Which VoIP Service Is Best for You?
by Jim Hanks
Since the last time I reviewed Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) services for
HelloDirect.com, a lot has happened. The internet economy all but crashed, many
companies went bankrupt, and faith in all-things-web was virtually lost. Nonetheless,
because VoIP is such a viable and easily marketed idea, it has survived the shakeout.
In fact, all of the net-based calling services that I reviewed before are still
around today.
Even if you haven't tried internet calling, you've probably heard it talked
about. The services are especially abundant in foreign countries, catering to
travelers and families with relatives in the U.S. Overall, most people have
been dissatisfied with the service, and rightfully so. Callers experienced breaks
in conversations, incoming audio was often nonexistent, and tone quality was
garbled.
About a month ago I tested these same services again and was surprised to discover
that VoIP has improved. Last year, I was able to get a landline-comparable connection
for 1 out of 7 calls; the other 6 had occasional breakups and transmission delays.
Last month, I made numerous calls during peak hours and rarely found transmission
delays. The breakups are still there but the overall quality seemed to be better.
And now for the downside
These formerly free providers now charge per-minute rates for some of their
services. But if price is the most important factor for you, you can still save
a lot of money. As you'll see below, VoIP can easily cut your phone bills by
more than a third. And if you take advantage of one less-publicized secret,
you can still get free PC-to-phone calls.
Before you begin
In order to talk over your PC, you need a microphone and speakers. You can use
your computer's built-in components, but you probably won't get very good performance.
Ambient noises will get picked up, your conversations will not be private, and
your microphone will recycle speaker output, causing echoes.
To circumvent these problems I recommend that you buy a headset. HelloDirect.com
offers a number of high-quality PC
headsets that connect directly to your computer. Some connect through your
headphone/microphone jacks, and some go through your USB port. All of them are
super-easy to set up.
If you already have a headset you're happy with (or if on the other hand, you
don't like headsets), there is another option. The Hello Direct Virtuoso
Multimedia Headset System connects either a headset or your regular telephone
to your computer, thereby letting you answer telephone calls, control volume
levels, and use other applications such as speech recognitionthrough the Virtuoso
amplifier. Meanwhile, this headset/amp combo also improves the clarity of incoming
and outgoing transmissions.
Whether you use the Virtuoso headset/amp system or a PC headset, both will
vastly improve the quality of internet calls.
Making calls
There are 2 different types of VoIP service. One
allows you to make calls from your computer to another landline or mobile phone;
the other lets you make calls from your computer to another computer.
PC-to-phone calling
For purposes of this article, I tested 4 PC-to-phone services: Dialpad,
Go2Call, Net2Phone,
and iConnectHere. Because these companies
use the same transmission technology, the quality of internet calls is, for
the most part, identical. The main differences are user-friendliness and price.
User-friendliness
Overall I found Dialpad to be the easiest VoIP service to use. You don't have
to download software because all activity is performed through the well-designed
applet (see picture). Dialpad also stores your user information on their servers,
so you can access your contact list (and dial out) from any computer in the
world.
Price
If you're interested in talking to folks overseas, take a look at each service's
published rates below. This chart also gives you a glimpse of your potential
savings.
Per-minute calling charge from anywhere in world to landline phone (in
U.S. dollars)
|
MCI
|
Net2Phone
(U.S.)*
|
Net2Phone
(non-U.S.)**
|
Go2Call
|
Dialpad
|
iConnectHere
|
U.S
(contiguous)
|
varies
|
0.039
|
0.10
|
0.035
|
0.029
|
0.019
|
London
|
0.10
|
0.049
|
0.05
|
0.04
|
0.05
|
0.07
|
Mexico City
|
0.25
|
0.07
|
0.19
|
0.065
|
0.16
|
0.10
|
Berlin
|
0.25
|
0.049
|
0.08
|
0.045
|
0.05
|
0.06
|
Seoul
|
0.14
|
0.06
|
0.15
|
0.07
|
0.08
|
0.08
|
Lima
|
0.35
|
0.21
|
0.38
|
0.14
|
0.21
|
0.14
|
Nairobi
|
0.69
|
0.35
|
0.78
|
0.29
|
0.49
|
0.59
|
*Net2Phone rates for U.S. residents
**Net2Phone rates for non-U.S. residents
One other factor to consider when choosing a service: some providers offer
special deals. Currently, the best deal is from Dialpad. For just $9.99 per
month, you can have 400 anytime minutes for calls from and to the U.S.
Now pay attention, here is the "little secret" I mentioned earlier.
Dialpad offers "trial calls" for up to 5 minutes in length, but there
is no limit to the number of trial calls you can make. So if you just want to
say hello to a friend or colleague, or relay some quick information, calls from
anywhere in the world to the U.S. are still free.
PC-to-PC calling
The main advantage of PC-to-PC calls is the pricethey are 100% free.
All you have to do is download some software and be annoyed by the occasional
ad. For this category I reviewed 3 services: NetMeeting, Net2Phone, and PhoneFree.
(Dialpad, iConnectHere, and Go2Call do not offer PC-to-PC calls.)
PhoneFree is the best option. With their service you can search for other online
users by name, you can store contacts in an address book, and you can send voice
mail to other users. PhoneFree also has a great feature called ExpertZone. This
is a searchable database that can immediately connect you to users with extensive
knowledge in subjects such as Health, Finance, Computing, Automobiles, and Parenting.
Final comments
My overall recommendation for VoIP service is Dialpad. It provides the most
versatility, it's the easiest to use, it doesn't ask you to download software,
it offers free 5-minute calls, and it has a good sign-up plan. But Dialpad is
only for PC-to-phone services. If you want free PC-to-PC, PhoneFree has the
best features. But if you want both PC-to-PC and PC-to-phone services all in
one package, the next best option would be Net2Phone. Because it's currently
bundled with Netscape, you might already have it on your hard drive.
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