VoIP: Any feedback?

[Marcus]

Anyone using VoIP? If so what are your experiences with it?

[Deez Nuts]

Hey Marcus, did you know VOIP stands for Voice Over Internet Protocol? ;-)

[Mike13]

Yeah tried out Skype. Probably not the best (I don't know) but it was easy. Only problem was that the mic volume in one of the configuration files was set to 256 - the maximum being 255. Took me a while to fix that.
Payed for and tried the calling to regular numbers thingy - pretty scratchy but ok. I see they now have video calling on the windows version.
It's alright for free.

[Deez Nuts]

Most people don't realise the Nazis invented VOIP. It was designed to use as little bandwidth as possible over two strands of barbed wire.

[Mike13]

I believe they had trouble with the drivers for the tin mugs at either end.

[STRINGWALKER]

Marcus - downloaded SKYPE for free and it works OK (cost zero) have spoken sydney / Athens / USA etc etc on business office to office but it is not as good as person to person phone calls. The person at the other end needs to be on broadband not dial up - (it was useless into Fiji).
The "network" is sometimes a liitle dodgy so i don't recommend it for important business where conversation is vital, but it is OK.

[Mike13]

Marcus - downloaded SKYPE for free and it works OK (cost zero) have spoken sydney / Athens / USA etc etc on business office to office but it is not as good as person to person phone calls. The person at the other end needs to be on broadband not dial up - (it was useless into Fiji).
The "network" is sometimes a liitle dodgy so i don't recommend it for important business where conversation is vital, but it is OK.
Did you use it Skype to Skype or Skype to regular phone?

[recurve boy]

The person at the other end needs to be on broadband not dial up - (it was useless into Fiji).


A fact that Skype does not try to hide. I used Skype between Sydney and UK over 1.5Mb ADSL. It worked very well. Sounds better than my phone.


The "network" is sometimes a liitle dodgy so i don't recommend it for important business where conversation is vital, but it is OK.


YMMV. I know at least 1 business that has gone to skype almost exclusively and it's worked extremely well for them.

[katzgrin]

I have had people trying to sell me systems / plans for work. In each case I have asked if they were using it for their call as the quality was a bit choppy. Overall not a good advertisement for the product they were trying to push.

[Marcus]

Most people don't realise the Nazis invented VOIP. It was designed to use as little bandwidth as possible over two strands of barbed wire.
A little known fact too was that due to poor telephone connections an early discussion that had teh phrase "I made a pole hey" was misheard to be "invade Poland"

[Marcus]

I wouldn't want to use Skype but rather a commercial system like Internode's NodePhone.
Anyone used a commercial Voice Over Internet Protocol?

[Feathers]

I have one of my sons working in the Kimberely we keep in touch Skype to Skype works well, and no cost. I am on adsl.

[Buzzlightyear]

i've no problems with Voip. I call landlines all the time. Sometimes you will get feedback, in Thaaaattttt cccaaasssseee taaallllkkkkk slllloowwllllyyyy. I think it's good. Need to upgrade my internet speed though. I'm using globechat.:turn-l:

[NOCK HUNTER]

I also use Voip with no problems at all.

I call land lines mobiles and the Uk.

[Marcus]

Does anyone receive calls using it?

[Progen]

Does anyone receive calls using it?

Ah, that's the question that's been begging to be answered. :D Haven't noticed someone I know receiving calls from it but he's saved millions (that's what it'd seem from his overseas calls) with VoIP. Different provider in Malaysia but same technology.

[James Park]

The major problem is that all packets in the network are treated the same (there is no COS marking). This means that when the network gets congested the VoIP packets get delayed or dropped just the same as data packets. Hence, the quality should be fine when the network is lightly loaded but will suffer when it is heavily loaded, and there is little you can do about it.

When COS is used the performance can be very good indeed, but that is just about impossible now if your call goes across multiple IP networks, and most ISPs would not pay extra to have higher COS packets given priority. Hence, I suspect that the "free" VoIP calls will not get to be better quality in the near future.

[StevenB]

some of my mates are using VOIP and are very happy with it. They use a variety of services eg Astratel for one. To send and recieve calls. They also have rules set on there ATA to use the cheapest method for a call.

They have both set up Asterisk (http://www.asterisk.org/) servers and I have been very impressed with the setup (like having a pabx)

We use IP phones at work and there is no quality issues

As for skype on dial up, used to use it and had no problems with the quality, not as good as phone, but much better than UHF

[James Park]

We use IP phones at work and there is no quality issues

The difference here is that with an IP PBX you can usually use COS marking for the packets and can hence give voice packets priority.

