Anyone using VOIP at home ?
 

Hello,
I am looking at setting up VOIP over our Sky Broadband. We need a second number for a business my wife wants to set up. So we would have a separate phone for this (I know that some phones offer PSTN and VOIP in one but we do not want that).

So I think I need a normal PSTN phone and a VOIP adapter to interface the PSTN phone to the Sky router.

Then I think I need a VOIP subscription to provide a number that is tied to the Sky router IP address. Does anyone have any recommendations on providers ?.

Also, are there any issues with router IP addresses changing periodically - I am not sure if they do but it's a typical thing to be aware of ?. I've also heard that there is no QOS on VOIP phones so quality can be an issue.

Thanks for any advice from someone who has done this :)

i use voipfone at home and at work, you do not mess around with any ip address etc just put log in details in to phone ( i use snom phone second hand from ebay) plug in to any network plug in the world and it works

i think line rental is about £1 a month, calls are about 1p a minute

Hi mate - for once a question up my field :)

Ideally get yourself a standalone VoIP fone (Google Voipon) - this can be configured with the sip settings of your provider.

For your number just do a search for Voip number or DID number - you can get a geographic one (020, 0121 ....) dependent on where you want to 'base' your business. Don't expect to pay more than £2-5/month for this.

If you want to go all out and have a proper system that greets callers such as "Hi welcome to business xyz, please press 1 for ...." etc then let me know and I can give you a more indepth reply. This can be done quickly and aside from the number for free :) - you'll just need a free PC to hook up to your PC.

On your query about changing IP addresses - your VoIP phone will send periodic registration requests to your SIP provider so they always know where you are. As an extra failsafe incase your ISP goes down the pan, you can set your inbound number to call another number (mobile landline etc).

Don't forget - make sure that if you want to place outbound calls over voip you'll need to consider the cost of calls etc. Most are decent prices but something to be wary of.

Some of the most obvious providers are Gradwell, Voipfone, Sipgate (I recommend this one)

:)

Hope that helps bud!

Thanks for the replies. Voipfone and Sipgate seems to be the two take a look at.

We're just looking at working from home and not mobile. Maybe I am missing some points - but I was thinking of a normal PSTN phone with answering system an adapter like an OBi100-UK.

As we want to use the phone in a different part of the house from the router/adapter - I was thinking of a normal DECT phone with answer machine to give roaming around the house.

Is this a reasonable approach ?

Thanks !

I think you can get a VOIP Snom Dect phone, would suit your circumstances