Voip v skype

[Deleted member 61074]

I am considering ditching my bt line in favour of a voip system mainly so 2 of us can both answer calls when working in different locations and so I can answer calls when out of the uk

What is the difference between a voip system and simply using skype

 

[cjd]

I get asked this all the time so please forgive the canned answer:

What is the difference between Voipfone and Skype?
There are many very important differences between Voipfone and Skype – things like call quality, reliability, customer service, price (Skype is surprisingly expensive), services & features and technology - but the simple and critical difference between Voipfone and Skype is that Skype is NOT a telephone company and Voipfone is.

Skype is a software application that runs on your PC, not a telephone service. Skype go out of their way to explain that they are not a telephone company; they do not, for instance, provide a 999 service - in defiance of UK telephone regulation – or have a telephone number that you can call for support.

What is VoIP?
VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol) is a technology that allows you to make telephone calls over the internet (and other data networks). It’s the next generation of telecoms technology and over the next few years all of BT’s core networks will be converted to it by their 21st Century Network project. All new PBX (switchboard) equipment is already VoIP enabled.

VoIP is a general description of a technology, the specific technology used by VoIP has now been standardised internationally – this is called SIP (Session Initiation Protocol).

So what is Skype?
Skype is a form of VoIP.
But Skype use its own technology which is secret and will not interwork with any other system or service. The world of telecommunications relies totally on accepted international standards so that any telephone anywhere in the world can call any other – this is not the case with Skype.

Skype is also a peer to peer system - that is, it uses your own PC and all the other PCs with Skype software on it, to carry their calls. Sometimes it even uses your own bandwidth ie your broadband connection to carry traffic for other people over your connection. See ‘Skype Super Node’ to find out more http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Supernode_(networking)

This makes it extremely cheap for them as they do not need to provide their own network infrastructure. But it also means that it cannot control the quality of your calls. Because your telephone call is a real time application which, unlike other internet uses like email and web browsing, cannot be slowed down, Skype is at the mercy of an ever increasingly congested network which can and does interfere with your call.

Skype is a wonderful application which brought VoIP to everyone’s attention and the industry would not be what it is today without it, but it was never designed or even envisaged as a business application or even a telephone service - and it isn’t.

 

[Deleted member 61074]

Excellent thanks. I now realise I need voip.

At present we have a Bt line into the office which is manned but I want to be able to answer the phone if I work from home.

Quick question before I contact you direct - what equipment will I need and will my running costs compare to bt.

At present we tend to keep the bt line for incoming calls and use skype for outgoing

 

[cjd]

Quick question before I contact you direct - what equipment will I need and will my running costs compare to bt.

You need a proper VoIP telephone - we generally recommend a snom 300 in your circumstances.

I can't tell you how we compare to BT because they have so many packages and scams but I can tell you what we charge.

An 01 or 02 telephone number is £1.99 per month.
Calls to UK landlines cost 1p per minute with a minimum charge of 1p, biller per second.
Calls to most Western destinations 1.5p per minute
Calls to UK mobiles 12p pm
All ex VAT

At present we tend to keep the bt line for incoming calls and use skype for outgoing

You'll need to keep your BT line I'm afraid as you need it for your broadband. But it does mean that you can now separate your home from your business and publish a purely business number - something you'll need more as you grow.

I should add that since I wrote the Skype/VoIP piece, Skype have introduced a 999/112 service.

 

[Deleted member 61074]

Actually the BT line is our telephone number only. BB is on a different line.

Looking at the voip handset, does it work wirelessly? Our router is quite inaccessible I was hoping not to have to hardwire a handset.

What I'd like is a service whereby I can answer phones in 2 or 3 places, preferably on a headset and voicemail accessible by all

 

[cjd]

Actually the BT line is our telephone number only. BB is on a different line.

That's good news - it's quite a saving

Looking at the voip handset, does it work wirelessly? Our router is quite inaccessible I was hoping not to have to hardwire a handset.

What I'd like is a service whereby I can answer phones in 2 or 3 places, preferably on a headset and voicemail accessible by all

Then you need a DECT/VoIP phone like the Siemens or snom m9. WiFi VoIP is not a good idea but the VoIP/DECT combination works well. We havn't fully tested the m9 yet but it should be a good phone. There are various Siemens phones that wok well too.

 

[Deleted member 61074]

If I had a voip phone could I, for example take it to a friends house plug it into their router and still get my calls

Could I take it overseas and use it there?

 

[raf300]

If I had a voip phone could I, for example take it to a friends house plug it into their router and still get my calls

Could I take it overseas and use it there?

