UPC Home Phone vs. Skype...

WetDaddy

So, I've got my TV + Internet from UPC and I'm very happy with their service. The total lack of an Eircom landline in my house makes me thrilled

However, the mobile reception can be spotty at times so I'm thinking of getting a basic VOIP phone as a backup. With UPC, it's only €6 a month. However, most calls would be my wife calling me which I could most certainly setup using Skype.

Does anyone know if there's any way to use the UPC hardware (i.e. cordless phone) with Skype without having a PC setup? I know there are Skype handsets available; perhaps if I got one of those, would it be possible to use that with the UPC service?

Cheers!

Dardania

You could use a cordless phone, or WiFi phone, such as from: http://shop.skype.com/intl/en-ie/phones/

Another option would be to get a pay as you go blueface voip account which gives you an 076 phone number, which you can use on a wired or wireless phone such as: http://www.blueface.ie/shop/shop.aspx?products=hardware
Free voip to voip calls...
You could then set your mobile to divert to the 076 number when it drops out of coverage

WetDaddy

Whoa... They're even more expensive than I expected. I don't mind the idea of the Philips one so much. I have a headless Debian box running 24/7 at home; the problem is that it's not next to the UPC modem (and, consequently, the "landline" port).

I do like the idea of being able to actively switch between the landline and Skype though, using a single handset...

vicky886

Hi WetDaddy,

WiFi phone is rally too expensive for a skype user. So I am also don't consider this phone.
I can suggest this Wireless Skype Phone for you which I got from an online shop. The price of this phone is cheaper than other stores, the only bad thing is the appearance not beautiful. But very functional. I think it suitable for every age group person. Hope it helps.

k123456

I have UPC net and TV

Buy an ATA and plug into your router, you then plug a regular cordless phone into it....Cant be used with Skype, but can use with voipcheap etc, cheaper than Skype. Little bt of configuring the ata, but not difficult. This is a good option if u have a regular phone wireless or otherwise in house

If you don't want to use an ata/regular phone, you can buy a SIP phone which plugs into router directly, bit more expensive

lor2ie

just purchased a RTX DUALphone 3088 for Skype (No PC Required) for £72 sterling from Amazon.co.uk.. might do the trick for you....just plugs straight into your router and has skype build in to it. So always on...

Johnboy1951

http://www.p4c.philips.com/cgi-bin/dcbint/cpindex.pl?ctn=VOIP8551B/05&scy=GB&slg=en

Cordless phone with answering machine VOIP8551B with Skype

This one allows multiple handsets to be connected to the base station, just like any normal Dect setup.

lor2ie

The Philips sounds good, but pretty expensive. Let me know how you get on with it? reviews not great on Amazon. Was tempted with Blueface offer of phone and free landlines calls for life.(as confirmed by forum users here, life of the phone not your life ) but since those phones can be in the region of €80 and up, not too bad a deal. Should get a couple of years out of it. Let me know if anyone has this offer taken up. Problem is most of the people i know only have mobiles not landlines, but still with a bit of extra credit still good deal. Think skype calls to mobiles offer is cheaper tho...

Johnboy1951

I don't use Skype, except occasionally on the PC.

I use SIP VOIP through Blueface and a couple of other providers .... selecting who to use based on cost of calls to particular locations.

For this I use ordinary phones plugged into an ATA (built into my router now).

regards.

Pete4779

WetDaddy wrote: »

So, I've got my TV + Internet from UPC and I'm very happy with their service. The total lack of an Eircom landline in my house makes me thrilled

However, the mobile reception can be spotty at times so I'm thinking of getting a basic VOIP phone as a backup. With UPC, it's only €6 a month. However, most calls would be my wife calling me which I could most certainly setup using Skype.

Does anyone know if there's any way to use the UPC hardware (i.e. cordless phone) with Skype without having a PC setup? I know there are Skype handsets available; perhaps if I got one of those, would it be possible to use that with the UPC service?

Cheers!

If your mobile phone is recent, you can use it's wifi and Skype on it. E.g., most NOkias for the past two years will have wifi (starting from the N95 back in 2007). No need for special handsets which basically do the same thing!

