VoIP - Using the internet to make free/cheap phone calls

[Zaranthos]

So you think Skype is the thing to use? Well you might be wrong. This site ranks Skype at 75th place out of 100 VoIP providers.
http://www.myvoipprovider.com/

Maybe someone who is a math geek can look at some of the top providers prices and see what the best deal is based on currency exchange rates, if that matters. I noticed one company in the top 6 was based in South Africa and the exchange rate for the US dollar to their currency was over 7:1. Not sure if that makes it cheaper or not as I didn't look closely at their rates to see if it was before or after exchange rates. I know I used VoIP Buster and their $10 rate cost me closer to $15 with the exchange rate to the UK.

[Zaranthos]

For people in the US you can call other people in the US for free. You need to use Internet Explorer until they make a plugin for Mozilla.
http://www.earthcaller.com/

[achtung5]

I don't get why people just can't sign up for AOL Instant Messenger and get microphones. It's free.

[Zaranthos]

I don't get why people just can't sign up for AOL Instant Messenger and get microphones. It's free.

Can you call your grandma who doesn't use a computer? Yeah, didn't think so.

This isn't voice chat, it's phone calls. You young pups with unlimited cell phone packages probably don't understand. 

[lazyleezard]

So we're looking into making the switch to VoiP--specifically Vonage, and I'm wondering if anyone here uses/has used Vonage, and what your experience has been/was like?

[Zaranthos]

I haven't done research lately but Vonage is probably priced higher than other good providers.

Vonage is currently rated 82 out of 100 at the site linked in my first post. That's a long, long way from 1st place. The current top rated provider is still in beta so prices are 50% lower than what their final pricing is estimated to be. There are a lot of things to consider when moving to VoIP. Do you need 911 service? Some providers don't even offer it and some charge extra for it. Do you want to keep your existing phone number (if possible)? Do you want to buy or rent the equipment for VoIP? That's just a few things. I'm not an expert by any means. So far I've only used a couple internet solutions. Right now I use the free Earth Caller service to make long distance calls for free. A full blown VoIP service would be nice so I could walk around with a cordless phone though.

[lazyleezard]

I haven't done research lately but Vonage is probably priced higher than other good providers.

Vonage is currently rated 82 out of 100 at the site linked in my first post. That's a long, long way from 1st place. The current top rated provider is still in beta so prices are 50% lower than what their final pricing is estimated to be. There are a lot of things to consider when moving to VoIP. Do you need 911 service? Some providers don't even offer it and some charge extra for it. Do you want to keep your existing phone number (if possible)? Do you want to buy or rent the equipment for VoIP? That's just a few things. I'm not an expert by any means. So far I've only used a couple internet solutions. Right now I use the free Earth Caller service to make long distance calls for free. A full blown VoIP service would be nice so I could walk around with a cordless phone though.

Yeah, it is a long way from 1st.  I'm currently browsing thru that list, and my brain is starting to hurt. 

My main reason for going with Vonage is that it has been around a while, more people are using it..and for me that means (possibly) less bugs, better quality.  I know this isn't always the case.  Vonage does have 911 service, and I get to keep my phone number.  But, we won't jump till we've had a good look at some of these other providers. 

Either way..I'm looking forward to cutting my phone bill by 50+%.

[lazyleezard]

Hubby started researching this some more and found this site:

http://www.voipreview.org/

And, so far, these two seem to be better options over Vonage--similar costs/features:

EDIT: removed the two links because they don't actually seem to have free long distance. LAME..tricky wording, so if you browse the various lists, be careful!

Will update this once we actually make up our minds and get a taste of how good/bad the service is.

[Zaranthos]

MagicJack is the best VoIP I've used so far. No headphones, no messing with a microphone on the computer, just plug it into your real phone and start calling. I'll be plugging this thing into my phone system so I can use VoIP as my second phone line. Because you can pick the location of your phone number (some limitations) I chose a large city about 50 miles from here where I get business from so I can have a local phone number available to customers there.

http://www.magicjack.com/

[Zaranthos]

MagicJack was good while it lasted. They have started blocking a lot of numbers based on phone companies that aren't willing to charge them cheap enough rates. I lost the ability to call almost all land lines anywhere in my area.

I now have Nettalk Duo ( http://www.nettalk.com ). Costs a little more than the MagicJack but doesn't require a computer. First impressions are that it works pretty well.