topic What are the total costs for customers switching to VOIP service in Tech Help - Software/Hardware etc

What are the total costs for customers switching to VOIP service

shutter — Mon, 26 Feb 2024 08:42:00 GMT

Interested to know, what is the total costings for moving to VOIP ( Obviously varies with provider, but an average would do)

e.g. cost of equipment..... Phone.... adapter ... and any other hardware.

Cost of VOIP service per month

Cost of calls per minute or whatever.

Does the service include Broadband internet connection.

What is the cost of the Broadband part per month.

Is there any limit to how much FREE (?) DATA you have per month

Can you change providers, as with current broadband/phone providers

Do the costs rise each April with the usual rip-off CPI plus a Percentage

Any other "unforseen" costs involved ?

Thanks

Re: What are the total costs for customers switching to VOIP service

jab1 — Mon, 26 Feb 2024 08:57:53 GMT

@shutter I can only quote the figures/costs from Zen but :The router has a built in ATA, they supply a phone adapter for free. If you intend to use the phone for chargeable calls, £6.00/month gives you 1,000 minutes, with any calls over that at 20p/minute.

The service is dependant on you having a broadband account with them, which is obviously another cost.

My 'Digital Voice' service is free as I only use the 'landline' phone for incoming calls - all outgoing are via the 'all you can eat' £5.00/mo mobile.

My contract - when the new 18 month one starts next Monday - has no mid-term increase, and I shall renegotiate come September 2026 - if I'm still here.😀

If you are talking about a service from a VoIP-only provider though - ignore all the above.

Re: What are the total costs for customers switching to VOIP service

shutter — Mon, 26 Feb 2024 09:02:27 GMT

@jab1 ok... Thanks for the info. trying to find out all the variables, to see what is involved and costings.

cheers

Re: What are the total costs for customers switching to VOIP service

Baldrick1 — Mon, 26 Feb 2024 09:05:08 GMT

@shutter

How long is a piece of string?

On a budget consider for VoIP:

Grandstream HT801 VoIp Adapter

RJ15 to BT adapter with bell capacitor (if you have a spare microfilter and RJ15 to RJ15 cqble from an old phone you can use that.

Use your existing analogue phone

Account with say A&A look them up for costs.

The HT801 can be connected to any Ethernet network regardless on who provides the data service.

'Broadband' service: Take your pick.

Re: What are the total costs for customers switching to VOIP service

Anonymous — Mon, 26 Feb 2024 09:14:34 GMT

@shutter my advice would be to avoid "Digital Voice" and use a third party VoIP provider.

"Digital Voice" can be VERY expensive compared to VoIP, restricts you to your ISP's hardware, and is limited on features.

Typical pricing for A&A VoIP is as follows -

Re: What are the total costs for customers switching to VOIP service

shutter — Mon, 26 Feb 2024 09:29:05 GMT

@Anonymous & @Baldrick1 Thanks for the input... all about collecting the information at the moment.

Re: What are the total costs for customers switching to VOIP service

Dan_the_Van — Mon, 26 Feb 2024 09:39:23 GMT

@shutter

Are you considering VoIP using your LTE/4G broadband or getting SOGEA or Full Fibre connected to your property?

Thought you could already use your landline phone connected to your TP-Link 4G router?

Dan.

Re: What are the total costs for customers switching to VOIP service

Anonymous — Mon, 26 Feb 2024 09:41:45 GMT

@shutter

Can you give an estimate of how many minutes each month your landline phone gets used to call -

UK landlines - peak time (daytime)
UK landlines - off peak (evening)
mobile phones
international landlines

Knowing that will give a better starting point to figure out whether it would be more cost effective for you to pay as you go (typically 1.5p/minute), or whether you should consider a monthly prepaid call plan with inclusive minutes.

Re: What are the total costs for customers switching to VOIP service

Anonymous — Mon, 26 Feb 2024 10:12:08 GMT

@shutter wrote:

Does the service include Broadband internet connection.

What is the cost of the Broadband part per month.

You don't have to have VoIP tied to any particular broadband service.

It is like how you might use a web browser on any device to look things up on the internet, the connection the 'device' has doesn't matter (could be a typical home router, or mobile data, or as @Dan_the_Van suggests your LTE/4G kit).

VoIP is just an application (like the web browser), so you can make it work wherever you can get internet.

For example you could use your VoIP service to connect to your home telephone handsets via your LTE/4G, and simultaneously work with a VoIP app on a smart phone - so that your mobile phone works like an additional handset of your home phone (which might be useful when you're away from home).

Re: What are the total costs for customers switching to VOIP service

shutter — Mon, 26 Feb 2024 12:40:06 GMT

@Dan_the_Van No,... Not for me... doing research for a neighbour, ( OAP ) who is not very savvy with the internet and all this stuff about voip... ( me neither....but I get asked these things from time to time !). I said I would ask a few questions from my friendly forum friends.

I`m very happy with my setup and the tplink with my "landline" DECT phone plugged in. Internet & calls & texts costs me £12 per month. ( 120GB DATA well enough for my useage) ...and no annual price increases. ( calls and texts are free) .

