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Best Phone For a Wi-Fi-Only Location?
bendodge writes "I am planning on heading to a university in a remote area with very poor cellular service (the only signal is spotty Verizon voice, no data). However, the entire campus is thoroughly blanketed in Wi-Fi. I am trying to find the best and most economical 'Wi-Fi phone' or else hack one together. Belkin/Netgear sell what is essentially a portable Skype device for $180. These folks recommend outfitting an iPod Touch with a mic and VoIP apps. I am looking for something that can make and receive calls to and from landlines with incoming call notification. What experiences have Slashdot readers had and what would you recommend?"
It may be a bit more expensive, but you could get any android phone and run sipdroid through a SIP provider of your choice, then forward your mobile number to your SIP line. Then you have the advantage that you can seamlessly switch to a mobile network when you go off-campus.
The Belkin WiFi phone sounds like a good idea. The trouble with using an iPod touch would be the battery life with WiFi on. I've tried to browse for an hour so on my iPod Touch and it severely drains the battery. Why get a music player/gaming device if what you really need is a phone? Yup. Get the Belkin phone and subscribe to SkypeOut. I've been pretty satisfied with the call experience even when I've made international calls. Safest way to go IMO.
When I was in a similar situation I simply got a used Symbian phone (in my case a Nokia E60 for some 50 EUR, the most important thing is there to get one with the S60 operating system.). You should be able to use that with Skype for Symbian, or alternatively with fring if your phone is not supported directly. Works well.
The E-series Nokias had the advantage is that they also included a SIP client out of the box so you weren't limited to Skype. Also there is a Python programming environment if you're into that sort of thing.
Unlike the iPod Touch it also has the advantage that it works as a phone when you're somewhere where there actually is cellular reception, or when you go abroad.
As a state gets corrupt, its laws multiply; the most corrupt states have the most numerous laws. (Tacitus, Annales 3:27)
The iPod Touch ships with a microphone on the 3GS and above. It is built into the Apple earphones. You can download Skype for free. I would use that but only if you need an iPod / MP3 player anyway. If you don't then you could pick up a Netbook for the same price that can do a lot more...
The E-series is a great solution, or if you want a more geeky toy, the N900. Prepare to charge the phone daily though, if you keep the WiFi active with Skype online all day.
She: Hey, are you a traitor? Me: No, I'm atheist.
Comes pre-installed with Skype, and it's trivial to set up any other SIP provider. A little on the expensive side perhaps, but you get an excellent Debian-based computer with it.
Get a T-Mobile UMA capable phone. Most of their blackberry line is compatible with UMA calling. UMA makes phone calls over WiFi
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Unlicensed_Mobile_Access
I've had one for almost half a year and have used it for Skype calls quite a bit. VoIP is integrated in a nice way and it's a really great device in general.
The google search term you're looking for is "UDP". That's one industry term for wifi calling. Most blackberries sold for tmobile since 2008 have UDP. An older BB curve (8300?) is less than $100 new and ~$70 used, and is easily unlocked, and readily accepts SIM cards.
Bonus: It also works as a regular cell phone off campus!
moox. for a new generation.
The dedicated Skype or VoIP phones are junk in my experience: hard to configure, unreliable, etc. They usually can't deal with browser-based configuration, limit your choice of VoIP providers, etc.
My recommendation: get an Android phone, Nokia Symbian phone, or an iPod touch. All of them support VoIP, including Skype. The Android phone is the better choice but a bit more expensive; it will also allow you to make phone calls when you travel. Nokia phones with WiFi are cheaper, have better battery life, and also have great browsers, but the UI is bit clunky. The iPod Touch has a good screen and lots of apps, but the only way you can call is with a headset.
(I've used all of them myself.)
Have you considered getting a T-Mobile phone with UMA? It's certainly not the cheapest option with standard mobile pricing of ~$30/mo and ~$5 of various taxes, but you have the added advantage of being able to have a "normal" phone when you're outside of Wi-Fi coverage.
If you're looking for the best value, you can get an Ipevo Wi-Fi Skype phone for ~$140 (a bit less than Netgear/Belkin; works fine). Add $3/mo unlimited US calling and $30 for SkypeIn so landlines can call you, and your total cost is $66/yr... That's tough to beat, and what I would do if I were you. The only downside is that the batteries for these devices may be a challenge to source, and as far as the phone, it's certainly no-frills.
The iPod Touch is not a solution I can recommend due to the lack of on-device microphone -- not to mention its battery on Wi-Fi being rather poor.
Good luck, and way to go on saving some cash! ;)
A Nokia N95 is probably still the best as a small SIP based Wifi phone - I still miss mine (it died after getting wet). You should be able to get a second hand one very cheap.
You must be careful new nokia phones now as Nokia has removed the Client front end from most of their new phones which means the Sip engine can't be used. I have tried a couple of alternative clients but they are nowhere near as good as the original nokia client. (Boo Hiss Nokia - put it back). You also can't rely on sales agents knowing what you are talking about so research very carefully and beware of update versions.
On any system you chose you will find that you will need a power supply handy - wifi sucks batteries dry in a couple of hours, even if your not talking (obviously you need to be connected to recieve calls)
Especially most Nokia's (and also Android, to a bit lesser degree) have excellent SIP support, and this is what you're looking for. You will only need to have a reliable SIP provider, but that should be arrangable.
I recommend any T-Mobile phone that is UMA (Wifi calling) enabled. UMA phones essentially do GSM-over-IP, so when the phone has a wifi signal, your normal phone number encoded on the SIM card will ring, and you can send and receive calls and texts normally. Most T-Mobile BlackBerries, and a few other phones can do this, its listed as Wifi Calling on the spec sheets. You can also take your phone and use it as normal on T-Mobile network, and then have it hop on wifi when you move into range seemlessly.
(UMA is not SIP, it works very well over low bandwidth links, and I've had little trouble with it)
If T-Mobile doesn't work for you, a Symbian or Android phone with a VoIP client using something like sipgate might be a good choice.
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I use an HTC XV6800 on verizon on my voice + 300 text plan with no data plan and a data block to ensure it doesn't accidentally download in the background. It's a windows mobile phone on which I run version 6.5. The phone is also known as the HTC Mogul, but I believe that is the Sprint version.
I am also a college student on a campus with full wifi and I love the phone. I use Opera to surf the web, droppboxx (3rd party dropbox client for windows mobile 6.5) to transfer files, GPS with NaviComputer to help find my location on a map, and many other useful apps. The only problem is the 40MB of RAM which quickly gets eaten by the OS and 1 app so it's very difficult to multi-task if at all.
As for Skype, I haven't found an app that will make Skype calls, but the phone makes landline calls just like any other phone. I use Fring to chat on Skype, AIM, Twitter, Google Talk... etc when I'm on wifi. I also found a few google voice apps, but haven't used them much.
Finally if you're looking into a place to find this phone. I got mine off Ebay for $150 new. Keep in mind the very, very low RAM, if this phone had 512MB of ram it would have everything I need.
The Dell Streak is an example.
The problem with wifi phones is battery life. Most retail ones suck. Cisco made a cordless wifi sip phone that works rather well, about 100 bucks on the bay. Even the suggestion of an android phone is bad because of this same problem, if not worse.
I have adequate cell phone coverage at my university, but making calls via WiFi (Sipdroid) is just nicer, because the quality is so much better... so it's even relevant for people who don't take their classes at a backwoods "University" at the North Pole... :D
TMobile has a HotSpot cell phone that can use WiFi. I have a prepaid one, that's probably your cheapest path through. Works great.
