questions need answering

thetourist

hi - am new to voip - could anyone briefly answer a few questions i havent been able to find the answers to yet on net - i realise there are a lot of questions - any information is appreciated - thanks

1 - why is everyone on about skype - i presume there's a reason why they are most popular
2 - there are so many other providers out there - is there any shortlist of providers which are good for home and small office in this country - also are there any good ones who give a flat rate for calls out
3 - can anyone explain why providers and protocols are mixed - i have seen comments like " .... who's main competetors are skype and SIP" - surely that's like putting ford and petrol in the one list ???? - i am puzzled
4 - i am hoping to get an IP phone - one that connects directly into the router without using the pc - are these usually locked to a provider ( or protocol ) or are they usually open to all
5 - if i go with one provider then is it a given that i can call people who are on ANY other provider for free - or is it just certain providers to certain providers ( i know calls to landlines and mobies are not free )
6 - if i want to call voip to voip then do i dial a regular telepone or is it an ip address or something - the reason i am asking this is that if i am with provider A and a mate is with provider B then how will i see on my software that he is online on his software and how do the two interface together or do both of us need something like "skype out" (and the equivolent with the other provider ) to talk to one another - ( ie that the call would not be free )

paulm17781

1 - They offer free skype to skype, it got them a market share.

2 - I use Blueface, http://www.blueface.ie

3 - Skype is propriatry and not compatible with SIP. They are like Beta and VHS.

4 - Look at and ATA. More on Blueface site

5 - More on Blueface site

6 - More on Blueface site

Just to clarify, Skype isn't really VOIP as such. It is a peer to peer program. Only Skype users can contact other Skype users.

Cabaal

gumboots wrote:

1 - why is everyone on about skype - i presume there's a reason why they are most popular

I suppose because it was the most mainstream and there's been alot of media hype lately because of ebay buying it etc, basically there's alot of money behind it.

2 - there are so many other providers out there - is there any shortlist of providers which are good for home and small office in this country - also are there any good ones who give a flat rate for calls out

Business providers would include the likes of Voiceireland, Broadtalk, Blueface etc who all have Business packages.
The likes of broadtalk.ie and blueface.ie offer flatrate packages that cover all landlines calls (doubt you'll find one that covers mobiles at a flatrate )

General list of Irish providers is available from http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=250586 alone with some priceplan info, but your best bet is check the websites.

4 - i am hoping to get an IP phone - one that connects directly into the router without using the pc - are these usually locked to a provider ( or protocol ) or are they usually open to all

I'm unsure about broadtalk, voiceireland etc but I know that Blueface do not lock their hardware, Personally I think a better buy would be a ATA (Analog Telephone Adapter) so you can use standard PSTN phones with your VoIP setup instead.
You'll find most people here are using a ATA instead of a IP-Phone.

5 - if i go with one provider then is it a given that i can call people who are on ANY other provider for free - or is it just certain providers to certain providers ( i know calls to landlines and mobies are not free )

For example lets say you signup with blueface then you'd be able to call almost all other VoIP providers (except Skype) provided that Blueface setup the correct ext so that you can dial other networks such as Sipgate in the UK
Check out the Other VoIP Network Section of http://www.blueface.ie/support/useful.aspx as a example.

6 - if i want to call voip to voip then do i dial a regular telepone or is it an ip address or something - the reason i am asking this is that if i am with provider A and a mate is with provider B then how will i see on my software that he is online on his software and how do the two interface together or do

Again this related to the Other VoIP Network section of http://www.blueface.ie/support/useful.aspx

As an example lets say your blueface VoIP extention is 1234, then if your friend was using Gizmo and had a VoIP ext of 1234567 (http://www.gizmoproject.com/) and he wanted to call you he'd enter 1234@blueface.ie into his VoIP software provided by Gizmo and he'd be able to call you.

If you wanted to call your friend then first off Blueface would need to add a ext to call the Gizmo network such as *9, so if you wanted to call your friend on Gizmo you'd dial *91234567

All calls would be free.

thetourist

thanks a pcaket for all the help

They (skype) offer free skype to skype

is this not true for many providers? or were skype the first or something

Skype is propriatry and not compatible with SIP. They are like Beta and VHS.

does this mean that someone on skype cannot talk to someone (at all ) on a system that uses SIP ??


why are more people into ata's - is it just because they can use a phone that they're used to or is there some other reason - i met one guy who used one in the states because he was able to phone his home phone local from work and then route it anywhere in the world at voip rates - but is this the reason for using an ata ?? - i would have thought an ip phone would have been more straightforward !!

Skype isn't really VOIP as such. It is a peer to peer program. Only Skype users can contact other Skype users.

For example lets say you signup with blueface then you'd be able to call almost all other VoIP providers (except Skype)

does this just mean it's not free or that you actually cant call them ?? - what about other voip networks can none of them call skype
to go with skype seems like a bad decision then - yes ???

one last question - is it possible to have 2 skype or blueface numbers on the same pc or more correctly the same network - one of each or 2 of the same ie skype * 2 or skype *1 and blueface *1

thanks again - i have really tried to get answers to these questions and have found this forum helpful

BigMoose

gumboots wrote:

is this not true for many providers? or were skype the first or something

Skype is easy and hassle free, you install it and it just works (to other skype users). Less setup and hassle than real VoIP/SIP providors but is less flexible. While with Skypeout you can call any public phone number (at cost) you cannot call other SIP addresses at all. Where as from a provider like Blueface you can call all public phone numbers (at cost) plus all SIP addresses (as explained in previous post) for free.

So someone on Skype can call my blueface 01 number, but it'll cost them. However any other SIP provider can call my SIP address for free.

SIP networks cannot call Skype, unless the user has SkypeIn and same rules apply for calling a public phone number (it costs).

As for why ATA over IP phone, at the time I got my account with blueface setup (around Jan/Feb this year) IP phones were rubbish, large and expensive but I already had a wireless DECT handset, so it was a no brainer. As far as I know IP phones are still expensive and are not as handy as a wireless DECT, so the ATA route is more flexible, cheaper (probably, at least was for me at the time) and just as functional.