PHONE HOME: Using the internet for voice calls can save you a tonne of cash.Tech geeks already know about it. Chances are if you work for a company that has offices up and down the country the calls you make everyday are made over it.It could be just the ticket for you to get a bit of extra cash for your monthly food or petrol bill.It's VOIP - four letters that could save everyday Kiwis a packet of money.VOIP stands for Voice Over Internet Protocol, and in everyday terms means being able to make phone calls using the internet or local network (like within your office) for next to nothing. When I talk about VOIP, I am not talking exclusively about Skype. With Skype, users traditionally keep their existing landline and merely make toll calls through Skype, or call other Skype users for free.This does save money, but you can save even more. Recent regulations have allowed the smaller network companies to supply you (the customer) with so-called 'naked DSL', which gives you an internet connection without having to have a landline with it too.Why should you care?
Because using VOIP instead of a traditional phone line will save you money, even if you don't make a lot of toll calls.How it works is pretty technical, but basically each computer is given a unique identification number on the internet. VOIP uses technology that gives your phone its own number on the network and attaches a particular phone number to it.So, for example your friends could dial 03 333 3333 and your VOIP setup would recognize this as the internet address of your phone.If that scares you a bit, don't worry.
You don't have to understand it for it to save you money.There's more to it too. VOIP also lets you easily add other lines to the home/office and gives you services such as call forwarding, caller ID and conferencing for dirt cheap or even free. These services will all cost you over a regular phone line.It's not all toast and jam though, and there are drawbacks. Using VOIP instead of a normal phone line does have drawbacks. First you need power for to make calls. If the power goes out and you need to make an emergency call, you will need to use your mobile phone.Call quality also is probably not as good as a traditional phone line either. When I'm using VOIP on a local call to my dad, he often asks me whether I'm on a mobile.In saying that, I haven't experienced any real problems apart from the slightly technical setup process.
Voip Phone Adapter Reviews
The phone is also not as portable, as it needs to be connected to your DSL router at all times. However, if you have a cordless handset you can get around this.The other issue is that most of the ISPs require you to be a reasonably heavy user to be able use naked DSL and to get VOIP on their network. In my situation TelstraClear said that I needed to be on a 10GB plan.Time for the big question. How much exactly does VOIP save me? First of all I had to buy either a VOIP phone or a little converter box, which allows you to plug your normal phone into your router.I chose the latter.
Normal Phone To Voip Converters Online
The box itself cost me the princely sum of $89 from Dick Smith Electronics.I signed up with VOIP provider Slingshot's iTalk (www.slingshot.co.nz/italk), which costs me $9.95 per month for as many local calls as I can handle. Avery wizard 3.1.msi. It also gives me Skype-like toll rates of 5c per minute to most phones in places like England, Australia, and non-local calls in New Zealand. Calls to mobiles and unpopular countries are more expensive.Obviously, I still have to pay for my internet connection, but I do save on the phone line.Running VOIP costs me about $60 a month, about $25 less than the equivalent phone and internet package from TelstraClear. Over the course of a year I can expect to save a shade over $300, which easily pays for any one-off costs like the purchase of VOIP phones or converters.And because VOIP toll calls are cheaper than on a normal landline you'll actually save more, especially if you make a lot of long-distance calls.Like any newer technology, it isn't perfect. For those who want a little bit more security, the best call quality, or don't want a broadband connection, then this is probably not the technology for you.If you are game enough to persevere through the disconnection process with your existing internet provider (they sometimes need prodding to let you get rid of the phone line), and can handle making the odd emergency call on your mobile phone then this technology could be right up your street.
You can now use any phone to make Voice over Internet (VoIP) calls. The SOYO Group has announced the, a compact, lightweight, portable adapter that you can plug into any broadband Internet connection and a telephone. Simply wait for the dial tone, and you're ready to make and receive calls.
Landline To Voip Converter
The SOYO G1681 adapter converts your regular telephone's analog signal to a digital signal, which can then be transmitted over the Internet, saving you money on long-distance and international calls whenever you make a call, from anywhere in the world.You can also connect your regular phone line from the phone company to G1681 and use the same phone set to answer both regular calls and VOIP calls. Also, the SOYO G168 adapter lets you select which network-Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN) or IP-to use for making calls. You can easily program the adapter so that with the touch of a key, your call will be made over the PSTN, saving you money when making local telephone calls. The SOYO G168 costs $75.