Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with VOIP

Help with VoIP over WiFi on Android

JMOZ — Wed, 25 Nov 2009 12:31:28 -0800

I am looking for (recent) experiences with Android options for VoIP over WiFi to deal with places where I have a WiFi signal, but no 3G/voice signal. I'm looking for solutions for two situations: (1) In one of my labs at work, there is plentiful WiFi coverage, but no cell/data signal. I'd like to be able to make outgoing calls, and I'd also prefer if I could receive incoming calls. (2) For international travel, it would be nice to have a way of making calls at least where WiFi is available. The phone in question in a Motorola Droid (on Verizon), and I have Google Voice (and an account), though I haven't yet used it for much. I've seen SIPDroid, though I'm confused at the relationship between SIPDroid, PBXes, and the SIP provider. This confusion is compounded by the recent acquisition of Gizmo5 by Google.

As I mentioned above, I would like a solution for my lab where I can send/receive calls in my lab and also a solution (I'd imagine likely the same solution) that will allow me to place calls when traveling internationally. I realize this will only be an option where WiFi is available, but that's certainly better than nothing.

Does anyone have any suggestions? Firsthand experiences are especially preferred; the info I've found via google all seems slightly vague. If you have a good solution, specific directions would be especially appreciated. Although I prefer free solutions, low cost solutions are also perfectly acceptable, especially for the international travel portion of things.

Many thanks in advance!

How do you call Skype numbers

notned — Wed, 25 Nov 2009 11:17:14 -0800

Teach me about Skype. Thinking of dropping my landline and getting cable internet. How would the internet phone number work? I'm in a small (LT 10,000) town. --California

Prepaid iPhone data plan in Mumbai?

jesseendahl — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 14:40:15 -0800

Hi, I will be living in Mumbai for 11 weeks next summer. I have an unlocked iPhone 3G. What is my best bet in terms of carrier and plan for the cheapest and most reliable data access? I plan to do local calls over the cell phone voice network and international calls via Skype on the iPhone. Thanks in advance!

Using VoIP in a noisy room?

TrueVox — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 04:50:41 -0800

I use Mumble. My computer is in the living room. Right next to the TV. My fiancee loves CSI, and other dramas which seem to have a very dynamic volume. Are there any tips to make my mic pick up less crime, and more me? Or at least less crime? Because if I set Mumble onto speech activated, it's basically on constantly, due to the background noise. Thank you!

Portable VOIP number?

devnull — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 11:15:23 -0800

Portable UK voip number? I'm looking for a UK telephone number to use with a voip provider. The killer is that I'd like to take the number with me if I later want to change providers. How can I set this up so that it's possible. I'd like to minimise cost.

I'd also like recommendations for a voip provider that will allow me to forward calls to another voip number at little or no cost, or to a "real" number. I'll be mostly using this number for answerphone messages but would like to avoid e-mails full of wav files. Perhaps a web based preview would be best.

I'd like to avoid Skype if possible.

Any recommendations?

Uninterruptable Wifi Supply

mccarty.tim — Wed, 16 Sep 2009 16:41:08 -0800

What's a good, small and basic UPS for just backing up up my T-mobile VOIP/wifi router device and possibly a cable modem? My family recently decided to switch from Comcast Digital Voice and AT&T cell phones to T-mobile's @home service. Our home gets almost no cell phone reception, so it's nice that the router (a Linksys WRTU54G) allows us to make VOIP calls over both the wired phones and our cell phones. However, this means that our calling is basically coming down to just one electronic box, with only a sketchy 1-bar cellular connection in the event we lose power. The max DC draw of the antenna is 1.5 A at 12 volts, but it's probably much less in practice. I don't have anything to measure it, though.

Realizing this, I think it's important we get a UPS that can keep our router online for 6 hours to a day. Our modem comes with its own 12 hour battery, because it used to be the VOIP hardware for our Comcast VOIP service, so I could keep it off of the UPS to save power, although Comcast is liable to take it back. In my dream product, this UPS could also charge from a car's 12V socket in the event of a very long power outage, but we've never had a long one over a few minutes in our relatively new (~20 years old) NJ suburb.

