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ramsaso
Premium Member
join:2014-01-04
Houston, TX

ramsaso to HarryH3

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to HarryH3

Re: [General] How does a noob get started with using VoIP at home?

Use either the 832 or 346 area code. There should be some that are available in Katy. (I'm in SW Houston)

N9MD
Too busy to chat
Premium Member
join:2005-10-08
Boca Raton, FL

N9MD

Premium Member

said by ramsaso:

Use either the 832 or 346 area code. There should be some that are available in Katy.

There are no exchanges in Katy TX in AC346.  AC281 has several exchanges in Katy ... while AC832 has only a single exchange.

Reference »www.localcallingguide.co ··· h=193160
Ole Juul
join:2013-04-27
Princeton, BC

Ole Juul to HarryH3

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to HarryH3
said by HarryH3:

Voice quality seems fine, but I expected that with my 50Mbps down/5 Mbps up internet plan.

Just for reference, you don't need much bandwidth to get good VoIP. It works find with my ~2Mbps setup. Also I'm in Western Canada using an East coast USA VoIP server and get great voice quality.

topgun
join:2011-01-31

topgun to HarryH3

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to HarryH3
People forgot about VOIPo they have been excellent thus far! 185.00\2 years can't beat that with a stick. Sure there may be cheaper alternatives but if you want something that just works and not having to tinker with provisioning, support your own ata, etc. they are worth looking at. PhonePower is an excellent choice as well but I agree the cancellation fee is a little steep.

Davesworld
join:2007-10-30
Thermal, CA

Davesworld to OzarkEdge

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to OzarkEdge
said by OzarkEdge:

You can energize your house telephone wiring with the Obi, after disconnecting from the outside landline.

This assumes one is not using ADSL or VDSL.

topgun
join:2011-01-31

topgun

Member

Cordless phones are so cheap why would you want to bother with that crap anyway »panasonic.factoryoutlets ··· od1BIAQA
OzarkEdge
join:2014-02-23
USA

OzarkEdge to Davesworld

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to Davesworld
said by Davesworld:

This assumes one is not using ADSL or VDSL.

Yes, if you choose to disconnect the outside landline, you don't and won't be using xDSL.

OE
drivel
join:2013-07-12
Santa Clara, CA

drivel to HarryH3

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to HarryH3
Consider using Skype instead.
OzarkEdge
join:2014-02-23
USA

2 edits

1 recommendation

OzarkEdge to topgun

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to topgun
said by topgun:

Cordless phones are so cheap why would you want to bother with that crap anyway

Whole house connectivity options.
Use existing/much less expensive/simpler/more durable phones. An AT&T 210 costs $10 and lasts forever and turns ON/OFF automagically.
Avoid buying/maintaining/consuming batteries.

Chances are, a more expensive, more complicated phone will experience some failure sooner than later, causing you to throw the whole thing out and buy another expensive, more complicated phone. You'll pay much more in the long run maintaining batteries and replacing phones... more consumption for little or no real benefit.

And esthetically, wall warts and corded charger bases look like crap.

OE

topgun
join:2011-01-31

1 recommendation

topgun

Member

I know...22.00 every 5-10 years is a real ball breaker, lol. No one has every looked at my outlets and said...wow that is an ugly power adapter. »www.amazon.com/dp/B00N8V ··· 2K?psc=1

Davesworld
join:2007-10-30
Thermal, CA

Davesworld

Member

Imagine some snooty person looking and saying, "wallwarts? oh how gauche".

Actually I do despise them myself and would rather have any item be exactly the volume of a pill bottle larger to have nothing but 18 gauge zipcord going to it. The cords from wallwarts seem to multiply and attack you. I've had one fall out and onto my bare foot, ouch!
giqcass
join:2014-03-10

giqcass to HarryH3

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to HarryH3
said by PX Eliezer1:

All the stuff with Obi is a 3rd-party add-on Rube Goldberg kludge.

Maybe in the beginning but if you were paying attention Obi now uses a fully supported API to connect to Google Voice.
giqcass

giqcass to HarryH3

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Voip.ms and Callcentric are fine choices. For a backup service in the event of an outage to your primary service you can't beat »www.localphone.com/. I love them as a backup service. They are inexpensive, have low minimum deposits, and when you buy prepaid credit it never expires as long as you make at least 1 call per year. You can set the outbound caller ID to the same number as your primary number so people will know it's you calling.
giqcass

giqcass to drivel

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said by drivel:

Consider using Skype instead.