No problems in Belgium either.
Don't fight for your country, if your country does not fight for you.
Long time T-mobile user, and I do love the UMA. Supported by most Blackberries with TMO branding. WiFi does hurt battery life, but you have a real cell phone that also works anywhere you can get on WiFi, and uses the same number for both cell and wifi calling.
I have to agree with rxmd, the nokia N-series and the E-series have a an amazing sip stack. one more thing, sip has a lot of issues behind a NAT.one more opting is the nokia n900, it has a front facing webcam and has complete Skype integration.
I own a Belkin WIFI Skype phone, I used it as a home phone with Skype in/out and in general it's pretty neat BUT, it drops calls, a lot. It drops calls almost as bad as AT&T.
I have a good solid WIFI system and Skype on my iPhone via my WIFI works without flaw. I do not have WIFI issues.
The Belkin randomly drops calls even when I am within 6 feet of the base and it also randomly locks up and randomly reboots.
If you can put up with that, it's neat. If you require flawless service, skip the Belkin. They have not updated the firmware in it since it was first made available.
If you google the device you will see many other complaining of the same problems.
Disclaimer: That is MY personal experience with the Belkin WIFI Skype phone.
can phones which fit inside the rectum cause cancer if you only use speakerphone?
And Dubai is broke... spent all their capital like every day was Christmas.
IF you have the cash I would definitely go for the N900. Both skype and sip work perfectly over wifi (and 3g for that matter) without the need for separate apps. The phone just works identical for Skype, SIP and normal GSM. (Leading to weird situations where you pick up the phone never realizing it's a Skype call, while the other party assumes you're at home behind a PC...)
Haha... um, no religious inferences meant there. They spent their money like they were constantly on holiday.
Another Nokia option to consider - I have the Nokia XpressMusic 5530, while it doesn't have the SIP client, Skype runs great on it, and it's actually a great little budget touchscreen phone. No 3G or GPS (that's why it's cheap), but Google maps works with cell-tower location pretty well, and the screen is just about big enough for usable web browsing. Battery life sucks with wifi on continuously though.
Oh no... it's the future.
My N95 is an amazing SIP device. The native SIP implementation means that a SIP call behaves exactly like a normal call. Just dial the number as usual, just choose internet call instead of voice call. It works over wifi and 3G, almost seamless.
As for NAT, I never had any problems with it. It has NAT transversal support.
As for cheap, you can always buy one second hand.
I'll add my voice to those recommending UMA. (Not just T-mobile, though. It works on Orange, too.)
My Nokia 6301 has it, and I recently spent a week in a cottage in the middle of nowhere.
No mobile signal from Orange, but the cottage had WiFi, and I could make and receive calls using that.
I can believe it; you get some oddball universities that have a campus near nothing much at all.
It's worth noting, the US has a bit more than 7 universities, so more variation (and getting an outlier in student population and remoteness that's extreme enough that this happens is therefore more likely): http://www.utexas.edu/world/univ/state/
Needs to involve checking with the school's IT department to see if they block SIP or Skype traffic, and whether that blocking is within campus or just on the boundary with the internet.
It'd be a shame to buy a nice new android phone and then be limited to the phone in your room because the traffic is blocked. (Or - have to tunnel your SIP traffic in violation of the TOS and get suspended from school)
We are the 198 proof..
This baby: Cisco 7925G-EX is pure awesome except for the fact that it uses SCCP (Skinny Call Control Protocol) rather then SIP. But there's (limited) support for it in FreeSWITCH and Asterisk. I cite (emphasis added):
The Cisco Unified Wireless IP Phone 7925G-EX delivers all of the capabilities of the Cisco Unified Wireless IP Phone 7925G with the ruggedness and resiliency that is certified for deployment in potentially explosive environments such as chemical and manufacturing plants, utilities, and oil refineries.
I found this while looking for a WLAN IP phone with SRTP support. Oh well.
Weird name, but works well. Round $130 normally.
http://www.frys.com/product/5859653
Reviewers seem to find the Belkin and Linksys units flaky, but the Ipevo gets good reviews. We have one. Don't use it much, but it's worked everywhere we've tried.
You could also hack together something with an old Windows CE unit (i.e. Dell Axim x51v has the power, but Wifi it a bit weak.)
Or maybe get a tablet PC (Fujitsu U810, Oqo) with a headset, optionally bluetooth. They use a normal OS (Windows, Linux, even Mac OS) not the wacky cut-down ones on those other machines.
Not that this wasn't entirely predictable.
1. Belkin WiFi Phone... I got one of these a few years ago. The sound quality is not too bad, but the battery doesn't last terribly long, and more importantly, the sound volume was too quiet. I had to use a headset with it most of the time (and it doesn't support bluetooth).
2. iPod Touch. You need a iPod Touch 3G (the older ones don't support microphones), and then you will have to use a headset. I have one of these, and I use it some of the time. If you want to use it only for outgoing calls, it's fine. If you want to receive incoming calls, then you'd better leave skype running, in the foreground, and make sure the screen doesn't lock (not very realistic). Some of this may be improving with OS 4, but I wouldn't hold my breath. Alternatively, you can get an iPhone, and just use Skype or your favorite app on there, since it has the mike built in.
3. UCCom (Starcom?) WiFi SIP phone. This was like #1, except it wasn't skype specific, it was locked to uhm.. Vonage. It sucked in most every way. The volume was quiet, the battery life was short, and the display and menus were primitive.
4. Sony Mylo 2 - This is billed as a "personal communicator", but it if really a glorified Skype phone. They are pricey new, but you can probably get a used one cheap these days... It can auto-connect to WiFi (of course), and auto-launch skype, and auto-log in (of course). It has a touch-screen, and you can dial normally with Skype-Out. The volume is reasonable, and it comes with a headset as well. The battery life is pretty good, and it has some other apps (like Google talk) as well. Most importantly, it comes with a cradle (or if not, you can buy one separately), so you can put it somewhere and have it charge and wait for calls when you're not using it - like a normal phone. Mo more fishing for USB charging adapters, etc. I have one and it's been hooked up and in constant use for about 2 years. It does a good job of staying signed into Skype and reconnecting WiFi/Skype automatically when there's an issue. Most reviews of the Mylo say it sucks, but that's because they were rating the web browser or other features which, frankly, do suck. (Or because the reviewer didn't know it was WiFi only and wondered why it wouldn't work when there was no signal). As a Skype phone, I haven't seen better. I also take it with me when I go overseas, so I can use it at friend's houses and random places like Starbucks.
Note: First, I am not making an account just to post this (hence the AC), but since I am a heavy user of this type of thing he is asking for, please mod this up to help the OP.
You can initiate / receive VoIP calls using just your browser.
There are many flash based softphones and there is a few based on java.
Check this for example:
http://www.mizu-voip.com/Products/WebPhone.aspx
The Nokia N900 is an amazing phone, although the battery life is pretty meh. It comes with Skype capabilities built into it.
I'll second this. Got my n900 a few months back for the exact same reason as the OP. Now I am connected continously to a number of VOIP and other services receiving calls and starting them without hardly knowing the difference. It all just works.
If there's good competition between mobile networks then it's in their interest to stick up a mast near a remote university. Many people at that university will switch to that network, if it's the only option.
There's 2G coverage almost everywhere, but not necessarily on all networks.
