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So what
is the story with VoIP? Free
phone calls? Or just bad signal and reliability?
VoIP is not a very difficult concept. It is the conversion of your voice
into digital signal packets which are then sent using the Internet Protocol
across the web. There are many many different versions and variations so
which should you consider using? Well to start lets just consider why you
might want to use VoIP and that will help us decide if we do want to
use it.
Who Should Be Using It?
The biggest single advantage of VoIP is that when you are calling another
VoIP user, the call is free. Yes you heard me right, FREE. This is because
it is just like sending an email or looking at a web page, the traffic is
just travelling a path that is directly connected via the internet and so
there is no toll to pay. This means that it can provide significant savings
to the home user and will be useful to anyone who makes a reasonable number of
calls. If you have a group of friends that you are always talking to
and you all have an internet connection then it will be a simple task to
start making big savings and even being able to hold a conference between
you all with everyone able to talk and listen at the same time, and even see
each other using webcams.
What Do You Need?It
should be noted that VoIP is a solution that should be considered only by
those of us who connect to the internet via contract subscriptions as using
dial-up pay-as-you-go does really defeat the object. It is also worth
mentioning that VoIP is always a better option if used on Broadband or
better as the internet is not a guaranteed network - you can loose the
signal if there is a sudden high demand - and VoIP needs as much help as it
can get to maintain a bandwidth sufficient to carry your voice over the
whole signal path. If you do have broadband at each end then you will find
yourselves able to have voice and video conversations with one or many
people at the same time without too much trouble.
VoIP can begin with simply having a microphone plugged into the soundcard of
your computer and a messenger program like Windows Messenger™ MSN
Messenger™, Yahoo Messenger™, Skype™ or AOL Messenger™. You may want to use
a traditional looking phone connected by USB which are available for all of
these applications or you may want a hardware solution which allows you to
just plug in a normal phone and dial as you are used to doing.
Which Way Is Best?
Your situation and preference are the two biggest factor here really. If you
are going to be calling a group of friends then consider all choosing the
same method or application - i.e. everyone uses Windows Messenger™ or
whatever - as you will then be able to intercommunicate without bother. If
you are looking to use your VoIP system as your main phone line or as a
second phone line for the house then you will most likely want a handset
that is constantly working. The main drawback of something like Yahoo
Messenger™ is that it is a non-standard, server specific calling server. By
this I mean that if you want to call a normal phone, you must pay credit to
BT or Skype or whoever. If you go with a standardised system like SIPs with
'Windows Messenger v 5.1 (you can download this from Softpedia.com) then you
can call any other SIPs users who may use hardware solutions like VigorTalk
or Vigor routers.
Here are a few pros and cons of each:
Solution
Provider
Type
Pros
Cons
Yahoo Messenger
Yahoo and
BT
PC
Application
Free and easy to use
even for beginners with support for Voice, Conferencing and Video
and Games
Mostly reliable voice
and reasonable video even across continents
Smileys
and other fun add-ons
Will only connect via BT
or to other Yahoo Users
A big application for
what it does
Gets stuck at sign in
sometimes
Is not compatible with
AOL or MSN/Windows Messenger or Skype
Monthly fee for an
incoming number
Windows
and MSN Messenger™
Microsoft
PC
Application
Windows Messenger
version 5.1 or above can use a SIPS server like DrayTel.org so you
can choose a provider and get service options like
voicemail, call transfer etc (Not MSN or Live essenger)
No rental costs for an
incoming number with SIPs
Windows, Windows Live and MSN
messenger can intercommunicate
Supports voice, games,
application sharing and video
Comes free with Windows
XP
Free calls to any other
VoIP on SIPS or MSN/Messenger
Not as intuitive to use
as Yahoo but still OK
Often Has signing in
trouble
Not compatible with
Yahoo or AOL
Is not free to call
Skype or Yahoo
Skype™
Skype/EBay
PC
Application
Very easy to use and
very popular all over the world
Excellent support for
many USB 'Skype' Phones™
Easy
to add credit for normal calls and get an incoming number
Good
voicemail service
Supported by PDAs etc
Like Yahoo you have no
choice over your supplier
Voicemail is at an extra
cost
Not compatible with
Yahoo or AOL
Not free to call other
VoIP users unless they use Skype
DrayTel/DrayTek
VigorTalk
DrayTel.org
PC
Application or hardware such as VigorTalk or Router
Can be accessed from a
normal phone in your house, plugged into a VigorTalk or Broadband
Router
No noisy PC required,
just a normal phone and a VigorTalk or Vigor router
Not compatible with
AOL/Yahoo/Skype unless they pay for an incoming number and you
will still be charged per call
Free to Windows
Messenger 5.1 or later when using SIPs
No webcam or
conferencing
Lycos
Lycos
PC
Application
100 Free minutes to any
US numbers from anywhere in the world (NOT UK numbers)
Free to other Lycos
users
Free incoming number
Service is only free in
the US
So in
conclusion, if you are going to talk to a group of friends - wherever
they are - agree on your VoIP application in advance so your
conversations will be free. Yahoo, Skype and Co. allow for free setup as
long as you don't want a traditional phone calling feature. Lycos lets
you have a free incoming US number, and Windows Messenger lets you have
a free incoming number with a SIPs registrar for calling other SIPs
users. If you don't want to be tied to the PC to make and receive calls
then go with the SIPs hardware option like VigorTalk as you will not
have to worry about organising times for being online etc, you can
simply just wait to be called like a traditional phone.
VigorTalk
Benefits......
Cheap phone calls to
conventional phone users
Free
calls to other VoIP users or Windows Messenger
The phone system can even
be incorporated with the normal phone system to reduce the cost of all calls
- (this service is subject to availability)
Free 0870 number
with NO line rental
Always online
Free £2.00 call credit with
each VoIP VigorTalk for calls to normal phones, call costs are listed to the
right ->
tell me more....
Select the items that apply, and then let us know how to
contact you.
Send me further details on VoIP services
Please
contact me regarding VoIP using the details I have
supplied below
Name
E-mail
Phone
Popular Destinations -
Standard Tariff
UK (Local/National Geographic)
1.4p
UK Freephone ('0800')
0p
UK Mobile
14p
UK '3' Mobile
19p
UK (Local Non-Geo '0845')
6p
UK (National Non-Geo '0870')
12p
USA
1.4p
Ireland
1.7p
Spain
1.7p
Austria
1.7p
Australia
1.7p
France
1.7p
Germany
1.7p
Greece
2.6p
Russia
4.3p
India
11p
Israel
3p
Nigeria
6p
Antarctica
49p
Prices are in pence per minute and exclude
VAT
UK VAT @17.5% is added to all call costs. Call costs are to fixed
landlines.
Prices correct @ 1/9/04; subject to change.
