Hi there all,

Im just after some fuller information regarding VoIP so i know what to expect when this technology takes over, its also a bit of a student/geek question hehe.

My confusion lies as to what i can get for free and what i have to pay for. Im aware of the hardware involved and how the connection is made (e.g. IP to PSTN local loop to someone’s phone), and i know ill need one of these babies my side to convert the normal phone to a digital signal:

http://www.dabs.com/productview.aspx...avigationKey=0

But what im not sure of is whether this device can be set to talk to a telephone companies PSTN server and then communicate to normal lines for free, or whether i can set this device up to talk to a server (set up by me) which then connects to the phone companies server - therefore getting a free phone call.
Also for receiving calls i guess i need to register a number with some company (unless i can do this myself) which will make this possible. I can handle the calls once they are sent to me via the device above/server.

So is this possible? Or do i have to "lease the line" (not sure of correct phrase here) and then set up connection details with my phone provider? Any links or information would be of a massive help and very useful.

One final question - is this worth it or is it cheap enough to use a company like bt and skype to receive and make calls to and from PC's and normal phone lines?

Thank you in advance and i look forward to some good information

BexTech will be along in a minute and he's the man for this one lol - however I'll have a bash.

The Linksys PAP2 you point out will enable you to plug in a regular phone and have it access a SIP-based service. It doesn't as far as I know interface with a local phone line on your house.

Typically (he says looking quickly at his own config) you can get an inbound number for free using something like www.sipgate.co.uk - you can also make calls to all other SIPGate users for free and to other networks with which they peer.

To break out to the PSTN, this is when you typically need to start paying - either credit on a PAYG account, or a monthly fee - again it ought to be possible make calls within the network of the provider you choose to use for your outbound calls. (SIPGate do this too - but their rates aren't particularly appealing, a read back through the forum here is sure to turn up a few ideas for places to look for your call provider(s))


Only you can decide this bit - but for me I'd rather die than let BT extract a ha'penny more cash out of me than is absolutely necessary - I will willingly pay double with someone else to avoid giving profitability to BT.

As for Skype - I don't like the way the program itself invades the machine, nor the way it defaults to making you a supernode to carry calls to other Skype users - I also have an aversion to closed proprietary standards - like Skype.

Maplins have a skpye for only 19.99 buy one get one free, or a adapter that uses a usb connection for only 19.99

http://www.maplin.co.uk/module.aspx?...46125&doy=18m4


http://www.maplin.co.uk/module.aspx?...48028&doy=18m4 voip phones.now only 12.99.
THese are good , i use them to talk to family in the states and works great.

That gizmo at Maplin means you have to leave the PC on to keep the phone on though - with the PAP2 originally pointed out, the PC can be turned off.

If you're on ADSL rather than cable and have no choice but to have a BT line, another option is a slightly different adapter like the Sipura 3000.

This one only has a single line on it (rather than the 2 on the Linksys PAP2), but what it does offer is:[list][*]The ability to plug your BT line in and use this as a failover in case of powecuts/internet outages.[*]Setup dialplans to that any number you dial from you handset that can't be served by your VOIP provider still gets routed over the BT landline automatically.[*]Means you can keep your existing number for incoming calls without having to try to port it over. Most VOIP providers offer (for an admin fee usually) an outgoing CLID feature so you can set your outgoing CLID to another number (so long as you provide proof of ownership). This way no-one ever even sees your alternative VOIP number.[/list]

Sipgate offers an incoming number for free, this can be any area you like, VoIP Stunt or Sip Discount offer free calls to standard lines, they too offer an incoming number for free also once you have added credit.