How To: Make Cheap Phone Calls with VOIP
How To: Make Cheap Phone Calls with VOIP
Posted 08/18/2010 at 5:00pm
| by Alex Castle
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One of the topics we get asked about most often is VoIP (short for Voice over Internet Protocol), or Internet telephony. VoIP refers to any service that lets you make “phone calls” online. A lot of people have heard that you can make calls for cheap or even for free using VoIP, but they’ve got questions about how it works.
There are three main forms of internet phone call--PC to PC, PC to Phone, and Phone to Phone. In this article, we’ll explain each type, how it works, and how much it’ll cost you.
PC to PC
What it is: Pop quiz: You want to make a phone call to your old college buddy. He lives in Seoul now, and you both have computers. How much should it cost you?
If you answered anything but “nothing,” you’re wrong. Pretty much any VoIP software will allow you to make voice or video calls to other users of the service for free. This is the Internet, after all, and you already pay for your bandwidth.
How it works: There are plenty of clients that let you voice chat over the Internet. If you’ll be using VoIP regularly, we recommend Skype. It’s the most popular client for a reason—it’s full featured, easy to use, and totally free. If you just want to make the occasional call, you can use the voice/video chat function in Gmail, which runs right in your browser (though you’ll have to download a plugin).
What it costs: Nothing.
PC to Phone
What it is: Although PC-to-PC calling is a great option (and free!), it’s unlikely that everyone you want to talk to is going to want to go through the effort of installing Internet phone software and talking with a headset. Especially if you have older relatives abroad who you want to talk to, you’re probably going to need to be able to make PC to telephone calls.
How it works: Plenty of companies offer “softphone” software that allows you to make calls to landlines or mobile phones—for a fee, which is based only on the country you’re placing a call to. The complicated part is that there are tons of VoIP companies competing for your money, and each one has different rates for every country. To get the best rates, you need to do some research ahead of time, using Google or a comparison site like www.cheapest-voip.com. Once you’ve found a site with a good rate for the country you want to call, be sure to look for user reviews—some VoIP companies have shady reputations.
Some services, like Skype, also offer a monthly unlimited plan, which might prove cheaper than metered billing if you make frequent overseas calls.
What it costs: A couple of cents per minute to most countries, if you find the best deal.
Phone to Phone
What it is: To get a full phone-to-phone VoIP experience, you’ll generally want to sign up with an Internet phone service. These services provide you with the same experience as a landline, including the use of most handsets, caller ID, and voicemail. You can make and receive local and long-distance calls on your home phone.
How it works: Generally, you sign up with an Internet phone provider like Vonage, which provides you with a small VoIP modem that connects to your router and your handset. You pay a monthly fee, just like with a regular landline, except that most services offer unlimited long distance or a very low per-minute rate. You can use a phone with multiple wireless handsets to get house-wide coverage with just one VoIP modem.
What it costs: $20/month and up for unlimited calling.
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KarinaB
July 22, 2011 at 10:14am
I worked for a call center and we were using VoIP phones. I don’t want to image how much such a company would have to pay if it weren’t for these phones. I myself use Skype a lot. This way I can keep in touch with friends from across the ocean.
toronto2001
September 02, 2010 at 5:33pm
You can make calls without going through Google Voice right from your gmail account. Right now, calls are free to the US and Canada and, the best part, it works from either Canada or the US. The sound is perfect, crystal clear on both ends. No need to set up Google Voice, which we can't do in Canada anyway. Just log into your gmail account and start calling your peeps. Hurray for Google!
JohnP
September 04, 2010 at 5:02am
I have been playing with G Mail phone calls all of yesterday. Works terrific. with a good boom mic and headphones, no better calling experience. The folks at the other end say that I sound crystal clear.
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stringdg
August 24, 2010 at 7:50am
How come you guys don't mention Magic Jack? Something against them? Great provider. Cheapest on the market. Easy! Skype is not the only player in the bus. Unless they are friends of yours.
da_samman
August 27, 2010 at 10:36am
Probably the reason is because Magic Jack isn't so magical. There have been numerous complaints of poor call quality, dropped calls, PLUS the fact that there is no online support, you have to call in to get help.
I think these reasons alone are enough to NOT recommend Magic jack.
CowboyMC
August 23, 2010 at 5:52am
This article was too short! Did not cover the topic properly. Seems like someone needed to put together something quick and dirty.
EarthBoundMisfit
August 21, 2010 at 12:48pm
I bought a magicJack 5 yr license for 59.95. A one-time payment that amounts to $1.71 a month for 5 years. Top that.
Marcbman
August 19, 2010 at 11:14am
By linking a Google Voice account to a Sipgate phone number PC to Phone should be free. This was mentioned not too long ago in another MaxPC article. I'm amazed you didn't mention it.
theresapartyinm...
August 19, 2010 at 7:35am
Wait I thought the cameras on laptops were just to take pictures with. Well no shit VoIP exists. Welcome to 2005.
Rivethead
August 18, 2010 at 8:56pm
I'm not trying to promote anyone, but I've been using ViaTalk for about 6 months now and have nothing but good things to say about them. Called tech support twice to tweak some settings and it's been trouble free. Two phone lines in/out on one one phone number, unlimited minutes and more options on their login dashboard than I'll ever use - and it's $189 a year plus one year free. That's less than $8 month. Just a happy camper so far...
csspwner
August 18, 2010 at 5:12pm
How come Google Voice wasn't included. Google voice is free and can be used to make PC to phone and Phone to phone calls when paired with a program like Gizmo5, or other SIP software.
codepath
August 19, 2010 at 5:14am
Google bought Gizmo5 and is no longer accepting new accounts. They may be rolling that tech into GVoice.
Mosher
August 18, 2010 at 10:51pm
because most of us are still on the other side of the Gizmo5 fence!
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