Know How... 11: Ditch Your Landline Phone

Make calls online instead of using your landline. Leo and Iyaz look into solutions they've used to make calls over the internet instead of having a plain old telephone service.

You don't need to keep a landline phone any more because you can do your voice calling online. Today, we took a look at solutions that Iyaz and Leo use on a regular basis to replace a plain old telephone service.

Skype:

You can get credits or a subscription so you can call regular phone numbers.
If you're willing to call only the US or Canada, it'll cost you a whopping $3 a month for sort-of-unlimited minutes (Skype says there's a fair usage limitation: All calls will be disconnected and require a re-dial after a 2-hour duration).
To receive calls you'll need a Skype Online Number.
For handset options, you can use your smartphone, your computer, or a Skype adapter. However we haven't had the best experience in our tests with Skype-specific handsets.
Skype does not support e911 or emergency calls.

Leo's pick was Obihai. It's a box you buy once and lets you make calls for free. It hooks into Google Voice and does some gymnastics with Google Talk to make voice calls.

Ooma:

Buy the box, pay a yearly fee for taxes.
To find out the fee Taxes and Fees Calculator.
Ooma does support e911.
Allows you to port your number for a $20 fee.
Mobile component: pay app and it still costs you 1.9 cents per minute.

Hosts: Iyaz Akhtar and Leo Laporte

Download or subscribe to this show at https://twit.tv/shows/know-how.

Contribute to our show! Send us an email at [email protected] or leave us a voicemail at 408-800-KNOW (408-800-5669).

Thanks to CacheFly for the bandwidth for this show.