When I worked for Siemens I was well across a lot of collaborative work being done between Siemens and Juniper in Munich (a truly wonderful place to visit in September). They had (still have, I guess) a very extensive IP network set up covering a whole range of applications, one of which was VoIP. COS packet marking was used as a matter of course. What this meant was that you could then degrade the network capability until packets were being lost - first the data applications slow down and stop with no impact on the voice services. Then you start to lose voice packets, and it is only when quite a few are being lost that you notice any difference to the quality. I think this is the key to the various VoIP services being used today - where the operators will not use (or cannot use) COS marking the quality will certainly suffer, where they do it will be just fine. That is: if it is free the quality will probably be pretty patchy, where it is not free and COS is used it has a chance of being pretty good.

[Kuru]

engin

[wareagle]

I use Globalchat, I have no problems with it, since I speeded up. the best part is ,I can talk to others who have Globalchat for nix. [ got it through Norm B.]

[Feathers]

Does anyone receive calls using it?

Yes Marcus, My son calls a few times a week between 7 & 8 so I am on line at this time, no trouble or time limit.

[2Dogs]

I use Globalchat, I have no problems with it, since I speeded up. the best part is ,I can talk to others who have Globalchat for nix. [ got it through Norm B.]

Best thing I ever did.

knocked the crap out of my monthly phone bills.

I'm on a internode plan using Norms globechat. Got a Netcomm v300 and set it with QOS. With some pretty high DL's happening I still get good quality.

I recieve other globechate customers via the VOIP. Great quality.

People tell me that when calling me it drops some packets sometimes. Nothing to worry about.

But when I look at it I dropped my monthy bill from about $150 p/m to $35 (that inlcuding telstra's 29.95 line fee :mad: ). I'm sticking with it.

[primal]

We use an engine voice box.Quality is good most of the time.

except when i am downloading or streaming media, then it skips a little or can get 2-3 second delays.

ireciee all my ncoming and outgoing calls on it. for $5 a month i can have a local number in any caputal city that is routed to my unit. :) but i dont. just a boring old melbourne number.

[Hannah]

Adding to that, I wouldn't use if for a business (for the reasons expressed by Jim), but it does save a lot of money as any calls made to any number Australia wide is only 10c for the duration of the call. Mobile numbers are a different matter. O/S calls are really cheap also (call my sister in US and speak for an hour and only costs a couple of dollars - literally no more than 2).

I was going to give some info on the Cisco system used at my previous employer, but I have been told that it probably wasn't a true VoIP system (I was fairly sure it was...) ie was just the phone units without the full VoIP infrastructure.

[2Dogs]

http://www.globechat.com.au/ModCoreFrontEnd/index.asp?pageid=99

This is NormB's site.

It's aimed at Business quality VOIP. Works well

[James Park]

I was going to give some info on the Cisco system used at my previous employer, but I have been told that it probably wasn't a true VoIP system (I was fairly sure it was...) ie was just the phone units without the full VoIP infrastructure.
Yes, it would be.

[2Dogs]

some info on the Cisco system used at my previous employer

So they used VOIP at KFC?..... what on the drive thru? :rofl:

[Hannah]

So they used VOIP at KFC?..... what on the drive thru? :rofl:

Yes, worked quite effectively too, unfortunately talking over KFC WAN not so good because they refused to pay in anything other than KFC dollars...

No, I worked at (arguably) the largest law firm in Australia ;)

[2Dogs]

No, I worked at (arguably) the largest law firm in Australia

Arts Student!....work????....;) ....your nose is growing:D

[Deez Nuts]

When COS is used the performance can be very good indeed, but that is just about impossible now if your call goes across multiple IP networks, and most ISPs would not pay extra to have higher COS packets given priority. Hence, I suspect that the "free" VoIP calls will not get to be better quality in the near future.

I believe Internode has its own carrier grade nation-wide private network, which is all COS/QOS enabled, and which has multiple gateways into all of the fixed and mobile telephone networks. I believe the voice switches are all carrier grade and capable of everything a 'class 5' carrier PSTN switch can do.

[Lastat]

VOIP .. fantastic we have been using it for an while and also set a few differant businesses with it mostly using skype it is grand would always recommend just remmber there is always a risk, to any IP 2 IP programs but thats common scence good luck..