Can it be better?

Bill_Hely · 08-25-04, 09:22 PM

Hi all. Pretty elementary question I'm afraid.

I live in Australia and have been spending a fair bit on call costs to the USA and UK, mainly on hour-plus calls into teleseminars of various types.

In the hope of cutting call costs I subscribed to a VOIP service - The company is named Freshtel and their product is called Firefly. That company is based here in Aust. but for all I know they may be a sub-provider of someone overseas.

I tested it out on a few local calls to friends and it was very good - no one could tell I wasn't on POTS.

However, I have found it quite useless for the teleseminar purpose. There is so much clipping on overseas calls that the conversation just isn't intelligible.

My Internet connection is 256/512 Cable.

Do you think this is a provider issue? Am I ikely to have better results by subscribing elsewhere? Or is this just the nature of VOIP with the Internet?

Also, if there is some recommended reading that will help me choose the best provider for my location and needs, please advise.

Thanks in advance,
- Bill Hely
- Brisbane, Australia.

wdp · 08-26-04, 03:02 PM

I would like you to check worlddialpoint call quality is perfect with the callback service for long conversation, you trigger the call through a web interface and the call is passed through PSTN and you pay for worlddialpoint rates and not Telstra or other provider. Any questions please email worlddialpoint from thier website.

jeff · 08-26-04, 03:34 PM

try http://billing.mutualphone.com

and do you use a hardware phone like sipura 1000/2000?

Bill_Hely · 08-26-04, 04:53 PM

The dead links, 404 errors and messages about "server down" aren't very encouraging Jeff.

Maybe it's just a temp thing. I'll give it another try later.

and do you use a hardware phone like sipura 1000/2000?

I'm just using a cheap speaker/headset at the moment. If I can be convinced VOIP will work for me I'll buy better. Ultimately I want to use a wireless headset.

- BH

Bill_Hely · 08-26-04, 05:00 PM

Originally Posted by wdp

I would like you to check worlddialpoint ...

Thanks WDP --- it looks interesting. Pity I have to cough up 20 USbux just to test the quality though. I've already lost most of $20 on my previous trial which was not up to standard.

If there was a brief free trial I'd sign up immediately. But at 20 bucks a try I'll probably keep looking until I get some sort of a guarantee that I'm not wasting my money. Surely test-before-pay isn't too much to ask?

- BH

08-25-04, 09:22 PM	#1
Bill_Hely Poster Status: Normal Member [Level I] Join Date: Aug 2004 Posts: 3	Topic/Thread# 4054, Post# 6254 Hi all. Pretty elementary question I'm afraid. I live in Australia and have been spending a fair bit on call costs to the USA and UK, mainly on hour-plus calls into teleseminars of various types. In the hope of cutting call costs I subscribed to a VOIP service - The company is named Freshtel and their product is called Firefly. That company is based here in Aust. but for all I know they may be a sub-provider of someone overseas. I tested it out on a few local calls to friends and it was very good - no one could tell I wasn't on POTS. However, I have found it quite useless for the teleseminar purpose. There is so much clipping on overseas calls that the conversation just isn't intelligible. My Internet connection is 256/512 Cable. Do you think this is a provider issue? Am I ikely to have better results by subscribing elsewhere? Or is this just the nature of VOIP with the Internet? Also, if there is some recommended reading that will help me choose the best provider for my location and needs, please advise. Thanks in advance, - Bill Hely - Brisbane, Australia.

08-26-04, 03:02 PM	#2
wdp Poster Status: Normal Member [Level I] Join Date: Aug 2004 Posts: 1	Topic/Thread# 4054, Post# 6266 I would like you to check worlddialpoint call quality is perfect with the callback service for long conversation, you trigger the call through a web interface and the call is passed through PSTN and you pay for worlddialpoint rates and not Telstra or other provider. Any questions please email worlddialpoint from thier website.

08-26-04, 03:34 PM	#3
jeff Poster Status: Frequent Member [Level I] Join Date: Nov 2003 Posts: 97	Topic/Thread# 4054, Post# 6267 try http://billing.mutualphone.com and do you use a hardware phone like sipura 1000/2000?