Anyone tried voice over internet (VOIP)?

[Ithaca 37]

I have a phone set up to make calls over my internet line. I get unlimited local and long distance calls for $20 a month anywhere in the US or Canada. International calls are about 5 cents a minute to anywhere there's a phone anywhere on the planet. You need a high speed (broadband) internet connection for it. Has anyone else here tried it? Want more info?

 

[Quick Draw]

I have never really heard of this. Is it new? Or has it been around awhile? I know if some one has a microphone connection on their computer they can talk with people that way. This is kinda interesting.
Quick Draw

 

[kiwi hunta]

I talk to my family over msn messenger all the time saves on toll bills.

 

[Ithaca 37]

VOIP (Voice Over Internet Protocol) has been in the works for about 15 years. It's only been perfected enough for widespread use in the last few months. If you have a high speed (broadband---DSL or Cable) internet connection all you do is plug a tiny box into your modem or router and plug any telephone into the tiny box. Bingo! You're all set to start making calls. Here's some info about it. If you decide to try it (money back guarentee for the first month) I'll show you how to save $ when you sign up. Take a look at this:

8x8 Announces Unlimited Calling to Anywhere in the United States or Canada For $19.95/Month
Monday June 9, 8:15 am ET


CHICAGO, June 9 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- 8x8, Inc. (Nasdaq: EGHT - News) today announced new, lower pricing for the Packet8 voice and video calling plans. Packet8 is an advanced, feature rich internet protocol (IP) telephone service that is available to anyone with a high speed internet connection. 8x8's new price for its Packet8 residential, unlimited calling plan is $19.95/month. In addition, 8x8 has eliminated equipment fees and there are no long-term commitments. Packet8's voice and video solutions are being demonstrated at the National Cable and Telecommunications Association (NCTA) 2003 National Show in Chicago this week.
ADVERTISEMENT


Packet8 has simplified its residential offering to two calling plans, Freedom Plus and Freedom Unlimited. The Freedom Plus plan costs $5.95/month and comes with a direct dial phone number, voice mail, caller ID, call forwarding, online account management and real-time billing. Calls to non-Packet8 phone numbers in the United States and Canada are billed at $0.08/minute. Freedom Unlimited costs $19.95/month and includes all of the above features plus unlimited calls to anywhere in the United States or Canada. Both plans offer free, unlimited voice or video calling between Packet8 subscribers anywhere in the world and attractive international calling rates. Current Packet8 residential customers on more expensive plans will be automatically moved to the new plans beginning July 1.

"Our mission is to offer the lowest priced and highest performance broadband voice and video telephone service in the industry," said Bryan Martin, Chief Executive Officer of 8x8. "We will provide telephone service that saves money for our customers while delivering high quality communications. We are continuing to invest in technology development efforts that assure our subscribers the best possible performance. We can afford to pass on lower pricing to our valued customers because we are not spending money on expensive media marketing campaigns," concluded Mr. Martin.

Launched in November 2002, Packet8 enables anyone with high-speed internet access to sign up for telephone service at http://www.packet8.net . Customers can choose a direct-dial phone number from any of the over 1,500 rate centers offered by the service, and then use an 8x8-supplied telephony adapter (the 8x8 Desktop Telephone Adapter model DTA310 manufactured by 8x8 and included with the service) to interface any regular telephone to the customer's internet connection. Calls can then be made and received from the telephone connected to the DTA310 anywhere in the world where the adapter is installed. All Packet8 telephone accounts come with voice mail, caller ID, call forwarding, web access to account controls, and real-time online billing. Packet8 residential service can also be ordered with a broadband videophone, the DV325, which enables high-speed, instant-on direct dial video calls over the Packet8 network anywhere in the world. Packet8's voice and video solutions are being demonstrated this week in booth #1352 at the NCTA National Show in Chicago, Illinois.

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[Ithaca 37]

Here's the way I look at it: If you have high speed internet and you spend more than $20 a month on phone calls, you'd save money if you had Packet 8. If you have a dial up internet connection and you spend more than $40 a month on phone calls you'd probably save money by switching to a high speed connection and getting Packet 8.

You can save $20 when you sign up for Packet 8 by using this Coupon Code: "pac8"--- when you fill out the online order form.

 

[Mojave]

I think I tried something like that a few years ago, but it was free. Leave it to someone to try to make a buck off it. At that time, I remember the time delay on the voices getting through was really distracting. Is that still a problem?

 

[Ithaca 37]

Mojave, Not as bad as it was. Sometimes there can be a tiny delay. Overall, I think VOIP is a lot better than cell phone service.

 

[Elkhunter]

I used one of the free ones a few years ago. It was fine on my end but the people on the phone at the other end said it was all hard to hear because of the 3 second delay. It was a free service then, a simple java script, that you could use to call anyone in the country for free. I see they now charge.
If anyone is interested it is http://www.dialpad.com/

 

[trophy_killer]

Jeff, one of these days you and I are gonna need to try to have a voice conversation over MSN.

 

[Ithaca 37]

Here's what I use: http://www.packet8.net/

If you sign up for it you can save $20 by using this coupon code: pac8

 

[Ithaca 37]

Here's some interesting info on VOIP:

http://www.roffe.net/voip/