A little help is need here I think. I am wanting to use one of these free VOIP sevices where you just credit like a tenner every 90 days or so and get free landline calls in the UK.

I am also wanting to have my PC and Macbook turned off so understand I need an ATA (not fully sure what this is).

Please can somebody point me to a low cost option to use my existing DECT phone with VOIP with my computer turned off, I already have broadband and a router so am halfway there!

Cheers!

Widdy.

Not the cheapest, but the best for the money, a Linksys PAP2.

Broadbandbuyer, broadbandstuff and dabs have them (make sure you don't get a non-Vonage locked one) unless you want to try and unlock it, but I'd advise against that for now.

There are others such as grandStream and Zoom, but they aren't a patch on the PAP2.

Linksys/Sipura also have various SPA range devices.

The PAP2 does have a lot of parameters that you can change, which can seem daunting at first, but is better to have all the options there, if you need help with the rationalisation, just ask.

sounds a bit overwealming and to be honest I am on a sub £50 budget for the bits I will need and the pap2 seems to be over £50 just on ebay.

I will be using it for just voip which I need active at the same time, sipgate for incoming calls and one of the free uk calls providers for outgoing so it also needs that.

CLID editing would be helpful although not essential so I can set my outgoing CLID to my sipgate number. It also must allow incoming CLID.

Can this be done for under £50?

Under £50 the ATAs other the Linksys/Sipura aren't very customisable, for example many don't allow you to alter the ringing pattern so it sounds like a UK phone, some only work with Bellcore caller ID, and not ETSI with PR (used by BT and a couple of cable areas), many don't let you alter the impedance so are set at 600ohm (used in the USA) so you can get echo on the line as many phones are expecting UK settings. Most ATA (unlike the linksys/sipura) don't allow for dial strings, so if using a service such as VoIP Stunt (or VoIP Cheap) you have to dial 0044..... for all UK calls including local, with the PAP2 you get get it to dial 0044.... for you when you dial 0 or 0044121 (for example) when you dial a local number.

Sometimes you have to pay that little bit extra. (Beware many PAP2 ATAs on eBay were originally Vonage locked, but have been unlocked, means that if you update the firmware or forget to switch provisioning off, it can get locked back to Vonage.)

One is much better off using a voip router with 2 normal telephone sockets into which one plugs yer bogstandard telephones. The other alternatives are very expensive in the long term. They also need your computer to be on. The best are the Fritzbox Fon (Sipgate sell them) The Fritz has a huge range of possibilities

i have covered this in my post here with a Linksys Pap2 and voip cheap ! works well and all the info you need is in my post HERE

I've noticed that savastore.com have been selling the Zoom ATA's which seem quite reasonable but make sure you get the one that isn't locked to their global village service.
See here