I really don't want or need the UPS to keep our desktop computer up and running. I have a laptop, and my mom and sister know to save as they go along when working on a desktop. What I really need is something inexpensive and reliable so that we can still call 911 in the event of a power outage. Preferably, the solution doesn't end up being something too bulky or hacky (ie "Just wire up some car batteries in parallel!").

Google Voice seems like magic

cmm — Sat, 01 Aug 2009 08:04:35 -0800

If I use Google Voice for a central phone number, and someone from Sprint calls me and I pickup on my Sprint cellphone (even though it rang on my Sprint phone, my home phone, and my work AT&T cell), will it be charged as Mobile to Mobile time on my Sprint bill and my wife's Sprint bill? Right now, both my wife and I have Sprint phones. When we call each other, it doesn't count as minutes because of Mobile to Mobile calls on the same network aren't charged.

How does Google Voice work with this? Is it just going to see the forwarded call as Sprint and count it Mobile to Mobile?

Can Google Voice and VoIP help create my perfect phone set up?

ejoey — Wed, 22 Jul 2009 11:00:47 -0800

In the spirit of Google Voice invites, I'm wondering if there might be cost effective a way to create a phone set up that does the following with two Google Voice numbers, two iPhones, and some sort of voip/sip/pbx/(insert acronym here) home phone solution: 1. If someone calls Google Voice A, iPhone A rings & home phone rings

2. If someone calls Google Voice B, iPhone B rings & home phone rings differently than if someone called GV A

3. Home phone can dial out cheaply or freely to US numbers and (ideally) display on caller IDs as either Google Voice A or B

(Bonus points if the incoming calls can be handled cheaply or freely with low monthly commitments on the home phone)

Am I dreaming? It seems like people are doing tons of wacky stuff with phones these days, but I've been unable to find someone doing this specifically in my Google trawling.

Is Skype the best voip solution from Russia to the U.S.?

toomuch — Thu, 09 Jul 2009 09:47:16 -0800

Is a SkypeOut the "best" solution to call back to the U.S. while travelling through Russia? A friend of mine is traveling through Russia for a month. He wants to call back home from time to time and AT&T is telling him $5/minute on his iPhone. I was thinking he could get a local SkypeOut account and call home whenever he could find decent internet access. We talked about getting him a USB voip adapter but for the few times he'll use it not sure that will be the efficient way to go. Are there better options that I'm missing?

Is Ooma a good phone service?

hippybear — Tue, 23 Jun 2009 16:01:38 -0800

Asking for a not-so-tech-savvy friend... Is Ooma VOIP a decent service? Does anyone have any personal accounts to share? She's not that computer clueful, and is trying to find a way to get broadband internet access without driving herself broke. It looks as though FiOS is available where she lives, and she's considering ditching her landline (she currently uses dial-up) for FiOS with Ooma. Does anyone have anything to share which I can relay to her which will either encourage her to make the leap or scare her off into a different direction? Bonus points for detailed personal anecdotes about using this service. (She's a big fan of related experiences.)

Need help identifying a mystery USB VOIP phone!

Bard09 — Fri, 19 Jun 2009 23:03:00 -0800

I have a USB VOIP phone in my possession that does not have any brand or identifying markings on it. Here is a picture of the phone. Can anyone help me identify it? The main problem is that the phone needs a driver to work on XP/Vista, and without being able to identify the phone, I can't find a driver for the darn thing.

I've scoured literally thousands of Google images hoping I'd stumble across a picture of this puppy, but I haven't found anything remotely close.

I'm fairly certain the phone was purchased via the Skype website, or at the very least a partner site selling Skype products. It's also about 3-4 years old.

Can anyone help?

