Due to my near teenage step daugthers obbsession with the telephone in our house, I was wondering wether Skype would be a worthwhile addition too her computer .

Any thoughts, she's not shy about ringing mobiles (although she has her own, never got credit though). It's more about freeing up the landline really as my evening calls too landlines are free anyway.

Is skype better than a few years back when my mother used too phone my and I couldn't hear a word she was saying and it kept disconnecting.

Any input welcome as I'm just researching at the moment.

TIA

Provided you have a reasonable broadband connection it will be fine. I started to use it for business with the US/Australia about a year ago and have never had any quality problems. Some USB headsets perform badly. I use a bluetooth headset but most of the low cost Skype phones work very well.

I like Skype.. computer to computer anyway - [Edit] cos its free! We added some credit to our account and tried a computer to landline call and it was ok quality wise - although it might have been the bluetooth h/set to computer connection that wasn't upto scratch. Unfortunately the £9 odd of remaing credit expired before we got chance to use it again!

Edit - If I was using Skype a lot I'd buy one of those wireless Skype phone things... Belkin do one...

Edited 30 January, 200917 yr by foureyes

Due to my near teenage step daugthers obbsession with the telephone in our house, I was wondering wether Skype would be a worthwhile addition too her computer .

Any thoughts, she's not shy about ringing mobiles (although she has her own, never got credit though). It's more about freeing up the landline really as my evening calls too landlines are free anyway.

Is skype better than a few years back when my mother used too phone my and I couldn't hear a word she was saying and it kept disconnecting.

Any input welcome as I'm just researching at the moment.

TIA

Works for me, and I can't see there's any risk.

You can use any headset (assuming your PC has mic/earphone sockets). For a long time I used a pair of free headphones from a plane and the mic in my laptop.

You don't actually need to spend any money to download (or make calls if it's to other skype user's computer). Call costs then 15p/m ish call out to mobiles or 1p/m land lines.

I use it all the time for business on a £10 headset, dialing from laptop.

Thoroughly recommend

What's the charges to use skype to landline/mobile or will she be using skype to skype?

My wife calls abroad (a lot). We moved from onetel onto a skype type service called VOIPBuster a few years ago that was initally free to her destination but after a few months started to charge a couple of pence a minute. Not great and having to use the compute got to be a PITA

About 18 months ago we moved onto Orange broadband so we've now got a Livebox that has a second voice line. You just plug a phone into it, works like a normal phone has its own local telepone number but uses the BB connection. Free calls to loads of international countries and free UK landline and Orange mobile calls. Fair usage policy is only 1000 mins a month though. But she and her mother use it far more than that and I've only been warned once.

The trouble is the daughter will be making calls on her own service but still be receiving them on your line so you might not solve your problem as clinically as you think.

Thought about BT option 2/3 depending on if she is in during the day or just evenings and weekend.

Free calls to landlines (and they have just added most 0870/0845's too, just not data/calling cards etc) and it's not expensive. Option 2 is also free if you sign up for 12 months landline contract.

Works for me and the only catch I can see is it's up to an hour, so you call for 59 minutes, hang up and call again.

Thought about BT option 2/3 depending on if she is in during the day or just evenings and weekend.

Free calls to landlines (and they have just added most 0870/0845's too, just not data/calling cards etc) and it's not expensive. Option 2 is also free if you sign up for 12 months landline contract.

Works for me and the only catch I can see is it's up to an hour, so you call for 59 minutes, hang up and call again.

I think ol' 5K is on NTL / Virgin media

I think ol' 5K is on NTL / Virgin media

They not offer a similar package?

I think ol' 5K is on NTL / Virgin media

Very observant of you there sir.

I am indeed on Virgin media with some sort off peak free tariff, it's more about freeing up the phone line than anything else (other than 35ppm mobile calls of course).

She does a hell of a lot of her socailising via MSN which is fine, it's just sometimes you can't prize the phone out of her fingers for love nor money :rofl:

So am I right in assuming that Skype doesn't give you number which you can be called on from landline. Only from another Skype phone Yes/No ??

Thanks for the input fellas.:thumbup:

What mobile has she got?

If she had a wifi capable phone (n95 for instance) you can use fring on it. Thats basically VoIP and she can call skype/msn contacts through your broadband.

Or, I beleive that "3" sell mobiles that are also skype phones, they may even work through there 3g Connection.

Steve

I use Skype daily at the moment as i'm overseas and its very good.

I have FREE calls/video calls to anyone on Skype back home, and i have also set up a monthly account so i can call unlimited (up to 10,000 mins fair use i think) Europe landline numbers for only 4 euros a month.

I also have Skype on my Mobile with 3 and so do a few people i know, and that is also free to use so long as you have credit or on a monthly contract.

Its a very good and cheap/FREE way to keep in touch with people and i recommend it.

**edit**

Also you can buy a uk landline number from skype, or get one free with a monthly package. You can pick the area code of most big city's and anyone calling you abroad only pays the UK call cost, or uses free mins like you would in the UK.

Can't go wrong really.