IP Phones

Joseph

Hi all

I'm a bit confused when it comes to VOIP phones and IP Phones. I get the whole area of computer plug-ins that work with skype etcera.

Say I wanted to buy this phone and buy a Blueface subscription - is it as simple as that? Buying the phone plugging it into the router and buying a blueface subscription and setting it up on that phone?

If someone could explain the basics it would be very helpful

Cheers

k123456

Not up to speed on Blueface myself, but


You can buy a USB wired or USB wireless phone for 15 or 45 euro, plug into PC. Download Skype or Voipcheap.com and you're good to to make free or next to free landline calls, disadvantage of this method, is you need to be at or near to pc to make calls.
http://www.dealextreme.com/search.dx/search.usb%20phone#315




Use a wifi mobile phone, download above apps and call over wifi . I use an old nokia e51 around house (no sim card in it), advantage of this you can use abroad in a wifi zone

http://www.todayfm.com/Shows/Weekday...dPodcasts.aspx

Games and Gadgets Slot 13/07/10


You can buy a voip phone designed to be plugged in to your router and configure it with your Skype or Voipcheap settings.

Joseph

I understand about all the computer/skype related VOIP phones, but I'm talking specifically about the professional IP phone I linked in the OP - what would be needed for that phone to work with Blueface etcera?

I presume it's not as simple as connecting an eternet cable from your router directly to the phone and setting up details on the phone? Would you need a special kind of router or an extra device - I've heard that PBX systems are needed for IP phones but can you do without them?

MunsterCycling

Nope, its as simple as inputting the settings on the phone and away you go, the handset I had you have different firmware depending on the application (eg Asterisk server for local PBX) but it also had a SIP firmware in which all you had to do was input the details and start making calls.

Couldn't be simpler.

MC

Schrodingercat

If you want to test it without buying the physical phone you can download x-lite softphone (www.counterpath.net), and set up your blueface (sip) account on that, and use it with a computer headset.

When setting up the cisco you plug it in, let it get an ip adddress from your router, and then enter in all the exact same sip settings you put into the softphone on your pc.

Just to watch out on the cisco, I use a 7940 and the power supply doesn't come as standard (they assume you use power over ethernet which standard routers/switches don't ), so you may have to buy the power adapter as well. It may be standard with the 7945.


I've also used these as a cheap alternative and have never had any issues.
http://www.best4systems.co.uk/_Aastra_9112i_VoIP_Phone.asp?ProdID=7895

Joseph

That's fantastic thanks for clearing that up - I thought it would be much more complicated than that.

Will look out to make sure it comes with a power supply when I'm ordering

Just on that 7945G: it says it has 2 network ports and 2 line capability. Presume that means I plug it into the router twice and configure it with 2 different blueface accounts if I wanted?

Schrodingercat

You can set up the 2 accounts with only one network cable plugged in. Its all just requests to the internet.


The second network port is a "network line out". So if you have only one free port on your router you can plug phone into your router, and then your pc into the phone.