If you do live in an area with no coverage you could get something like this, which claims to give you 2G and 3G signal in your home using your broadband connection. It's a shame that's only for Vodafone (UK), as everyone would benefit if the networks cooperated on this.
There are also temporary GSM towers at major (remote) events (music festivals, races etc).
Ideal for Wifi use, cos they don't work on the cell networks properly
...preferably rooted (HTC G1/Dream is fine), plus Sipdroid.
45 5F E1 04 22 CA 29 C4 93 3F 95 05 2B 79 2A B2
Im still amazed at how wonderfully engineered and servicable (unlike the software) the first gen iphone is.
Voip is the last thing you want, A phone must be always on and reliable + Wifi always on will chew far more power than GSM for voice.
If you are reading this, ie. on slashdot you should have the skills to do a screen swap (lots of walkthroughs)
Getiing to know the internals of the original iphone is one of the best decisions i have ever made, i aquired a phone, fixed it, smashed it again, fixed it, dropped it into a pool and fixed it again all for minimal cost
Im alot more carefull thesedays but just think about how much that would have cost a typical apple fanboi !
There's a university with a campus, and yet it doesn't have cell phone coverage? I guess it's just that here in Norway there's about 7 universities, obviously all with coverage. I don't even recall hearing of a college that didn't have it. This sounds like more of a remote outpost than a university to me, but kudos for an overinflated name.
Actually, the word "university" has slightly different meaning around the world. You pointed out Norway and over there the term is protected by law. No one can start their own university, that's why there aren't that many of them. The ones that exists also tend to be quite large.
In the U.S. there is a difference between private and state universities, compared to Norway which only have the equivalence of state universities. Someone may fund their own relatively small private university in a remote location, that would be impossible in Norway due to the law.
I agree, I have an E65 and it's fantastic. Lots of connectivity options (Wifi, Bluetooth, 3G) and it's rather cheap as well these days.
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The Nokia N8xx line is a general purpose small Linux computer, that also happens to run Skype. Pay $2.95/month and get a skype-out plan. My N800 is over 2 yrs old and I'm still relatively happy. It cost $219 in late 2007. I'd buy an N810 today.
The N900 adds a quad-band GSM cell phone and $300 in cost, so it is probably not realistic. I'll have to wait until it get less than $200.
Or go with a small netbook.
Another metoo here - the way N900 handles Skype and VOIP is very nice.
But seriously, be aware of the battery drain. N900 lasts for a day with WiFi on and with moderate Skype use (always signed in, max. ~2h talktime). And what's annoying it still can't use all the power-saving thingies in WiFi with certain access points so you might have a surprise in some locations with hot phone draining the battery in full speed. The good thing is that it still gets fixes and matures and wifi-related bugs are still being closed.
And it is still quite expensive. If the only requirement was the wifi and SIP/Skype I would definitely google around for the Nokia E-series (S60 3rd edition, do not bother with older ones) - they tend to have good battery life and Skype and VOIP works - and you don't get the power drain of the N900's large touchscreen and Linux kernel which frankly isn't as mature on the N900 as the Symbian equivelant is regarding to power management.
I have been using my fanless netbook as a phone for quite some time and it works out pretty well... Free calls for me, battery lasts ~5hr and I just plug it in wherever I go to keep it topped up. Great on a campus, especially with a bluetooth headset, but earphones work just as well. Just my 2c. I run google voice to a free sip provider to qutecom and my quality is better than on my 1st gen iphone.
Most of these phones aren't all that great, but it's sometimes possible to get them for cheap. Skype no longer has the WM version for download (but if you can find it elsewhere, it will work), but fring does work on it.
See http://nokiaexperts.com/tmobile-nokia-e73-mode-uma-wifi-calling-killer-functionality/ for an example - UMA is a way of having 'standard cellular voice' (GSM based) delivered over WiFi - it's a bit like VoIP in that your GSM voice call goes over IP, but unlike VoIP in that it is not using SIP or Skype, and instead you roam between WiFi and GSM areas seamlessly (useful when off campus).
UMA WiFi phones are mostly for people who go between WiFi and GSM - one huge advantage is that the phone can automatically turn off the radio it's not using i.e. turn off GSM when WiFi is used. This saves a lot of battery life. Another big advantage is that you have one phone number and one phone service across GSM and WiFi, which is useful when you are off campus, and of course GSM mode will use less battery. T-Mobile offer this in the US, see link above. http://www.umatoday.com/ has general info.
UMA phones are thin on the ground but it's a useful feature - quite a few Blackberries support this. If you don't need UMA, almost any Nokia E-series phone with Symbian S60 would be fine. The Nokia phones are not the highest tech but they are very reliable, which is good if this is your only phone on campus - the E71 also includes GPS and other nice things, and I got it free with a great $40/month package. The N-series are more consumer oriented and also run Symbian, apart from the N900 which is Maemo.
Another vote for the Nokia (in my case E71). I wouldn't use the mobile Skype app as last time I checked they charged for pure VoIP calls. However you can use any SIP provider and there are numerous VoIP apps. Fring is worth checking out, does things like Skype, MSN Messenger, ICQ, Google Talk, SIP and Twitter all in one go. I used to use Gizmo5 until it was bought out by Google and they withdrew it from the public. Truphone is also not bad, but voice calls only.
Phillip.
Property for sale in Nice, France
get a second hand nokia e71. do not insert sim card. download skype app from ovi store. log in with your skype id. pay some money to skype to get credit. it works perfectly like a phone, just that it works only over wifi.
Wealth is the gift that keeps on giving.
Blackberry UMA, it's pretty much the best thing, at work we are using it, in the plant we are not able to get any cellphone signal and cordless phone does not work properly, with wifi and blackberry phone (8900) everything work perfect.
And that's the problem there. That only applies to the 32 Gb or better model. The 8 Gb is really second generation, and Apple curiously doesn't have a 16 Gb flash model.
Shai Schticks:"You don't make peace with friends, you make peace with enemies"
I haven't tried it, but I believe blackberries, especially since they support multitasking, can run skype over wi-fi.
I'm unaware if it needs an obnoxious data plan though just to function
Otherwise, I'd imagine either an android or nokia device is likely the best bet if not better than a blackberry (which, while I don't like their policies, they do have some of the best designers out there in terms of hardware and UI)
I refer to the Nokia VOIP compatibility list a lot for times like these, and the URL that has always worked is (I hope the pages works again, soon):
VoIP support in Nokia devices - Forum Nokia Wiki
http://www.forum.nokia.com/main/resources/technologies/voice_over_IP/voip_support_in_nokia_devices.html
For clients, family, & friends, I always pointed out any Nokia phone on that list handled SIP natively. However it seems today Nokia is updating their site, and that URL is unavailable. I really hope the page comes back!
My own 'ancient' N95 with a 2nd forward-facing camera (needs Fring, but then I'm making skype-compatible video calls) does pretty everything the recent 2 generations of iPhone do. Only the newer iPhone shoots in higher resolution is all. But multitasking, SIP, tethering, and A2DP bluetooth (wireless phone/music headset), I've been enjoying all that stuff for several years earlier than Apple said I could.
My favorite app is SportTracker, which allows voice-enabled AGPS, or sans-data-plan then GPS navigation (that's 2 map apps, multitasking nicely). I can ride my bike, listen to tunes, a computer lady tells me when to turn, the music fades out softly for incoming-headset SIP calls. And I can upload my trip to Nokia's SportsTracker server, for social networking/exercise, w/ Gmaps, etc. Nokia is even coming out with a 15-20 euro bike-powered-charger; I can't wait. GPS wants juice. The N79 even records Polar heart tracking data, and uploads it along with any auto-geo-tagged MP3 playlist to SportsTracker.