EDIT: obviously assumes you have a router that can do wifi!

lor2ie

update: just received my RTX DUALphone 3088 for Skype (No PC Required) from Amazon...pretty fast, ordered Tuesday arrived today Fri....anyway...simple to set up, (nearly had a heart attack when I saw the manual, over an inch thick, but its all different languages...lol...) was simply a case of plugging in one box to the router, another wire to the cordless phone and did't have to do a thing just sign in my user name and password for skype and I was off. ( already had the 120 minutes subscription for landlines and mobiles for 17.23euro a month ( works out about 7cent a min a call ) and got my skype-in phone number for 28euro for the year. So far so good...Sound nice an clear, my 80year old mother had no problem hearing me talk on it...thats good enough for me....

championc

Johnboy1951 wrote: »

I don't use Skype, except occasionally on the PC.

I use SIP VOIP through Blueface and a couple of other providers .... selecting who to use based on cost of calls to particular locations.

For this I use ordinary phones plugged into an ATA (built into my router now).

regards.

Hey Johnboy

What router / ATA do you use that allows you to setup multiple providers and routings by destination / cost ?


C

Johnboy1951

championc wrote: »

Hey Johnboy

What router / ATA do you use that allows you to setup multiple providers and routings by destination / cost ?


C

I have a Draytek Vigor 2910VG router which has two ports for telephone handsets (I use ones I used on my phone line).

It has the facility to register six different accounts. All active.
Incoming calls can be routed to either handset, and ringtones can be changed for each account.

It also has a Dial Plan, which has two sections ...
Phone Book where I put in my most used numbers and can use two digit input (plus #) to make those calls. It will store 60 numbers.

Digit Map ..... where I can specify on which account outgoing calls are routed depending on their initial numbers

I do not use the intercom between phones much, but I use (quite a lot) direct dialling to a friend on SIP by IP address.
As I am on a dynamic IP, the Vigor can register itself to DynDNS so my friend can dial me directly, without going through a VOIP provider.

Most of my Phone Book entries are actually SIP phones, which go out at no cost

---

my standard handsets would not be able to enter a SIP address ..... joeblogs @ some-VOIP-provider .... so this is invaluable.

This router is quite old as such technology goes, but was costly at the time.
I did notice a slightly newer version some time ago which registered 8 accounts ..... and have vague memories of 12, but could not be sure.

Also for handling multiple SIP accounts I had previously used MySIPSwitch ...... which was on on-line version of call routing etc etc ...... free of charge.
That is now defunct and the new project is called MySIPSorcery or similar.
Unfortunately I cannot access that service as it requires (last I checked) a Windows operating system to log into it, and I don't use such a beast

The router is quite feature rich .... facility for two separate broadband inputs with load balancing; prioritises VOIP calls and so on; P2P, URL and Web content filtering if needed.

I am sure there must be others with similar functions about, and likely better as they will be newer tech. I have this, I think, about four or five years. My friend has similar. Neither of us have had any problem with it.

I guess that covers more that you wanted to know :D

championc

Hi Johnboy,

That was exactly what I was looking for. Mods should nearly make a sticky of this !! Are you on UPC or landline with Broadband ? I'm planning on going UPC so just wondered whether a router like this can be added directly behind the UPC Cable Modem / Router ?

Just one final question relating to the DreyTek Vigor 2910VG. Have you ported your number to Blueface ? Am I correct in saying that you simply push all outbound calls out over the internet because I don't see a "Line" port on the 2910VG


C

Johnboy1951

championc wrote: »

Hi Johnboy,

That was exactly what I was looking for. Mods should nearly make a sticky of this !! Are you on UPC or landline with Broadband ? I'm planning on going UPC so just wondered whether a router like this can be added directly behind the UPC Cable Modem / Router ?

Just one final question relating to the DreyTek Vigor 2910VG. Have you ported your number to Blueface ? Am I correct in saying that you simply push all outbound calls out over the internet because I don't see a "Line" port on the 2910VG


C

There is an ADSL modem attached to the landline and the router attached to the modem. That modem has a router built in but I do not use it ..... have it in bridge mode.
The Vigor is a standard router ... connects to the modem by ethernet cable.

There is no 'line' connection on the router model I have. It does not have a built-in modem.
Some models are modem/router combinations which would accept the broadband ADSL or other broadband connection.

I make mostly international calls via Blueface, and also use other suppliers as the need arises.
Personal calls are (where possible) made between SIP accounts and are thus free, regardless of distance.
Landline calls are covered by Eircom bundle, which is cheaper for me at the moment than using VOIP, because I have to have the tel line for broadband anyway.

Be sure to check out other models if you are interested.

I continue to have a standard tel line, as it is the only means I have of getting broadband ...... no cable or wireless and would not consider satellite.



regards.

