Re: Engin VoIP
We use 2 engin VoIP voice lines + 1 engin VoIP fax line & find engin to be great.
I tried Skype Out (Skype's pay phone service) some time ago but engin's quality was better then (don't know about now). Also, engin gives you one (or more) 'normal' phone number(s) to receieve incoming calls from anywhere (also free calls engin-to-engin) & you can use a 'normal' phone handset which is independent of your computer, whereas with Skype, you need your computer switched on.
I am not sure about the RJ45 switch, but we plug it in to an ADSL router. I have a friend using his on cable & therefore does not need to rent a line & he's over the moon. (We cannot get cable here). It costs (I think) $9.90 per month (first month free & full refund on the hardware within the first month if it doesn't suit you).
I travel overseas a bit & always take the adaptor with me - it's about the size of a fat wallet - & plug it in to any broadband & make calls as if I were making them from home - the calls are charged as if you are at home too - so for instance, it is cheaper for me to call from within China to another destination within China using engin plugged into a hotel broadband connection (for example), because distance calls within China are moderately expensive.
engin's rate is 3.5 cents per minute. Also, if you make calls using your engin adaptor from anywhere on the globe to any Australian landline, the call cost is 10 cents. I call people in Australia from Western China (near Tibet) & they have no idea of my location & it only costs me 10 cents for unlimited time. To most major countries the cost is 3.5 cents per minute from wherever you call (using the engin adaptor). There are also various plans with engin where you can get 20 cent untimed calls to many countries.
The minimum speed that I have used was in China at 100 kb/sec (which is not much above dial-up speed in Australia). I did not notice any breaks or dropouts.
We have saved a lot of money on our communications bills through engin & the quality is positively business quality. Plus you get all the bells & whistles for free that the 'regular' phone companies charge you for - like caller ID & much more. We don't use our PSTN line at all for outgoing calls anymore.
Regards,
PJ
