Re: If you want skype in a box without a PC

Post #277,064 by gdaustin 12/31/06 2:23:49 PM Reply	Re: If you want skype in a box without a PC That's my dilemma. My friend who works over at Time Warner Cable (previously Comcast) has me on the beta list for VOIP phone service. I want to do it, he wants me to do it. The question is when. That discussion was last October. I'm in Frisco, TX (a very Northern suburb of Dallas). Now, we're on the cusp of the new year and I'm trying to decide whether to "wait it out" or just go with Vonage. I don't want to rebuy hardware in 3 months, but I'm getting tired of AT&T sending out a disconnect notice when I'm 5 days late on paying my bill. Also it really ticks me off that they haven't offered an "auto-pay" option. Given their prior history, I'm not sure I would trust them with my credit card anyway. Finally, with AT&T buying BellSouth, they're trying to put back together a monopoly for a dying industry (traditional phone services). Bad strategy. I hope Comcast, Time Warner, and all the cable companies EAT THEM FOR LUNCH! With the Skype, I haven't spent a lot. I'm out about $30 for SkypeIn and SkypeOut (both) and about $77 for the non-working VoSKY (which I'm about to return). I'm thinking about trying the D-Link router, or maybe one of the Skype phones instead. Also, I have a "spare" computer I'm not using, so I might just put the D-Link on that computer instead of our "main computer". That way I don't "risk" messing up our main computer. Glen Austin
Post #277,065 by Another Scott 12/31/06 2:43:30 PM Reply	Google Talk? [link\|http://www.google.com/talk/start.html\|Google Talk] can apparently be used as a VOIP phone. I haven't tried it for that (I haven't used GT at all, myself), but it might be worth looking into, especially before signing a contract with someone. Cheers, Scott.
Post #277,066 by boxley 12/31/06 3:01:14 PM Reply	cable companies dont normally use contracts Any opinions expressed by me are mine alone, posted from my home computer, on my own time as a free american and do not reflect the opinions of any person or company that I have had professional relations with in the past 51 years. meep reach me at [link\|mailto:bill.oxley@cox.net\|mailto:bill.oxley@cox.net]
Post #277,099 by gdaustin 1/1/07 1:52:05 AM Reply	VOIP Fun - Box: LinkSys/Cisco - New Phone Company: Vonage I decided to go with the LinkSys PAP2 router and Vonage for $24.95/mo unlimited calling. So far I've made a few calls and it appears to work as well as regular phone service. Also, I get to keep my telephone number, which we've had for close to 8 1/2 years now. That should transfer over in a week or so. No contract, I can cancel anytime. Also, I assume this hardware will probably work with Time Warner VOIP (when it arrives) as well, but with the "discounts", it was basically free. The router was $59.95, then we also bought a "quad" wireless 5.8ghz phone set from AT&T for $99.95. We decided to upgrade from the 2.4ghz wireless because it "can" interfere with WiFi. When we went to the checkout at Best Buy, we ended up with a $178 total, but that was a couple of things for the kids as well. I already had a $25 gift card, so that brought the total to $153. With the $50 "rebate gift card" we got, plus the $100 rebate, we paid about $15 for the whole thing (taking out the kids stuff). Of course, we'll have to wait for the $100 rebate to arrive, and we have to "spend" another $50 at some point in the future, at Best Buy. (That shouldn't be a problem....) Now the good part, I get to replace my $93/mo phone bill, for $24.95/mo, plus the taxes (which will hopefully put me around $31 or so). That should produce a positive savings pretty quickly. I'm thinking I may go ahead and spring for a small APC UPS for the phone router, cable router, wireless router, and hub I have. That way, if the power does go out, those things continue to run, at least for an hour or so. The 911 I'm not so worried about, because we have 5 working cell phones in the house, and about 3 more non-working. So, that's where we stand as of Jan 1st. New Vonage customer. I will continue to use Skype on the road, or for conference calls (so I can use a headset), but Vonage will be our new home phone. Glen Austin

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