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I just wonder about this stuff. Is it really worth bothering with and quality, so on and so on? Heard about it, saw info on it, Hmmmm?
CrazyJack
-------------------- Jack Wills Studio Design Works 1465 E.Hidalgo Circle Nye Beach / Newport, OR Posts: 2914 | From: Rocklin, CA. USA | Registered: Dec 1998
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Jack, I have phone digital cable phone service through Time Warner Cable. It's great. Good sound quality and a great price...$39.95/mo for unlimited local & long distance calls and the best part of the whole thing was being able to tell Verizon where to go.
-------------------- Kimberly Zanetti Purcell www.amethystProductivity.com Folsom, CA email: Kimberly@AmethystProductivity.com
“Organizing is what you do before you do something, so that when you do it, it is not all mixed up.” AA Milne Posts: 3722 | From: Folsom, CA | Registered: Dec 2001
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VOIP has improved with a protocol called SIP that allows packets of audio and visual information to be sent and recieved more efficiently.This protocol was co-developed by a Colombia professer w/ one of his graduate students about 5 years ago, has gained acceptance and been revised enough for major telephone companies to use it so they arn't "left in the dust".
One thing that still has to be resolved is the ability to use the 911 service on Voip but a company is offering software to handle this matter.
As noted, long distance calls are like communicating on the internet. I just never got around to trying it, but it's looking good so far.
-------------------- Joe McGillicuddy Signgraphix 2354 Lambert Drive, Pasadena CA jmcgillicuddy1@earthlink.net Posts: 20 | From: Pasadena, California | Registered: Oct 2003
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I've been using Skpe instead of the phone at the shop for the last month through the workshop computer for outgoing calls. The phone bill has dropped from avg $300.00/month to about $75.00, $45.00 of which is the line rental. I expect it will drop more yet when I get around to getting the sound working on the "sales" computer, allowing me to use Skype for all calls (IE: when the workshop machine is not available to make calls) I bought 10 euros Skype credit which equated to about $18.00AU a month and a half ago, I currently have 8.94 euros remaining. The sound quality when making PC-PC calls is exceptionally good, easily better than any other voice messaging I've tried and is free to use. Setup is a snap, no router config required, just load the program, set up a login name and away you go. PC-Phone calls require you to enter the country code and local area code before the phone number, I'm looking for a way to get it to prefix all calls with the local settings by default but thats about the only inconvenience I can think of. Sound quality on PC-Phone calls is also good but I recommend a decent headset. I bought a good quality padded stereo headset after starting out with a mono headset and for the $20.00 it was money well spent. Once you have the contacts list set up you just double click on their name to call. I recommend it. HTH, David
Edited to add: Skype username com-help-kenmore
[ May 25, 2005, 08:48 PM: Message edited by: David Fisher ]
-------------------- David Fisher D.A. & P.M. Fisher Services Brisbane Australia da_pmf@yahoo.com Trying out a new tag: "Parents are the bones on which children cut their teeth Peter Ustinov Posts: 1450 | From: Brisbane Queensland Australia | Registered: Nov 1998
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VOIP has some definite advantages. In my experience, broadband connections aren't nearly as reliable as telephone connections. It would stink to lose your phones every time you lose internet. BUT, the cost advantages are nothing to sneeze at.
My mind wanders. And that's not a good thing, 'cause it's too small to be out there alone. Posts: 3129 | From: Tooele, UT | Registered: Mar 2005
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I'll be installing a shop management system over the next two months. The consultant and support provider uses skype to stay in contact with all his clients. He says sound quality is terrific and cost minimal. I looked at it and was moving to use it with my daughter.
I was talking to local service provider about voip, they're going that way but have a lot of upgrading to do to their plant. For telecommunications the CRTC requires that they have double redundant backup power. One of the benefits of this is that during power outage my battery operated tv and my laptop will still function and will have TV and internet.
-------------------- Mike O'Neill
It has yet to be proven that intelligence has any survival value. - Arthur C. Clarke
posted
The initial market for the VoIP changeover was the larger businesses that were using dsl/cable services but as small businesses adapted, that market has expanded and as the VoIP niche expands, more ISP's are offering the service.
Mike's going in the same direction the larger companies almost have to go to compete and as I mentioned before the telephone companies realize they have to adapt to compete w/Vonage and similar Co's.
The SIP protocol is an open architecture that has produced several versions, but Co's like Cisco, Aveya and Nortel are excelling in and produce their own VoIP hardware. I'm quessing Cisco may have the superior product (Cisco recently bought up one of SIP's co-inventors Co.) but other's are close behind, also Covad's ISP VoIP services are being bundled w/several phone Co's and as the quality and stability of VoIP increases, more individual users will switch over.
-------------------- Joe McGillicuddy Signgraphix 2354 Lambert Drive, Pasadena CA jmcgillicuddy1@earthlink.net Posts: 20 | From: Pasadena, California | Registered: Oct 2003
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Skype is great, especially when communicating with friends who also use Skype (free). I haven't considered it as an alternative to a regular phone, but when traveling internationally, the SkypeOut feature (calls a land or cell line) averages about 2.5 cents a minute for me, when calling the US from anywhere my laptop is connected to the Internet: Europe, South America, Asia. I've saved hundreds on international cell calls.
Can't say on VOIP, since I haven't tried that.
Jim Skype ID: jdoggett
-------------------- Jim Doggett General Manager, USA Yellotools, Ltd www.yellotools.com Posts: 500 | From: Sherman, TX USA | Registered: Mar 2000
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It looks like Skype is geared more toward the individual and SIP favors business to consumer or B2B where phones w/video enhancement are being provided for business meetings and the like.So I guess for now each protocol offers it' own advantages. Both are VoIP's in a small but expanding nich that's here to stay.
-------------------- Joe McGillicuddy Signgraphix 2354 Lambert Drive, Pasadena CA jmcgillicuddy1@earthlink.net Posts: 20 | From: Pasadena, California | Registered: Oct 2003
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mike-o-neill on skype
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