mynetphone

[sue78]

I know a couple of people here have this set up. I am trying to decide on plan and software atm and it's all a bit confusing.

What plan are you on? and why?

some questions...so do you just give ppl your DID # then? can people call your DID from any normal phone?

If you have telstra too, do you have it set up so you are receiving calls via telstra line? do you need to pay extrafor fallback feature to do this? I guess if I had another phone point I could just plug another phone to receive telstra calls.

Thanks

 

[Davidr]

mynetfone are just one of the budget Voice Service Providers (VSP) that have a variety of VOIP plans. I have used them and found their service pretty good. I also use Pennytel, now, as my prime VSP as they are actually cheaper. MNF is my backup, along with the service provided by my ISP, Exetel.

I have used VOIP exclusively to make calls for several years.

You do not need any special software (that was for things like Skype and Netmeeting where both parties had to have the same). You can make and receive calls, though using a softphone Eg X-lite. This is often good for laptop with a HSPA connection for VOIP on the go.

At home, if you use software you will need to be tied to the computer, either via USB handset or microphone / headset combination.

The most flexible way is to use hardware. An ATA is an analogue telephone adapter and plugs in to your router. Som all in one devices have the modem, router and ATA built in (Eg Billion 7404VGP).

With a hardware setup it is good to ensure you router has a Quality of Service (QOS) function built in. This will enable you to adjust settings to ensure perfect voice quality while doing other tasks via your internet connection (browsing, downloading etc)

What you were talking about being able to receive Telstra calls is called PSTN flow through. It is also handy to have PSTN fallback, which allows PSTN calls to be made it the internet is down.

You can certainly set up the ATA to both make and receive calls via either your PSTN number and DID via the same handset. I do this with a cordless base station plugged into the ATA port.

A term you may have read is dial plan. This is what you input to tell the ATA where to direct which calls. THis is used for lowest cost routing. Eg one VSP has low rates to Australia. Another has the lowest rates for mobile. And a third has lowest rates to the overseas country you call most. Via the dial plan you can tell the ATA which ISP to use for which call type, automatically.

Ok, so that was a lot of info without too much depth, sorry, but there are a few ways to get things going.

Simplest is to order a preconfigured device from a provider, however these are sometimes locked and may be inflexible. Most flexible is to order an unlocked device from any IT retailer (Eg jmgtechnology or warcom) and input your VSP details.

There is a good wiki at Whirlpool (http://forums.whirlpool.net.au/forum-replies.cfm?t=514445. Incidentally MNF have better plans and rates for Whirlpool members (https://www.mynetfone.com.au/whirlpool).

Other good info is at http://ozcableguy.com.au/voip.asp

Thing to remember: many VSPs provide a no join fee, no minimum spend, no contract plan. This is a good idea before locking in plans and contracts so you can try out VOIP and work out your call patterns to see if a plan would suit or not.

Good luck...

EDITED TO ADD: to answer your specific questions:

Yes anyone can call your DID or PSTN (Telstra number) from a normal phone.

A Softphone is needed only if you don't want a hardware solution. It is independent of VSP. It is independent of the 'system' the person you are calling has.

Plans: Pennytel: https://www.pennytel.com/call_plans.html Free Access Untimed
MNF: https://www.mynetfone.com.au/offers/whirlpool/whirlpool-plans/whirlpoolsaver-plan/ (I used the BYO because I had an ATA)
Exetel: http://www.exetel.com.au/voip_planA.php Plan B

 

[Welcome]

Also use VoIP for both business & personal.

MNF is pretty crappy. I would go for pennytel for better call costs and features.

If you are a heavy user, gotalk (www.gotalk.com.au) have some really well priced plans however their customer service is THE WORST from any company I have ever dealt with.

Cheers

 

[Welcome]

Sorry.... to answer your orginal questions.....

You can leave you existing phone number as is so you don't need worry about telling everyone a new phone number (however you still pay line rental). You can then make all your OUTGOING calls over VoIP as these are the things that cost money.

With pennytel you can set your caller ID to be your normal fixed phone DID so it works just like normal. You can also do things like get a DID in other cities or overseas. This is good (or bad?) if you have relatives somewhere else they can call you for the cost of a local call.

If you are starting the hunt for the best ATA look no further than the Minitar MVA11A (http://www.jmgtechnology.com.au/product_info.php/cPath/24_106/products_id/476). Can have 5 accounts set up on it at once so you can choose which provider to send the call out over (eg one may have cheaper rates for mobiles while one has better rates for overseas). Also has life line, which means if the internet goes down, your outgoing calls will automatically go out over your normal (PSTN) phone line. Hope that helps.

 

[MissMuffitt]

I use Mynetfone for all of my out going phone calls.

WhirlpoolSaver



* $0 per month
* FREE calls to other MyNetFone users
* 10c untimed local/national calls, anywhere, anytime
* 15c per minute mobile calls
* International calls from 1.9c per minute
* MyText SMS 10c per message
* Includes 1 PSTN/DID number

If you go to www.whirlpool.net.au
and look up mynetfone, you will find a link to this plan

 

[Twitch]

We've used MNF for 18 months and find the call quality excellent (we have bigpond cable). Currently we use the "Neosaver plan".

NeoSaver

* New Customer Promotional Plan - Limited Availability
* $4.95 per month
* FREE calls to other MyNetFone users
* 60 calls included, then
10c untimed local/national/global* calls anytime
* 15c per minute Australian mobile calls
* Includes 1 PSTN/DID number

 

[tess85]

I set up the WhirlpoolSaver plan with MNF. Pretty happy although sometimes optus cable is unco-operative which naturally affects the quality of the VOIP line

Anyone can call your DID, it's just like a normal phone line. But most people call us on our landline, while we dial out on our VOIP. Reason being that the VOIP line can be a bit choppy, whereas if we've got a landline sitting there we may as well get people to dial in on it.