Make a good case for Skype.
Keep in mind the OP already bought an Obi. Skype charges $6.95/month per channel just to connect to a sip device like the Obi(only 1 channel). Another $6.95 if you want 2 channels that most phone services give you so you can use call waiting. $60 per year for an incoming phone number. Skype doesn't offer 911 so the OP would need to buy that from another company around $0.80/month - $1.50/month. Finally add the cost of either prepaid outbound calling or an outbound calling plan.

We are talking $13.75 per month for just incoming calls. We could reduce that a little if the OP returned the Obi and bought a Freetalk 1200. However that means no 911 because the Freetalk isn't a full featured ATA and like I said earlier Skype doesn't do 911.

cb14
join:2013-02-04
Miami Beach, FL

cb14 to giqcass

Member

to giqcass
said by giqcass:

Voip.ms and Callcentric are fine choices. For a backup service in the event of an outage to your primary service you can't beat »www.localphone.com/. I love them as a backup service.

Backup? I use them for several years as primary VOIP provider and a never noticed a single case of outage ( once malfunctioning voice mail though). Now show me one other provider like that. Off course, qua features Localphone is no match to Callcentric or Anveo but their reliability rocks. It's the other way around, I use Callcentric for back up ( or whenever I need some of their awesome features)
PX Eliezer1
Premium Member
join:2013-03-10
Zubrowka USA

1 edit

PX Eliezer1 to giqcass

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to giqcass
said by giqcass:

said by PX Eliezer1:

All the stuff with Obi is a 3rd-party add-on Rube Goldberg kludge.

Maybe in the beginning but if you were paying attention Obi now uses a fully supported API to connect to Google Voice.

I've been paying attention, thank you, but I see no reason at all to change my words.

-----

If someone is complaining about how "complicated" VoIP is, and they are basing that on the Obihai---Google arrangement, they need to be disabused of their mistaken beliefs.

-----

One thinks of the man who trudged and trudged up the mountain to talk with the wise mystical guru at the top.

The guru (who reached the mountaintop by wishing himself to be there) looked at the man and said, "You mean you walked?!"

Gargle
@91.121.159.x

Gargle to cb14

Anon

to cb14
said by cb14:

I use Callcentric for back up ( or whenever I need some of their awesome features)

Awesome features? Try voip.ms. That is the outfit I use for incoming. Can't beat their awesomeness. Well maybe Anveo can, but I can not figure it out.

Outgoing is easier. I am using Circlenet, but plenty of outfits can fit the outgoing bill.
nonymous (banned)
join:2003-09-08
Glendale, AZ

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For GV the Obi does not need a number. You follow Obitalk instructions to setup GV to go only to the Obi and nowhere else,
nonymous

nonymous (banned) to HarryH3

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to HarryH3
said by HarryH3:

Thanks. I just tried it and found out that GV doesn't have any numbers available for Katy, TX right now. Argh! I guess I'll try again from time to time and see if something comes available.

Get a number somewhere else cool. Most everyone has free long distance anyways. Change it if care later to a local number.
HarryH3
Premium Member
join:2005-02-21

HarryH3

Premium Member

said by nonymous:

Get a number somewhere else cool. Most everyone has free long distance anyways.

Some school functions don't allow kids to even enter with a cell phone. So when the function ends and my kids need to call me to come and get them, well, the phones at school don't allow long distance calls.

I'm covered now with a local voip.ms number. However, I still want to mess around with GV, just because I can. I'm able to dial out via GV, but the caller ID shows a number that can't be called back.
dsl2u
join:2012-05-16
R3L3A1
·VMedia

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Categorizing features you want into either Incoming or Outgoing helps most people a lot.

For free outgoing Gmail is free. So is Freephoneline. Probably a few others. If you want to display your own local phone number that is challenging. Maybe somebody here has a solution that is free.

For free incoming, CallCentric, Voxox and a few others will give you a number but it probably won't be in your area. Voxox will apparently accept incoming text messages.

