BritishGuy36

I thought about putting this in The Lab - but as it only pertains to calls to and from the USA, I thought it would be better off here.

If you live outside or are frequently outside the USA, this may be of interest to you, if you need to talk to folks in the USA often (perhaps BF/GF/fiance/spouse?)

Setup costs start from zero, depending on what device you want to use to make/receive calls.

Advantages:

1) Unlimited calls, completely free!
2) You can be anywhere in the world and use your GV account for both inbound and outbound calls

Disadvantage:

1) At present you do need to be in the USA to set up GV (but once it's set up you can access GV from outside the USA). If you really need to set this up I suppose you could get a friend or your partner in the USA to register a GV account for you.

Overview: We will use a free VOIP (voice over IP) account (similar to how Skype works) to make and receive calls. You can connect to this VOIP account from anywhere in the world! (as long as you have a broadband connection)

You will need:

1) A Google Voice account (henceforth called GV). GV accounts are currently by invitation only - if you can't wait there are invitations on ebay going for a few dollars.
2) A free VOIP account.
3) A device to use for your calls. This can be a headset with microphone (even a mic and speakers I suppose, but not sure about the call quality there), or a VOIP ATA (analogue telephone adapter) like an unlocked Linksys PAP2 or similar.
4) If you use a headset, you will need some free VOIP software to connect to the VOIP service. If you have a VOIP adapter, the software is embedded in that device. In this case you need a standard telephone to plug into this device.
5) A broadband connection. You need this for the calls to connect, and also to access your GV account over the internet. If you're reading this post, I'm guessing you're sorted in that respect!

Setup steps:

1) Setup a free VOIP account. I use voiptalk.co.uk but there are other services you can use based in the US and elsewhere. You will be provided with a login name and password which you will need to program either into your VOIP software or your VOIP adapter.
2) Get a free Washington state inbound number (360) at IPKall.com.
3) Register your IPKall number with your GV account.

That's basically it! Inbound calls to your GV number forward to your VOIP phone, and for outbound calls use your GV web control panel to initiate the call, GV will call you then connect you to the remote party.

I know the instructions are simplistic but if you need more guidance, post a question in this thread. It helps if you are familiar with computers but it's not too difficult to set up.