Yes you can

 

[cjd]

If I had a voip phone could I, for example take it to a friends house plug it into their router and still get my calls

Could I take it overseas and use it there?

Yes, VoIP doesn't care where you are. When you plug your phone into an internet connection it tells your telephone company where it is and from then on your calls go to that place.

 

[macchior]

Beware of BT - they tie you into 24 month contracts and don't tell you 12 month contracts are available; they give you discount packages but require roll-over 24 month contracts - so if you want to cancel even after several years, you may have to pay for / wait out the 24 months. Yada yada yada.

I trust them less than estate agents. Less than recruitment agents. Even less than journalists.

 

[Deleted member 61074]

No way am i going anywhere near BT (they just disconnected my home landline for 4 weeks due to their billing system, they sent a disconnection letter 4 days after disconnecting us, we owed them money because they refunded all our credit!!)

But thats another story

I'm still not totally with it how VOIP works, I guess i need a provider, i get that bit.

if for example i disconnected my phone as i was in transit from one base to another, where would my messages go? ie are messages held on the handset or at my provider?

Are there any voip handsets that are hands free under £100.

I take it my min requirement is simply 2 handsets (one for me to travel with and one for my Uk office) and a provider who gives me the phone number and charges for calls etc.

Are all calls costed the same regardless of where i am. For example i spend 4 weeks in France on a fixed broadband line, are my calls to UK mobiles still 12p pm

 

[cjd]

if for example i disconnected my phone as i was in transit from one base to another, where would my messages go? ie are messages held on the handset or at my provider?

If you mean that you disconnect your VoIP handset then your calls would go directly to voicemail (and it would be also sent as an MP3 file to your email). If you had set a divert the call would go to your mobile.

Are there any voip handsets that are hands free under £100.

Google for Siemens DECT phones

I take it my min requirement is simply 2 handsets (one for me to travel with and one for my Uk office) and a provider who gives me the phone number and charges for calls etc.

Or you could travel with the office phone if there's no-one there when you're not there. Or you could divert to your mobile.

Are all calls costed the same regardless of where i am. For example i spend 4 weeks in France on a fixed broadband line, are my calls to UK mobiles still 12p pm

Yes.

 

[raf300]

dunerider, how many users/phones are you looking at and do you have plans to expand in the future?
As there are better phones out there that would suit expansion etc.

 

[Deleted member 61074]

Still havent made a decision on this yet.

I was experimenting with outgoing calls on skype this week - wireless. Trouble is i sounded as if i were underwater.

is it possible to have a wired handset using homeplugs? i still cant get round the distance between my desk and the router

 

[cjd]

is it possible to have a wired handset using homeplugs? i still cant get round the distance between my desk and the router

Yes, they work well.

 

[KM-Tiger]

is it possible to have a wired handset using homeplugs? i still cant get round the distance between my desk and the router

Or the Siemens DECT handsets work very well, then it doesn't matter where you are in range of the basestation. Mine works all over the house and to the bottom of the garden. And the base station is connected via a Homeplug!

 

[downsouth]

CJD - i've got one of your voip numbers/phones etc, what options do i have when travelling abroad to call my 'home number' over the internet?? obv trying to keep costs down when travelling at the mo but do need to speak to the office throughout the day

 

[My Owl 1]

If I had a voip phone could I, for example take it to a friends house plug it into their router and still get my calls

Could I take it overseas and use it there?

Why not have a wireless Internet phone that you can use anywhere in the world like a mobile providing there is wireless internet. Oh and with your local std code



Best wishes

Avril

 

[cjd]

CJD - i've got one of your voip numbers/phones etc, what options do i have when travelling abroad to call my 'home number' over the internet??

Is your 'home number' an ordinary UK geographic number - like a BT number? What equipment are you using at home and when you travel?

 

[downsouth]

Yes, standard 01 number you provided, kit wise one of your Samsung (?) voip phones,

I ask for what I need as I dont have anything whilst travelling at present, other than a large mobile bill each month!!!!

 

[Bri]

Why not have a wireless Internet phone that you can use anywhere in the world like a mobile providing there is wireless internet. Oh and with your local std code



Best wishes

Avril

I'm gonna have to learn to read faster

 

[cjd]

Assuming you leave your phone at home, then if you opened another account and downloaded a softphone you could call your home phone for free from anywhere from your laptop.

