NTL Blueface VoIP quetions

Kalev

Hi,
I am currently looking into switch ISP from BT to NTL.

I had wanted to get rid of my landline altogether, but NTL do not provide their phone service in my location.

If I switch it would be to the 10Mb connection.

I have only just begun looking into Blueface options but wanted to ask for opinions on this setup.

NTL 10Mb connection
Blueface account (eventually porting my landline number)

If I am correct, this would eliminate my need for a landline altogether?

Anyone currently using this setup? And how is the voice quality quality?
I was going to purchase a Linksys WRP400 wireless ATA/Router to connect my analogue phones into (as well as built in QoS). Will this work behind an NTL connection?


Also, before the landline number is ported to Blueface, how do people ring you? (ie; do they provide some number??)

All info appreciated.
Thanks

Rather_b_diving

Short answer is your proposed solution seems fine!

First off - I've had bad experiences with Chorus / NTL in the past and am pigheaded enough to not repeat bad experiences. That said don't let my bad experiences impact your decision as many people have good experiences and are very happy with their service.

In terms of the specifics:
With a Blueface account you'll be given a 076 number initially and can port your land line number later. You can make and receive calls using this number. I've been a happy Blueface customer for over 4 years but I never ported my landline as I need it for DSL broadband anyway.

UPCs 10Mbps service should be fine there may be a small amount more latency then DSL but that won't be a problem

Call quality should also be the same as you currently have - the Linksysy router/ATA will work fine and should support the various codecs used by Blueface - you could even purchase it through Blueface (preconfigured)

As its based on the prepay model you'll have to ensure you have a positive balance but the good news there is you've no unhappy suprises.

Cabaal

Moving to VoIP

Kalev

Thanks for the repsonse.
I am trying to lower my monthly costs. I was only with BT business plan sue to their no monthly caps. (Paying quite a high price for both line and broadband ~120/mnth!!)
The only reason I am interested in NTL is their no monthly cap policy for the 10Mb plan. Of course, if I go that route, I wanted a plan for the phone (which wasnt offered).

I've heard some bad things about NTL as well, and have had bad experiences with them. I am reluctant to change, but cost is a much bigger factor for me. Annualy I would be saving a great deal of money moving.

I suppose I would be able to sign up with Blueface now (even with the DSL line) and try it out. If I am happy with the service I could try to port number as well.

Hmm, if I use blueface now, port the number before switching to NTL. (Besides config changes on the router) would that require any changes with the Blueface account?

Rather_b_diving

You won't be able to port the number you're currently using for DSL broadband as the line would cease. My advice would be to get a blueface account with a 076 number and start using it. Then get UPC BB and make sure its in before you port your number. I think you might have to cancel BB before they'll port the number but blueface will be able to tell you more.

Blueface can be up and running for only €5 in your account. You can then change the account type once you're happy. You'll need an ATA / router with inbuilt ATA or a VoIP phone (I use the Siemens Gigaset 450IP)

As an FYI BT have an unlimited package which you could use - its probably 7.6Mbps if you're not in their LLU footprint but @ 12:1 contention its probably better than the 10Mbps from UPC

Kalev

I took a look at what they have to offer, but their 'fair use' policy is a bit general. I would be reluctant to move from business to residential and suffer throttling.

subfreq

I am in pretty much the same position as the conversation on this thread. Consolidating phone/BB/Satellite TV into one provider to make a very nice annual saving.

It means going to the dark side and hooking back up with NTL but I can take the pain of a lower grade TV service by off setting the savings.

My question for those that have Blueface is has anyone set it up on a mac platform with a router/ATA and cordless phone and had it all working? If so could you point me in the direction of the hardware that you chose to use. When I was researching this it seemed some of the ATA devices were not Mac compatible and I haven't got a definitive answer on this one.

Cheers for any help.

Kalev

Hey Subfreq,
working on that part now.

However, that being said I just couldn't deal with the ineptness of NTL.

The screwed up the install date, and then screwed up the one had in their system.....a complete no show.
I became a little concerned because I thought they had been working on their customer service since the last time this happend 3 years ago.
(I actually had to go to the head office after the 3rd no show from a tech)

I wanted to get it to save money, but I began to realize that if all they can do right is take an order. Can't deliver the service, then what happens if something goes wrong? I just assumed if they cant deliver, they won't be able to manage any issues with it.

I'm now just looking into broadband with bt, without the call packages.

Be warned: NTL has not changed at all, despite their adverts, and offers, it really is the same old same old. (unfortunately)

subfreq

God help me. I knew I was getting a Taxi to the dark side so next Tuesday will be the telling day of whether they a) Turn Up and b)Do a proper install without butchering my house. I know the answer to point two and it pains me.

I just think Sky and Eircom are awfully overpriced and VOIP is the way forward.

If by some small miracle Chorus prove me wrong next week then it's all good.

Just need to find a proven Mac OSX VOIP/Handsfree phone setup now to pull it all together.

