| reply to dcdeadbeat5
Re: Goggle Voice is great - been using a long time said by dcdeadbeat5:said by fAcEtIOUs: The calls are NOT VOIP. They are thru the regular switched phone network. [att=1] Actually the calls are VOIP. They are just using a web callback system and of course they terminate at the PSTN on both ends. But the call is definitely a VOIP call. There was a hack a while ago that allowed you to use a SIP phone to use Google Voice for free calls. But Google closed the gateway. But at least you can still use it for the web callback number. I don't consider it full VOIP unless the call isn't on the PSTN at all. All Google is doing is using the internet backbone for transport. It is more like Comcast's CDV than it is like Vonage.
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 ptrowskiGot Helix?Premium
join:2005-03-14
Putnam, CT
kudos:4
 ·VOIPo
| said by fAcEtIOUs:said by dcdeadbeat5:said by fAcEtIOUs: The calls are NOT VOIP. They are thru the regular switched phone network. [att=1] Actually the calls are VOIP. They are just using a web callback system and of course they terminate at the PSTN on both ends. But the call is definitely a VOIP call. There was a hack a while ago that allowed you to use a SIP phone to use Google Voice for free calls. But Google closed the gateway. But at least you can still use it for the web callback number. I don't consider it full VOIP unless the call isn't on the PSTN at all. All Google is doing is using the internet backbone for transport. It is more like Comcast's CDV than it is like Vonage. I would personally consider it VoIP if it goes from my ATA into the modem and out from there, no POTS line here.
That's VoIP to me and I would think the vast majority of VoIP providers out there.
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| reply to fAcEtIOUs
said by fAcEtIOUs:said by dcdeadbeat5:said by fAcEtIOUs: The calls are NOT VOIP. They are thru the regular switched phone network. [att=1] Actually the calls are VOIP. They are just using a web callback system and of course they terminate at the PSTN on both ends. But the call is definitely a VOIP call. There was a hack a while ago that allowed you to use a SIP phone to use Google Voice for free calls. But Google closed the gateway. But at least you can still use it for the web callback number. I don't consider it full VOIP unless the call isn't on the PSTN at all. All Google is doing is using the internet backbone for transport. It is more like Comcast's CDV than it is like Vonage. But the fact that it travels over the Internet and not the entire PSTN from end to end makes it by definition VOIP.
Using your definition SKype-Out would not be VOIP either.
But the truth is that this is VOIP. It just terminates to the PSTN at two points instead of just one.
So it is definitely VOIP. |
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| reply to ptrowski
Yeah, it's a matter of "perspective". For the person with only a POTS landline, none of his/her calls are VoIP. For the person who only has VoIP service (for example, Vonage or CDV), all calls are VoIP. Whether it's packet-based or circuit-switched at different points in between is irrelevant to the customer (which says nothing about call quality).  |
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iansltx
join:2007-02-19
Golden, CO
kudos:2 Reviews:
 ·Comcast
| reply to dcdeadbeat5
Then again, your cheap LD providers probably also use packet-switched voice on the long haul. Seems what Google is doing here is just that, so it's no more VoIP-ish than, say, the penny-a-minute VoIP-powered LD plans out there these days.
Also FWIW Google Voice is awesome. I've used the callback feature several times to ring a landline and connect me to an otherwise-LD call. My family's landline (LifeLine for whatever reason is on there, so the bill is just a few bucks a month for unlimited local and inbound, nothing else) is suddenly empowered with GV, so I'm hapy.
As an added bonus, my 210 area code number effectively serves as a free calling card at San Antonio International Airport, in case my power-hungry cell goes dead |
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| said by iansltx:Then again, your cheap LD providers probably also use packet-switched voice on the long haul. Seems what Google is doing here is just that, so it's no more VoIP-ish than, say, the penny-a-minute VoIP-powered LD plans out there these days. Also FWIW Google Voice is awesome. I've used the callback feature several times to ring a landline and connect me to an otherwise-LD call. My family's landline (LifeLine for whatever reason is on there, so the bill is just a few bucks a month for unlimited local and inbound, nothing else) is suddenly empowered with GV, so I'm hapy. As an added bonus, my 210 area code number effectively serves as a free calling card at San Antonio International Airport, in case my power-hungry cell goes dead But it is VOIP. They use SIP for the connections and terminate with L3.
Why is this so difficult fore people to understand? It is VOIP just like Skype, Vonage, Verizon Business, etc. |
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iansltx
join:2007-02-19
Golden, CO
kudos:2 Reviews:
·Comcast
| When people think VoIP they think of having to have some box (ATA, computer, eMTA, MagicJack dongle, tin can with an Ethernet port) that's not the same as their typical RJ-11 or GSM/CDMA based fixed or mobile phone.
I agree that Google Voice is VoIP...what smart provider wouldn't be? However I'll bet some cellular companies route their calls over IP transport at this point, and VoIP-based long distance is what makes calling inside and outside the US cheap.
Yes, I'm blurring the line here but so is Google. GV isn't your daddy's VoIP and honestly the average Joe doesn't care how his call is routed (circuit-switched, packet-switched, laser beams, smoke signals, carrier pigeons) as long as the darned thing works  |
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| said by iansltx:When people think VoIP they think of having to have some box (ATA, computer, eMTA, MagicJack dongle, tin can with an Ethernet port) that's not the same as their typical RJ-11 or GSM/CDMA based fixed or mobile phone. I agree that Google Voice is VoIP...what smart provider wouldn't be? However I'll bet some cellular companies route their calls over IP transport at this point, and VoIP-based long distance is what makes calling inside and outside the US cheap. Yes, I'm blurring the line here but so is Google. GV isn't your daddy's VoIP and honestly the average Joe doesn't care how his call is routed (circuit-switched, packet-switched, laser beams, smoke signals, carrier pigeons) as long as the darned thing works I agree that most people don't care how their phone calls are transported. The only reason this does matter is a legal one. VOIP providers don't have the same regulations (or uptime guarantee) that telcos (ILECS and CLECS) do.
People are accustomed to their traditional phone (PSTN) working all the time (and with 911). VOIP works when it works. There is no quality or regulatory control with VOIP.
So people need to be made aware of this when ditching their traditional phone lines for a service like Google Voice or Skype (Skype even warns about this on their website).
There are no guarantees with Google Voice or any VOIP provider. User beware on this one. |
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iansltx
join:2007-02-19
Golden, CO
kudos:2 Reviews:
·Comcast
| GV can't be used as a traditional phone provider. At best it's a calling card that'll route wherever needed, but you still have to have some sort of phone at both ends from another company. As such, you also have a fallback when GV doesn't work: your regular phone provider |
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