 

[mikeruelles]

There is a big difference between Skype and VoIP service from another provider. Skype is a simple way of having a VoIP for home or for business. VoIP services from a provider requires registration and signing up for contract. That means you need to pay monthly bills for the rendered service. But VoIP services sometimes offers more feature than Skype.

 

[My Owl 1]

Assuming you leave your phone at home, then if you opened another account and downloaded a softphone you could call your home phone for free from anywhere from your laptop.

Actually Colin with our wireless Internet phone you dont have to leave it at home cos all you need anywhere in the world is the wireless connection and of course the internet phone, which is no bigger than a small nokia phone. It thinks it is a mobile phone with an std number.

Avril

 

[cjd]

It'll be a dedicated VoIP WiFi phone or a something like a Nokia E series mobile with a SIP stack. Both will work anywhere you can get a WiFi connection - but not very well I'm afraid. We have people that use them but it's not a great solution; the WiFi phones proved temperamental and have a very short battery life and the mobile phones are generally disabled by the operator.

 

[Tbozz]

Do any voip phone provider on this forum, provide services for home users?, i'm interested as looking to get rid of my BT line, my broadband is on cable.

 

[cjd]

Do any voip phone provider on this forum, provide services for home users?, i'm interested as looking to get rid of my BT line, my broadband is on cable.

Yes, of course. We make no distinction between business and residential use - because there is none.

I suggest you get a free account and try us for a while; if it woks for you, cancel your BT line. (You can even keep your BT number by porting it onto our network).

 

[Tbozz]

Yes, of course. We make no distinction between business and residential use - because there is none.

I suggest you get a free account and try us for a while; if it woks for you, cancel your BT line. (You can even keep your BT number by porting it onto our network).

Will give you a try and hopefully get rid of the BT line

 

[Wholesale-Dealer]

well this is amazing offer i also want to use voice over IP for sometime as a trial

thanks,

 

[PureIT]

Yes, VoIP doesn't care where you are. When you plug your phone into an internet connection it tells your telephone company where it is and from then on your calls go to that place.

CJD - just to clarify are you saying VOIP doesn't require any specific ports to be open on the router that most people now have?

 

[cjd]

CJD - just to clarify are you saying VOIP doesn't require any specific ports to be open on the router that most people now have?

Not normally, most modern routers are VoIP aware. Occasionally you may need to use our NAT Proxy and for some big commercial firewalls you may have to open the relevant ports.

 

[Jimmyboy]

Yes, of course. We make no distinction between business and residential use - because there is none.

I suggest you get a free account and try us for a while; if it woks for you, cancel your BT line. (You can even keep your BT number by porting it onto our network).

Hi does this also mean that any normal 01 or 02 number can be ported in and also be ported out again in the future?

Many thanks

 

[cjd]

Hi does this also mean that any normal 01 or 02 number can be ported in and also be ported out again in the future?

Many thanks

Depends what you call 'normal'. All numbers are issued by Ofcom from the same pot.

But UK landline number porting is a total mess - not everyone can port from and to everyone else. We can port from most big name companies and a few smaller ones but some companies can't port to anybody - it depends on the company and what agreements they have in place.

 

[Jimmyboy]

Lets say a standard analogue BT line number that can be moved to you, can that number be moved away from you at some point in the future as well?

 

[cjd]

Lets say a standard analogue BT line number that can be moved to you, can that number be moved away from you at some point in the future as well?

Yes............

 

[Jimmyboy]

Great thanks.

 

[Deleted member 61074]

Lets say a standard analogue BT line number that can be moved to you, can that number be moved away from you at some point in the future as well?

how would I get my current bt no away from bt to use on my voip?

 

[cjd]

how would I get my current bt no away from bt to use on my voip?

Please see: http://www.voipfone.co.uk/PB_Porting_Numbers.php

 

[icomplete]

Hi there

Just picked up your thread - if you are looking at different VoIP providers we offer the same and also have mobile integration - all you need is a sim card from us for that mobile - using VoIP and mobile together will save you money as most people rely on both phone and mobile - having the 2 together makes more sense.

If you need to know anymore please call: 01793 250111 or email me and we can call you

Kindest regards
Claire

 

[Deleted member 61074]

Well.... I'm very impressed so far.

I bought myself a linksys adapter and signed up for a trial with CJD.

Plugged all the stuff in, it took me a while to work out why i couldnt get a dialling tone, but a trip to the voipfone forum solved that one.

I am up and running, got myself a geographical number, call quality excellent so far.

just need to convert from trial to permanent and get my 2nd phone working in my 2nd location (and get a 2nd number on my first location so i can split home/business calls and completely emininate BT from my life )