Saving a heap on your phone bill...

[adamtas]

Firstly, I'm not associated with them in any way so it's not advertising... just too good a deal to miss out on.

I don't know whether it is inappropriate to post this info, but in the interests of helping everyone afford more woodwork tools etc, here's a deal...

http://forums.whirlpool.net.au/forum-replies.cfm?t=758133

If you have got ADSL, you can get an internet phone - VoIP it's called - Voice over Internet Protocol.

How it works - you sign up to a company and have credit. You buy a device called an ATA - an Analogue Telephone Adapter - and connect it to your LAN at home. Or connect it to your ADSL router (modem) and if you only have one network port, buy a hub or a switch, or better - connect your ADSL router to your PC with the USB cable.

You plug a normal telephone like a touchphone or a cordless into the ATA and that's it! Calls to any landline anywhere in Australia for 10 cents for up to 2 hours. Calls to mobiles for 15 cents a minute, after which it's per second billing which makes it cheap. Calls overseas from 1.9 cents per minute. I made a call to USA yesterday to arrange a delivery price on a tripod I am buying. The phone call cost me 5 cents - half of what it would have cost me to ring next door!
Calls to other users of this service is FREE!! So you sign up, you get everyone you know to sign up - family and friends, and so long as you are on ADSL you can all talk for free - no monthly fees, credit does not expire. And you get a real phone number (called a DID) that can be hosted in any major centre in Australia - so if you are in Sydney and you get your DID number hosted in Perth W.A., anyone in Perth can call you for the cost of a local call, and it costs you nothing. Or you can ring them for 10 cents.

If you miss a call, it goes to free voicemail where you can record your own introduction.
And, you can have your voicemail messages emailed to you as a WAV file, for free!

Yes I am pretty rapt with the service I have been getting with my VoIP.
This deal finishes at the end of June so act quick.

Go to the WhirlPool link above, have a good read of the first post there to cover all the
instructions, then if you choose to, follow his link to buy.
I bought a device called a V100. They come pre-configured so it's dead easy to get on. And if you need it, their helpdesk is pretty good.
They also have another device called a V300 - this allows you to connect your home phone up to it as well, and use the same handset for internet (VoIP) calls, and normal "phone line" calls. Outgoing calls on this device automatically go via VoIP, and emergency calls automatically go via the phone line. And it has spare network ports, so ifg you need a switch or a hub, this could be a good option instead.

You can also get auto monthly top-up of your account to a set credit, say $20, then if you only use $6 of calls for the billing month, they only bill you $6 to bring your credit back to $20.
Once you're happy with the service, you change your home phone plan to the minimum and save even more.

I've babbled enough. If you want to know more you can ask me, or them.
Now, go save some money!

[ptc]

I have skype and it is u/s

[echnidna]

know people with engin and it seems ok

[adamtas]

I have skype and it is u/s

Not like skype - it's a whole lot better than Skype.

[ozwinner]

Adam.
If you want to advertise on these forums you need to contact Neil and work out some sort of advertising program/payment plan.

Normally spam just gets deleted, but I can see you can benefit from the advertising.

ozwinner - Administrator
Woodworking Australia's
WOODWORK FORUMS

[adamtas]

OK. Understood. If the post gets deleted, then so be it, and sorry for wasting whoever's time it is that has to delete it.
As I said, not advertising... just too good a deal to miss out on.
I came across it because a friend told me about it, joined, and it was better than "good", so thought I'd share.

I'll leave it at that and let people judge the info I provided on its merits.:wink:

[q9]

I just got Engin - $15/month, all local and national calls for free. Hardware was free too. 30 day trial as well - don't like it, cancel. I'm keeping it :)

[AV Elec]

I use VOIP, the internet, routers(the computer ones;), etc all the time. I am not affiliated with any VOIP or telco company though. I work with plasmas, projectors, etc.

I just thought I would share what I did for the inlaws who are absolute novices to technology.

