VOIP - Where to buy a cheap handset?

Does anyone know where I can get hold of a cheapish VOIP handset on the
high street?

TIA
--
Charlie Mitchell.
To reply by e mail, change the first charleem to my real first name.
Check out my E-Bay stuff! http://urlcut.com/ebaythings

Charlie Mitchell wrote:
> Does anyone know where I can get hold of a cheapish VOIP handset on
> the high street?

A little more info please - what exactly do you mean by a "VoIP
handset"..?

Do you want a phone that can be plugged directly into an Ethernet port on
a router..?

Do you want an adaptor box plugged into a router into which you can plug
ordinary analogue phones..?

Do you want a USB handset to plug into a PC or laptop..?

Do you want a WiFi unit that works in say a hotspot on the street..?

There is equipment for all of the above but most good ones aren't exactly
cheap.


Ivor

"Charlie Mitchell" <charlee-(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in message
news:(E-Mail Removed)...
> Does anyone know where I can get hold of a cheapish VOIP handset on the
> high street?

I'm fascinated by the interest in these things - they seem to be about £25
at the mo (Novatech, Skype etc).
The mean having your pc on, having an active broadband connection, and you
STILL pay a rate per minute..
I can pick up an ordinary phone and talk for hours for 2p via 18866, or
2p/minute to NZ/Aus/USA.
That's a LOT of phone calls before the thing even breaks even. And by the
time it has, it'll probably be obsolete!

I'm lost with this one - it's the same as with 3G...someone invented it,
people seem to want it, but no-one (and I mean no-one) has yet actually told
me that they've found a use for paying to watch postage stamp size music
videos!

In uk.telecom.broadband, Charlie Mitchell wrote:

>Does anyone know where I can get hold of a cheapish VOIP handset on the
>high street?

If you have a VoIP router, and you just want to use an existing cordless
phone, you may be interested in this:

CORDLESS PHONE BASE STATION FOR BROADBAND VoIP ROUTER
<http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&rd=1&item=5176537749>

Don't bid more than about £15 - £20, I've got several more to sell.


--
Nigel M
"Occam's razor is not always sharp"

On Mon, 28 Mar 2005 12:44:42 +0100, "Jonathan"
<(E-Mail Removed)> wrote:

>I'm fascinated by the interest in these things - they seem to be about £25
>at the mo (Novatech, Skype etc).
>The mean having your pc on, having an active broadband connection, and you
>STILL pay a rate per minute..

Remember that calls to other Skype users are generally free, and calls
to many fixed-line locations including the US and Australia are only
1.1p/min.

>I can pick up an ordinary phone and talk for hours for 2p via 18866,

Not everyone makes calls lasting several hours.... :-)

>or 2p/minute to NZ/Aus/USA.

Skype's actually cheaper for this.
It is however an emergent technology. If you commonly chat with
friends who have suitable PCs you may find that VOIP is cost
effective, but until takeup is general enough and the technology
matures, I agree its questionable that its going to be of full
benefit.

>I'm lost with this one - it's the same as with 3G...someone invented it,
>people seem to want it, but no-one (and I mean no-one) has yet actually told
>me that they've found a use for paying to watch postage stamp size music
>videos!

i QUITE agree about 3G tho...

Mark McIntyre wrote:
>
> Remember that calls to other Skype users are generally free, and calls
> to many fixed-line locations including the US and Australia are only
> 1.1p/min.
>

On Nildram voice all national calls are free any time up to 2hrs for
£4.99 and for VOIP calls I just use my mobile bluetooth headset with the
PC. Means I can walk around hands free while making the call within
reasonable distance of the PC. Particularly useful when you are in a
hotel and already paid their exhorbitant net access charge for avoiding
their even more exorbitant phone charges.

Tony

"Nigel M" <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in message
news:(E-Mail Removed)...

> CORDLESS PHONE BASE STATION FOR BROADBAND VoIP ROUTER
> <http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&rd=1&item=5176537749>
>
> Don't bid more than about £15 - £20, I've got several more to sell.

So you are selling a normal DECT base station. Well done.

The idiots on eBay never cease to amaze me.

G

In uk.telecom.broadband, Cotch wrote:

>> CORDLESS PHONE BASE STATION FOR BROADBAND VoIP ROUTER
>> <http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&rd=1&item=5176537749>

>So you are selling a normal DECT base station. Well done.

I've sold a few, had no complaints. The point is that you can buy this
quite cheaply, then use with an existing handset. It also comes with an
RJ11-RJ11 lead, which many may not have.


--
Nigel M
"Occam's razor is not always sharp"

"Jonathan" <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in message
news:(E-Mail Removed)...
> "Charlie Mitchell" <charlee-(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in message
> news:(E-Mail Removed)...
>> Does anyone know where I can get hold of a cheapish VOIP handset on the
>> high street?
>
> I'm fascinated by the interest in these things - they seem to be about £25
> at the mo (Novatech, Skype etc).
> The mean having your pc on, having an active broadband connection, and you
> STILL pay a rate per minute..
> I can pick up an ordinary phone and talk for hours for 2p via 18866, or
> 2p/minute to NZ/Aus/USA.
> That's a LOT of phone calls before the thing even breaks even. And by the
> time it has, it'll probably be obsolete!
>
> I'm lost with this one - it's the same as with 3G...someone invented it,
> people seem to want it, but no-one (and I mean no-one) has yet actually
> told me that they've found a use for paying to watch postage stamp size
> music videos!
>Hi
i got always on router with fone plugged direct to it, i wouldn't use skype,
i use voipfone where I pay £9.99 a month and get 500 minutes to pretty much
anywhere in world on a landline for free, when the 500 minutes are up i get
the cheapest rates I have ever seen.
I get a incoming line included and can have any geographical code i want for
it and i can accept incoming calls like an old world phone.
i get fax to email and text message service, caller ID and 1571 service and
a hold tune and i can call any other voip telephone free NO MATTER WHO THE
OTHER PERSONS PROVIDER IS.
can skype or your provider come close??
i dont work for them by the way
roy

Jonathan wrote:
> "Charlie Mitchell" <charlee-(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in message
> news:(E-Mail Removed)...
>> Does anyone know where I can get hold of a cheapish VOIP handset
>> on the high street?
>
> I'm fascinated by the interest in these things - they seem to be
> about £25 at the mo (Novatech, Skype etc).
> The mean having your pc on, having an active broadband connection,
> and you STILL pay a rate per minute..
> I can pick up an ordinary phone and talk for hours for 2p via
> 18866, or 2p/minute to NZ/Aus/USA.
> That's a LOT of phone calls before the thing even breaks even. And
> by the time it has, it'll probably be obsolete!
>
> I'm lost with this one - it's the same as with 3G...someone
> invented it, people seem to want it, but no-one (and I mean no-one)
> has yet actually told me that they've found a use for paying to
> watch postage stamp size music videos!

A lot of people, me included, are interested in the technology involved
rather than any attempt at money-saving. Having said that though, I mainly
use Sipgate to call other people on the system, calls to these are free.
Yes, it will take a long time to break even financially but like I said
that isn't always the point. I'm a radio amateur, the technical side of
communications in general interests me, not only that which is radio
based. VoIP I find fascinating, which is why I got involved in it. I guess
I might break even money-wise at some stage, but it isn't a priority for
me.

Ivor