HELLO & WELCOME

[molly]

What equipment options do I have for using voip to make and receive telephone calls? I don't need anything fancy, and I wouldn't mind using my existing panasonic cordless phones. Can I use these?

I'm basically going to be selling Avon, I don't want to hand out my home phone number to anybody and everybody.

[WelshPaul]

There are a few options depending on what your needs are:

1. If you wish to use your panasonic cordless phones you can opt for something called an ATA (Analog Telephone Adapter) which is used to connect your regular analog panasonic cordless phones to digital VoIP networks. Some of the drawbacks of this is that its more difficult to transfer calls and you can't use a lot of the advanced features that VoIP PBX systems offer like being able to see who is on the phone. Also analog phones are not as clear sounding as IP Telephones.
2. The next option is to go with an IP Telephone like an Snom, Linksys or Cisco telephone. This lets you easily transfer, conference and place callers on hold at the touch of button and works seamlessly with IP PBX systems. Since its digital you will get better sound quality as compared to using an analog phone attached to an ATA device.
3. The third option is to go with a soft phone which is basically a computer program that runs on your desktop or laptop computer. This soft program requires that you have a USB headset so that you can make/receive telephones calls. The advantage of this option is that you have the mobility to travel anywhere. The drawbacks are that you have to keep your computer on if you want to receive telephone calls and often programs running on your computer (or your computer crashing) can interfere with your voice conversation.

[molly]

Option 3 would not be suitable, option 2 I'm guessing is more expensive than option 1?

I will look on ebay for a cheap ata.

[molly]

I have purchased a Snom 300 for just over £30 from ebay and it should be with me soon. I will probably be back soon requiring your help setting it up. :lol: