Confused about Sipgate?

I wonder if someone might be able to clear up a few questions I have about
Sipgate.co.uk?

I want to know what you get exactly when you sign up with them on a free
account?

Do you get a free number assigned to you so people can telephone you direct
to the computer? Are there any other features of a free account, and does
the service allow people from a BT landline to ring you direct to the
computer?

Basically I want a second phone number that I can use with the computer and
one that won't cost the earth for people to call me.

What do sipgate get out of it if I get an account for free?

Many Thanks
Roger

 

You can choose a number from any area you wish, be it a Birmingham 0121
number or London 020 number for example. Some number ranges offer you
list of numbers to choose from.

This number allows anyone to call you just like any other number direct
to your PC or VoIP phone or standard phone attached to an ATA (Analogue
Telephone Adaptor). They can call you from a BT line, cable line in
fact any line capable of making phone calls, at the standard rate for
calling a 'normal' UK landline. Callers from several other VoIP
providers can call your Sipgate number for free.

You also have the option to switch on the voicemail service.

Sipgate hope you will add credit and make calls to non VoIP numbers, I
am sure they also earn a small amount of revenue from the incoming call
terminating on their network as do BT and cable etc.

 

Hi again,

Ive just signed up for sipgate, but having trouble understanding a few
things, not least what software to use with the service? I thought I could
use iaxComm, but is that correct, of do I need something else?

TIA
Roger

 

You get a free geographical UK phone number from any area code in the UK.
You do not have to live in the area of the code you want, for example I
have a London 020 number and a Birmingham 0121 number but I don't live in
either area.

You get a free voicemail service, although I must point out that this is
still officially in beta mode and does lapse into German from time to
time, but usually it's ok..!

You can use X-Lite with a computer, but the system works a whole lot
better if you have an ATA (Analogue Telephone Adaptor) with a normal phone
plugged in, that way you don't have to leave a PC on all the time,
although obviously a router has to be on and connected.

They hope you will add credit (the system works much like a pay as you go
mobile phone) and call non-Sipgate numbers, but you don't have to do this.
If you don't add any credit you can only call other Sipgate (and other
VoIP networks with which there is a peering agreement, see the list on the
website) numbers and also freephone (0800) numbers.

You can receive calls from any phone number in the world, it looks to the
rest of the world like a normal phone number, which really it is.

Any more questions please ask.

Ivor

 

Roger V wrote:

[snip]

The PC software that works best is X-Lite, you can download this from the
Sipgate site. I've not tried anything else as I use normal phones with an
adaptor. Actually I have the lines feeding into my PABX, but it works the
same way..!

Email me with your number if you want to try a test call.

 

Hi again Ivor, yes I have it running OK now with X-Lite, but I wonder if you
know whether I could register a second number with sipgate and get X-Lite to
work with both numbers at the same time? ie, if anyone rang either number,
both would cause the computer to alert me to the incoming call? Is this
possible with X-Lite do you know?

Thanks Ivor....

 

Yes, you can regisiter for another number from Sipgate, you then just
add the details into x-lite as proxy1. Then when someone calls either
number x-lite will ring out.

 

You don't happen to know which codec is best used with sipgate do you? I
see 'G711U' 'G711a' 'GSM' 'iLBC' and SPX. I found that A-Law was the best
with iaxcomm, but it seems that A-Law is not availbale with the software?
Comments anyone?
Thanks

 

Roger V wrote:

[snip]

G711a or u is the best quality out of those.

Ivor

 

G711a = A-Law
G771u = U-Law

I would say G771u, then G771a, GSM etc as per the codec order in X-Lite.

 

{{{{{Welcome}}}}} wrote:

[snip]

Please don't think I'm moaning just for the sake of it, but a little
snipping would be nice here..! 80+ lines repeated just to add 3 is a
little OTT.

Ivor

 

No worries.

 

[SNIP]

G.711 a-law (G711a) is the normal European standard, so is best to
use in the UK as this doesn't require conversion to interface to
telcos.

Regards,
Harry.

 

VO-IP is crap at the best of times. It breaks up and sounds terrible, so my
advice is steer clear f it unless you are forced to use it!

 

Steven Hartley wrote:

[snip]

By what experience do you base this statement..? It's fine here.

<pedant>
BTW the correct acronym is VoIP (note lower case o).
</pedant>

Ivor

 

So does that make you a PitA or a PiTA?

 

Strange comment, since lots of supposedly "regular" calls are routed
over Carrier VoIP infrastructures

 

A little off topic, how have you got the Sipgate connected to your PABX? I
have an Avaya IP system and Cisco CM 3.4, could I connect these to Sipgate
and get incoming calls and outgoig calls via Sipgate??

 

TheDragon wrote:

[snip]

Simple, I just took the analogue outputs of the Sipura SPA-2000 ATA and
connected them to two of the incoming lines on the PABX. They appear just
like any other line. I don't know the equipment you've got so can't advise
specifically on the way you'd need to do it.

Ivor

 

Whichever you prefer. I'm not going to waste time on it.

Ivor