fatbrit

Adapter converts. Lingo uses standard phones. And with a 2-minute modification @ the telco's box outside, you can plug in at all the standard sockets in your house after you've bid the thieves goodbye.

fatbrit

Nice guide to rewiring and potential pitfalls here. Our AZ Qwest box was slightly different to the Michigan one. But it still didn't take more than 2 minutes.

ImHere

Just plug your standard phone (or phones if you want two lines) into the adapter the send you. We have a normal wireless phone with the base station plugged into it. Onec connected you or anyone else have no idea you are using VoIP services.

And the really smart bit? If you go away for a bit - say back to the UK for a couple of weeks - take your VoIP adapter with you (its about 5 inches by 4) and plug it into any broadband connection and you have just taken your home phone and number with you!

psb182

from what I see it's not $20 per month if you add in all the extras.......you still have to pay the .28 cents per minute to the UK????.....and $10 per month for international number......I don't get it.........if someone can get me a plan to call the UK for $20 per month plus tax then I am all over it but looking at the lingo charges I bet the bill is more than double or maybe tripple after the .28 cents per minute

BritGuyTN

I would sign up for lingo in a second but my comcast internet is pretty unreliable

fatbrit

Don't think you understand the plans at all!

psb182

just called them he said $20 per month unlimeted calls so I am in........I thought you had to pay the .28 cents per minute on top

franc111s

You probably do pay another 28c per minute but ONLY when you call UK Mobile Phones. All the UK operators charge the US carriers for transferring calls into the UK Wireless network and I don't see how any US carrier can absorb that overhead. It started about a year ago. Similar thing though when you are in the UK and call a mobile, it costs about 15 cents on your UK land-line bill. Because unlike the USA, UK cell phones do not pay for incoming calls.

psb182

is it available in any state?

psb182

another question........I have comcast broadband with a wireless router can it work from that cheers

ImHere

Lingo works on any broadband connection and is available all over the US I beleive. It is $20 per month (+tax). My wife spends hours on end on the phone to her rels in UK and me to mine in Spain. Our monthly bill is (you guessed it) $20 per month(+tax)...except on those months I get a $25 rebate bate for introducing a friend. Then its $0. Thats what I call a reasonable phone service....and, quite frankly, bollox to paying a traditional telco upwards of $80 for what is to all intents and purposes the same thing.

fatbrit

It's available anywhere in the world you can connect to broadband internet through a CAT5, though I've heard there can be latency probs with satellite services. I think they insist that you have a US credit card for the billing. As Imhere says, no reason you can't use it in the UK or Timbuktu either.

There are limitations:
* cost of calling UK mobiles and some other European mobiles (though fixed LD providers often ain't cheap either). Other paid destinations I call are cheaper than the cheapest calling card, though;
* issues with older alarm systems/TIVO-type boxes;
* no power and/or no internet = no phone -- but that's what your cell's for!
* fax (though I find it's fine if you limit the fax to 9,800 baud);
* quality is maybe not quite as good as landline, but I find it perfectly acceptable and use it for business. People are used to business calls from cells and the quality is never worse and often better.

The plus points are:
* save $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$;
* all the gizmos one could ever want.


If you're going for it, don't forget to PM somebody here who's got it for a referral -- both get $25.

fatbrit

Yes

psb182

I bet my monthly phone bill is an average $150-200 per month right now.......I am calling them in the am to sign me up

ImHere

Why bother calling them? I signed up in the web site...picked my phone number there and then and the VoIP adapter turned up 3 days later courtesy of UPS.

As FB says get a referral before you do (its just someone who is already on the service putting yours and their email in the lingo sight) and you get rour 3rd month free.

Also, as FB says, the gizmos are great...all you'd expect from a professional PBX let alone a $20 per month service... I love the voicemail to email widget...Im sat at work I check my email and voila theres any voicemails I have as wav file attachements I can just listen to.