaming (including streaming from a web site such as YouTube), etc. VZ goes a step further, giving "bytes used" limits that they consider to be excessive on their so-called "unlimited" plans.

I may have to take T-Mobile's hot-spot plan and a list of Starbucks locations.

 

[ausrere]

I have Vonage, and I like it but they haven't added any new features to speak of in the two years since I've had them. I would REALLY like seperate voice mail for each number (I have a local Austin area code number, and a virtual DFW area number). Lots of the other VoIP services offer lots more features for less money. I tried SunRocket a year ago and had nothing but problems with them so I went back to Vonage.

Looking at Vonage's services page though, it doesn't look like they have virtual numbers in Australia.

 

[LeonardMack]

I use Broadvoice and I am quite happy with it. It is a bit cheaper than Vonage and full of all the same cool features.

 

[flyingcheesehead]

Both Cingular and Verizon prohibit anything other than "web browsing, email, and access to corporate networks for productivity applications", specifically prohibiting computer-computer access, VoIP, any kind of streaming (including streaming from a web site such as YouTube), etc.

Bill,

FWIW I'm on Cingular and I have used Skype (which wasn't spectacular, it really needs more bandwidth), LOTS of YouTube, etc. I've never had any problems getting whatever I wanted, in quantity. I think my monthly usage is in the 80 gig range. Not bad for $20/mo! (Through the phone, I didn't even bother getting a card.)

 

[wsuffa]

Bill,

FWIW I'm on Cingular and I have used Skype (which wasn't spectacular, it really needs more bandwidth), LOTS of YouTube, etc. I've never had any problems getting whatever I wanted, in quantity. I think my monthly usage is in the 80 gig range. Not bad for $20/mo! (Through the phone, I didn't even bother getting a card.)

I'm just saying, Cingular specifically bans it in their contract. Verizon has been pretty proactive about canceling people without warning.

Sprint, as best I can tell, doesn't restrict (their website mentions streaming as a use), but I can only find 2-year contracts, which I won't do.

 

[flyingcheesehead]

I'm just saying, Cingular specifically bans it in their contract. Verizon has been pretty proactive about canceling people without warning.

Yeah, I know... They could theoretically pull the plug I guess, but they haven't bothered me at all. Verizon, on the other hand... Well, there's a reason I switched from Verizon to Cingular. Nobody else has as much coverage as these two, and Verizon, despite excellent customer service, really pi$$ed me off with their anti-technology policies.

 

[SkyHog]

I'm just saying, Cingular specifically bans it in their contract. Verizon has been pretty proactive about canceling people without warning.

Sprint, as best I can tell, doesn't restrict (their website mentions streaming as a use), but I can only find 2-year contracts, which I won't do.

Being a Sprint Customer, I can say that the user agreement does, in fact, prohibit anything other than web browsing. The agreement says:

PCS Vision. Sprint may deny or terminate service without notice where use is in connection with server devices or host computer applications, other systems that drive continuous heavy traffic or data sessions, or as substitutes for private lines or frame relay connections. PCS Vision Packs are: (a) only available with a Vision capable PCS Phone or PCS smart phone device; and (b) not available with Connection Cards, Aircards, or any other device used in connection with a computer or PDA - including phones, smart phones or other devices used with connection kits or similar phone-to-computer/PDA accessories. PCS Vision Packs are also not available with Bluetooth Vision capable PCS Phones used as a modem in connection with other devices. Sprint reserves the right to deny or to terminate service without notice for any misuse. PCS Vision Pack credits for premium services do not carry forward.

 

[DeeG]

I may have to take T-Mobile's hot-spot plan and a list of Starbucks locations.

Bill,

Here in the land of Verizon, we have a T-Mobile air card in our 'travel' laptop. While coverage pretty much sucks outside of major metro areas, you can make voice calls from the card. And its only about 20$ a month. VZ, OTOH, wants 50 a month. Better coverage, but a loss of 'extras'.

 

[mikea]

I may have to take T-Mobile's hot-spot plan and a list of Starbucks locations.

Bill, if you have AT&T DSL you can add AT&T WiFi for an extra $1.99 a month. http://www.att.com/gen/general?pid=5949 I have it. You can sign up at that site or even accessing the service at a location.

They don't have as many locations, and it's McDonalds and UPS stores vs. Starbucks and Kinkos. I've had decent performance in the car parked 100 feet in front of a UPS store or McDonalds.

 

[wsuffa]

Bill,

Here in the land of Verizon, we have a T-Mobile air card in our 'travel' laptop. While coverage pretty much sucks outside of major metro areas, you can make voice calls from the card. And its only about 20$ a month. VZ, OTOH, wants 50 a month. Better coverage, but a loss of 'extras'.

I keep a VZ phone for the analog coverage & the need to be available "everywhere". I've also tried a T-Mobile prepaid service that works pretty well when you're in their coverage area.

What I really need is an inexpensive mobile data service. The T-Mobile service is an option, along with the Hot-Spot access, may make sense for a number of reasons.

Gotta work on a new high-speed service for the home office first, though. Right now - for the second time in 2 weeks, the service is showing >95% packet loss... which has taken down my email and web servers (I run them at the home office). I'm either going to have to get a VPS or a second high-speed line for reliability. I've got requests out for quotes from SBC/ATT competitors.

Grrrr.....