The N900 _IS_ a linux computer, and I'll upgrade to it, or its successor, once my N95 dies, but so far, so very good. Nokia does great with software updates too; (over the ownership of this device, Nokia has impressed me this way; it is so much better than when it was new)
You can't be ahead of the curve, if you're stuck in a loop.
Assuming that you will have a laptop you could use a majicJack. I know it seems gimmicky but based on your requirements it is a perfect application. I think it would be cheaper as well if all you have to buy is the MJ. Just a thought...
This setup works flawlessly in most settings.
Pros:
Works like a normal cellphone with dialing options etc.
Use your phone lists etc
Synchronizes with PC apps
Good range
Cons:
Have to preconfigure all hotspots.
Will not hop between hotspots during same conversation
Not intuitive network configuration. Phone jumps to 3G unless you dig down to the setting to force it to wifi only.
don't cut it off www.mgmbill.org
I am looking for something that can make and receive calls to and from landlines with incoming call notification.
You'll have problems tunneling thru the marketing, which in the telecom industry is slathered on very thickly with a spatula, kind of like paint on a Chinese made machine tool. A WIFI phone? Oh you mean a Skype phone. Or do you mean UMA or UBA or whatever the heck? Its more formally known as a confuse-opoly, where the market colludes to confuse the customers into being ripped off. Be careful, those guys aren't much above used car salesmen when it comes to ethics and marketing.
That said:
I've bought stuff from voipsupply and they're a reputable dealer. They have an entire freaking category for WIFI sip phones, I'm sure you'll like one of them. Eventually I'll buy one of them for my asterisk PBX at home. I've been saying that for at least half a decade now, but I will eventually buy one, I promise.
http://www.voipsupply.com/ip-phones/wi-fi
And the upstream SIP provider my asterisk PBX connects to is voicepulse. I would assume any "SIP wifi phone" could connect to voicepulse.
http://voicepulse.com/
Voicepulse's antifraud techniques are a bit of a pain to deal with, even a simple credit card change requires signed FAXes, etc. And their porting process required documentation reminded me of when I got my passport. Their dumbed down residential service did not seem to meet my needs, so I signed up as a "small business", where they just give me SIP trunks and otherwise leave me alone, which is exactly what I wanted. Also, speaking of SIP, those bastards lured me in by providing IAX which worked great over my NAT and firewall, and then promptly discontinued IAX and forced conversion to SIP which is a huge pain to NAT and firewall. The main (only?) reason I chose them over their competitors was IAX support, so I was quite pissed off. Other than that, I have nothing else to complain about, they're a reliable provider, it "just works", etc. The only reason I didn't dump them like a hot potato when they dropped IAX was their service has been reliable. God help me if I so much as have the smallest excuse I'm off to an IAX provider. But so far so good.
One big problem is my "pay as you go" cellphone provider nickel and dimes me, but it ends up only being about $10/month long term average. So, replacing my cellphone with a decent industrial/commercial grade wifi sip phone, costs around 2 or 3 years of cellphone service. So its hard to justify, except in the original poster's situation (or mine) where there is poor cell service at home. Also quite frankly, if I'm at home, I have my wired and cordless SIP phones, and if I'm at work I have work phones, and if I'm in my car I'm not supposed to be talking, and most places I go I'm not supposed to be talking on the phone (movie theater, etc) so paying hundreds of dollars to add another 9 to 99.9% coverage is a total waste for me.
"Science flies us to the moon. Religion flies us into buildings." - Victor Stenger
If you're really after low cost after about $200 use a landline. $24/month * 9 months. The phone is under $10 in the drug store electronics isle
-- Programming with boost is like building a house with lego. It's a cool but I wouldn't want to live in it
They worked fairly well. An iPod Touch would be cool, but you'd have to keep the Skype (or whatever VOIP app) up all the time. (Until they are able to possibly change it for the new iOS4.)
Good luck with it.
I would go with a Verizon Droid or Storm2 and a femtocell. Reason is this, your not going to be using it in the class room or buildings for that matter. Your spotty coverage by Verizon should be good enough out doors as you walk to building to building so you can Skype call anyone you need to call back. The primary place your going to be depending on it is in your dorm room and that is where a femtocell would come real handy and you probably can charge your dorm mates who have Verizon for it's use. Great coverage in the dorm room, workable around campus and you have a fully working cellphone when your in town.
Before "wifi cellphones", you had "wifi telephones" for VOIP dialing or connecting to a PBX
They are cheap and you can get them off of ebay for 50-70usd a piece. I have one laying around I could send you as I'm not using it anymore (my wet dream was a wifi cellphone with API - and have this now with Android. Rendering my Wif-connecting Linksys redundant.)
But I strongly advise you to invest a bit more and get the joys of an Android phone and open alot of experimenting possibilities; those prices are dropping as they're already teasing consumers with a 3rd wave of Android phones.
I think we can keep recursing like this until someone returns 1
I have a Nokia E61 and I only use it for SIP and Skype calls (via Fring). It doesn't even need a SIM card for that.
If you also want to use it for casual web surfing, GPS, podcasts... then I'd recommend a Nokia 5530 or a 5800 (I also got a 5800 as a present to myself last Christmas, and while the default browser sucks, you've got a lot of options, like Opera Mobile, for a good browsing experience.)
And it also runs Python. :-)
Apple will have all manor of roadblocks set up against using an iPod touch, like no multitasking, pulling telephony applications, etc. Just avoid Apple.
Imho, you should look at the Nokia N900 and Nokia's Symbian phones, but Android also offers support for Skype and SIP via third party applications. Symbian includes a separate SIP application from Nokia, and a Skype application exists too. You'll find suitable Symbian phones for way less than Android.
N900s however offer truly integrated SIP and Skype, which beats the pants off third party applications. You shouldn't expect that you'll use the N900 like a little computer however, sure the physical keyboard beats the pants off an iPhone's virtual keyboard, but we're still talking a very small keyboard.
The Christian religion has been and still is the principal enemy of moral progress in the world. -- Bertrand Russell
I have an E71 which is excellent as a *phone* and a gateway for tethering a laptop - 3G and quad band GSM, wifi and bluetooth... as another poster says, it has native SIP client, you can run fring to access Skype as well as IM services.
I recommend installing Opera Mini because the standard web browser is a bit basic - but it is functional.
The built-in GPS is v useful - free mapping from Nokia; I quite like the Sportstracker app too. There's some fun games too.
Accessories such as car chargers are freely available too.
I would consider the n900 but it's quite chunky and you will need to charge it up a lot more, you need to be a fairly serious geek, but if you are then its incomparable as a handheld computer unless you jailbreak the Motorola Droid/Milestone with its hardware keyboard.
Google voice works great & you get free calls & messaging within
US
Even so, you'd expect the presence of the university itself to justify building a cell tower. A small university can't be that small
If you can, get a Nokia E72 unlocked. If you can't get the E72, get any E series Nokia phone (I have E71).
Reason for recommendation:
* WiFi roaming is painless
* 1500mAh battery: WiFi *drains* battery. You absolutely need the phone with largest battery pack or you're looking at charging it twice a day. A large screen android/iPhone is fun for a week till you get tired of looking at battery bars. Nokia will last whole 3 days on GSM and will get you through the day on WiFi.
