VOIP Phones

It is a bit tricky to get VOIP working over "any WiFi you might encounter". This is due to various networking issues like NAT, firewalls, etc. The models you find on internet will probably work when you use them in your home, locked to your own WiFi, possibly after doing some configuration in your home router. However, they are not intended to carry around, connect to a WiFi access point you encounter, and call. (let alone receive calls...)

When you would want a cordless VOIP phone for use in a home or office, I would recommend a model that has its cradle connect to your network, if you really want via WiFi that could be done, cable ethernet would be preferred, and then uses DECT to talk between the cradle and the handset. That is going to be more reliable than directly using WiFi from a handset you carry around.

For true roaming you can use any smartphone with the available apps, and using the GUI on the phone to connect to a WiFi network, but it isn't going to be very reliable. Using a mobile data plan is better, but it could be disallowed (and filtered accordingly) by your provider.

Sure, yes. This is an easy combination.

One solution: start with a standard Android cellphone. Provision it with a SIMM from whatever carrier you like.

Install Zoiper, or another VoIP application that supports SIP. (Basic Zoiper version is free; there's an inexpensive Gold version that adds a few features).

Set up an account with a VoIP provider, and get a phone number with them (I uses Vitelity).

Configure Zoiper to register with the VoIP provider, using your account credentials.

At this point, you can make (and receive) VoIP calls over any sufficiently-good WiFi connection ("sufficiently good" implies proper packet routing, network address translation / firewall access if needed, and low enough latency and packet-drop rates to give you a acceptable voice quality).

You can also make and receive calls via cellphone.

If you're out and about and don't have WiFi, you can still receive and make VoIP calls - they'll go via the "data" aspect of your cellphone plan. Voice quality may or may not be acceptable, based on the quality of your cellphone data connection.

For extra credits, install Asterisk on your home/office server, and install one or more wired or WiFi phones in and around the house/office, using Asterisk as the "provider". Have these phones, and your "roamer", register with Asterisk as extensions. You'll be able to make VoIP calls between your phones (including the WiFi roaming cellphone) without going through the commercial VoIP provider, or over the PSTN at all.

I've been running a setup like this for years. It's actually my preferred way to "phone home" when calling my wife - the calls ring on a VoIP-only extension that has the ringer turned on at all times. She leaves the ringer on our land-line phone turned off, most of the time, due to the number of sales-slime calls we get... they go right to the answering machine.

SFAIK there's SIP clients available for Android. running the wi-fi full time to maintain the session reportedly drains the battery (faster than normal) though. dunno how it'd go on cellular internet.

ine number on the road. I could simply forward it to my cell phone leaving me with a monthly bill that is still under $20. I have considered a separ ate VOIP phone but even if wireless (like the old cordless phones) they see m to be intended to replace the desk phone rather than being a true roaming , pick up wifi anywhere and just work phone. I did find a few that aren't tethered to a charging cradle, but still look like old fashioned cordless p hones, the Spectralink line. But they seem to have special requirements on the access points they can work with. They are also very pricey.

up any wifi you happen to be near to make phone calls? I believe I have r ead where a regular cell phone can run an app to do this, but it is not cle ar just how these apps work. Will the cell phone ring as both a cell and a s a VOIP phone? Anyone have experience with these?

I don't think the wifi is what drains the battery so much. I know lots of people who use wifi to automatically switch their data off the cell network to save data rates. Then again, everyone with a smart phone has to charge pretty much every day. I assume at this point that is considered normal.

I'm looking into a Google Fi account. I've wanted to get a smart phone any way and they have plans that don't cost as much mostly because they aren't trying to rip you off on the data only charging for what you use. The down side is they use a combination of the three or four worst networks in the US. I will have 15 days to try it... we'll see.

I'm paying monthly for the phone because they don't make it cheaper to buy it outright. Very odd. I guess I didn't have to buy it from them, but the n I'm stuck with the phone if it all doesn't work out.

Rick C.

I charge mine twice a week, but I don't use the wifi much.

ndline number on the road. I could simply forward it to my cell phone leav ing me with a monthly bill that is still under $20. I have considered a se parate VOIP phone but even if wireless (like the old cordless phones) they seem to be intended to replace the desk phone rather than being a true roam ing, pick up wifi anywhere and just work phone. I did find a few that aren 't tethered to a charging cradle, but still look like old fashioned cordles s phones, the Spectralink line. But they seem to have special requirements on the access points they can work with. They are also very pricey.

ick up any wifi you happen to be near to make phone calls? I believe I hav e read where a regular cell phone can run an app to do this, but it is not clear just how these apps work. Will the cell phone ring as both a cell an d as a VOIP phone? Anyone have experience with these?

With the wifi off, a smart phone pretty much looses it's "smarts". Using w ifi allows less use of the phone network data which saves money.

Still, I know people who have played with the wifi and turning it off is no t what saves the power for them. It is not using apps that suck data over the connection like GPS mapping.

Do you turn your wifi off or just not use it?

Rick C.

just not use it. most places where I have WIFI I have a real computer and don't need a pocket gizmo.

ine number on the road. I could simply forward it to my cell phone leaving me with a monthly bill that is still under $20. I have considered a separ ate VOIP phone but even if wireless (like the old cordless phones) they see m to be intended to replace the desk phone rather than being a true roaming , pick up wifi anywhere and just work phone. I did find a few that aren't tethered to a charging cradle, but still look like old fashioned cordless p hones, the Spectralink line. But they seem to have special requirements on the access points they can work with. They are also very pricey.

up any wifi you happen to be near to make phone calls? I believe I have r ead where a regular cell phone can run an app to do this, but it is not cle ar just how these apps work. Will the cell phone ring as both a cell and a s a VOIP phone? Anyone have experience with these?

I ended up with an Android phone but not for use as a VOIP client exactly. That is, I'm not using a VOIP service... although it might be cheaper if I did. I didn't want to pay the $20 to have my landline number ported to Go ogle Voice and read it is free coming from Google Fi. When I read up on th at it seemed like a good way to introduce me to a smart phone. I'm spendin g $200 or so for the phone and $20 a month (plus fees) for the service. Th e cool part is when I'm at a location with good wi-fi and poor cell coverag e, it works like a SIP phone. Awesome!

Not so happy with the price since I was only paying Verizon $15 a month for the land line. But at least I've got my number still and if I want to par k it that will be free to move over to Google Voice.

BTW, Google Fi has an interesting billing method. You pay by the 0.1 GB fo r data used up to 6 GB, then anything over is free! No paying for data you don't use and no overage fees. You just pay for what you need and no need to worry about going over! The downside is they use all crappy cell tower s (T-mobile, Sprint and someone I've never heard of). So up north it works like a cell phone, here it works like a SIP phone, but in between it works pretty poorly. Guess I'll be keeping the ATT phone. I wonder if having G oogle on board will let them expand the cell networks?

Rick C.