Skype and Dect Phones

[Ardesco]

No, I don't want a mobile capable of Skype (or to be precise, I don't want another, I already have an O2 mini XDA S).

I am looking for a Skype phone that works without a PC, and can also function as a normal cordless (not mobile) phone.

I don't want just to be told the name of one, I want an opinion from someone who has used one.



Is it me

I shall make sure I do not try to offer advice to you again then

HTH

[portseven]

I tried Skype but disliked their closed network as I want to use VOIP as a business phone.

I went for Voipfone instead and bought this little beauty . It's ethernet and has lots of lovely features. It's also clear as a bell.

With Voipfone I can forward any calls to my mobile when I'm working away from home.

It's got wires though so I s'pose you're not interested.

I already have one, I built an Asterisk box last year and have been playing with it, more as an educational thing than anything. I got myself a pair of Budgetone 102s . I keep meaning to have a play with chanskype as it looks promising, and might be a good addition to business Asterisk installations.

[expat]

I shall make sure I do not try to offer advice to you again then

HTH

Then life would be boring

[expat]

I tried Skype but disliked their closed network as I want to use VOIP as a business phone.

I went for Voipfone instead and bought this little beauty . It's ethernet and has lots of lovely features. It's also clear as a bell.

With Voipfone I can forward any calls to my mobile when I'm working away from home.

It's got wires though so I s'pose you're not interested.

It's OT but it is a little beauty.

Don't understand about Skype's "closed network" though: I use it so the Better Half can call me from home when I am away in another country. When I have net access on my laptop, it's free. When I don't, she uses Skype out: 2p/m to landline, 13.5p/m to mobile. Same price as Orbtalk using the VOIP phone, no?

[portseven]

Don't understand about Skype's "closed network" though

I think cojak was refering to the fact that Skype uses it own propriety and closed protocols, and don't link up with any other networks (Google Talk, MSN, etc).

There are open standards out there such as SIP and IAX, as well as some good open codecs. I would love to use them, its just that Skype seems to bring it all together in a nice interface, so I am using that ATM.

[darmstadt]

Cool, looks like it is 'out' then.

Yep, in fact they had one from someone else (Phillips I think) and I'm still tempted. While I was over in the USA there were quite a few different Skype phones going for good prices but I wasn't too sure about protocols so stayed on the safe side.

[portseven]

Well I went and ordered one of the Netgear jobbie's, should arrive this week.

I will let you all know how it works out.

[cojak]

I think cojak was refering to the fact that Skype uses it own propriety and closed protocols, and don't link up with any other networks (Google Talk, MSN, etc).

There are open standards out there such as SIP and IAX, as well as some good open codecs. I would love to use them, its just that Skype seems to bring it all together in a nice interface, so I am using that ATM.

Yep, that's what I mean. You can only get free calls if you go Skype to Skype, where as anyone on an open VOIP network can call me free.

[expat]

Yep, that's what I mean. You can only get free calls if you go Skype to Skype, where as anyone on an open VOIP network can call me free.

Er, excuse me, you mean it's free if:

They're on Skype and so are you;
OR
They're on an open VOIP network and so are you.

I'm not trying to be tedious (it comes without trying), but isn't it 6 and half-a-dozen, unless most of the people you talk to are already on one or the other? And for calls to foreign landlines or mobiles, it's not free in either case.

[cojak]

There's only one Skype, there are many VOIP open networks/protocols...