* Integrated SIP with same dialing/receiving experience as a GSM call
* VoIP apps: Pretty much every VoIP app is available including Fring, Talkonaut and Skype apart from integrated SIP
* Excellent sound quality
Cons:
* Small screen by today's standards (you get battery life in return) ......)
* Abysmal inbuilt browser (you can have Opera Mobile and Opera Mini instead)
* It's not hip in US (however, if you want nerd points it'll score many - run wordpress on your phone with downloadable port of Apache2, MySQL4 and PHP5 - no kidding)
* Custom development is painful, but you get everything and the kitchen sink to write apps for the device (Python, Java, C++,
* No touchscreen
- mritunjai
"I am planning on heading to a university ...
(deleted plan to spend hundreds of dollars to talk on the phone)
... what would you recommend?"
My other post gave a technical recommendation to answer your exact question.
My "real" recommendation is your priorities are totally screwed up. Hundreds of dollars equals about a hundred six-packs of tolerable beer or bottles of cheap booze, and college girls like parties with alcohol. Hundreds of dollars equals around a hundred or so keg parties (you know, a plastic cup costs $5, and the keg is over there surrounded by lonely college girls). Trust me that "traditional dating" of college girls is somewhat cheaper than post-college girls, so hundreds of dollars equals at least dozens of traditional movie and dinner dates. Hundreds of dollars equals some nice wardrobe additions, and college girls like a well dressed stylish man (but don't go all overboard). Hundreds of dollars would easily pay for a year long gym membership, and college girls like a healthy looking guy and they like to talk to guys at the gym. You may notice a common theme to my numerous examples of better ways to spend your money. Now decades later, you can reminisce about all the fun you had with your numerous girlfriends in those wild and crazy college years, or you can have an obsolete broken phone with a dead battery in a box in the basement, your choice... And if you're trying to meet guys, my advice stays the same, with different pronoun genders or whatever.
"Science flies us to the moon. Religion flies us into buildings." - Victor Stenger
IF you have the cash I would definitely go for the N900.
Or, since the submitter wanted "most economical", you could get an N800 or N810 for much less off fleabay etc. A bit bigger, but much better battery life than the N900. (no GSM/3G) Does skype and SIP very well.
I'm going to suggest the ultra low tech solution and suggest a good old fashion land line. With a modern cordless you can go your dorm's floor and perhaps one above and bellow with ease with it. The problem is if you use a call over WiFi at a university, you will have to stay where you are for the duration of the call. I had the same issue two or three years ago. The university had just a series of repeaters / access points with same SSID / Chanel lined up, and if more than one was in range (as they usually are to provide decent coverage) my wireless device would hop between the access points. Fine for web browsing, but using any service such as VOIP would result in the call disconnection each time it "hopped" between AP's.
I'm now trying to do exactly this with a Droid in places with wifi but no compatible cellular coverage. My experiences:
- Skype is useless since the Droid version explicitly says it cannot be used in Europe. It requires a cell connection to start.
- Fring is useless since it cannot connect for some reason.
- simdroid might work when I set up the necessary accounts with 3 (!) different sites.
- Google voice apparently has something that is currently not open to new users.
I have a 32GB ipod touch with skype. I bought the skypeIn service which gives me a real landline number. When people call that number, I pay a per minute charge. I buy time in $25 increments. I would say on a busy month, I go through that unit of credit.
Since it serves as a second phone, I often keep the ipod docked to my laptop which is plugged into a wall scocket. Battery life is an issue, but overall I like my solution. I wish I could get 3G service for the iPod.
Full pocket-sized computer running linux (Maemo comes pre-installed, upgradeable to MeeGo... and Android 2,2 runs beauifullly on it, too). It does everything a laptop computer does - I think you can even get the Gimp running on it. Dell Small Business was selling it for $369 last week (no plans, no locks,etc.), so you can bring it to other countries, buy a local SIM card and you're good to go. More info at Engadget.
I'd check with the prospective university to see how they allow you to connect to their wireless network. Some are open without encryption while others are full out 802.1X enterprise authentication solutions. If you buy a consumer level wifi phone (belkin, etc). it's likely not going to support a full blown 802.1x authentication solution based on EAP-FAST, PEAP, etc.
I would get an Android phone and then sign up for Google Voice. It should be very close to the experience you get with a normal cellphone except over wifi.
Can anyone provide any information on the Nexus One as it pertains to this article?
It is a great school. I enjoyed my time there.
Samsung Omnia i910 (might be a new version out by now). Mine rocks. The wifi in it is top notch.
The new iOS 4.0 software allows the iPod touch to stay connected to WiFi even when sleeping just as the iPhone stays connected to 3G. This was done because of the "muti-tasking" included in the latest build. I believe Skype has already released an update to run in the "background" on the iOS 4.0 software or will be releasing it soon.
just find yourself a first generation iphone and use the skype app. That is what I do with my old iphone, it dont even have a sims card but it works great with skype. first generation iphones are cheap now with the latest release.
The "daddy model" 5800XM would probably be a better choice, as it has 3g, GPS, bigger screen and front camera, as well as bundled 8GB memory card, while not costing much more then 5530 due to its age.
And you can make video calls with it if that's your thing via skype on it (use fring to log into your skype account and you can place skype video calls through fring - the only thing that native skype client doesn't yet support)
I have an E71 with S60 and Skype on it works great. Before skype was supported on it I tried fring, the chat was good but the VOIP was laggy, as if the phone couldn't handle it. +1 for E-Series
There may be plenty of reasons not to get an Apple device, but the reasons you mention aren't them.
Not only can and does Skype run on iP* devices (and of course it isn't a telephony application), but it can now run in the background too!
Why not get a used 3G iphone? They are dirt cheap now...unlock it, put a prepaid AT&T card in it if you so desire, or just put skype on it if you want to use WiFi only.
For reasons I do not understand using WiFi takes a lot more juice than using the cellular network. While many small devices, like a cell phone or iPod touch can do SIP, they get really hot and burn battery really fast. I would not consider any of them usable as a general purpose solution if you want reasonable talk time.
I don't know much about dedicated WiFi phones, there are some out there and they may be good choices. However, due to the battery issue, perhaps an iPad? The larger form factor provides a much larger battery. The same SIP apps that work on the Touch will work on the iPad. You might like it for other reasons too. :)
I'm fairly certain Verizon picked up a lot of student customers when they added a cell site to one of the Barton Hall towers at Cornell University.
VZW, ATT, and T-Mo all worked to some degree, but coverage was spotty until VZW put that tower down a few years ago. (However, since then, AT&T has increased coverage a lot too, and the only place I've seen a coverage delta is in Lynah Rink - metal-roof-and-brick-wall building, but effectively adjacent to Verizon's site.)
retrorocket.o not found, launch anyway?
Ascom has a series of Wi-Fi SIP phones, although they are focused on office environments. Notably the rugged i75 or the upcoming i62 with .11n support.
Slightly Offtopic but similar problem for a buddy of mine.
Has anyone had to attempt this when the Internet connection was a DirectWay (Satellite) connection? My view is that the lag is simply too much to get anything to work but he's getting desperate to get something to work. He's looking into an AT&T microcell at the moment but I'd figure the same issues would come up. Ideally I'd like to hook him up with a SIP client on his phone of choice but the same issue concerns me.
When I connect to my home WIFI with my EVO throughput is close to 10 Mbps.
