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 Review by hortnut 
UPDATED: 32 days ago
member for 4.1 years, 1027 visits, last login: a few hours ago
 Portland,Multnomah,OR
 $4 per month
 about 1 days
 "Easy to use and setup. Easy to make calls and take calls"
 "Not a true VOIP? - requires computer running skype to use"
 "Easy and cheap way to test out VOIP"
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10/22/09 - Use Skype as a backup and when running out of Cell minutes. I have my own number in my Area Code that can take calls from anyone. Still using the Linksys CIT200. The voice mail system that e-mails me when I have a message works very well. Call quality seems to improve all the time and the updated software works well.
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In early 2007 took advantage of Skypeout at 50% or $14.95USDper year [used the free version in 2006] then added Skypein with my choice of a local number for $36.00/year.
Tired of using a headset, purchased a Linksys CIT200 cordless handset that plugs into recharger and a transmitter that plugs into a USB port on the computer running Skype. Works just like a landline. All the contacts are stored on the computer.
Have to have a computer running w/ Skype installed and phone transmitter plugged into USB port. Maybe not real "Green".
There was an outage this summer but the company extended term [I prepaid year in advance].
My use is for a secondary phone and since my cell is my only other phone, I use Skype during peak minutes to save cell minutes.
Current version of the software: Version: 3.5.0.239. Release date: September 19, 2007
File name: SkypeSetup.exe File size: 23 MB adds many more features that I have yet tried or even looked at [seems some are free for so many minutes per mo and cost after that and others seem to be just fluff]. Some of the add'l:
-Share videos
Add video to your mood.
-Video snapshot
Grab pictures of you or who you're talking to.
-Call transfer
Transfer Skype calls to your contacts.
Features
* Free Skype-to-Skype calls to people anywhere in the world.
* Call phones and mobiles at pretty cheap rates per minute.
* Instant message when it's not a good time to talk.
* See who you’re talking to with free video calls.
* Forward your calls and get text messages when you’re not online.
Followup comments:  Amanita
Premium
join:2007-11-03
92173-1522 |  Has anyone used Skype successfully witha satelitte service?
Maybe Skype or another similar service will work better. Help please. | |
| | | | Amanita
Premium
join:2007-11-03
92173-1522
| Hortnut? I love it.......... Well I tried using Skype 3 days ago. Really, setting up Skype is just so simple, dumb simple. Just what I needed! I have many issues going on: just brought up Wild Blue, new router, ect so first attempt DID NOT work. My tech found the new D-link router to be unworkable. (and my tech is good), the omni-ant. 9dB was a joke-bad joke. Beautifully finished-but useless. The box says 1-1/2 miles (in small print-2 units together), but unit, clean line of sight died at 800 ft!
So, a new Linksys/Vonage router went in, and suddenly Skype worked fine! Very nice. Surprisingly nice. WHY? It is doing the same thing VoIP/Vonage is doing-down and up, but Skype has little latency and clear voice.
Question #1 Is it likely that the addition of a VoIP Skype telephone/USB telephone would improve matters over a headset? (I used Dragon Naturally Speaking and use very good microphone, but there may be more involved).
Question #2 I purchased the Linksys / Vonage router WRTP54G to compare its function against my old PAP2. (Unknowingly purchased, Vonage will not activate 2 phone adapters for the same Vonage telephone number.) My next step is to decommission the Linksys PAP2 with Vonage and than have Vonage activated the WRTP, to make a test. Permit my to explain the following:
The Wild Blue system is now operating reasonably well for international telephone calls made to Mexico. Mexico can call me-I can call Mexico. The voice quality is reasonably good. Latency, of course, is annoying but certainly is not unworkable. The service is particularly adaptable between parties who have accommodated to the style. Even a newcomer, told there is a "satellite lag time" quickly falls into ending his sentences with "over". It's no big deal. The sound quality is excellent-the same as Ma Bell.
However, notwithstanding the fact that the system works internationally (my experience is with calling Mexican telephone numbers only-at this point), whether I call them, or they call me, the same is not true for dialing within the United States. There is something fundamentally different.
A US telephone can call my Vonage telephone and the system works great-as above. But when I call them, what arrives at my parties end is just garbled packets-essentially my voice is incomprehensible.
Does anyone have a notion of some strategy, or do I give up?
That "next test" is to try the new WRTP and see if there's a difference. I recognize this perhaps sounds primitive to some of you here-perhaps laughable in reality.
Now, beyond that attempting is the following: At this form, in another thread, I read a conversation of skilled technical people (crackers?) discussing opening up the PAP2. To what end is? Why? Just simply to do it? Or can something be accomplished by obtaining internal access to the program in this device? Did I get this correct? Is that what is going on? Now, could such technical capacity be used to assist with my problem?
Another strategy: When I first brought up Wild Blue, in a conversation with a "willing and able" technical representative, he expressed considerable interest in our success with VoIP, leaving the telephone to discuss my situation with his supervisor. His supervisor suggested that I send Wild Blue pertinent data as to how the system was functioning and improvements, if such improvements were forthcoming.
