With AOL releasing their AIM Phoneline, there’s been a lot of discussion of different VoIP services. I had given it a shot, but it didn’t have any numbers 626 numbers (Monterey Park, CA) or 425 numbers (Redmond, WA) available for me. I got a PM from another user that said he had gotten a 626 number in Alhambra, so I tried Mark Keppel’s address, but it still said no numbers were available. Probably all the 626 numbers are gone.
I was also introduced to VoiceStick.com today and I’m surprised I didn’t know about it before. This is so cool, even cooler than IPKall which I had introduced several times on this website.
VoiceStick has this Next2Nothing plan which is well, FREE. You get you own local number which others can reach you at and it’s unlimited incoming calls. However, outgoing calls cost 2.4¢/min to anywhere in the USA/Canada, but there’s always SkypeOut for that till the end of this year. Also, the quality of VoiceStick is better than IPKall as I’ve even gotten fax to come in w/o any problems. So now I have a local number for friends and family back in socal that want to reach me, but for now, it’ll only get the fax machine on my computer until I purchase a 2nd phone.
You no longer have to install the bloatware that AOL requires you to install before using the AIM Phoneline.
Another cool thing is that VoiceStick works with any compatible SIP software/hardware, so I was able to configure my Linksys PAP2 to work with it with help from this thread: Configuring Sipura SPA-2000 to use Voicestick
The attributes you have to change are:
SIP Port: 5060 (or 5061)
Proxy: i2telecom.com
Use Outbound Proxy: Yes
Outbound Proxy: 206.165.50.116
User ID: <your login>
Password: <your password>
I haven’t tried to see if there were any 425 #s but since this is nationwide, I would expect them to.
I currently have $0 balance in my VoiceStick account and don’t really plan to make outgoing calls anyway. There’s always my cellphone for that.
thanks 🙂 I may look into it
I found this blog on a search, you are right Voice Stick is too cool.
Found this in the pcs newsgroup on a search.
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Sprint cell now does unlimited VOIP, not billable plan minutes
Sprint has left a giant hole in their system.
You can get UNLIMITED in and out minutes by doing the following:
Step 1 Go to http://www.voicestick.com and sign up for the USA/Canada plan @ $19.99
or the UNLIMITED Min. GLOBAL plan @ $24.99
Step #2 Sign up for the cheapest Sprint phone program, which is the Fair and Flexible at $29.99, then add the new Sprint to Home program for $5.00 a month.
Step #3 When you tell the Sprint agent your “HOME” number give them your new Voicestick home number
(Here is the trick. With Sprint to Home all calls to or from this “Home” number are not
chargeable and they are unlimited!)
Step #4 In your account set up at voicestick.com go to the bridge set up and put in your cell number and then go to call forwarding and set up your cell phone number there too.
Voicestick.com is the ONLY Cellular capable voip company that has a built in bridge, that I have found.What the bridge does is allow you to get a new dial tone to call out on UNLIMITED VOIP (or a pay as you go plan for 2 cents a min.) When I call my new “home” Voicestick number the VOIP company sees my caller ID and gives me a dial out tone. I then dial like normal. (You can even program voice stick into the address book of the phone)My person I call sees the voip number on their caller id and when they call back to my new “home” number it forwards to my cell.
So both out going and incoming calls are now free of Sprint charges.
Options: I also bought for $30 the MG3 line adapter so I also get a second line at my home that the kids now use.
I also downloaded the free Soft Phone so I use that too when I can’t find a good cell signal but I find a network or wireless connection (I am now covered just about anywhere)
To sum it all up! For my $35 basic Sprint plan and the $20 for voip, I have unlimited cell and a unlimited home phone.