VoIP Providers - anyone using them yet?

[Rack]

Don't know if this is the right forum...
I'm interested in VoIP, being from Australia living in UK with a danish missus, it would be nice to get a lower priced and better quality phone service.

Wondering if anyone has experience with a VoIP phones or providers, and would like to share their experience?

[mrbanana]

I use two providers.

Voipcheap.com will give you free calls to Australia (landlines) and a lot of other places including Canada, the UK and the US and Denmark.

You can download the software on their site, pay 10 Euros, and that should last you 4 months, (all you pay is a connection fee) at which time they wipe your balance and you have to pay again.

I get better quality using their SIP settings rather than downloading their software, which might be a p2p app. Not sure.

They run dozens of companies like voipstunt, voipbuster, internetcalls, SipDiscount, etc. All their websites look the same. Easy to spot.

I also use voipfone (they have a preconfigured softphone to download) with my ata (sipura/linksys 3000, about £50), but I am getting registration problems with them. The connection drops a few times a day, (just reboot the ata and it comes back) but they have a lot of extras that might be worth looking at.

http://www.voipcheap.com/en/sip.html

http://www.voipfone.co.uk/

Call quality is much better than Skype using the above.

[machinist]

Skype, Vonage and SIPGate appear to be the only 3 options of note at the moment.....I currently haven't dabbled, but definitely will be looking to in the next 6-12 months.

Skype has particularly caught me eye with it's "Skype Out" service, letting you call landlines from your PC/VoIP phone, and "Skype In" service, letting you receive calls to your PC/VoIP phone, as well as free Skype to Skype calls at anytime.
Skype tariffs can be found here -> http://www.skype.com/products/priceoverview/

Vonage is unique in that you purchase a device (included in the setup charge) that plugs in to your ethernet broadband connection (USB is not supported). That device then allows you to plug a standard phone in and make your calls VoIP stylee !
Vonage tariffs here -> http://www.vonage.co.uk/services.php?lid=nav_services

SipGate is almost identical to Vonage. Check here for more info -> http://www.sipgate.co.uk/user/tour.php?tp=1

Good luck

[mike_dowler]

Skype uses proprietary P2P software - and hence can take up your bandwidth routing other people's calls. You are also locked into their system - Skype users can only call Skype users for free, and not Vonage, Sipgate etc users.

Vonage and Sipgate (as well as SIPdiscount etc) use the open SIP standard, which is IP based, not P2P. IIRC, Vonage locks users into a contract, and their hardware is also locked to their particular network (similar to mobile phones). Sipgate (and others) are pay as you go (though no more expensive). Theoretically, all SIP users can communicate for free, by dialling e.g. siperson@network.co.uk, but I'm not sure if all SIP networks allow such calls. You can buy the hardware (as machinist describes for Vonage) to use on any SIP network, though it is probably cheaper from Vonage (since it is locked to them).

In short, Skype and SIP-based are both good - my personal perference is for SIPgate, though I also use SIPdiscount. Quality is decent (~mobile), though you do notice that the line goes (really!) quiet when the other person isn't speaking (to save bandwidth) which is a bit disconcerting

[Rack]

Hmmm.... Vonage rates are no better than BT rates with the international pack, and I'd be paying £8 a month. SIP gate is free and has cheaper rates? Why would anyone use Vonage if you need to keep your BT Landline to have broadband??

Anyway, looks like SIPgate is good with 0 monthly and lower /min costs, but the VoIPcheap is the best deal by far, and doesn't lock you into a contract. However I wanted a phone, not software. I think SIPgate has what I want at the end of the day.

Thanks for all the info, that's been really helpfull. Now I just need to choose a phone...