Skyping In Cm?

[JXXXL]

I'm planning on moving back and working from home and hoping to use Skype for international calls. I spend lots of time on the phone and long distance land line rates are a killer.

[khundon]

I'm planning on moving back and working from home and hoping to use Skype for international calls. I spend lots of time on the phone and long distance land line rates are a killer.

JXXXL

This site may help you with your bills. 500 Min's a month free to LLines and mobiles in many countries inc Thailand. I use it a lot only prob is calls limited to 10 mins a time then you redial using on screen system.

Sign up and try it, you have nothing to lose.

http://www.poketalk.com/

[FarangCravings]

I use VOIPbuster works well and calls me back on my mobile so I dont have to do it on computer you pay about 1 cent a min

[swain]

Skype has been hit or miss for me. I have used packet8.net but its now almost 30 dollars a month. Moved to Magic Jack and its 20 dollars a year I kid you not. You get your own number in the area code of your choice, voice mail, caller id, and voice mail sent as wav files to your email if you like. I am thinking of moving to the next level though... which is even cheaper. ooma after you buy the device is free for life, unless you buy long distance minutes to call out side the USA. You can find it sometimes on ebay for 150 dollars if you look for it or buy it at 200 and change if you cant wait. Packet8.com is history for me 30 dollars a month is too much for me now. Skype you have to pay by the minute and the quality is hit or miss. Magicjack.com is a great alternative and it can be used anywhere and ooma.com is the final solution.

[john b good]

I have been using skype for around 18 months and most of the time it is very good.

Drops out occasionally, but as long as it's not too often I can live with it.

Talking to BC (Canada) this morning and call quality was like talking to the house next door.

I have spoken (computer to computer) to places like Saudi Arabia, Australia, NZ, Britain, Indonesia, Cyprus, Russia and all quite good.

My computer to landlines also good (mostly)

With around 10 million people connected at any given time it must be hurting the phone company's and I hope that their writhing in pain. They screwed consumers for so many years it is now pay back time.

It used to be over Baht 40 a minute to call the big mango from Chiang Mai (via land line) whilst on skype you can now call either free (com to com) or 50 satang (a minute) to most places in the developed world (com to land line)

[dazzab]

Oh yeah Skype hurting the phone company's, so much so they banned it in Dubai.

I've had about 2 years of Skyping from CM to Middle East / UK and majority of the time its perfect and thats with only a 1Mbps connection via TOT.

[mcgriffith]

Like john b good, I have used Skype with great success.

Yesterday, I called an 800 toll free number (Chase) in US- free. I frequently call banks and businesses in the US with a toll free number- free.

I call my mom and sisters and son in California and have never had a problem. Sure, it isn't a landline; voip is not that good (yet)

They have video capabilities, chat/messaging with other members, and you can get your acct recharged automatically with PayPal. The quality has steadily improved since I started using them 3 years ago. I'm on version 4.0.0.206 (latest).

There will always be others that offer calls for cheaper prices; for me the difference between 2.1 cents a minute to North America and 1 cent a minute is a non-issue, when I rarely talk that long on my calls, and don't want to deal with a convoluted interface, with a necessity for charging to a credit card, which I don't like. Skype is stone dumb simple, designed for users who are not internet-savvy. That is not my case, but I think well of them for designing a very simple, easy to set up, and almost bulletproof system.

Takes me about 6 months to use up $10 USD for all my calls to the US.

To each their own.

[mild7even]

Ditto on all positive comments on Skype quality and ease of use. Have used it on DSL here in Chiang Mai to call the US and Afghanistan (both Skype to Skype and mobile phones). And with the new Skype application for iPhone just released, I can use my iPhone to do the same, though of course you need a WiFi connection.

Bottom line, you will be able to use Skype here in Chiang Mai if you have a good net connection.

[Greenside]

Strangely unpredictable. I usually get good call quality (complete with video) to the UK, West Indies and US but often can't even get a connection to other users in CM city centre. For free, who can complain?