For a local number that you can forward to the free incoming line....that can be hard. That may cost. Recommendations in this are would be nice. All that number needs to do is forward to another US or Canadian number.

If you use more than one number it can be way more complex but is doable.

So by not insisting that one company handle everything....you'll save a pile.
dsl2u

dsl2u to garys_2k

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to garys_2k
Or use Callcentric's incoming line for free and Gmail/Freephoneline or others for outoing and not pay a cent.
dsl2u

dsl2u to HarryH3

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> I'm beginning to understand why VoIP hasn't taken off. I can't see the average Joe/Jane wanting to mess with all of this setup, configuration, maintenance, etc. It would make their heads explode.

Couldn't agree more. What they need to do is make it incredibly simple to start so the phone rings, shows you the caller ID, and voicemail takes over if you don't pick up. That's it.
dsl2u

dsl2u to drivel

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> Consider using Skype instead.

Skype's voicemail is now working! After years of not working Skype can now be used as a phone for anyone using Skype. Combine that with instant messaging and the potential is vast. Now what we need is an Aggregator (a program that monitors all your communication accounts so we don't have to run 10 programs!) for Skype, Facebook, Gmail and many others. Skype is usually not included so getting that is the key. Do any other IM services with voice offer voicemail I wonder?
PX Eliezer1
Premium Member
join:2013-03-10
Zubrowka USA

PX Eliezer1 to dsl2u

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to dsl2u
said by dsl2u:

Couldn't agree more. What they need to do is make it incredibly simple to start so the phone rings, shows you the caller ID, and voicemail takes over if you don't pick up. That's it.

And which is [exactly] what is offered at full-service providers such as Voipo, ViaTalk, Vonage, Basic Talk, PhonePower, AcroVoice, Voip.com, Ooma, Iconnecthere, and others.

Full-service and BYOD/DIY are two rather different market segments.

-----

It is quite unreasonable to expect the BYOD/DIY providers to dumb themselves down for customers who would be better suited for a full-service provider.

It's even more unreasonable to complain that BYOD/DIY is BYOD/DIY.

Next I expect to hear complaints that ice is cold, water is wet, and night is dark.

topgun
join:2011-01-31

topgun

Member

You beat me to the punch PX. VOIPo 185\2 years of service. I'm pretty tech savy but to pay for a DID, set it all up, have to do my own tech support to save what? How much could someone who uses at least 500 minutes which is the going average for VOIP providers possibly save. That being said their is some truth VOIP will never be completely mainstream like cable VOIP providers because it does require troubleshooting, a good solid internet connection, etc.
giqcass
join:2014-03-10

giqcass to HarryH3

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said by HarryH3:

I'm able to dial out via GV, but the caller ID shows a number that can't be called back.

Since Google Voice does not supply the ability to block Caller ID I have a main account with a number assigned. I use that account for normal calls. It show the CID of my assigned number. I use a separate Google Voice account set up like yours that has no number assigned for when I don't want to share my real Caller ID.
giqcass

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said by dsl2u:

> I'm beginning to understand why VoIP hasn't taken off. I can't see the average Joe/Jane wanting to mess with all of this setup, configuration, maintenance, etc. It would make their heads explode.

Couldn't agree more. What they need to do is make it incredibly simple to start so the phone rings, shows you the caller ID, and voicemail takes over if you don't pick up. That's it.

Haven't companies made it incredibly simple already? Vonage, MagicJack, Nettalk, phonepower, Fongo, and BasicTalk all sell plug and play ATA devices. Plus almost every major cable company in the country. Cable companies even set it up for you.
PX Eliezer1
Premium Member
join:2013-03-10
Zubrowka USA

PX Eliezer1

Premium Member

said by giqcass:

Haven't companies made it incredibly simple already?

Exactly.

And as I said earlier:

Voipo, ViaTalk, Vonage, Basic Talk, PhonePower, AcroVoice, Voip.com, Ooma, Iconnecthere, and others.

Full-service and BYOD/DIY are two rather different market segments.

People have a choice.

Some will buy lumber at Home Depot, others will hire a carpenter.
zamarac
join:2008-11-29
Canada

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said by dsl2u:

Voxox will apparently accept incoming text messages.

Do they have an option to forward them to email or notify by email when a text message arrives? Any other VoIP services offer such option for free, and on what plans?