Skype - Any good for personal use ??

[bendixG15]

Friend asked me about Skype - he wants to know if he should get it to call his daughter in another state (USA), stricly personal use. They both have 768Kbps DSL (Verizon). He's tired of paying for long distance phone calls.

Is Skype any good ?
What about the phone he has to buy ?

Stuff I found through google gives me mixed info.

[MJA]

I use it to call overseas every few weeks.quality isn't bad at all and cheap around $.02 a min. just remember the quality of the calls depends on the your net connection , and a good headset (i use plantronics)

I use my cell phone for domestic calls .never went over my min


you may wanna take a look at this deal too.


http://www.skype.com/allfeatures/subscriptions/#uscaSubscriptionTab

[edDV]

Friend asked me about Skype - he wants to know if he should get it to call his daughter in another state (USA), stricly personal use. They both have 768Kbps DSL (Verizon). He's tired of paying for long distance phone calls.

Is Skype any good ?
What about the phone he has to buy ?

Stuff I found through google gives me mixed info.

I think Skype is still free for computer to computer calls. You pay for a land phone connection.

768Kbps is enough. Headsets work best (both ends).

[INFRATOM]

I bought one of these Phillips phones like cordless it is dect 6 ( dual phone) can hook up up to landline too just plugs into router and feels like a second line the difference is $3.00 per month flat rate no limit calls to US and Canada. This is for calling landline. Skype to Skype is free. I would say it is next to excellent. Where can you get a 2nd line unlimited for $3.00 per month. My internet speed is 3 meg down and 500 k up. Works fine and sound great. These phones don't need a computer to be on.

[MJA]

I was ganna post a link for the Phillips ,and Linksys Phones but I noticed too many bad reviews on amazon.com.

which one did u buy(model number) INFRATOM ?

[hech54]

I use Skype exclusively to call my family "across the pond". I bought a local(to my family) phone number through Skype as well for them to call since my parents are not computer friendly. All they do is call that local number and it rings right through to my computer....free and easier for them.
Skype to Skype calls are free....anywhere in the world.

I have a cheap little USB phone attached to my computer....voice quality is as good as using normal phones.

[redwudz]

I just got a D-Link DPH-50U Skype adapter from NewEgg, about $12US after rebates. It lets you use a regular phone, just dial and talk via Skype. It's $0.021 per minute. My cell phone is $0.13 a minute, no landline. As mentioned, free to other Skype setups. Buy two units and send the other to a friend for free calls. So far, I'm happy with it.

You may get occasional dropouts, depending on the internet traffic and your connection, but I get that with my cell phone at times.

[jman98]

I haven't used Skype, but I've used Gizmo (a similar service to Skype). Quality of the calls was quite variable with some international calls being crystal clear at times and at other times being rather marginal. I used Gizmo a few times for state to state calls within the USA and it was OK. Skype is probably similar in terms of quality.

If your friend has a cell phone he might just find it easier to do that. Since I have to pay a monthly fee for my cell phone anyway and I never even come close to using all my minutes, I use that phone almost exclusively for long distance calls within the USA.

I would recommend that your friend invest in a good USB headset if he is going to use Skype or something similar. While you can theoretically use speakers and a microphone to make calls, that didn't work at all for me with Gizmo. Gizmo recommended using a USB headset and that worked fine. Skype may similarly work better with a USB headset than speakers and a microphone.

[gadgetguy]

I haven't used Skype either, but it's part of the latest MySpaceIM. If I understand correctly, all you need is a computer mic, but as suggested headsets work better. If you want to call land lines or receive from landlines you have to subscribe and pay for a number, but I don't think you have to do that to use it computer to computer. At the very least, you can try it there.

[SingSing]

Both Skype and Vontage BREAK UP a lot. We can typically tell if the caller is using one of these.

I bought and use a Skype to phone adapter. Give it up after 2 months, because too often the voice quality just too bad, and I was on FIOS.

[hech54]

Both Skype and Vontage BREAK UP a lot.

Bullshit.

[FulciLives]

I have VoIP and hate it ... it breaks up a lot unless I am doing absolutely nothing internet wise.

If I have bit torrents running and I get a call I have to stop them otherwise the call won't come through and usually by the time I stop the transfers the phone call is gone anyways and I have to call the person back.

However the price I pay in total is only $20.00 per month (no free long distance but I don't need it). If I wanted free within-the-USA long distance it would be $30.00 per month instead of $20.00 per month.

As a back-up I bought a pay-per-the-minute pre-loaded cell phone from TracFone and it works well for me as I barely use it (so the minutes really stretch out and I don't have to pay no monthly fee). Been on the same 800 minutes since December 30, 2007 (I've got 200+ left). I think the phone cost me $80.00 and the 400 minutes (double for life so I bought 400 but got 800) cost $100.00

- John "FulciLives" Coleman

[jman98]

Both Skype and Vontage BREAK UP a lot.

Bullshit.