Cheap smartphone that will make Skype calls over Wi-Fi?

redteam — Wed, 03 Jun 2009 17:28:02 -0800

Can anyone recommend a cheap smartphone that can make Skype calls over Wi-Fi? I don't want to use the smartphone on the cell phone network (though I might if I can get a cheap one that will work with AT&T). I just want one that will be able to make and receive Skype calls over my home and office wifi networks. I would prefer that the phone actually run Skype's official software, and not some alternative. Basically, I want a cheaper alternative to one of those Belkin or Netgear wifi phones.

The Skype calls must be able to use the phone's built in microphone and speaker - like a normal phone call. I mention this because some of these phones will run Skype but only with a headset or only over the speakerphone or some nonsense.

I will try and find any recommended phones on Craigslist in Los Angeles, if that matters.

D&D via VOIP?

Squid Voltaire — Tue, 02 Jun 2009 14:05:05 -0800

Tips for D&D via Skype (especially audio tips?) A couple of months ago, my good friend had never rolled a twenty-sided die. Now, she has a fourth-level gnomish mage!

She's traveling out of the country for two-and-a-half months, but I suggested that we play via Skype! I was inspired by Gabe, of Penny-Arcade fame, but I don't understand how he got it to work with just a laptop microphone.

We've tried talking to her via Skype before, and for one-on-one it's fine, but when six people all yell into the laptop it becomes incomprehensible noise. Does anyone have any suggestions? Should we all wear lapel mics? And how would that even work with Skype?

Worst case scenario, I presume that you can video conference call via Skype, so I guess everyone could have an individual laptop? That sounds pretty cumbersome, though...

QOS port 5060 apple

cg2 — Mon, 06 Apr 2009 14:30:39 -0800

how can I set QOS - port 5060 on the apple airport/time machine? I am trying to set QOS - port 5060 to prioritize packets so that I can improve the voice quality for my voip phone on my apple airport/time capsule. is this possible? and if so, how can I do it.

thanks!!!!

What's the downside to VOIP?

middleclasstool — Thu, 02 Apr 2009 22:07:11 -0800

What is the current state of VOIP? VOIP was never an option for us in the past, as it requires an internet connection, and we're on DSL, which until recently required a phone line.

But now AT&T is selling DSL without requiring phone service. Looking at it, I can get our current level of DSL service plus unlimited Vonage phone service (including call waiting/forwarding/id and voicemail) for what we're paying now for just basic phone service (no long distance, we've been using cards since getting burned by a crooked long distance company) + DSL.

But I'm thinking there's a catch. Like bittorrent will kill my phone service (or vice versa), for instance. What are the ugly trade-off realities of going to VOIP for your home phone line?

Help me get my VOIP on!

teg4rvn — Fri, 27 Mar 2009 09:40:43 -0800

Is VOIP (Voice over IP) really mature enough to get rid of the landline, and what would you do with my personal phone/business phone(s) situation?...story to follow. Currently have Cox Digital Voice and have been very satisfied with the service. Unfortunately, their unlimited local/long distance plan comes out to about $51/mo. once all the taxes are added on.

In our new lovely economy, even though I am employed, the wife and I have two side businesses that we'd like to veer away from having to use our personal cellphone numbers as business numbers.

As a result, we have considered VOIP to potentially get rid of our land line and consolidate three (or more?) phone numbers to our home, hopefully with the ability to distinguish via distinctive ringtones or phone display settings when a call is for the house, her business, or mine.

Without getting too much more complicated (and boring) where should I start? Is what I want to do even feasible?

A search of AskMeFi found a post about 2 years ago about VOIP that was somewhat similar to this topic. A post recommending providers is about a year old. That's a long time in an emerging technology.

What conference bridge software/system can do this?

torpark — Thu, 26 Mar 2009 20:20:57 -0800

What conference bridge software/system can do this? I would like to find a conference bridge software I can run that is linux based, allows people to call in via VOIP/SIP and landline/mobile, PIN code access to conference rooms, and dialout/dailthrough access so they can call out.