[elektrified]

I used to use "Skype out" all the time when I lived in Europe with great success. Since I've lived in Thailand it is too hit or miss to depend on it. The Internet connection is just too piss poor. Whenever I'm on an important call with a bank in Europe or the USA 90% of the time the call gets disconnected or the call cuts in and out. It is slightly better when I Skype to Skype but even then there are problems.

I used to use the Win card (1 Baht/minute and excellent quality connection) but now it is difficult to find in Chiang Mai. They are pushing another card here now, Zay Hi or something like that, also 1 Baht per minute but I have not tried it.

[Mapguy]

Skype is fine, generally, but don't expect too much on the fancy options. The more basic problem has to do with Thailand's national infrastructure problem for the internet, which many countries are trying to deal with. Just don't expect megabit service! Similar experiences in the USA not very long ago; still are, in some rural areas! Lighten up!

Edited April 9, 2009 by Mapguy

[john b good]

I used to use "Skype out" all the time when I lived in Europe with great success. Since I've lived in Thailand it is too hit or miss to depend on it. The Internet connection is just too piss poor. Whenever I'm on an important call with a bank in Europe or the USA 90% of the time the call gets disconnected or the call cuts in and out. It is slightly better when I Skype to Skype but even then there are problems.

I used to use the Win card (1 Baht/minute and excellent quality connection) but now it is difficult to find in Chiang Mai. They are pushing another card here now, Zay Hi or something like that, also 1 Baht per minute but I have not tried it.

Where do you buy these cards ??

[StevieH]

never had a problem with skype here in CM and the quality of calls to UK landlines is top notch. costs about a penny a minute and is as clear as a bell.

[WinnieTheKhwai]

Yup, I use it a lot too. Quality depends COMPLETELY on the quality of your local internet connection; if that's no good then nothing in the world Skype can do to give you a clear call.

So the real question is : "Can I have and will I have decent ADSL"

[thaimiller]

I use Skype alot in Chiang mai, I have the world package that gives you unlimited calls to 40 countries, its even better now as Thailand landlins and mobiles have just been added, so you can dial in Thailand free of charge. It all goes down to the ADSL, if its good then skype is great if its bad forget it.

[ChiangMaiFurnishedApts]

Skype is fine, generally, but don't expect too much on the fancy options. The more basic problem has to do with Thailand's national infrastructure problem for the internet, which many countries are trying to deal with. Just don't expect megabit service! Similar experiences in the USA not very long ago; still are, in some rural areas! Lighten up!

I use the Zay Hi card alot and although it is not perfect it is cheap. You have to dial into a chiang mai number first before you enter the card number so you are paying for that call as well. Its impossible to call Malaisia on it, line connection is poor but calls to Europe and the US are mostly perfect. If i get a bad line I just hang up and re-dial.

You can but it in Buddy Internet or Black Canyon ( Chang Klan anyway ).

Card costs 300 Baht and is valid for 12 months.

[elektrified]

I used to use "Skype out" all the time when I lived in Europe with great success. Since I've lived in Thailand it is too hit or miss to depend on it. The Internet connection is just too piss poor. Whenever I'm on an important call with a bank in Europe or the USA 90% of the time the call gets disconnected or the call cuts in and out. It is slightly better when I Skype to Skype but even then there are problems.

I used to use the Win card (1 Baht/minute and excellent quality connection) but now it is difficult to find in Chiang Mai. They are pushing another card here now, Zay Hi or something like that, also 1 Baht per minute but I have not tried it.

Where do you buy these cards ??

I don't think the Win Card is available in Chiang Mai anymore. I went by their office twice and they were closed. The guy who used to sell them at Thapae is no longer there. The Zay Hi cards are sold in mostly coffee shops it appears. I have seen the sign out in front of Black Canyon Nimmanhaemin and I have also seen the sign at the coffee bus in Meechok Plaza.

I used the Win Card to call the USA and the U.K. many times. For 1 Baht/minute, the quality was so good it was like the person you were calling was in the next room. I think Zay Hi competed for (and won) the business in C.M. as the Win Card is still available in Bangkok.