My daughter is in the same situation - attending Morehead State in KY. She's using a wifi-enabled phone from T-Mobile. Switches easily to wifi and can receive calls normally. Call quality is good. A single number to reach you. Seems like a no-brainer. http://www.t-mobile.com/shop/phones/cell-phone-detail.aspx?cell-phone=Nokia-6086&tp=tb2
I'm on my second T-Mobile Blackberry (Bold 9700) that has this capability, and they work great for WiFi calling. I work out of my basement, and there weren't a lot of options for cell reception. I don't subscribe to their WiFi calling, which means calls use my minutes, but they have a $10/mo plan for unlimited calls over WiFi.
Before you make ANY decision, it would be prudent to speak directly to the school's computer services department to make sure that your device will be able to use wifi there. Most schools don't just throw up a mesh of hotspots with a simple password. Some require all sorts of authentication procedures, some disallow all devices except xxxxxx, etc, etc. At my undergrad years ago when stylus handhelds were all the rage, I inquired about setting one up on their wireless network. The answer: not supported. Nowadays, and especially at a small school, they may be more willing to work with you. Just sayin', don't buy anything until you're sure that you can use it there.
Michigan Tech. Near lake superior in the Great White north wastelands that is known as the UP around these parts.
Awesome college in the middle of nowhere. Just bring your tuke, a taste for pasties, and get used to ending every sentence with eh?
Yes, I'm a hoser knob troll... Take off eh?
Do not look at laser with remaining good eye.
You'd need a machine with a predictable IP address to run your asterisk server on. There are bunches of Voip providers who can provide you with a landline number, so you just need to shop the rate plans to see if you can find one that's right for you. If you only call other parties on the IP network and don't need a landline number you can skip the voip provider completely and do all your calling for free. You can also use multiple voip providers and have asterisk use a least cost routing table to route your call through the least expensive provider. This can include setting up enum database lookups through Enum so that if a landline you're calling has a published IP address, it's originated as a free data call to that person's IP address.
If you have access to a landline near an ethernet port, you can purchase a SIP gateway device to connect the phone line to your asterisk server. That would allow you to use your landline number instead of one from a voip provider and you'd be able to skip a voip provider completely if you wanted to use your landline's long distance plan. Or you could figure the landline in to your least cost calling plan, using it only to make local and 800 number calls. You can play a number of nifty games with call routing if you hook up to the phone network this way.
Asterisk is a pretty complicated beast, but it gives you tremendous flexibility and you learn a lot about the phone system setting a server up.
I'm trying to teach myself to set people on fire with my mind... Is it hot in here?
You could get a google voice number, and then do the SIPgate/sipsorcery thing with PBX.org. I have my wife set up with that now, and she uses it all the time while she's deployed. She has Fring set up on her ipod touch, and has the sip portion set up with pbx.org setting, the call quality is great. If you're with Verizon, then get an android phone and download sipdroid. Have the setting with google voice to ring your sipgate number, and you'll be all set. http://docs.google.com/Doc?docid=0Ae8glDUXDsh9ZGR2eG43cjRfMzNkOTM4ZjNjeA&hl=en (how to set up google voice with sipgate/sipsorcery)
Meetoo again (not to confuse with meego).
That thing about treating skype / google talk (voice/video) / SIP / Cell phone all in the same way is just awesome!
You'll catch yourself walking on the streets while talking to a friend overseas via gtalk! Wife or HDSPA/3G are great... well.. and apart from all that.. it is linux, not symbian nor android (no, android is not linux.. not anymore!)!!
Gen2 with the apple microphone headphones works just fine, its just that the headphones it SHIPS with don't include the microphone.
(Owner of a Gen2 iPod touch)
Test your net with Netalyzr
The E-series are nice but that is only a good choice if he is on AT&T.
T-Mobile's 3g band in the US usually isn't supported on unlocked Nokia's and only AT&T and TMobile use GSM in the states.
Since he mentioned Verizon coverage I would guess he is in the US. The mobile market in the US can be a bit complex to say the least.
A lot will depend what carrier this person is using. Since he is a student he may be on a family plan with his folks so switching to AT&T and getting a smartphone data plan may not be an option for him at this time.
See my blog http://ilovecookes.blogspot.com/ for light hearted technical information.
I got a 5800 Xpress Music for $250, and it works great: WiFi calls using skype/fring work almost flawlessly (ofc depends on your internet connection) Also, GPS with free OVI maps & navigation for life makes the phone a sweet deal.
I work at a university and we've tried to set up the same things on our wifi network. The problem is that in order to use our wifi, you have to log in via a web browser first. Additionally, whenever the device sleeps, it releases the dhcp ip, so when it awakes, you have to redo this process unless you can get on a whitelist. Our departmental devices can, but I doubt they'd allow a student this convenience. You may wish to wait until you get to college and see how the network functions before buying something.
For wifi calling access... a Blackberry with UMA is by far your best bet. Ive tried a lot of the VoiP apps on other phones and none have really done well.
rather old but still will find one for a very low price, has wifi,3G, GPS support. Symbian S60 OS, think it covers your needs and again, it's very cheap
Not any more in the US. They took away the $10/mo unlimited UMA addon when they changed to Even More and EM/Plus plans. Old plans are grandfathered. Now for new subscribers all UMA minutes come out of the regular minute buckets.
I have a Nokia 6301. Its very small and just a phone (it can email and do very limited web surfing.. although its not pretty). It does hop onto wifi and make calls on wifi when it can. Works well, I have t-mobile, I think they call it "hot spot" calling or some such thing.
I live WAY out in the country. We have NO cell service at home. But we have broadband and a wifi router. Many of the Nokia phones work fine with wifi.
My wife and I each have Nokia 6301b phones and they work great at home through the wifi.
Just be sure to turn on your QOS so that when the kids are watching Hulu they don't hog all your bandwidth.
Break the sound barrier - bring the noise.
Since you said that you could get a Verizon signal sometimes, why not get a phone that can use it? otherwise you have nothing when you leave campus. But no point in getting an expense Verizon contract, either Verizon prepaid, or prolly better is Pageplus, which allows activation of any VZW phone, runs on the Verizon network but offers rates as low as $3/month (actually $10 for 120 days). Then use Skype for most usage, when you have wifi, but use Google voice to manage the merging of your Skype number and your VZW/PPC number, by giving a single number that rings both services.
You'll want to find a decent Verizon phone that can do wifi/Skype, perhaps a WM phone like the Diamond, Touch Pro, Treo Pro or Touch Pro 2, or an Android phone might be better (but check www.howardforums.com in the Pageplus forum to see which have been successfully activated on PPC).
Final note is that for your room, you might consider either a femtocell to give you a cell signal, or MagicJack, again with GoogleVoice, both create phone service from an Internet connection.
I carry an airport express and standalone SIP wifi phone which registers to flowroute.com, for cheap calls when I am overseas. I've yet to find one that doesn't suck though.
The Linksys wifi phones are utter crap. Stay away. Not only will they not roam between APs during a call, but my WIP310 will decide to randomly drop signal from 3 feet away from the AP.
I wish Cisco would make SIP firmware for their 79xx series. They are wicked awesome phones. Using skinny protocol works some places. Too bad they are clueless about NAT traversal and still use asymmetric TFTP for provisioning.