Johnboy1951

subfreq wrote: »

God help me. I knew I was getting a Taxi to the dark side so next Tuesday will be the telling day of whether they a) Turn Up and b)Do a proper install without butchering my house. I know the answer to point two and it pains me.

I just think Sky and Eircom are awfully overpriced and VOIP is the way forward.

If by some small miracle Chorus prove me wrong next week then it's all good.

Just need to find a proven Mac OSX VOIP/Handsfree phone setup now to pull it all together.

VOIP set up should be done through the hardware and all you might need the PC for is to access the setup in the hardware by using a browser.
There is no need for a PC to be on if you have an ATA or a Router with VOIP phone connections built in.

I would suggest that you choose carefully your hardware.
You need something that will hold SIP addresses of your contacts and allocate them to quick dial numbers.
Those are needed to make free calls between you and someone else with a VOIP setup.
Those calls could also be made through your PC, but the idea would be to be able to phone both standard phones and VOIP users directly from your handset.

I have a (possibly business grade) router which not only allows me to register multiple VOIP numbers, but also has a Dial Plan built in, which is used to store all contacts. I can call any of them with a quick dial number.
Of course I can also call any standard phone number by using the usual method of the handsets keypad.

Hope that makes some sense to you.

No problems with Blueface at all.

Regards.

subfreq

Thanks JB

Makes perfect sense.

I know on the face of it it was probably a bit of a dumb question regarding mac compatibility but as I had no idea I just wanted to throw it out and see what people who use the system say.

Blueface to their credit have been awesome in terms of support and getting back to me with very clear answers.

Going to get an IP phone off them so just like you say it is totally independent to computers.

stauntj

Help Me! Im new to voip and have been reading up for hours to answer my questions. What I want is a VOIP phone that connects to my UPC broadband and i can then make and receive calls through skype with my computer off and without a landline connection. just dont know do I need to sign up to UPC's voip phone option or can i just buy my own voip phone through skype and hook it up. Skype phones all seem to mention the need for a landline connection and who wants to pay line rental?

Johnboy1951

stauntj wrote: »

Help Me! Im new to voip and have been reading up for hours to answer my questions. What I want is a VOIP phone that connects to my UPC broadband and i can then make and receive calls through skype with my computer off and without a landline connection. just dont know do I need to sign up to UPC's voip phone option or can i just buy my own voip phone through skype and hook it up. Skype phones all seem to mention the need for a landline connection and who wants to pay line rental?

Skype and SIP VOIP are totally different.
A Skype phone will not work with other VOIP providers.
Skype does not permit its members to make calls to other VOIP users outside of the Skype network/membership.

You need to decide first if you need SIP VOIP which is just about the industry standard, or if you want something to connect to the Skype network only.

You need to do some more research first to ensure you get whatever it is you really want.

On the one hand there is Skype.
On the other there are all the other VOIP providers, including UPC, Eircom, Blueface, Freespeech, VoipWise, FreeWorldDialup, etc etc etc.

http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=250586

Regards.

stauntj

thanks for the reply johnboy. ive contacted some of the companies concerned for answers that never seem to be on the FAQ's! you see the reason i want to use skype is that my wifes family are in thailand and skype have a deal where you can ring thai mobiles for about 4euro per month. UPC charge 85 cent per minute which is just insane for VOIP. Now it would be dead simple for me to get in a upc phone and make and receive calls with that and I would be happy to use it to receive calls although i'd prefer it to have a galway prefix which is something skype offer with their online number service. I know absolutely no one with voip telephony so wouldnt bother me if myskype phone couldnt call other voip providers such as upc, blueface etc.

Johnboy1951

stauntj wrote: »

thanks for the reply johnboy. ive contacted some of the companies concerned for answers that never seem to be on the FAQ's! you see the reason i want to use skype is that my wifes family are in thailand and skype have a deal where you can ring thai mobiles for about 4euro per month. UPC charge 85 cent per minute which is just insane for VOIP. Now it would be dead simple for me to get in a upc phone and make and receive calls with that and I would be happy to use it to receive calls although i'd prefer it to have a galway prefix which is something skype offer with their online number service. I know absolutely no one with voip telephony so wouldnt bother me if myskype phone couldnt call other voip providers such as upc, blueface etc.

OK, I have Blueface VOIP over an Eircom broadband connection and not Eircom VOIP.
With that I get a free 076xx number which can be called from any phone .... it is an Irish non-geographic number for VOIP.
I also have the option with Blueface of getting a regional number which rings the same line as the 076xx number.

If I took those options, my phone could be called from
1. any phone to the 076xxx number
2. any phone using the regional number - say 091xxx
3. any PC in the world on <me>@blueface from their SIP VOIP account

They are one of the best providers about.
YOu can try their service with a PayAsYouGo account for as little as €5 which allows you to make calls to all phones worldwide, or a free account which gives you the 076xx number and calls over VOIP.

For specific calls like you wish to arrange, you should check the rates available from those I mentioned above and others. Some seem to be near free -- free with some catches?

