Best Internet Telephones
Making phone calls over the Internet is becoming increasingly common. The advent of VoIP technology has made calls made over the Internet to sound crystal clear.
Many people and business are utilizing Internet calling because it is often cheaper than using a regular phone. Let’s take a look at some of the different companies that are currently offering this service:
- Vonage
- Skype
With Google’s service, calls are placed from a person’s Gmail account. Calls are completely free to anywhere in the United States and Canada. This is better than Skype, which only allows you to contact other Skype customers for free.
Incoming calls require a person to obtain a Google Voice number. Once again, this is completely free. The person calling you does not need to have any special equipment to call you.
They can simply call you with a regular phone. In the case of Skype, the only way that calls can be made for free is if the person on the receiving end has installed Skype software onto their cell phone or computer.
One major drawback of Google is that they charge for every international call. Skype offers free calling to every part of the world.
Vonage has a stellar reputation in the VoIP industry. They offer many features that are either free of inexpensive. Faxing costs 10 per month, while the basic plan also costs 10 per month. This includes all calls within Canada, Puerto Rico and the United States. For an additional 5, you can add another extension.
There are also more expensive plans available that can provide unlimited calling to as many as 60 countries. Vonage extras include weather alerts, visual voice mail, caller ID and call waiting. Visual voice mail is when the messages you receive are transcribed and delivered to you by text or email. People who call you can also get in on the savings.
Vonage has an unlimited amount of virtual phone numbers available for the vast majority codes. They also offer local access numbers in a large number of areas around the world. By using these numbers, people you know can call you from far away locations without being forced to pay expensive long-distance fees.
Many people have become loyal users of Skype because PC-to-PC video or audio calls are free. However, Skype has never completely perfected the quality of their sound. Depending on how busy their network is at the time you place your call, you might experience terrible sound quality.
In order to use a regular landline phone with Skype, a person will need to pay for a subscription to Skype. This costs roughly 2 cents per minute. You can also choose unlimited calls in Canada and the United States for 3 per month. Skype is not currently designed to be the only phone in a house. This is because of its inability to make 911 calls.
Vonage does offer 911 calling service. Also, you do not need to have your computer on in order to make the call. However, a mobile phone or backup battery will be necessary if your power goes out. The quality of Skype’s video calls has been a constant subject of debate among users. Many people deem the quality to be lackluster and mediocre. However, the service is free, so people are getting what they are paying for.
Satellite Internet providers like HughesNet can bring high speed Internet to you no matter where you live and work in the contiguous United States. Make those online phone calls even if you’re calling from a remote region.