Next best thing to a 'phone

[modtinbasher]

Hi folks, anybody help me out with some telephony knowledge please?

My son lives some 220 miles away from me in the UK. He's just moved into shared accommodation where he has WiFi broadband access but no access to a BT (type) landline. He also has a mobile phone but a cheap one with no free minutes.

Now, I have a landline that I can ring his mobile on (very expensive to talk frequently) and also broadband.

Apart from Windows Live Messenger using a microphone and speakers, or, buying a couple of (expensive again) Skype phones, does anyone have any further suggestions as to how we can stay in touch cheaply please?

Thanks MTB

[P.Pilcher]

At less than a tenner I didn't think that a suitable microphone/headphone set was particularly expensive. You can then talk for free on your computers for as long as you want, and if you don't always keep your computers switched on all the time, the landline/mobile link can be used to get the other party to switch the respective computer on when required.

P.P.

[Keef]

In a word, no. You could use Skype on the two PCs. Skype phones are quite cheap (relatively speaking) - but all the ones I've seen still need to plug into a PC, so you may as well use the headset etc on the computer.

[Saab Dastard]

Microphone and headset / speakers on the computer is how I use Skype to communicate with family and friends around the globe.

Sure, I'm tied to the PC, but it's a comfy chair! I could of course buy more expensive kit, allowing me to wander around the house - but that would start to defeat the purpose of cheap calls!

SD

[modtinbasher]

Thanks everybody!!! No it's not expensive at all. I don't understand Skpe or Voip for that matter so I'd prefer to keep it simple. Thanks again.

MTB

[poss]

Theres a program called VoIP that is rather good. It's free for a certain amount of uses (around 20 i think)... then you top it up when those free ones have gone by a tenner.... then you use the tenner and its free again. They don't want missus of the service so thats why they require some kinda topup once every so often. Check their site to find out more.

[airborne_artist]

Very simple.

Your son signs up with Sipgate.co.uk, which will give him VoIP, and most importantly, a UK number in the form (outside London and the big cities) 01xxx xxxxxx. He needs a £10 mic/headset which he plugs into his laptop. You agree a time for a call, and you dial his number, which for all the world looks like a regular phone number. He answers it.

You probably get free evenings and weekend calls from your phone co., so it costs you nothing to call.

If you like to try it out, PM me, and I'll give you my full Sipgate number, which starts 01491 81xxxx.

If he can't answer, you can leave a voicemail, which gets forwarded to him in an email with an attachment he can listen to.

[green granite]

Skype is very simple proving both of you sign up, set the conditions to accept calls only from people that you have shared details with, then you can talk with each other and or other friends with a computer anywhere in the world foe as long as you want for free.

[Spitoon]

You could use Skype on the two PCs. Skype phones are quite cheap (relatively speaking) - but all the ones I've seen still need to plug into a PC, so you may as well use the headset etc on the computer.You can get Skype phones that don't need a PC - they plug straight into a router. I think there are some that can work with a WiFi network, again without a PC involved. Yup, they cost a few quid but you may want to offset the set up costs against long-term cost savings.

I've got a great little Netgear set up - the base station plugs into both router and landline and the wireless (DECT) handset offers the choice of Skype or landline. Of course, with the 'pay for' Skype - can't remember what it's called - you get to make cheaper calls to landlines....makes a big difference if you call overseas a lot. Payback of the cost of the kit was about three months for me - almost never use the landline now except for local calls.

[modtinbasher]

Hey, thanks again folks, I must try and get my head around this stuff, I don't think it's meant to be understood by folks of a certain age though!!

MTB

[mutt]

To keep this simple......:):)

Both of you sign up to www.skype.com you can then talk to each other for free from your computers.

Or you can call him to his mobile phone from your computer for a small fee.

If in time you decide that you like the service, you can get additional Skype devices like cordless phones that will make life easier.

Enjoy....

Mutt

[ZH875]

Each of you can buy a cheap internet phone from Tesco that plugs into the computer, you can select what number you want from lots of different UK areas.

Tesco to Tesco internet calls are Free all the time, no matter where they are. If you both choose the same local area for your number then landline to the Tesco line is 2p per minute.

[ad astra]

Just a thought, but there is a variation on the skype idea; if you have a mobile phone contract with the three network - www.three.co.uk then with some of their phones you can make and receive free skype calls wherever you are because the skype service is actually working over their mobile phone network. I'm not sure how they do this for free but it is available and on pay as you go and pay monthly contracts. Seems like a great deal.

[Albert Square]

I kept in regular contact with my son in Japan using Windows Messenger. Just used a microphone headset. Or could set to use the PC speakers for others to hear him. Also used a cheap webcam. very easy to set up.

Later, we changed to Skype which gave MUCH better quality of speech (often got feedback with messenger).

[Golden Ticket]

Don't be afraid of Skype, it's some of the most user friendly software I've ever used. PC World did skype with the software and a wire earpiece and mic for a tenner. There's two of everything, plug it into your mic and ext speaker jacks and away you go. It's saved me a fortune when away on trips.

[modtinbasher]

Thanks everybody again for taking the time. Excellent stuff.

MTB

[HuntandFish]

Skype is easy .
I use a cheap usb handset as others have said Im tied to the PC but it works . My son was in Tanzania with only a local mobile . Calls via a BT landline were very expensive BUT calls from my PC via Skype apeared to be at Tanzanian mobile rates much cheaper

[paxcommuter]

Also some of the newer Nokia phones work as a SIP client over wifi. I use the E65, which I use to connect to a uk SIP service over wireless internet, and gives me dirt cheap phone calls back to the uk and vise versa, without a PC.

The SIP services vary in price, with some you can get unmetered calls to UK landlines for about 5 or 6 quid a month, but the handiest thing is you can get a uk local number anywhere you want it, so I have a SIP number in the same exchange as my folks, which I can connect to from anywhere there's wireless internet, which helps to keep in touch.

One caution, though, you have to take care where you get the phone from. Vodafone nobbles the Nokias so that SIP doesn't work over wifi, phones from Three work fine, though.

[modtinbasher]

Thanks folks, again, I'm indebted.

MTB