…and can’t decide how to communicate! I’ve been looking into getting a ‘landline of sorts’ at home since we moved in but I’m caught between a rock and a hard place. This is where you, my learned readers, come in very handy. I’m seeking the benefit of your experience. A bit of background; I didn’t get a physical phone line installed at home, primarily because I’d rather melt my eyeballs with a lighter than give eircom €25 a month to rent a crappy out of date copper cable. So I got symmetric 1mbit wireless broadband from nova networks to fulfill my internetty needs. As I see it currently, I’ve got two options.
1. Get skype. I’m already on skype, so all I’d have to do is create a ‘home’ account, buy something like this for €180 ish (incl delivery) and use skype pro @ about €50 a year (incl geographic 021 number). Upsides are free landline calls in Ireland and cheap as chips for worldwide calls. Downsides include the inability to ‘text chat’ from the phone and the apparently inability to send text messages from it. I’d live without both as I have a mobile. Also, skype is a closed network so I’d be unable to call regular VoIP phones. Err, don’t currently know anyone that has a VoIP phone.
2. Get Blueface. They were my original first and only option. Skype only entered into it a few weeks ago when it broke that they are now offering Irish geographic phone numbers. I’d have to get a phone; something like an s450IP (Siemens Gigaset) and probably get the second package for €99 a year. Instantly, that’s about twice the price of the skype option. It is a more open and adaptable system but is that so important?
Both have a minimum charge of around 2cent per call (connection charge) so I fail to see how an unlimited national landline package (skype) compares with a 300 minute national landline package (blueface) compares. I know I could do additional mad stuff with blueface like connecting it up to the sky box and possibly a monitored alarm and maybe even home automation, but that’s just fanciness for the sake of it. I could setup my own asterisk server, if I so chose. I could get a fax to email phone number with blueface, if I so chose.
Landlines these days are coming with broadband and calls packages that come in around €40/50 for something around a 2mbit (asymmetric) line and in some cases, unlimited calling in Ireland and the UK. I suppose at the end of it all, is blueface worth twice the price of skype? Does Blueface have twice or more of the functionality of skype? I’m not talking about all of the posh stuff either. Just talk, voicemail and maybe some text. How well does €5 per month (roughly) compare with €10? Skype is by far a more user friendly system as far as I can see. Anyone with even a fundamental knowledge of computers can download and install it. It might take a bit more insight to go out and buy a headset to use with it, but it’s not beyond the realm of possibility for even a novice user. Blueface, while not much more complicated, can get confusing for the layman with all the talk of ATA’s and SIP settings. In skype, if you can remember your username and password, you can use it anywhere.
Finally, for my own interest… How many of you are either on skype, have VoIP services or have both? I welcome your thoughts on the above.
Sounds like it is a tricky decision for you. I have a landline, and use Skype for international conversations. I’m a complete computer novice (it is a good thing that Skype remebered my username for me:)but once I got a headset, I was set, and thought it was great fun. Good luck.
I had the same problem last year when Eirscum turned off my Smart line, the decision at the time was easy as Skype couldn’t give me a local number, so I went with Blueface.
At the time they had an offer which included the adapter to connect my existing phone to my broadband router and unlimited calls to the UK and Ireland.
If Skype had a local number service at the time I prolly would not have gone with them as Skype handsets were none to common and not the best at that point not sure what the status of those is now.
Blueface has given a great service since I started with them and since I originally signed up I’ve only added €20 worth of credit to my account
If only NTL’s broadband service was as reliable as blueface, I’d be as happy as I was with Smart’s service, ah well…
I’ve Blueface hooked into the house system via a WRTP54G and I’d be very happy with it if my wireless connection was more stable. That was supposed to be fixed today though, so I’ll be able to comment better on call quality at the end of the week. I find their service pretty good in general though, and way, waaaay better than giving Eircom a single penny, as you said yourself.
adam
We’ve been with blueface ever since Smart imploded (thanks Eircom, you bunch of wankers…). They were offering a special package at the time for the ex-Smart customers, I think it was €180 for the year for unlimited calls to the UK & Ireland landlines.
Quality was pretty crap at the start, but that might have been our NTL connection, but it seems to have got better over the last few months. People no longer complain, unless we have the net connection working overtime uploading and downloading at the same time as a call comes in.
If the net connection is down for any reason, then the voicemails are recorded and mailed to you, which is quite cool - we simply unplugged the phone when we went on honeymoon and let the voicemails roll through.
They supply you with all the kit to connect up your existing home phone, and from what I remember, the set up was fairly painless and quick.
Drop me a line if you have any more questions, I could also give you my phone number if you want to test the call quality to see what it’s like to call in.
I used Skype to call home from the USA and quality was excellent, as are prices. I haven’t used Blueface but Tom Raftery had horrible problems with them a while back ..