Dirt-Cheap Phone Calls the VoIP Way

by SiliconeClone

I know that there have been many articles about VoIP calling and about which way is the absolute best way make calls.

Unfortunately, most companies only allow you to call others that have the same service, or they offer a complete service package for a price that, while not necessarily high, is more then we want to pay, which is nothing.

I have yet to discover a truly free setup, so I will share with you what I have learned and the setup that I have currently.

First, there are two things to sign up for:

1.)  A Free World Dialup (FWD) account from www.freeworlddialup.com.

This will give you a six digit user account, and there are many free numbers which you can call on your PSTN (telephone landline) that will then transfer to your FWD extension.  This, in essence, will provide you with a completely free calling in service, as FWD does not charge at all for this service.  In this article we will not be using their communicator software; instead, our setup will use an ATA SIP device for these calls.  More on that in a bit.

An example number for the Flint, Michigan area is 810-223-0700 (try it).  When you call this number, it will ask you to dial the extension (the FWD user number) of the person you wish to get a hold of.  This will then route you to the FWD member you are calling.

FWD offers no VoIP-to-PSTN outbound except for toll-free numbers, so on we go.

2.)  A Skype account over at www.skype.com.

Skype is one of those services that, without a plan, only lets you call other Skype users for free.  But our goal is the cheapest possible phone service we can get, and we already have free in-coming calls; now we need free or cheap outgoing.

Unfortunately, cheap is what we will have to go with in this case, as I was unable to find a truly free method that went both ways.  With that said, Skype offers unlimited landline calls from to the US and Canada for only $29.95 a year.  I don't know about you, but for me, a one-time payment of $30 is cheaper than one month of my actual phone bill.  So this will be the method used in this article.

Setup

Now that we have incoming and outgoing calls for only $30 a year, there are have two choices.

One option is to stick with a headset and be done with it.  After all, you are already done with the service parts.  Skype and FWD have software communicators that allow you to end this tutorial at this point.  However, if you are like me, then you do not want to be strapped to your headset and would like an alternative method.

We are going to purchase and optionally make some hardware to get you set up.  The hardware portion of this project is a one-time expense.  The cost will depend on how you buy or acquire your equipment.  I paid roughly $90 for my entire setup.  I paid a total of $120 for hardware and my first year's service, which was only $20 more than my current phone bill, so the project will pay for itself rather quickly.

Needed Hardware

You need a VoIP-to-USB adapter that supports Skype.

This is a device that connects a PSTN phone to a VoIP box that then connects to your PC via USB cable.  These adapters are relatively cheap and can be purchased on eBay for roughly $20-30.  (Search "skype voip usb adapters')

Or, if you prefer, you can build such a device yourself for about $5.  Schematics are over at vital.pri.ee/PSTN.

You will also need an ATA SIP device.  I used a D-Link DVG-1120S which can sometimes be found on eBay for about $20.  However, a simple search for "ATA SIP" on eBay will produce many varieties to choose from.

Finally, you will need a two-line phone, preferably cordless.  You can also use a two-line corded phone or even two separate phones.  I wanted a smooth hardware setup, so I suggest the two-line cordless.  I bought one off eBay for $19.

Now, why did we purchase all this hardware?

Well, I wanted a phone system that mimicked my current phone system as much as possible.  I will explain how to set up all the hardware, and then you will see how streamlined it really is.

Hardware Setup

The VoIP-to-USB adapter is pretty much plug and play, so I will not get into that one here.

The ATA SIP device needs a little tweaking.  As each model is different, I suggest you go to forums.freeworlddialup.com for specific information.  If, however, you manage to get a hold of the DVG-1120S, then here is the configuration for that device.  Many of these settings are similar for other ATA SIP devices as well.

Under "SIP Configuration", enter the following:

Domain Name: fwd.pulver.com Port: 5060 Service Domain: fwd.pulver.com URLFormat: SIP-URL User Parameter Phone: Enabled Timer T2: 4 sec Register Exp: 3600 Session Exp: 180 Min-SE: 180 Session Exp Ref: uac

Choose "Save", but when asked, tell the unit to continue and restart the system later.

Then, under the "User Agent Screen":

Same Phone #:  This option is designed to be used if you wish to use both FXS ports on the back, for example if you had more than one FWD number.  If you do not have more than one FWD number, simply choose "enable" to bind both ports together on one SIP account.

Phone #:  Enter your FWD number.

Display Name:  This entry will show up on the Caller ID display of the people you call.

Caller ID Del:  Yes (send CID?)

Display CID:  Yes (receive CID)

User Agent Port:  5060 for port 1, 5061 for port 2.

Authentication Username:  With FWD, this is usually your FWD number.

Password and Confirm Password:  Your FWD password.

The above information taken from sigmaz's post to the FWD forum.

Now that we have the two boxes configured, plug a phone line from each box into one line of the phone.  My setup has my Skype box going to line two of my phone and FWD going to line one.

Whenever I receive a call, I pickup line one, which is people calling me on my FWD extension.  To make a call, I simply pick up line two and dial-out, which uses the Skype box to make my calls.

And so you have what I believe to be the cheapest phone service you can currently get inside the U.S. or Canada.  I hope this was clear enough for everyone.