Free VOIP - where to find?

[urleandy]

Hi! I just wanted to know where I can find free VOIP service online. I have skype but I don't know if it really is working, I tried many times actually but I can't seem to ring the mobile I wanted to call. It automatically tells me that I need to choose payment, which is obviously they want me to purchase. I don't know was it really the case or I just hit the wrong button. Can anyone tell me where to find free VOIP calls. I just wanted to be sure I pick the right product I am about to purchase.

[andopes]

Hi, urleandy.

Check the trixbox.
It is a linux CentOS + Asterisk (VoIP server) + Sugarcrm.

Cheers

--
André Lopes
Lâmpada Global Services
Rua Bela Cintra, 299 conjunto. 51
São Paulo, SP 01415-000
tel1. 55 11 3237-3110
cel. 55 11 7636-5859
e-mail: info@lampadacrm.com.br

[andrewjones]

Asterisk can be ported to Mac but may require a small fee for copper line switching and call termination (depends on where you live). If you want a secure conferencing calls then never mind to try Gommetnow for free : http://www.gomeetnow.com
Skypeout is only $30/year and you can get cool skype phones (standalone ones too like WiFi G or Ethernet and of course USB). Google Skypeout because my work's proxy is blocking the skype site. You can also get SKypein for $60/year or something like that.

[khamel]

Hi! I just wanted to know where I can find free VOIP service online. I have skype but I don't know if it really is working, I tried many times actually but I can't seem to ring the mobile I wanted to call. It automatically tells me that I need to choose payment, which is obviously they want me to purchase. I don't know was it really the case or I just hit the wrong button. Can anyone tell me where to find free VOIP calls. I just wanted to be sure I pick the right product I am about to purchase.

I don't think you'll find a free product that lets you call from a computer to the PSTN. The free products are computer to computer. Back in the day, there were a few products that were free for a certain number of minutes but that era is long gone.

I have been using the unlimited skypeout ($3 month for unlimited computer to pstn in US and Canada, keep in mind unlimited is defined as around 3000 minutes in the EULA) and have been pleased. The promotion now includes $15 of International sykpeout credit as well when you sign up for a year.

I just love the convenience of cutting and pasting a number into skype and just calling, no more punching away at the keypad, plus the sound quality is great (when it's working, there are def. hiccups). I've been looking for a firefox extension that will just let me click on numbers in the browser and dial skype but haven't found anything.

[allan25]

Try the Gizmo Project www.gizmoproject.com . Its a good alternative to skype. It allows you to dial to phone from your computer and doesn't block 1-877 numbers as Skype. I use it often in collaboration with my Rhubcom's conferencing appliance

[e.kalman]

In order to call a mobile or landline from Sjype, you must have SkypeOut, which will then charge you for the calls. The free VOIP is only computer to computer - Skype to Skype

[Buchholz]

Yeah, Sourceforge has quite a few open source VoIP apps and Trixbox (formerly Asterisk) seems to be extremely popular. It sounds like it might be designed more for an office with multiple lines and take quite a bit of expertise to install and set up, though I might be mistaken.

I've used Gizmo as well and have liked it. I never used their "Call In Numbers" or their "Call Out Minutes" though they seemed to be pretty popular with some people. From reading the forums, however, it sounded like they didn't have much support outside their forums. Their prices looked pretty good, though, and they had fairly many features .

I had thought of using them for an incoming line when I moved and AT&T wanted to gig me mercilessly to keep my old business number. I ended up going with Vonage which was a bit more expensive, though still much cheaper than AT&T and with a lot more features than either had and responsive customer service. The reason I had to go with them, though, was that Gizmo couldn't transfer numbers at the time. It was something they were looking into, though, so they may be able to do it now.

We did away with regular landlines altogether. I disconnected the main incoming line from the phone company and plugged a line from my VoIP ATA and all the phones in the house were live on the VoIP line. You lose your phones if the power or the internet lines go out, but they both had a "simulring" feature where they can ring a second line for free as well. I have them ring my cell phone which has free incoming minutes so I don't have to miss calls if the power or internet go down. Gizmo & Vonage both have Voicemail anyway, though.

There are a number of companies that sell the ATA Adapters that connect the broadband modem to an ordinary phone &/or fax. Voxilla is one. Here's one of their ATA adapters with 2 phone ports but you might be able to find them cheaper on e-bay.

By the way, Skype adapters are locked so that they can only be used with Skype. That is one thing I don't like about them. Their software is also proprietary and as I understand it you can only use it to call other Skype members for free. Gizmo's isn't open source either, but they can use any (unlocked) ATA and you could switch to another provider without having to buy a new ATA device. They also offer free calling to any other VoIP provider other than Skype who doesn't allow it.

One other drawback to most VoIP providers is that they don't offer 911 service, or at least they didn't when I was checking, so they usually recommend against having them as your only phone line. That may not be as big of a deal, though, if you have cell phones. They can be quite a bit cheaper.

Gizmo used to be under $36/year for incoming calls and is currently 1.9 cents per minute for outgoing ones. They also don't charge all of the taxes and line fees etc. regular phone companies do. If you only want to use them for VoIP to VoIP calls there is no charge, of course. If your family/friends have free long distance you could even just use one of Gizmo's free 775 numbers* . People can just dial that number and your phone will ring, but it's an Iowa area code I believe. They could also use free access numbers from a number of cities but it's a two step process.

Sorry for the ramble, but maybe there's a tidbit of information in there someone might find useful.

* Gizmo will charge for simultaneously ringing another phone with the free 775 number, but doesn't do so for their local "call in" numbers.