The differences in price can be enormous ... Eircom landline 85c to Aus; Blueface to Aus 2c (per min)

What I wanted to point out above is that any hardware you get for Skype will not work for anyone else.
The hardware I got for SIP VOIP will work for everyone EXCEPT for Skype.

That is the real dilemma.

I prefer to be able to use my hardware with lots of providers .. you may prefer to be tied into Skype for some specific reason like a particular call charge.

For call rates etc ..... check out the web sites of a few providers ... they are there somewhere.

Regards.

Johnboy1951

stauntj wrote: »

thanks for the reply johnboy. ive contacted some of the companies concerned for answers that never seem to be on the FAQ's! you see the reason i want to use skype is that my wifes family are in thailand and skype have a deal where you can ring thai mobiles for about 4euro per month. UPC charge 85 cent per minute which is just insane for VOIP. Now it would be dead simple for me to get in a upc phone and make and receive calls with that and I would be happy to use it to receive calls although i'd prefer it to have a galway prefix which is something skype offer with their online number service. I know absolutely no one with voip telephony so wouldnt bother me if myskype phone couldnt call other voip providers such as upc, blueface etc.

OK, I have Blueface VOIP over an Eircom broadband connection and not Eircom VOIP.
With that I get a free 076xx number which can be called from any phone .... it is an Irish non-geographic number for VOIP.
I also have the option with Blueface of getting a regional number which rings the same line as the 076xx number.

If I took those options, my phone could be called from
1. any phone to the 076xxx number
2. any phone using the regional number - say 091xxx
3. any PC in the world on <me>@blueface from their SIP VOIP account

They are one of the best providers about.
YOu can try their service with a PayAsYouGo account for as little as €5 which allows you to make calls to all phones worldwide, or a free account which gives you the 076xx number and calls over VOIP.

For specific calls like you wish to arrange, you should check the rates available from those I mentioned above and others. Some seem to be near free -- free with some catches?

The differences in price can be enormous ... Eircom landline 85c to Aus; Blueface to Aus 2c (per min)

What I wanted to point out above is that any hardware you get for Skype will not work for anyone else.
The hardware I got for SIP VOIP will work for everyone EXCEPT for Skype.

That is the real dilemma.

I prefer to be able to use my hardware with lots of providers .. you may prefer to be tied into Skype for some specific reason like a particular call charge.

For call rates etc ..... check out the web sites of a few providers ... they are there somewhere.

EDIT
Just checked the Blueface rates ....
Thailand 0.053
Thailand Bangkok 0.042
Thailand Mobile 0.0436

So, four to 5 cents per minute with minimum of 2 cent charge per call with Blueface.


Regards.

stauntj

thanks for the info.

Rather_b_diving

Sorry - I've been away for a while:-)

It you're making a lot of calls to Thailand you should get the people over there to get a blueface account also (at their home). Then anyone can call them from Ireland for the price of a local 076 call.

I've a lot of friends in the UK that subscribe to blueface so their families can call them for the price of a local call - they just dial 076xxxxx.

Its simillar to Skype in/out but IMO quality is a bit better

Log-on

hey guys I'm sure this has been covered here before but thought id try it in your thread as i'm a little confused!

What do i need to use sky Hd multi room via voip on ntl? As i've ordered
Ntl BB for next Tuesday and sky multi room for the week after and i need to be able to call back sky.

I wanted to order the phone off Ntl but for some reason they only have BB and tv in my area (milltown) which doesn't make much sense if their phone is voip anyway, I dont need a phone so it's basically for Sky.

So how do i go about setting up blueface on ntl? does the ntl modem/router have an ATA in it etc or do i need to buy any special equipment?

Cheers lads and sorry if this has been posted before and i'm brining up a dead topic!

Log-on

any ideas?

rikili

Log-On,

The NTL box has 2 ATA ports, but unfortunately you can't use them, as they're locked down! Only NTL is able to configure them for their services ! (the Modem/Router is a Cisco EPC2425)...

On the other hand you could buy one of the best ATAs on the market (PAP2T) from elara for just €45 and use any VoIP provider from the net (I my self use Jumblo), or Buy one from Blueface which is configured and ready to use with BlueFace services...

Hope this helps.

Log-on

cheers for that! buy the way how can ntl offer 20mb broadband but no phone if it's a voip?

Log-on

rikili wrote: »

Log-On,

The NTL box has 2 ATA ports, but unfortunately you can't use them, as they're locked down! Only NTL is able to configure them for their services ! (the Modem/Router is a Cisco EPC2425)...

On the other hand you could buy one of the best ATAs on the market (PAP2T) from elara for just €45 and use any VoIP provider from the net (I my self use Jumblo), or Buy one from Blueface which is configured and ready to use with BlueFace services...

Hope this helps.

is the Linksys SPA2102-NA better then the pap2t? i read that it supports t.38 for faxing which should work for sky callbacks? any ideas