Recommended VoIP Phone

dairec

Hi there,

I'm moving into a new place next week and want to go VoIP (prob. with Blueface). I'm looking to get an (unlocked) IP Phone with routing capabilities.

Can anyone recommend a particular phone and where is the cheapest place to get them? I've had a look at the links in the List Of VoIP Providers & Hardware thread which seem to be mostly full of phones advertised as Skype phones which presumably won't work with blueface.
Same to be said for eBay although I do see a SIEMENS GIGASET C450 on there for €126 and that one looks pretty good.

Any suggestions?

Daire

far2gud

Look for something like the Sipura 2100 on EBAY. These are decent adapters which allow you to use a standard dect phone for VOIP.

mickoneill30

Another vote for getting an ATA instead. 1: You can use a normal phone in it and 2: You have two ports so you can plug 2 phones in and use one for Blueface and the second for other providers such as VoipDiscount or VoipBuster to get piles of free calls to America / Australia etc. Saves a fortune if you use it.

My other half spends about 3 or 4 hours a week to foreign countries and I use it for ringing work in America when I'm working from home. My total phone bill for the year is €140. Doesn't include my broadband bill but I'd have that anyway.

You're right about the Skype phone. Most providers and VoIP phones are SIP compatible (it's a standard). Skype doesn't follow this standard.

dairec

It looks like most folk seem to use ATAs but I don't have a standard phone and so presumably I would be better off just getting a phone with routing capabilities built-in? Unless there's some other advantage I'm missing. To quote the VOIP FAQ:

Should I use an ATA or an IP phone?
A: It depends on your preference and budget. An ATA will allow you to use analog phones for VoIP. While this might save money, they do not have one touch feature keys (e.g. transfer, hold, etc). On the other hand, using IP phones will provide more features that are similar to digital phones.

mickoneill30 wrote:

Another vote for getting an ATA instead. 1: You can use a normal phone in it and 2: You have two ports so you can plug 2 phones in and use one for Blueface and the second for other providers such as VoipDiscount or VoipBuster to get piles of free calls to America / Australia etc. Saves a fortune if you use it.

Are these software based calling services? I can't see myself getting a headset and using these - will probably just use the phone.

Thanks for any comments,

Daire

mickoneill30

dairec wrote:

It looks like most folk seem to use ATAs but I don't have a standard phone and so presumably I would be better off just getting a phone with routing capabilities built-in? Unless there's some other advantage I'm missing. To quote the VOIP FAQ:



Are these software based calling services? I can't see myself getting a headset and using these - will probably just use the phone.

Thanks for any comments,

Daire

They're not software services. You put the SIP details into your ATA and then use your normal phone with either Blueface or VoIPDiscount or whoever. There's no need for a PC at all. An example diagram is here http://www.voipdiscount.com/en/sipp.html
For me I've got a 4 port router and my ATA just plugs into one of those ports. Then I've got 2 phones plugged into that. One is configured to always use BlueFace and the other is set to always use VoIPDiscount. This way I can use whichever gives me the cheapest calls and both can be used at the same time.

I think another advantage is cost. I've seen VoIP phones and generally I've found it cheaper to buy a normal phone + an ATA. As for the call holding and forwarding I don't use those so if those are features you need the VoIP phone might be better (I dunno).
Another big advantage for me is that I can use a wireless DECT phone. I've got a wireless phone with 4 handsets. So the base plugs into the ATA and then I can setup the 4 phones throughout the house. No need to have the phone beside the router.

dairec

mickoneill30 wrote:

They're not software services...

Thanks for your reply Mick.
I see the cost-effectiveness of using the ATA/VoiPDiscount method now. Most of my calls will be to Australia and I see VoIPDiscount even offer 120 days of free calls to Oz and a rate of only 1c/min thereafter. However since I currently don't have any phones and will be living in a small apartment I'm not too keen on the idea of getting more than one phone.

mickoneill30 wrote:

Another big advantage for me is that I can use a wireless DECT phone. I've got a wireless phone with 4 handsets. So the base plugs into the ATA and then I can setup the 4 phones throughout the house. No need to have the phone beside the router.

Speaking of going wireless, I've just come across the possiblity of the Wifi phone solution for which I've posted another thread.

Daire

mickoneill30

dairec wrote:

Thanks for your reply Mick.
I see the cost-effectiveness of using the ATA/VoiPDiscount method now. Most of my calls will be to Australia and I see VoIPDiscount even offer 120 days of free calls to Oz and a rate of only 1c/min thereafter. However since I currently don't have any phones and will be living in a small apartment I'm not too keen on the idea of getting more than one phone.

Blueface do have a feature in their labs setup where you can dial 9 or something and get it to use VoipDiscounts (or other providers) SIP server so you can use one phone for 2 or more SIP providers. I haven't mentioned it before because it's complicated and didn't want to confuse the issue. But if you really, really wanted only one phone you could use more than one SIP provider on it. I've never really looked into it but it might do you. You'ld need to look up about it on their forums.