How do I streamline my phone service so people can get me?

Thrillhouse — Wed, 25 Mar 2009 06:33:02 -0800

Help me streamline my phone needs. How can Google Talk help me in real life? Okay, my questions is more of a "What can this do for me" than a "How can I make this work."

Here's my problem- and I'm sure its the same problem a LOT of people have: My cell phone works like CRAP at home (I have a house in the Boston suburbs). People call and end up leaving a message on my cell, even though its right there in my pocket. I have a home phone but most people call the cell first and the home phone is more for the type of people who don't call cell phones like my parents or my kids school. We use it exclusively when we're home to call out, though.

What I would like is some means of getting cell phone calls at home, whether it be through Google Voice or some other method. I'm an at-home parent so if I'm not at home I'm out with the kids- no work number. People don't call my wife on her cell phone so this is more MY problem than hers.

What can I do to make this work? Google Voice seems interesting but I can't seem to wrap my head around how it all works. Plus, I'd prefer not to have to give out ANOTHER number, ya know?

Any guidance would be GREATLY appreciated.

Oh, and I'm on Verizon for home and cell but will likely be switching cell to AT&T this summer when the new iPhone comes out.

Adding virtual guest participants to a physical meetup

jeffmacintyre — Fri, 13 Mar 2009 09:04:28 -0800

Best way to add virtual guests to a physical meetup? No, I'm not looking for a simple conf calling solution here; angling for something better and more leading edge.

I'm wondering whether there is some apt web app, videoconference or SIP solution for easily adding virtual guests to a physical meetup?

We don't have a location yet so it's still possible that we could get the technical infrastructure in place to make this happen, between phone lines, wifi, VOIP/SIP, etc. Surely this has been solved before by someone far more intrepid than myself.

Are third-party vendors available to support a Fonality PBXtra system?

fracturing — Fri, 13 Mar 2009 08:10:54 -0800

We need help breaking free from Fonality's annual service contract - are there third party vendors who provide support or will we need to move to another system? We purchased a Fonality PBXtra phone system (which is Asterisk-based) about a year ago. We're coming to the end of our service contract and are trying to decide whether we need to renew.

I have been EXTREMELY unhappy with the quality and timeliness of their technical support, but I also am afraid to go without any sort of support at all.

Their service agreements only allow for annual support, not a case-by-case basis. For the 2 to 3 times per year when all hell breaks loose, I cannot be without support as I know little to nothing about Asterisk.

What this boils down to is: is there anyone else who provides support for Fonality? Or are we stuck?

Since we only purchased this system a year ago, I would really rather not have to eat crow and buy a new system. If that's what it takes though - I'm mildly entertaining the idea. Are there any other "plug-and-play" type Asterisk based systems similar to Fonality?

Who you gonna call?

nmabry — Tue, 30 Dec 2008 08:58:58 -0800

Time to kill the landline and consolidate communications...but can I keep that phone number? What's your best suggestion for keeping the landline number active? Ok, when I say landline, it is a VOIP line through Packet8, which is costing me about $28/mo. This phone number is what has been given out to all my billing accounts, and what we've had for several years. I do have a GrandCentral number that we'd transition to over the next several months, but I'd need the legacy number active in the interim.

We've finally had enough family move to Verizon to merit dropping the landline. One option I've thought of is adding another line on Verizon ($10+tax) and porting the number there. This, however, leaves me pulled in for another 2 year contract. The savings over my current situation would be significant enough that it merits considering. It also leaves a phone at home regularly. There are other pros to this option, as well.

We're also considering Skype as a cost-effective home phone solution, but I don't believe I can port my number there.

Is there a cheaper alternative to keeping the landline number (short-term to an indefinite time period)? I'm comfortable with a permanent forward or a voicemail box or another creative solution.

