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VOIP Made Easy with Skype
By Sharon Walbran, Twin Cities PC Users Group, Minnesota
www.tcpc.com
sqwalbran(at)yahoo.com

Obtained from APCUG with the author's permission for publication by APCUG member groups.

VOIP, Voice Over Internet Protocol, using your Internet connection to make phone calls, has become very popular with the major bell companies offering programs with unlimited calling for one price per month, usually around $30 per month. But Skype (rhymes with “type”), a free VOIP program, offers free computer-to-computer calls anywhere in the world if both computers have Skype installed. For calls from a computer with Skype to standard phones and cell phones in the U.S. and Canada, Skype.com offers unlimited free calling with an annual charge of $29.95 a year. The real advantage of using Skype is if you make frequent international calls that can run your phone bill up. Calls to phone numbers across the world cost much less using Skype. A list of rates is available at <www.skype.com>.

In order to use Skype, you will need to install the program, of course, and you will need an Internet connection, preferably high-speed for best quality, and a microphone or headset with microphone.

Recently, USB Skype phones have come on the market. The one I purchased was the IPEVO Free-1 Skype USB phone from Microcenter. It is both Windows- and Mac-compatible, but requires Windows XP. It cost $34.00, but there were others with more features for up to $100. The IPEVO phone is small, just 1.5 inches wide by 6 inches long and has a generous 8 foot long cord. The phone comes with a CD with the USB driver and the Skype program. Installation was speedy. The Skype interface is simple with tabbed pages for holding your contacts’ Skype addresses on one page and phone numbers on the other. To call a Skype computer requires point-and-click on the contact in the list. Calling a phone number involves adding your credit card information and setting up a credit account of at least $10 to start, then clicking an on-screen dial pad to input the number. The sound is as good or better than a land-line connection.

Try it out. You can install Skype and do a test call to see how it works. The test involves you speaking for 10 seconds, then Skype plays that back to you so you can hear the results. Better yet, get one of your friends in Paris or Rio to download the Skype program to their computer and talk for free for as long as you like.

This article has been provided to APCUG by the author solely for publication by APCUG member groups. All other uses require the permission of the author (see e-mail address above).