No, it's not. Actually you can be right and so can the people who say it breaks up. I was being charitable in my review of Gizmo. Let's just say that when it's great, it's great, but it's more often mediocre.

So how can you both be right? Really hech54, you should know this. I suppose I have to remind you that here in the USA that we have some of the lowest quality and lowest speed "fast" (ha ha ha) internet connections in the world.
I have no doubt that in the UK you have an excellent quality, fast, reliable internet connection. AT&T provides me my internet service here via DSL and while it generally works OK, after heavy rains I can have prolonged outages that require an AT&T service call where a guy has to drive to my neighborhood and physically fix the problem. Seriously, do you lose your internet after a heavy rain? I'm thinking that you don't. So please do not pooh-pooh people like SingSing and FulciLives for reporting truthfully that the service DOES break up for US users when you do not live in the USA and do not have to operate under the primitive internet conditions that we do.

[hech54]

So how can you both be right? Really hech54, you should know this. I suppose I have to remind you that here in the USA that we have some of the lowest quality and lowest speed "fast" (ha ha ha) internet connections in the world.
I have no doubt that in the UK you have an excellent quality, fast, reliable internet connection.

1)I'm not in the UK.
2)And to say that:

Skype and Vontage BREAK UP a lot

is moronic to say the least since the person who said this or defends this
has obviously never talked to every Skype user in the world now have they?

[MJA]

I been using skype for years .I have no issues at all. most of the bad voice/drop call are connection/wiring/phone adapters fault not skype

[jman98]

So how can you both be right? Really hech54, you should know this. I suppose I have to remind you that here in the USA that we have some of the lowest quality and lowest speed "fast" (ha ha ha) internet connections in the world.
I have no doubt that in the UK you have an excellent quality, fast, reliable internet connection.

1)I'm not in the UK.
2)And to say that:

Skype and Vontage BREAK UP a lot

is moronic to say the least since the person who said this or defends this
has obviously never talked to every Skype user in the world now have they?

1) My bad as I thought you previously said you were in the UK. Do you deny having better internet than US users?
2) You're just being contrary here. YOU are being a jerk and moronic in denying that this person could have told the truth and maybe he does have Skype and Vonage (correct spelling) break up for him. So by your logic are you saying that ALL (as in 100%) of Skype and Vonage calls are perfect and crystal clear? Since you deny the possibility of problems, it would seem that this is your position.

Now who is being moronic? Hint - YOU.

I gave you an out and suggested a reasonable possibility how you both could be right that you might never have problems and someone else could have a lot of problems and instead you have nothing better to offer but something along the lines of "I'm right, you're wrong. Neeneer neeneer neeneer." Nice. I see there's no real point in trying to use logic against you as you are incapable of understanding anything beyond "I'm right and you're wrong if you don't agree with me".

[INFRATOM]

I bought mine from Amazon.com for $99.00 at the time but now it is more. I guess the lowest is from skype now, but do a research here is the link for the model
http://accessories.skype.com/store/skype/DisplayProductDetailsPage/productID.69958700

[MJA]

I bought mine from Amazon.com for $99.00 at the time but now it is more. I guess the lowest is from skype now, but do a research here is the link for the model
http://accessories.skype.com/store/skype/DisplayProductDetailsPage/productID.69958700

thanx for the link. amazon.com is selling it for $399(sold by Toyzz) .lol nuts

[ricardouk]

@bendixG15

you can use Voipbuster to call landlines and mobiles for free in the USA, ive been using it for the last year here in Europe with one of those SIP phones connected to the router(no need for the pc to be on) all i need to do is to charge the account with 10 euros, probably 10 dolares in the US every 4 months. I can call european countries for free and USA both landlines and mobliles with no extra charge.

[hech54]

So by your logic are you saying that ALL (as in 100%) of Skype and Vonage calls are perfect and crystal clear?

I'd love to see you provide a link to me saying that. Can you?

I been using skype for years .I have no issues at all. most of the bad voice/drop call are connection/wiring/phone adapters fault not skype

Both Skype and Vontage BREAK UP a lot.

I suppose I have to remind you that here in the USA that we have some of the lowest quality and lowest speed "fast" (ha ha ha) internet connections in the world.

"What we have here is a failure to communicate"....properly. Even though apparently America
has some of the "lowest quality and lowest speed internet connections in the world"....it
MUST be Skype's fault.....so says SingSing.

Pretzel Logic wins the day I guess.

[MJA]

@bendixG15

you can use Voipbuster to call landlines and mobiles for free in the USA, ive been using it for the last year here in Europe with one of those SIP phones connected to the router(no need for the pc to be on) all i need to do is to charge the account with 10 euros, probably 10 dolares in the US every 4 months. I can call european countries for free and USA both landlines and mobliles with no extra charge.

woow dude .thanx for the info.I just tested Voipbuster few min ago not bad at all even the country I called is on the free list.

[bendixG15]

All this info .... thanks
Guess I have to put my own toe in the water... and see what happens.