Does this sound like so much nonsense-or do you think perhaps there is interest in successful VoIP usage among management? Might an attempt be productive to open up a dialogue with Wild Blue management, and report on progress? That is, make inquiry to see if there really is bona fide interest? Or perhaps I'm simply demonstrating my naivety. | |
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 Review by lordie
UPDATED: 69 days ago
member for 8 years, 799 visits, last login: a few hours ago
Sunnyvale,Santa Clara,CA
$1 per month
"cheap, good voice quality, easy installation"
"zero customer service, crappy UI"
"good enough for the money"
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It is close to ubiquitous, it is easy to install, all my friends and family have it, Skypeout is working well, and it is a good deal for the buck..
Update: Sept. 2009 - as good ..
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 Review by Nanoprobe
Posted: 80 days ago
member for 6.5 years, 2818 visits, last login: a few minutes ago
Crab Nebula
Contract price not specified.
"Use it with webcam to see grandchildren"
"None so far"
"Free is good"
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Great deal for seeing grandchildren who live out of state/town.
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Review by rramsey718
Posted: 112 days ago
member for 7.5 years, 6 visits, last login: 112 days ago
Powder Springs,Cobb,GA
$3 per month (24 month contract)
about 1 days
"Inexpensive Telephony Services, can use on Smart Phone and PC"
"Sound Quality/Echo is intermitten depending on Wi-Fi or data connecton."
"An excellent value for the money, especially the overseas calling. Reminds me of calling in the 70's/80's"
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I bought a smart phone (Samsung Omnia) but when I found out I had to pay an extra 35-50 bucks for mandatory data services a month to add it to my home account , I decided to just use it as a PDA. Because the Omnia supports Wi-Fi, I signed up for Skype's $2.95 Monthly domestic calling service. Us and Canada.
Downloading to the Omnia was easy using my USB connection. Setting up the software took only a couple of minutes. Setting up the software on the PC was just as easy.
Call quality is directly related to the number of users on the Wi-Fi network and the size of the pipe serving that Wi-Fi node. At home, it is as if I am calling from my home phone most of the time, with occassional lags/delays.
For making cheap overseas calls, it's the way to go. Domestic too if your home phone service doesn't inlcude unlimited domestic calls. It is NOT a replacement for a home phone or cell phone but a money saving supplement depending on the services you subscribe to.
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Review by jimobrien
UPDATED: 114 days ago
member for 6.5 years, 147 visits, last login: 6 days ago
Westlake Village,Ventura,CA
Contract price not specified.
"Great service. Reliable, global, cost-effective, has video, conference calling, easy to use. Have used it in 37 countries."
"starting to get blocked by a few telcos in the world, US carriers will follow if not regulated. Great service, no real bad point"
"Regulation needed to keep these types of great telco innovations healthy."
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Regulators should ensure great telecom innovations like Skype are allowed to serve business. Traveling internationally subjects businessmen to extreme predatory practices - with ridiculous cell-phone rates, and outright-theft-hotel international costs. Business badly needs these types of services. Some telecom companies in the world have moved to sabotage Skype and this should not be allowed. Example of Mexico City where the richest guy in the world has hotel calls to the US at $13 each minute, cell phone doesn't work. With Skype its 3 cents a minute, and it allows business to happen. The days of regulators allowing telcos to flagrantly steal from business travelers should stay in the past, including in the US. Skype has earned loyalty. Disclosure: I don't own any stock or have anything commercially to do with this company. Rarely, a great innovation commands admiration.
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 Review by Meningitis
UPDATED: 128 days ago
member for 260 days, 180 visits, last login: 1 days ago
Mills River,Henderson,NC
Contract price not specified.
"Badass service! Barely a hiccup at all. Crystal clear."
"None for my usage at least."
"Cheap, and easy."
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Can't say anything bad about it. Weather I'm calling my family, or chatting with my friends while playing WoW... it just works fine.
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 Review by Gbcue
Posted: 151 days ago
member for 8.1 years, 4536 visits, last login: a few hours ago
Santa Rosa,Sonoma,CA
Contract price not specified.
"It's a great service, can call other Skype users and 800 numbers for free!"
"$ Still expires?"
"It's great to prank call people."
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No other options that were free.
Install software process was quick and easy. Updates are rolled out frequently.
Caller ID shows up as 012-345-6789 - Awesome!
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Review by Cubytus
Posted: 250 days ago
member for 2.2 years, 122 visits, last login: 138 days ago
Montreal,QC
$10 per month
"Attractive rates, easy to use software"
"Completely closed system; unreliable call quality; no incoming canadian numbers available; Mac and Linux versions very lacking"
"Enough for occasional VoIP users or as an inexpensive add-on to cell service"
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They have a quite good-looking website, but it's not that easy to find detailed information on it.
No way to easily contact customer service, although they DO have one.
The software (didn't tried any hardware device) itself is pretty functional and user-friendly, but, on the downsides: Linux and Mac versions are not on par with Windows' one in terms of functionality, and all of them are heavy in RAM, and extremely heavy on the CPU while in call (70% with video on a Core 2 Duo 2,33GHz). If you don't have a big RAM reserve, you don't want to run Skype all day long. And forget about recycling that old PC in a Skype station.