They used to spend $90 per month on dial up internet, telephone rental, and phone calls. I connected them to ADSL, and used the above VOIP provider to save them money on long distance phone calls. Now they still pay the same per month in total, but they have BROADBAND INTERNET:2tsup:.

It is the way of the future. If you need help, the guys (and gals) at whirlpool are a very helpful and friendly bunch.

[DavidG]

I Have Skype.

Just remember that NONE of these services have 000 calls.
In an emergency, or when the power is out, you need a basic land line or mobile service.

[AV Elec]

Just remember that NONE of these services have 000 calls.
In an emergency, or when the power is out, you need a basic land line or mobile service.

This is not 100% correct.

While MNF does connect to 000, it does not pass your physical address to emergency.
Engine connects to 000 and passes on your address. Passing on your address is important if for example a kid rings up and doesn't know their address, or someone was to be in a situation where they could not talk coherently.

The power issue is another thing. No power, no modem = no VOIP.

Also landlines phones usually guarantee 100% service, however VOIP providers guarantee approx 98% uptime. Some people use the budget landline service for receiving calls as well as emergencies, and still save money.

I have a mobile with good reception and no kids, so it is not really a concern to me. VOIP saves me approx $40 per month :U

[STAR]

I have Engin. They say it works for a lot of people, for me it is a crock of SH3te.

Five metres away from the computer and and it crashes. Next to the computer it keeps breaking up and people at the other end say that it is hard to understand.

For some reason it does not make it. Telstra have nothing to fear with it.

I persavered with it by making calls to business's that i do not associate with my company. But no way would a ring a client on it.

[AV Elec]

Five metres away from the computer and and it crashes. Next to the computer it keeps breaking up and people at the other end say that it is hard to understand.

For some reason it does not make it.

Sounds like you don't have enough upload bandwidth, you are using the wrong codec, or you don't have a router with QOS (quality of service)

Are you using wireless internet (I don't mean wireless LAN)?

I don't understand the "5 metres away from the computer" I use a cordless panasonic phone connected to an ATA. The panasonic has a range of 1000m:U

[STAR]

AV Elec. Thanks for the reply. I am computer illiterate. But I worked through the system as I was told and when I speak to the supposed IT gurus and tell them my problem they just give me a blank stare, offer some mumbo jumbo and then move on.

I need a technician to come in and set up my computer to suit me, but the guys I talk to I have no confidence in. Some of these IT consultants might be just that because a few might be unemployable when competing with somebody who really is on top of the game and knows his stuff.

You have given me something to think about and i might give it another try if i can find somebody who does not charge an arm and a leg. ( I can loose that in my workshop ) and is not a complete idiot.

[AV Elec]

This forum http://forums.whirlpool.net.au/forum-threads.cfm?f=107
has the best VOIP nerds in the country, there is nothing they don't know!Ask away, they are very helpful.

If you really want someone to look at it, why not ask them:D. The correct forum to post to get work done is http://forums.whirlpool.net.au/forum-threads.cfm?f=125. You might be able to find a uni student willing to do it for bugger all:2tsup::2tsup:.

[abitfishy]

The telephone was a great advancement in technology - VOIP is putting it backwards. It can be 'fun' to use your computer for free phone calls (the completely 'free' ones are limited - VOIP to VOIP or similar), but overall in quality and reliability it scores a big NOUGHT. I expect excellent voice quality, without having to repeat myself every few sentences, having a delay or sounding like me or the other person is in a underground mine, and unfortunately thats all VOIP gives you. Some are happy with it, but you will find the thrill of the technology being able to communicate that way seems to overtake their senses and expectations.

Broadband speed can have a lot to do with it, but I have experienced several businesses that I deal with with work (IT) that have a dedicated VOIP system with dedicated high speed line and the feedback has been that even then its only acceptable about 85% of the time and completely useless 15%, and thats spending a lot of $$$ to set it up.

[AV Elec]

For every person who cannot get VOIP working, there is someone who is happy to take a small quality cut in their landline calls to save $50 per month.

I liken the quality to a mobile phone call. They are not perfect, but it is a quality I am happy to live with for the savings.

