4d ago

VOIP service that doesn't suck?

Hi all,

I am visiting Europe and need a VOIP system, that gives me an Australian number I can call other Australian numbers from.

I looked at Teams, and they bundle with Telstra (Australian local provider), but the cost is high, and the checklist / setup list MS sent me was something that you'd almost need a certificate in infrastructure just to setup. They are living in a dreamland.

I then tried a company called Krispcall. It's IDEAL in every situation, except a bit pricey, and it just Does. Not. Work. Firefox, Android, Chrome, etc. Fail after fail after fail. What a shame, it looked so good.

Does anyone have any recommendations? I'd really appreciate a nod in a proven directly.

Another called Callhippo caught my eye. I'm just not sure, after being burned by Krispcall.

UPDATE! Solved!

I can use WiFi calling on my normal phone, and it's used as though it's in Australia, incurring no extra costs. How easy is that!

12 comments

Crazytel
voip.ms - I think they offer Australian numbers as well, but not sure.
Assuming you are Australian, you can also check with your phone provider to see if they offer VOIP plans or allow WiFi calling from your own number.
- OMG so I checked the FAQ for my supplier (Aldi mobile):
  
  Can I use WiFi Calling when I’m overseas? As long as you’re connected to a compatible WiFi network overseas, you will be able to make and receive voice calls at your standard rate; as if you were still in Australia.
  I can't believe it. All this time, I could have been doing that! Ha ha! Thank you!
  
  That's unusual. In the UK it's generally only going to work if you're in the UK. When I connect to my VPN (in my house, so residential IP), it's hit and miss, the wifi calling icon will appear and disappear as it feels like. But otherwise it's generally locked down.

FreeVoipDeal is super cheap, allows you to use an already existing own number and can be used with any client that supports the SIP protocol.
- FeeeVoipDeal is super cheap
  With "Free" in the name, I should hope so.
  
  It's not free but if you charge your account with 10€ you get 100 days of flatrate for more or less all international landlines. After these 100 days or calls on mobile you pay 1-3 cents per minute.

I use Sonetel to receive calls/texts for an old number in a diff country I wanted to keep alive for now. They also offer the ability to make calls via that number too.

Google meet is nice.
- Google meet
  Thank you. I've been looking, but can find no info on whether or not the ID I call from is an Australian number or not. Without that, my customers just won't pick up the phone, so would be pointless. I will try and research this further as an option. Thanks again.
- I think they're looking to, like, call grandma on her telephone, not do a video call. Does Meet let you call land line telephone numbers now?

I know the OP is using wifi calling as a solution. But since we're talking voip providers.
I use voxbeam. But they're wholesale, you need a fixed IP for incoming calls, their support are good. But they're probably not going to want to help you with end-user type questions. They only support SIP. But, pricing is generally good and plenty of reasonably priced DID options.

I would say look for a SIP carrier in Europe rather than someplace that makes you use a special app. Here in the US, twilio.com, voip.ms, and I think jmp.chat are popular. IDK about Europe or whether any of those operate there. I know you can get .au inbound numbers from Twilio but placing calls from there might be harder. What about getting an outbound VOIP service and phone number that's actually in Oz? You'd then be connecting with a SIP client from Europe which could result in janky audio, but it's something to try.

12 comments