The major drawback with a software Voice over IP (VoIP) solution such as Skype is that to work it requires the user’s computer to be switched on. For those of us who aren’t mouse pushers, or who wish to maximise the benefits, carrier-based VoIP may be the better option.
Companies such as Vonage offer a hardware solution for normal handsets. A special adapter sits between the phone jack and the router, and automatically routes voice calls via the user’s broadband connection onto Vonage’s internet telephony network.
From the user’s perspective, it all happens seamlessly. The biggest difference is that they will have to start using their new Vonage phone number or subscribe to the call forwarding service to have incoming calls on their existing number re-routed to Vonage.
Like Skype and other VoIP packages, the Vonage service will go down if the user loses their broadband connection or suffers a power failure. For the vast majority of users, though, to make outgoing calls the answer is to unplug the adapter and place the phone jack directly into the micro-filter to use their BT landline as normal.
Whereas Skype and others operate on a Pay-As-You-Go basis, Vonage charges a fixed monthly subscription fee for unlimited UK local and national calls and cheap rate calls to UK mobiles. The residential package is £7.99 per month while the small business offering at £18.99 includes a free dedicated fax line.
The snag with Vonage is the hardware set up that is involved. Each phone requires to be plugged into a phone adapter, which in turn is connected to a spare port on the user’s Ethernet router. USB modems can’t be used, and if you don’t have a spare port on your router, you’ll need to order a Vonage phone adapter with built-in router.
Vonage say the set up is easy. Well, maybe for one or two handsets. But who - apart from the technically accomplished, the brave or foolish - would want to tackle their multi-user network set up?
As ever, it’s swings and roundabouts when attempting to draw conclusions on the best VoIP option to adopt for a small to micro-sized business.
But if neither Skype nor carrier-based broadband telephony floats your boat. There is a third way that has just appeared on the UK scene in the last fortnight.
jajah.com is a web site that in effect is a virtual self-service broadband telephone exchange. All you do is register on the site, type in your phone number, type in that of the person you wish to call and click the green Call button. Your phone rings, you pick it up, a posh woman tells you the call is being placed and it starts ringing out as normal.
It doesn’t get much simpler than this. Calls are phone-to-phone so there’s no software or hardware to install, or special handsets or headsets to buy.
Calls to other jajah users are free, with low cost calls to landlines, mobiles and international numbers charged on a country zone basis. Payment for the calls can be made per call or by buying credit. You can try out jajah for five minutes entirely free and hear for yourself the sound quality.