So, my suggestion is if you find a wifi sip phone that doesn't suck, use that. (and let me know which one isn't utter crap). :)
I am not sure if you would share a usb port on you PC or not, I have a Gigaset S450 [DECT]and Siemens M34 USB stick, which works wonderfully with the Skype, and you can use it for VoIP and landline calls, sw has a perfect intergration with skype and your address book, even checks your email and delivers a notification on your handset. I lost track of the Gigaset development, I know that they do stand-alone versions of those phones now that allow to use Skype or SIP provider of your choice. Gigaset is the best phone system I have ever used with good industrial design and excellent features, I do not understand why is it not that widely available here in the US.
... consider a used iPhone. It already has the proper mic/speaker setup. (And a camera.) Now that the iPhone 4 is out there should be a nice supply of used iPhones out there.
Dear Slashdot: next time you want to mess with the site, add a rich-text editor for comments.
I would absolutely not purchase anything without seeing how it works on campus first. There should be enough people around with enough different options to get a feel for things over the first couple of weeks (or less). My advice prior to that (and afterwards) is to get a Google Voice number and use that as your number - that way you can have it forward to whatever number you end up with, get text messages via email, etc. If you decide long-term to move away from GV you can do so after you have a phone that works.
I use UMA on my Blackberry regularly, but at least on my device I've seen times where it seems like it'll refuse to connect via UMA until it's seen a regular mobile signal. That may just be me (there are people using it internationally where they're definitely not getting a T-Mobile USA signal), but it's something to be aware of. There are other things that may keep it from working as well - UMA requires TCP connections on ports 500 and 4500, so if those are blocked it'll cause problems. There's a variety of information available from a few years ago when UMA first showed up about what needs to be open for it to function.
fencepost
just a little off
Bendodge, Can't say I am really qualified to answer the Wi-Fi part of your quiestion. I have gone the really low budget route with "MagicJack", hey I hear all of the laughter. But $19.95 a year is hard to beat, if you can live with a few shortcomings like: having to have good to great Internet connection (read bandwidth), have an extra computer or laptop that can stay online 24/7/365 (I own 4 laptops not counting my wife's Apple PowerBook Pro, which I can't touch for fear of death). That said, being the father of two college grads, one word always comes to mind, "cheap". Most college folks want the most bang for the buck, simply because they usually have to make that buck do the work of two bucks most of the time. So I found this link: http://phoneselectronicsopenstore.co.cc/Skype_Wifi_Phones.html which I feel offers some of the best deals on some of the cheapest and not so cheap deals around plus links to the manufactures site for more info. Some of the brands I've never heard of because they are popular Skype phones across "the pond" but are now available here so should be considered. The Wi-Fi Phone for Skype SO-20 by IPEVO , http://phoneselectronicsopenstore.co.cc/goto-B002L7KFW8.html for around $129 seems to be good alternative to the Belkin that is panned by almost everyone so far. Just read about 20 reviews from owners of the IPEV SO-20 and without exception all loved the call quality, easy of use and connection (even to secure connections). Again all owners complained about the same to shortcomings; no speakerphone and short battery life (needed to be recharged every 24 hours). Other than those two issues all were very satisfied with their units. Well, thoses are my two cents, good luck at your new life in college. Regards, John
Just get the cheapest plan from T-Mobile & a phone that has WiFi calling built in (Blackberry works for sure).
Pay the $5 or $10 a month for unlimited WiFi calling and you're all set. You'll have unlimited in/out and like 500 minutes in case you leave campus.
Only problem is it is WEP only, but the price was right, 30$ off ebay.
iptel.org is a good reference site imo.
I've been using a UMA enabled Nokia 6086 for years. My carrier, Cincinnati Bell, just charges $10/month for the service (on top of the usual $30/mo). The sound quality is indistinguishable. And UMA calls count as local calls (which are unlimited minutes to any other Cincinnati Bell phone). In other words, if I'm in France and make a UMA call to my wife in Japan, and we are both using UMA, it's counts as a local Cincinnati USA call. No additional charges. 1 caveat - you may have to enter a WEP key, which is a pain. But the phone stores that access point. Oh, and the phone acts as a wifi detector. All with a cheap, fairly obsolete phone.
The world is made by those who show up for the job.
http://www.voipsupply.com/ip-phones/wi-fi
A basic SIP phone that is WiFi only ... nothing more, nothing less.
I've gotten to the point where I completely avoid anything with their name on it, as it's almost universally crap. From car power adapters for various devices that don't provide power, to USB hubs that refuse to work, I've had bad luck with it all. Save yourself some trouble and just avoid them.
... if he reverted to using smoke signals - you can get a good signal fire going with surplus college newspapers for free. Dude, come on. He didn't come right out and say it, but clearly the desired solution is a MOBILE phone.
Based on "Verizon" I'm assuming he's in the US. We have literally hundreds (maybe thousands) of universities here in the States. While the vast majority of the larger ones are situated in or very near cities, there's a huge number of small "Liberal Arts Universities" many of which are in run in rural, almost estate like, scenarios. Think along the lines of Xavier's School for Gifted Youngsters in the X-Men Comics, but larger (And with less super-powers, state of the art jets, massive AI systems, or Danger Rooms). Usually the schools have somewhere between one and five thousand students, and they're situated within a few miles of a small "University Town" that exists more or less totally to support the school.
It doesn't surprise me at all to hear that some of these schools don't have much cell coverage. Often even the supporting town is little more than a collection of restaurants, bars, and shops that specialize in things college students may want. It may or may not have much coverage itself.
I don't need a million points of light, just two points of multi-mode fiber and a 10 Gig-E router.
Not many handsets support it now. I think only some Blackberry models, but other handsets that support this are available on eBay.
Once the handset connects via WiFi, it makes and receives calls just like a normal cellphone. The only difficulty is if the WiFi network has some kind of click-through agreement. The phones support WEP, WPA, WPA2.
The real "Libtards" are the Libertarians!
Best VOIP handheld by far, and because they're a few years old now you can pick up a used one for a very reasonable price compared to the other options posted by others above. Also gives you a proper Linux OS that is fully community supported and easy to develop custom apps for. Think all of the benefits of others mentioned, but at a much lower price... plus great for VOIP video (built in camera), media playback, etc.
I agree with the E Series. My gf has an E75, it charges really quick and the battery last way longer than the iPhone. As any other phone, you'll have a steep learning curve at the beginning but it's a really nice device once you get used to its options.
http://linuxslate.com/Review-Skyvoice_S282.html
Disclaimer: That's my website.
He doesn't have AT&T cell service available, so WiFi is the only option. And even with iOS 4, you can't multitask on a 3G. Meaning that when the screen is off, Skype's not running. Meaning that you can't receive calls. So this might work if you call other people, but they never call you. Otherwise... not so much.
... you need to be careful. Neither the 3G nor original iPhone will multitask, even with iOS 4 installed (in the case of the original iPhone, I don't think you can even install it). And if it doesn't multitask, you can't receive calls (Skype won't continue running when the screen is shut down). You would need at least a 3GS, and those are neither as plentiful nor as cheap as the earlier phones, as they're all only about a year old... only the most rabid iPhoneboys are dumping their 3GSs.
Quite funny that every single one of his reasons was blatantly false.
I'd look into a Blackberry on TMO, they have their UMA service which basically gives you GSM over wifi.
It allows you and your buddies to use Sprint phones (the "hotspot" is like a little cell tower.) Maybe the university will spring for a few, I'm not sure about the range. It's only $99 and when you are on it you don't have to pay for voice/data IIRC.
