Voip In Cnx (vonage)

[The0]

Hi all,

I was wondering if anyone tried Vonage in Thailand?

I will be relocating there for work and staying up to 6 months. I dont want to change my contact info to be reached and would like to keep my California number while "remote".

Is this possible?

Please advise. Any additional information in relation greatly appreciated.

Thanks in advance.

[seeker108]

I do not use Vonage but do use Skype all of the time and it is usually a clear connection. Do a search for Vonage using the search button above and you will probably find many posts about it.

[earlofwindermere]

I use Primus VOIP and it works fine...if the connection is fast enough. I also have a buddy who has a Vonage phone and it works well. Both of us have TOT inertnet connections. Mine is a 256 connection and I find that it's too slow during the day to have a really clear connection.

[groo]

nothing beats skype in my opinion. for this part of the world at least. have a USB phone which i use it with and works great. Not that cheap compared to "some" other online companies, but the service and forum is premium. plus so much cheaper compared to using IDD cards etc.

[seeker108]

What forum are you referring to Groo?

With Skype (like many other services) the best deal is the comp to comp free calling. Not only free, but much more clear than tel to tel or comp to tel.

I have the 790+ baht plan from TT&T (256 I believe) and though it can be a bit slow during peak usuage times, I usually have good clear calling most of the time.

Edited April 3, 2006 by seeker108

[groo]

What forum are you referring to Groo?

With Skype (like many other services) the best deal is the comp to comp free calling. Not only free, but much more clear than tel to tel or comp to tel.

I have the 790+ baht plan from TT&T (256 I believe) and though it can be a bit slow during peak usuage times, I usually have good clear calling most of the time.

darn! i think one of the moderators closed a topic that i replied to in ChiangMai forum. And my reply came here. errr sorry! ..

btw anything better than 56k connection ought to give you enough quality for your call using any VOIP. But depends on the codecs that they use as well if it includes video calls.

[meadish_sweetball]

Topics should only be posted in one forum at a time. I was taken here from the link in the CM forum, as will anybody else who is interested.

I personally use Skype with the added services Skype Out and Skype In. It works really well 95% of the time. Sometimes when calling mobile phones, the sound can get sort of 'robotic' and distorted, and on occasion there will be a delay, but if you do not use your connection for anything else, the quality is usually great. Make sure you invest in a decent IP telephone handset or a quality headset though. Cheap headsets are often the cause of bad calling quality.

As stated by seeker, the computer to computer option in Skype is what really works the best - the quality is mostly as if the person you are talking to was sitting right next to you in the same room.

[CobraSnakeNecktie]

I use Vonage and live in Thailand.

Our small company has an Asterisk PBX server (linux pc) with Digium card installed online in Colorado. The vonage PSTN line is plugged into the Digium card.

This allow me to connect to the PBX server with either a Softphone (X-Lite) or SIP phone (Polycom)

If someone calls into the colorado PBX then they get an auto attendant and if the enter my extension then it rings me in Thailand if I am logged in or if not then goes to voicemail and emails me voice message as an attachment.

A couple of obeservations.

I works very well. Better voice quality than Skype.

Cheaper than Skype than using Skype In and Skype Out services

Soon we plan on adding a Skype ATA interface so Skype users can connect directly VIA PBX

Its also increasingly common to purchase SIP trunks from companies like Cbeyond which offer DID (direct inward dial) numbers thru the trunk into the PBX. Under that scenario you could just have your number delivered thru a SIP trunk to a PBX somewhere (probably in the US) and then just connect to the PBX over the net.

[The0]

Thanks all for the recommendations.

I'll bring my Vonage ATA along and hopefully will be able to use my exisiting California number just by plugging it in w/ broadband.

Does anyone know if cable is available in Chiang Mai? Or only DSL at the moment?

If DSL, any advice on which combo (telephone company/DSL package) is best.

My main concern will be the international link back to the U.S. as I will be working remote and will need to access VPN local here in the states.

Much appreciate it.

[Rice_King]

I've been using Vonage for a year now here in Thailand. I have a US (California) number. I ordered it from Vonage and had it shipped to an address in the US, then a friend shipped it here to me. Of course, the original 110 volt adapter cannot be used here. I was able to find a 220v one when I lived in Pattaya for 220 baht.

The calls are excellent 95% of the time. People have no idea that I am calling via VoIP until I tell them. In fact, the only issue I really have is, some "friends" just cannot grasp the concept of world time zones. I have to unplug the phone before going to bed to prevent the occassional ring from the US in the middle of the night.

[Thaiquila]

I've been using Vonage for a year now here in Thailand. I have a US (California) number. I ordered it from Vonage and had it shipped to an address in the US, then a friend shipped it here to me. Of course, the original 110 volt adapter cannot be used here. I was able to find a 220v one when I lived in Pattaya for 220 baht.

The calls are excellent 95% of the time. People have no idea that I am calling via VoIP until I tell them. In fact, the only issue I really have is, some "friends" just cannot grasp the concept of world time zones. I have to unplug the phone before going to bed to prevent the occassional ring from the US in the middle of the night.

Could you (or someone) talk some more about how you dealt with the voltage issue.

Did you mean you bought a power adapter (power supply) that is 220 volt? The user guide for the D-Link VTA indicates that using a different voltage power supply would damage the unit.

Or, did you buy a voltage step down converting device, and then plugged the supplied 110 volt power supply into that?

From the Vonage D-Link VTA User Guide

Connect the included power supply

to the Power port of the Telephone

Adapter. The Power LED will go through

a blink sequence before turning solid

green.

Warning: Using a power supply with a

different voltage will cause damage to

the device and will void the warranty.

[Rice_King]

Could you (or someone) talk some more about how you dealt with the voltage issue.

Did you mean you bought a power adapter (power supply) that is 220 volt? The user guide for the D-Link VTA indicates that using a different voltage power supply would damage the unit.

Or, did you buy a voltage step down converting device, and then plugged the supplied 110 volt power supply into that?

Thaiquila,

I bought another power adapter here (Pattaya, actually) that is rated at 220v INPUT and had the same OUTPUT and POLARITY as the original 110 volt adapter that it came with.

The OUTPUT is the important factor to prevent damage to your device. For my device, the OUTPUT required is 12 volts / 1000 Ma. The POLARITY = NEG outside, POS = inside.

NOTE:

If you find an adapter that is the correct voltage but the polarity is opposite, you can just cut the two wires and swap them to the opposite wire. (I did not have to go this route for the Vonage router but it does work for a clock I brought from the US.)

[stoneman]

Could you (or someone) talk some more about how you dealt with the voltage issue.

Did you mean you bought a power adapter (power supply) that is 220 volt? The user guide for the D-Link VTA indicates that using a different voltage power supply would damage the unit.

Or, did you buy a voltage step down converting device, and then plugged the supplied 110 volt power supply into that?

*****************************************************8

I have 3 Vonage numbers here in Thailand...2 in my offices and 1 in my home...I simply took the 110V power adapter with me the Fortune Town and found a shop selling adapters and bought a Linksys 220V adapter with the same output as the 110V and plugged them in...Have been working for almost 18 months...

Stoneman