[elektrified]

Yup, I use it a lot too. Quality depends COMPLETELY on the quality of your local internet connection; if that's no good then nothing in the world Skype can do to give you a clear call.

So the real question is : "Can I have and will I have decent ADSL"

I am surprised that several members are able to use Skype successfully in C.M. I have the 3 MB package from Maxnet/TOT and I have problems with the connection 75% of the time. I have called technical support no less than 25 times in the last eight months, been to their Sansai office twice to complain, had the technicians here twice, and they say that there is nothing that can be done to improve the quality of the connection; that it is typical for the area.

For this reason I can not use Skype to make any serious business calls. I can sometimes make a good enough connection to call friends but almost always the connection deteriorates and/or disconnects.

[tigerbeer]

Yup, I use it a lot too. Quality depends COMPLETELY on the quality of your local internet connection; if that's no good then nothing in the world Skype can do to give you a clear call.

So the real question is : "Can I have and will I have decent ADSL"

I am surprised that several members are able to use Skype successfully in C.M. I have the 3 MB package from Maxnet/TOT and I have problems with the connection 75% of the time. I have called technical support no less than 25 times in the last eight months, been to their Sansai office twice to complain, had the technicians here twice, and they say that there is nothing that can be done to improve the quality of the connection; that it is typical for the area.

For this reason I can not use Skype to make any serious business calls. I can sometimes make a good enough connection to call friends but almost always the connection deteriorates and/or disconnects.

I really do not think that Skype uses a whole lot of bandwidth. It would be worthwhile checking the ports on your router. Make sure they are open. For more information, visit PortForward in getting help in sorting this out. Skype uses port numbers 9071, 80 and 443 by default.

If that does not work, perhaps its good to change to a new router. Linksys WRT54GL recommended. Then upgrading to a Tomato Firmware on the router.

Problem likely to be the router since everything else works fine except Skype.

edit: maybe switching to a different ISP might solve the problem once and for all. I use Hinet 4Mbps by CAT telecom. Low ratio among users when compared to Maxnet. 5 to a connection.

Edited April 10, 2009 by tigerbeer

[elektrified]

Yup, I use it a lot too. Quality depends COMPLETELY on the quality of your local internet connection; if that's no good then nothing in the world Skype can do to give you a clear call.

So the real question is : "Can I have and will I have decent ADSL"

I am surprised that several members are able to use Skype successfully in C.M. I have the 3 MB package from Maxnet/TOT and I have problems with the connection 75% of the time. I have called technical support no less than 25 times in the last eight months, been to their Sansai office twice to complain, had the technicians here twice, and they say that there is nothing that can be done to improve the quality of the connection; that it is typical for the area.

For this reason I can not use Skype to make any serious business calls. I can sometimes make a good enough connection to call friends but almost always the connection deteriorates and/or disconnects.

I really do not think that Skype uses a whole lot of bandwidth. It would be worthwhile checking the ports on your router. Make sure they are open. For more information, visit PortForward in getting help in sorting this out. Skype uses port numbers 9071, 80 and 443 by default.

If that does not work, perhaps its good to change to a new router. Linksys WRT54GL recommended. Then upgrading to a Tomato Firmware on the router.

Problem likely to be the router since everything else works fine except Skype.

edit: maybe switching to a different ISP might solve the problem once and for all. I use Hinet 4Mbps by CAT telecom. Low ratio among users when compared to Maxnet. 5 to a connection.

Thanks tigerbeer, I'll take a look at the website you recommended. I would not go as far as saying that "everything else works fine except Skype". The web is constantly problematic as well. TV used to be the one website that would load O.K. when everything else would not but now even TV only loads maybe 70% of the time. The Hatari router provided by TOT is probably a piece of junk.

We did go to CAT when we first moved into our house and they told us that they do not service our area of Sansai near the Mae Jo Road.

