Using the phone

Wi-Call ceased at the same time as Wi-Surf so the VoIP phone we bought has sat on my desk like an ornament since then. I thought it was time I either disconnected it or subscribed to an alternative service.

Fortunately I found a site called VoIPtalk which allowed me to set up a free account. The process is easy and the site provides details of how to configure a range of VoIP devices to work with the new account including my Grandstream BudgetTone 101 phone.

You get a 0871 UK phone number free as part of the deal which will be handy for anyone in the UK who needs to phone in an emergency. Making calls to other people with VoIPtalk accounts is free. To dial landlines you simply buy credit in one of several ways.

For £2.99 per month I could upgrade to the Silver package which reduces call costs to 1p per minute. This package would also provide me with a geographic UK phone number to reduce costs to our UK callers.

So we now have two cheap alternatives (Skype and VoIPtalk) we can use.