Johro

lor2ie wrote: »

update: just received my RTX DUALphone 3088 for Skype (No PC Required) from Amazon...pretty fast, ordered Tuesday arrived today Fri....anyway...simple to set up, (nearly had a heart attack when I saw the manual, over an inch thick, but its all different languages...lol...) was simply a case of plugging in one box to the router, another wire to the cordless phone and did't have to do a thing just sign in my user name and password for skype and I was off. ( already had the 120 minutes subscription for landlines and mobiles for 17.23euro a month ( works out about 7cent a min a call ) and got my skype-in phone number for 28euro for the year. So far so good...Sound nice an clear, my 80year old mother had no problem hearing me talk on it...thats good enough for me....

Heya, I've been using the same phone for a while now, 17.23euro per month seems expensive, I pay 6.57 per month (incl. VAT) on the Europe Unlimited plan and buy Skype Credit for calls to mobiles. Plus the 28 euro for the skype-in number for the year.

lor2ie

yes but that is only for landlines...no one I know has a landlines any more...so no good to me....have to be something that works on mobiles. Its €6,88 incl. VAT to Make unlimited calls to landline phones. The Irish subscription are the dearest, if from Canada I could get unlimited landlines and mobiles for €5,73 incl. VAT....:( . mind you UK is dear at €21,83 incl. VAT for Landlines and mobiles for 120 minutes. Its not bad cause i can ring an Irish mobile in UK under the Irish subscription .

Gravale

I have the UPC phone and broadband service.

I have two skype phones plugged into electric sockets in two rooms, both connected wirelessly to the skype-phone base-station. The base-station itself is connected to the modem with a LAN cable and a connection to the modem phone socket.

I've added a splitter to the phone line coming out of the modem and now have the phone purchased from UPC (€15) in yet another room. One modem, three phones. All very simple.

MDR

Does NTL just use plain old telephones and then provides a VOIP router?
Or are they IP phones it is providing?

Ray K

Gravale

This is the phone they give:

http://gigaset.com/hq/en/product/GIGASETAS200.html

MDR

Many thanks

Emmbeebee

lor2ie wrote: »

update: just received my RTX DUALphone 3088 for Skype (No PC Required) from Amazon...pretty fast, ordered Tuesday arrived today Fri....anyway...simple to set up, (nearly had a heart attack when I saw the manual, over an inch thick, but its all different languages...lol...) was simply a case of plugging in one box to the router, another wire to the cordless phone and did't have to do a thing just sign in my user name and password for skype and I was off. ( already had the 120 minutes subscription for landlines and mobiles for 17.23euro a month ( works out about 7cent a min a call ) and got my skype-in phone number for 28euro for the year. So far so good...Sound nice an clear, my 80year old mother had no problem hearing me talk on it...thats good enough for me....

Hi lor2ie, this might be a stupid question but can I get rid of my eircom landline altogether with this and just use it connected to router? I just want to use it for Skype calls and want to cancel landline altogether, but confused about whether you can use this phone without pstn connection in Ireland. Thanks!

Mr. G

Emmbeebee wrote: »

lor2ie wrote: »

update: just received my RTX DUALphone 3088 for Skype (No PC Required) from Amazon...pretty fast, ordered Tuesday arrived today Fri....anyway...simple to set up, (nearly had a heart attack when I saw the manual, over an inch thick, but its all different languages...lol...) was simply a case of plugging in one box to the router, another wire to the cordless phone and did't have to do a thing just sign in my user name and password for skype and I was off. ( already had the 120 minutes subscription for landlines and mobiles for 17.23euro a month ( works out about 7cent a min a call ) and got my skype-in phone number for 28euro for the year. So far so good...Sound nice an clear, my 80year old mother had no problem hearing me talk on it...thats good enough for me....

Hi lor2ie, this might be a stupid question but can I get rid of my eircom landline altogether with this and just use it connected to router? I just want to use it for Skype calls and want to cancel landline altogether, but confused about whether you can use this phone without pstn connection in Ireland. Thanks!

No, you need access to the internet via a fast broadband connection. You receive DSL broadband through your landline phone, when you cancel your landline, you lose your broadband connection aswell as voice services. If you plan to cancel your broadband connection,

It is not possible to keep your DSL broadband and cancel that same landline.

I suggest you try and get UPC, if you can't get that then your only option is to keep landline or get Wireless Broadband.

Mobile broadband is not suitable due to high latency and poor speeds.