@Anonymous As mentioned above... not for me... but I suspect that the quantitiy of calls would be a max of 5 per day. or even less... so a monthly plan would probably prove expensive pro rata. She does have a mobile phone ( again, does not like to use it ) ... probably worried, that the removal of the landline phone will somehow remove her "security" .. and also her safety.

What I don`t understand is, How will the VOIP service connect calls, when BT shuts down the copper wire service to an area? Are they (BT) assuming that everyone will be on FIBRE connections ( with them or another provider ) for their internet, and the VOIP service. I`m not sure but I think this neighbour is on Fibre.... but it could be a problem for those on ADSL for internet.

@Anonymous Regarding your last paragraph. and in particular your last line (in brackets)

Last Christmas, we went to a remote (ish) cottage for two weeks, In mid Wales.. I took my 4g LTE router with me, and continued to use it there, to connect to the internet and to make calls through it.

The Three mobile signal was very good there and internet speed was a little better than at home here !.

Re: What are the total costs for customers switching to VOIP service

Anonymous — Mon, 26 Feb 2024 13:30:30 GMT

@shutter wrote:

What I don`t understand is, How will the VOIP service connect calls, when BT shuts down the copper wire service to an area? Are they (BT) assuming that everyone will be on FIBRE connections ( with them or another provider ) for their internet, and the VOIP service. I`m not sure but I think this neighbour is on Fibre.... but it could be a problem for those on ADSL for internet.

The copper wire service isn't being shut down or removed until the early 2030s.

All that is happening is that the ability to make calls using an analogue telephone via the telephone exchange is ending.

Going forwards, all phone calls will be done digitally, typically using any existing internet connection.

In most cases it should be possible to connect any existing home phone into a broadband router via an adaptor, instead of the BT wall socket. Alternative, they could buy a new VoIP phone, and plug that into any ethernet socket without the need of an adaptor.

Re: What are the total costs for customers switching to VOIP service

RobPN — Mon, 26 Feb 2024 13:35:00 GMT

@shutter wrote:

.

What I don`t understand is, How will the VOIP service connect calls, when BT shuts down the copper wire service to an area? Are they (BT) assuming that everyone will be on FIBRE connections ( with them or another provider ) for their internet, and the VOIP service. I`m not sure but I think this neighbour is on Fibre.... but it could be a problem for those on ADSL for internet.

https://community.plus.net/t5/Tech-Help-Software-Hardware-etc/Phone-line/m-p/1823689/highlight/true#M91807

Re: What are the total costs for customers switching to VOIP service

Anonymous — Mon, 26 Feb 2024 14:43:57 GMT

@shutter wrote:

... Not for me... doing research for a neighbour, ( OAP ) who is not very savvy with the internet

Which provider supplies your neighbour's existing telephone landline rental and calls ?

Do they use the same provider for their broadband connection as well ?

I ask, because some providers already have additional assistance available for OAPs, vulnerable people, those who use a fall/health alarm, or worried about a lack of alternative mobile signals, etc. Often all that is needed is for the customer to register their need for special consideration, to then ensure that any difficulties in transitioning them from analogue to digital phones is done in a safe way that doesn't leave them isolated in an emergency.

Re: What are the total costs for customers switching to VOIP service

shutter — Mon, 26 Feb 2024 22:47:30 GMT

@Anonymous Ah yes... I have seen mention of this on the Moneysaving expert website... Maybe that would be a better/easier route for them to take...

Thanks for the reminder.

Re: What are the total costs for customers switching to VOIP service

HPsauce — Mon, 26 Feb 2024 22:52:35 GMT

And remember, many people just want a simple life. If their broadband supplier gives them a socket to plug their phone into and it's the same number as always and just works at a similar price, that's all they want.

Re: What are the total costs for customers switching to VOIP service

plusmouse — Fri, 01 Mar 2024 13:51:05 GMT

HP sauce Said: If their broadband supplier gives them a socket to plug their phone into and it's the same number as always and just works at a similar price, that's all they want.

Which is exactly what I would be looking for but alas, these VOIP or Dect phones confuse the hell out of me although I do admit to only reading a few articles here and there so far. I always wanted to stay with Plusnet for my FTTC (or at some stage, FTTP) when that becomes available/only option once the copper stuff goes. But because I`m still wired to the old copper network, the phone line issue will no doubt be the nagging issue.

What I`ve read and understand thus far is, if I want both BB & Phone line together with the same provider, my choices would be BT, Vodafone, Zen and a few others listed. Plusnet (so far) have said they won`t provide the phone line part, so that will leave me with two options. Stay with PN for my ongoing BB and look for a separate phone provider, but that means paying for two separate entities which I`d rather avoid. Mainly for reasons of not dealing with two entities.

I`m also not sure what this means for someone like me who is currently on FTTC:

"The analogue phone system is closing at the end of 2025 and all FTTC lines converted to SoGEA? the wires will remain connected to the exchange?"....🤔

So is it safe to say that I should just recontract with Plusnet when my current contract ends around October this year and sit tight and wait to hear if Plusnet (mid-contract) inform me that I need to find another landline provider or switch (free of charge without termination fees) to another provider altogether?

I`m sure there are many internet/phone contracts stuck with this very situation. Would be nice if I could just plug an existing home phone into the back of the router and find that calls can be made/received just the same again without much hassle. Or is that wishful thinking?