For best results you need 256k up stream broadband bandwidth (128k works ok, but not ideal), and a router with quality of service.

And no, you don't talk using your computer, you use your normal telephone which is connected into your router. You don't actually even need a computer to use VOIP.

[prozac]

I have been using VOIP for around 15 months. I pay $9.95 pm and calls cost 10c anywhere in Australia. O/S calls are around 3c per minute.

I am a bit lazy and use my normal landline (pstn) for local calls, but my ISP only charges $19.95 pm for this service. All up I am paying the same per month as I would have with Telstra ($29.95), and I have 2 lines, 2 phone numbers and cheap calls.

I found that when I was on the internet I sometimes got a bad line. This will be overcome this week when I buy a new modem with QoS or Quality of Service. Put simply the modem allocates packets of information or more bandwidth to the telephone connection over the internet connection. Those of you with bad connection, check to make sure your modem supports QoS.

With the new modem my calls will automatically be directed to either VOIP or to PSTN (landline) depending which is cheaper. I will also be able to make and receive 2 calls at the same time using just my normal Telstra phone.

But back to plain VOIP. I call friends in Europe and they ask "Where are you?". "I'm downstairs in the cafe" I tell them, and they believe me because VOIP is so clear.

I like it.

prozac

[Terry B]

I have only recently got decent broadband-HOORAH and haven't looked into the VOIP thing but I have a question.
When using the VOIP does it add much to the total downloads and uploads?
I have a big allocation but it is not unlimited. Would I run out of internet allocation?

[Groggy]

Terry, info here (http://www.woodworkforums.ubeaut.com.au/showthread.php?t=53624&highlight=voip+2000).

[Binary]

Apart from having the net connection and hardware the VOIP provider will make a big difference in call quality and service reliability. I am onto my third of fourth provider and have found the current one is much better then previous ones. Currently enjoying 8c untimed calls, daughter even made a $0.004 call some time ago (yes less then 1/2 a cent). Wife made a 17min call to the UK for 8 cents. What I am saving in "normal calls" pays for the line rental, VOIP and the fast internet. :) :)

Also watch what cordless phone you buy! I was blaming the VOIP for poor voice quality but then noticed using a wired desk phone it was fine - the Oricom cordless phone was to blame.

[adamtas]

A bit has changed since the first link I posted in this thread, so I thought I would see what's going on.
http://forums.whirlpool.net.au/forum-replies.cfm?t=1126714 is the current link. In any case, the deal I was suggesting was the Whirlpoolsaver, you can read about it on the Whirlpool site from that link. I won't update again, but check to see if you are looking at the latest link by searching.
Benefits of Whirlpoolsaver =
No ongoing monthly cost
10 cent untimed calls anywhere in Aus
As low as 1.9 cents a minute - see previous posts for examples of what can be achieved with VoIP.
15 cents a minute to mobiles, charged by the second.
Voicemail, with free voicemail to email redirection, so your email is your answering machine...
Lotsa other things.
Many VoIP companies out there, as suggested the Whirlpool forum link has all the goods and discussions.
Whether you go for WhirlpoolSaver with MyNetFone or any other plan / provider, I strongly recommend you consider VoIP to save money on your home phone bill. Have a look at some of the plans to see whether as monthly charge and lower call costs suits you better than no monthly charge and a slightly higher call cost. Either way, still cheaper than Hel$tra.
In short, you will need at least a 512K broadband connection. Data transferred is negligable - about 2Mb for a 20 minute call from memory, but good idea to check. I know it's not much. And if you can set up QOS as mentioned earlier, an excellent way of improving the quality of calls.
We have a wireless network over 8 houses sharing one 1500 plan broadband, and it has 3 VoIP services on it as well as the broadband for the computers - some houses have more than one computer.
Satellite broadband is no good for VoIP due to the latency (too long a delay for the data packets to get thru = too long a pause between speak and listen, meaning you end up talking over each other, or perhaps it won't even work).
All this has been said before, on Whirlpool.
Hope this helps you.