VOIP and Lifeline

Hugh2d2 — Tue, 30 Dec 2008 05:11:03 -0800

Does anyone have information about how Vonage (VOIP) phone service and LifeLine Medical Alert system works together? Any documentation from either company?

How to choose a conference phone

daveyt — Fri, 21 Nov 2008 03:51:50 -0800

Cisco vs Polycom conference phone issue. Apologies for dullness. Rather dull VOIP conference phone question.

Long story, as short as possible.

My company has a Cisco based VOIP setup, all fairly decent and new kit. Call manager is v4 though.

My chairman works from abroad, and has a local broadband, with a Cisco ASA5505 with DSL, and an IPphone - a 7941.

He also has a totally unrelated, and not connected to us in anyway, Siemens HiPath 3000 SIP based PBX.

He wants a conference phone that will work with both. And relatively painlessly so - technologically he is as advanced as turnip and can barely dial numbers so it has to be easy.

He wants the Polycom IP7000 (because its nice and shiny) and I've also found the Cisco 7937 which looks strikingly similar. (Suspiciously slow, I suspect Polycom make them both).

Is it possible for one of these phones to work with both the Siemens (SIP) PBX, and the Cisco (currently skinny, but might be able to do SIP) router?

I dont give a damn what phone might do this, just if there is one out there. Is there a switch or device I can employ to allow use of the phone with both setups.

I'm not a VOIP expert, I just manage the setup. My Cisco reseller is not killing himself to sort this as he's not making anything on it really, and he does enough for us already without getting involved. Most Polycom resellers I've spoken to dont want to know, stating that Cisco is too proprietary and they're not really interested in selling one phone.

My 2nd to last option is to simply use the Polycom phone with the Cisco router and tell him it simply wont work with both. Failing that, the Cisco 7937 with the cisco router. Sigh.

Anyone got any experience on this? Sorry for the fantastically dull problem.

Open-Source VOIP for personal / educational use

amtho — Mon, 06 Oct 2008 18:00:24 -0800

Can anyone recommend an open-source-protocol-based just-for-home-use VOIP provider & software? I'm pretty sure I don't want Skype, pretty sure I don't want Yahoo Messenger - security issues, not knowing what's really going on with these packages once they're installed, plus the license/privacy/etc. agreements are long and pretty bad. I'd be new to VOIP, but based on the research I've done (and I _actually read_ the Skype EULA/TOS, and started to read the > 20 pages (two columns) I printed out about Yahoo Messenger), I don't want these. But I want to talk to new friends in France and French-speaking Africa as I continue studying the language!

Can anyone recommend a secure, friendly, audited VOIP system? I read a little about Asterix, but that sounds more like it's for businesses setting up a whole VOIP system with server. Maybe a VOIP provider using Asterix? What do I even want?

I don't mind paying a little (can't pay as much as a cell phone plan would charge), but I think I'll need something that my pen pal / whatever pal can install and use for free, even if he or she is in Côte d'Ivoire or something. And pay or not, I think I really want open source.

I did see other VOIP questions on AskMe, but nothing addressing these specific needs.

If anyone local to Chapel Hill wants to help me practice awful French in exchange for help with English (I'm real good at English), I might be interested in that, too.

Thanks!

Should I pay the $10 to upgrade my iPod touch?

tractorfeed — Wed, 17 Sep 2008 11:44:34 -0800

I recently purchased an iMac and got a free iPod touch as part of the educational promotion. I don't have an iPhone, and am fairly locked into my current (non-ATT) contract, so I won't be getting an iPhone anytime soon. I've tried to figure out what the new software upgrade, 2.1, will do for me, but just from looking at the Apple site, it's difficult to figure out what I can do with the touch as it stands, and what I would gain by upgrading. Additional question: I am almost always around a wifi connection so I would love to be able to make calls using the touch and VoIP, and this lifehacker article about "turning an iPod into an iPhone" seems to be just what I want. But why does it talk about jailbreaking it? I thought this was only relevant to sim cards for iPhones.