Pirelli DP-l10 - Cheap dual GSM/WIFI sip device that works quite well when when moving in and out of coverage. Setting up wifi is slightly cumbersome, hotspots with captive portals probaly hopeless. Seems to need a reboot every week or so. All external parts are plastic, I use mine at home only (with sipgate) so I don't know how it would stand up to daily abuse in a pocket or bag.
Nokia E52 - Cheapest current Nokia E-series, built in sip client that works well for outgoing calls. I had hoped to deploy these as sip devices at work, but the trial failed since it does not reliably reconnect to the sip server when moving in and out of coverage. That said, if they ever solve the sw, it manages 2 days of runtime constantly logged in with sip over wifi.
Nokia N900 - Rock solid sip device, with rock solid skype to boot. I do like the rest of the device as well. I would not hesitate to deploy these as sip devices in an office setting, except for price and seeing that you can now get it in the dell store for under 400$ with coupon code, it might happen once those prices cross the pond.
Iphone was a non-starter until the multitasking came, dunno if there is a good sip client be had at this time.
I have no experience with android, but what I've read in forums is that sipdroid (seems to be THE sip client for android) cannot connect to my provider (sipgate.at) over udp, only over tcp (or the other way around), and that supposedly eats battery very fast. The solution to that is to bounce the login over their server somehow, theoretically introducing latency and a POF, practically it's supposed to work quite well.
The N900 is basically a commercially available development model. I wouldn't recommend buying it unless you're willing to go hack around in the terminal a little and maybe do some programming on your own; if you think that the terminal is where you catch your flight, you'll probably be happier with an iPhone or Android or something, honestly.
On the other hand, if you're willing to do some hacking, the benefits can be enormous. I've got fucking AdblockPro running on my N900's browser - MicroB is just a specialized version of Firefox, so the plugin works. It doesn't Just Work (tm), but if you mess around with permissions enough it works eventually. ABP is kind of slow on a mobile computer (I think it relies heavily on regexes or something), but it's nowhere near as slow as downloading all those goddamn ads.
The biggest problem I see is that the service providers are requiring a data plan on all capable phones whether you want it or not. Even with a prepaid GSM phone I hear the users receive a text message informing them that a plan is mandatory. See - http://forums.wireless.att.com/t5/MEdia-Net/Data-plans-on-smartphones-mandatory-as-of-Sept-6/m-p/1836215 for an example of att
Second the motion for N800 series. We have an original N800 on which we've made Skype calls from internet cafes all over the place.
Word of warning, all WIFI phones that I have used (Omnia II, BlackBerry, HTC TPII) were terrible when you combined bluetooth. So if you want to use a bluetooth headset you need to check to see what sort of co-existence strategy your phone employs (or use .11a which seems unlikely).
Have an Android phone? I think there are SIP clients for Android as well.
Don't have either, just want something that's a WIFI SIP phone? Check out VoipSupply.com. They have a WIFI phone section. I'd either go cheap with the QuickPhones GA-342 or spend a little more for the Hitachi IP3000.
You'll need a SIP VOIP service. Check out Voip-Info.
Of course, test before you commit to something! There are free "toll-free-only" sip providers, which will allow you to test to see if it really works.
--Pathway
Old 1st gen iPhones are for sale on ebay cheap.
Buy one cheaply and use it as a Skype in/out device, that will work nicely. No need to have cell phone service on it with WIFI everywhere.
Or perhaps install the VOIP app of your choosing. Either way..
I have an N1 /w T-Mobile and I use Vonage for outgoing calls. It's 100% free for Domestic calls in the USA, not sure about Canada, and Intl calls are dirt cheap. It nags you to sign up for the $20/mo "World" plan but I put $5 on my Vonage account and it stopped bugging me. For incoming that I miss (because no reception) I have Google Voice. It tells me the phone number so I can call them back if need be.
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Here is a link how to setup free calling using VOIP
http://www.howardforums.com/showthread.php/1644068-Help-set-up-Free-Inbound-outbound-Calling-No-Server-required
This comment tells you how to use SmartConnect to use Wifi + 3G for applications that don't support destinations
http://mynokiae72.com/2010/05/01/smartconnect-is-it-that-smart/#comment-1121
For SmartConnect you will need this patch
http://www.birdstep.com/Products/Birdstep/SmartConnect/SmartConnect-FAQ/
I use the IPEVO S0-20 WiFi Phone for Skype. Of the Belkin, Netgear and IPEVO WiFi phones, the IPEVO appeared to have the best reviews overall. The bootup time is an agonizing minute. It will not work with WiFi systems that require a browser-based login. Initial account and network setup is more consuming than one would like; e.g., the keyboard requires shifting between numeric, upper and lowercase alpha modes, and the same key may have to be pressed multiple times to dial in the desired character during configuration. The device has a USB connector for recharging, but a USB-based configuration utility would be more convenient for setup than manual entry through the keyboard. Range is decent--up to half a city block in Manhattan is possible in the clear. I have received no complaints about intelligibility on transmit or receive. Battery life is decent -- a day or so with continuous use.
For me, the absence of distracting features commonly associated with a mobile phone is a plus. The IPEVO can also be used as a decoy cellphone: the compact cellphone-like appearance of the IPEVO SO-20 WiFi phone gives the usefully misleading impression that you can be reached as easily as you could be with a cellphone. You will have to go out of your way to be interrupted with this device--if only to find a decent WiFi connection.
This may be the best advice I've seen for a student on slashdot
SIP and Skype work so well on the n900 its the only reason I keep using it. If you want a wifi phone this is the best I have seen. Skype and SIP don't run as an application, so it functions 100% like a phone when it is on, unlike an app on a phone that can be closed. (Skype charge about $60 per year for your own number and unlimited calling within North America.)
http://www.voip-info.org/wiki/view/VOIP+Phones+Reviews
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You should try Tmobile@home. There two kinds. One ware you buy a router and hook a phone to it or you can get one of the T-mobile at home compatible cell phones. You buy a regular cell plan set the phone up to use wifi and when you make calls near a wifi hot spot the calls are routed over that instead of over the cell tower. You can add a ten doller add on wich will give you unlimated minutes when you call over wifi. I have been using it for a year now and it works great.
because at $40 you get
a year + of sip calling (just grab them sip creds and compile the sip proxy "mjmd5" for your device or use sip sorcery)
2 phone numbers (free number change doesn't deactivate the first incidently)
a backup, usb powered pseudo ata
at the cheapest end, you can use a $30 pda
at the high end, there is that android piece...
So, "commanding a premium" means they're not cheap, right? I think that's what I said. Although I will admit that I was wrong about only the rabid fanboys dumping their 3GSs :) ... so I guess they are at least plentiful. I've got a 3G and I'm going to be dumping that as soon as the crush dies down a little, so I'm not immune either.
But my original point remains - buying a used 3GS is not necessarily going to be all that cheap.
If you can stand WinMo the built in Internet Calling works fairly* well.
Its meant to be deployed as a whole-of-enterprisey customization, but you can do it with a bit of DIY (works on my HTC Diamond). You set up the config file with your SIP provider details and then flick on "Use Internet Calling: When Available". This works pretty much transparently, you dial using the normal phone shit and it goes out over SIP if in range.
If you want to receive calls you'll have to configure your phone to be connected to WiFi on standby, which will kill your battery. You may also want to install a better (or stock) wifi management utility if your branded one is a bit shit.
Not sure on complex dial plans, mine was just "everything via voip if available".
3laws: No freebies, no backsies, GTFO.
Android users in Canada use SIPdroid and ???
(Google Voice no worky here... not really, anyway) //noob, but very interested