On Tue, 08 Jan 2008 01:02:34 +0000, Homeworker wrote:
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> is it just me or is voip confusing .......
>
> i have always foud the plethora of mobile deals confusing and hard to
> workout best value .............[/color]

And if things were simple you'd be whinging about the lack of choice :-)
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> VOIPS even more confusing ,ther seems to be a collection of companies
> offering service but everyone seems to have a mixed views on them , i
> see a compnay with good reviews then days later someones tearing them
> apart ....there doesnt seem to be any clear winner at the moment .....[/color]

That's the trouble with opinions, they're like assholes - everyone's got
one.
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> maybe the markets not mature enough yet ? would youagree ?[/color]

Not at all. I suspect, however, that calls will effectively be unmetered
when bundled with mobile, fixed line and broadband contracts before VoIP
ever reaches a large part of the population, effectively eliminating or
even negating the cost savings.
[color=blue]
> Except maybe SKYPE ..i say this mainly as its the only well known
> brand in the market ... but i get the general feeling its the AOL of the
> viop market
> ..maybe along the lines of Viop for dummies ...or thats the impression
> some people give ...its easy to set up and use but never best value ?
> and due to its popularity with the dummies its service can be erratic ?[/color]

Skype always worked when I used it. I stopped using it because I moved to
64-bit before they had a 64-bit version. When I finally did install it
again, they'd wiped my credit [but not, er, closed my account]. My advice
is to give any of the eBay group of companies a wide berth, and if you
absolutely have to use them, only trust them with small amounts of money.
[color=blue]
> Also is viop really a service you should only set up and useif you
> REALLY have
> a need for it ..one thing that confuses me is the costs ......... calls
> arent really free
> are they and landline/mobile calls are so cheap now theres no REAL
> saving is there?[/color]

Once you factor in equipment costs, it may take a loooong time to see a
return on your investment. If, however, you're doing it just for a bit of
fun, or to fulfil a specific need that existing PSTN services cannot,
then go for it.
[color=blue]
> if yourplanning to keep your exisitng land line and mobile ?[/color]

If you've got a BT landline you can use access codes and call throughs
that will get you rates competitive with VoIP.
[color=blue]
> Phew .. services ! theres seems to be plethora of services available
> but no one
> central place thats list available services so you can try and guage
> whatbothering to services
> you might need ? nothing worse than signing up for aservice to read
> about feature you would reallylike[/color]

There are plenty of things worse than that. The trick is to do your
research before you commit too much. The beauty of SIP is that any SIP
equipment/software should work with any SIP provider, so your main
capital costs will be protected should you decide to switch supplier.
Many services are PAYG anyway so it's not like you've got a lot to lose.
And you can even use a softphone to prototype it on your PC before you
spend anything.
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> I have a small list of my OWN must haves at the moment ..anyone know a
> decent
> company that can suffice
>
>
> 1. ability to prepay by paypal[/color]

If you drop this one you'll get a wider choice.
[color=blue]
> 2. no monthly service charge
> 3. good rates
> 4. no contract
> 5. ability to choose a local number
> 6. multiple numbers to 1 viop line[/color]

I suggest you use hardware or software that allows you to register
multiple accounts. This will bring you flexibility on pricing, call
routing &c.
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> 7.different rings for different numbers[/color]

In theory it can be done with SIP, but I haven't seen any service
providers that offer it. OTOH, I've never looked.
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> 8. ability to port in Bt numbers[/color]

Plenty of operators can do that.
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> an collection of othr features i dont know i need yt likely[/color]

That's a tough one to answer.

Sipgate fits the bill for most of your requirements. If you mix and match
from different service providers you will get better control over call
costs. VoIP certainly makes more sense on Cable where a) you don't have
to pay line rental to have broadband and b) the call costs are eye-
watering.

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