[tigerbeer]

Thanks tigerbeer, I'll take a look at the website you recommended. I would not go as far as saying that "everything else works fine except Skype". The web is constantly problematic as well. TV used to be the one website that would load O.K. when everything else would not but now even TV only loads maybe 70% of the time. The Hatari router provided by TOT is probably a piece of junk.

We did go to CAT when we first moved into our house and they told us that they do not service our area of Sansai near the Mae Jo Road.

Come to think about it, its just the TOT internet then. Portforwarding wouldn't do anything.

[mcgriffith]

I am on 3 ISP connects.

My (free) apt bldg LAN is TT&T Maxnet. A shared ADSL system, extremely small bandwidth/speeds- like 1-3 kbps. Skype works fine on this, unless some wanke_r in room 501 is doing the torrent thing.

I have AIS 3G as well. Skype works perfectly on this.

My 3rd connect is DTAC GPRS/Edge (phone with an internet SIM; can use phone as modem on my laptop). Again, Skype works perfectly on this as well.

The AIS 3G is through a Huawei USB modem. The app on this modem shows a statistic page, in real time, of upload and download speeds.

When I have only Skype open, I notice that there is almost no bandwidth being used.

The point I am trying to make is this: Skype is designed to work using little or no bandwidth, and seems to work well for me even though I do not have a truly high speed internet connection.

[BlackArtemis]

LAst night my wife and I just had a nice long conversation via skype witht he family. We are near Philly and they are in CM. They have maxnet or TT&T DSL and it gets slow sometimes, but it is ok.

[NancyL]

Hubby and I use MagicJack to converse with the U.S. It's wonderful and so inexpensive.

[venturalaw]

Hubby and I use MagicJack to converse with the U.S. It's wonderful and so inexpensive.

I haven't read all of the posts here, but about magicjack - when you miss a call (whether you're online or not, computer on or not) and the caller leaves a voicemail message, the message is saved to your email so that when you go to your email, you can play the message from any computer. Or you can have the call forwarded to any number. It's really great - and you just can't beat unlimited calls to the US for $20 per year. When you pick a local number for those you would converse with the most, they can call you as a local call for them.

If someone has found something to beat this, please post it.

[elektrified]

Regarding Magic Jack, it appears to be a USA based service and they will not ship outside of the USA, Canada, Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands. I thought I'd give it a try since Skype is not a usable option for me. But it's not possible.

[venturalaw]

Regarding Magic Jack, it appears to be a USA based service and they will not ship outside of the USA, Canada, Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands. I thought I'd give it a try since Skype is not a usable option for me. But it's not possible.

That's not good to hear. I did buy it when I was visiting California. Well, for me it would be worth finding someone in the states that would purchase it and ship it to you. I live in San Sai and rarely have problems staying connected with magicjack, plus the quality of the call is superior to using my mobile phone (not to mention the cost) or even my home phone to call the states. If you have multiple calls to make to the states, perhaps you have contacts there who would be welling to purchase and ship the device to you.

[yumidesign]

I'm planning on moving back and working from home and hoping to use Skype for international calls. I spend lots of time on the phone and long distance land line rates are a killer.

here in C M Skype works really well for us, never had a problem have TOT adsl

[swain]

While it is a fact that Magic Jack is based in the USA and they wont send to Thailand, you can buy through amazon.com, buy.com and ebay.com and they will ship to Thailand so this is really a non issue. Its the best VOIP solution I have used here in Thailand and its the cheapest by far. Its mobile as it fits in your pocket and will plug into any USB port at any internet cafe, with a 50 baht wire and ear nubs phone plugged into it you are mobile all over Thailand. There has been no down side to my use of this device.

Regarding Magic Jack, it appears to be a USA based service and they will not ship outside of the USA, Canada, Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands. I thought I'd give it a try since Skype is not a usable option for me. But it's not possible.

Edited April 15, 2009 by swain

[Larry]

You can buy ZayHi at www.zayhi.com, register your card number to your phone (so you don't have to redial the card number each time) and enjoy very good connections to the US, Canada and most of Europe for 85 satang a minute, with a local access number in CM....from ANY PHONE.