Call quality os very variable. Basically, if you pay for your call, it's excellent. If you use Skype-to Skype service, call quality can be top-notch a minute, and crappy as hell for the next 5. This is due to P2P architecture, but I believe paying customers get a better treatment. Video quality is terrible and choppy, most of the time, whatever some people say. So, far from being stable.
Their system is completely proprietary, and although they advertise it as "secure", I won't trust any company that doesn't publish its security implementations and have backdoors implemented in their software.
That said, it's still very good for occasional user, but one shouldn't take its call quality as a reference for all VoIP providers.
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Review by jduffy
Posted: 267 days ago
member for 3.2 years, 303 visits, last login: 2 days ago
Cincinnati,Hamilton,OH
$5 per month
about 1 days
"A lot of features, text, audio and video, cheap"
"cannot use a TA without a computer"
"Good Quality, Video, and Text makes it a nice service for families"
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We have used Skype in our family with the video feature. Makes my daughter in Atlanta feel like she is closer to the family. Now here husband's family is going to get it so they can use video from up in the northeast.
I also have the SkypeOut at $3 a month for unlimited call to the US and Canada. What a deal that is! We also have a number so people can call-in with regular phones. So for about $60 bucks a year, we have a cheap back-up phone and video calling (basic Skype to Skype calls are FREE).
Quality of the calls has been very good. We are happy with Skype.
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Review by kristimyers
UPDATED: 323 days ago
member for 3.7 years, 828 visits, last login: 4 days ago
York,York,PA
$5 per month (12 month contract)
about 1 days
"Great price, very reliable and fairly easy to use"
"None, really. I am very pleased. This service would be worth it at 5x the price."
"A GREAT deal, and worth the hiccups for all the benefits!"
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I am using Skype with the prepaid 1-year unlimited US/Canada with a local phone number. I have it installed on my Asus Eeepc (Linux), my Acer Aspire laptop (1.5 GB RAM, running XP), and my iMac G5 (1 GB RAM, running OS 10.3.9). My connection through Verizon is 3Mbps/200 on a good day.
So far, I have had the best results on the Linux machine and the XP laptop, using the internal mic and speakers. I have found that overall quality is superior to my cell phone (Sprint) and way better than MagicJack or my previous Sunrocket service. I get terrible outgoing voice on my Mac running OS 10.3.9, which I attribute to insufficient resources on the machine.
All of my machines are accessing the internet using my Wifi network, and I am seeing great incoming sound and very good outgoing sound. I do have some dropped calls, especially when my 6 year-old is using the service and talks too low. We have the occasional garbled outgoing sound, but that is quickly fixed by restarting the call and ending processes that are bogging down the internet connection.
I love the Skype software for Mac and XP - it is easy to use and has all the features I could possibly want. So far, I can only get video to work on my XP machine, but it does work very well. I am 100% pleased with Skype to Skype with video, as we use it daily to call a relative in Thailand. That alone is worth any negatives I have experienced.
I am particularly pleased that my little girl can launch and use Skype with no help. Of course I supervise her, but she can open her Asus Eeepc, click on a family member's name, and call without any trouble. The unlimited plan is more than enough to ensure that she can call out of town relatives without costing us an extra penny, and she loves being able to carry her computer around and talk to her family. The Linux version that runs on the Asus is pretty bare-bones and doesn't offer the features I like, but it works for a 6 year-old.
A few weeks into the service, I am very pleased. Skype has replaced MagicJack as my internet-based service of choice, and the features can't be beat. I am telling all of my overseas friends to get Skype so we can call without running up our landline bills.
Cautions: Read the fine print. The Unlimited US/Canada plan DOES have limits, but I think I calculated these to be 133 hours of calls per month to non-Skype users. Also, if you maintain a Skype credit for calls outside your plan, be careful about the kinds of phones you are calling. The overseas pricing can be tricky because certain lines cost a lot more per minute. Also, I wish the Linux software would be more fully-featured. Finally, if you attach a Skype phone to your computer, you may see a SIGNIFICANT decrease in call quality. My first attempt at Skype, using my XP machine, had me using a Skype USB phone (not cheap) plugged into my XP machine. The outgoing sound was TERRIBLE, and I cancelled the service because there was no way to adjust the quality. However, using that same computer without a Skype phone has produced excellent results.
If you are looking for a cheap alternative to landlines, with great quality and the coolness factor, go for Skype. I paid $60 for a full year of service that includes a local number for others to call and voice mail, and it is worth many times more than that.
Update 1/2/2009:
I have been using Skype for about 2 months, and I like it more and more every day. Our calls to Thailand using Skype to Skype are crystal clear, with video and chat working perfectly. Domestic calls are always better than cell phone quality, and often better than our POTS line. Voice mail is 100%, and our dropped calls are at 0%. I never thought I would get such great VOIP service at any price, so I am thrilled with Skype. I now use it for most of my local calls, as it is convenient and keeps my POTS line free. I tried Skype on a conference call through my laptop, and the call quality was far superior to what I could get using my new speaker phone.
I completely recommend SKype, especially with the unlimited US calling for $30 a year. Awesome.
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