[u-u] Cheap/free VOIP home phone

[William Kisin]

To expand on fongo quality issues I've experienced: Poor sound, half duplex comunications, and delayed receipt of voicemail. I just left myself a voicemail. It took three minutes for the notification (in the app) to arrive. I'm sure I've experienced longer delays in the past.

Still, it is well worth the price.

On May 26, 2020 11:57:46 AM EDT, William Kisin <uu at sunlight.ca> wrote:
>The Fongo Mobile app.  Runs OK on my Android 4.4 Moto G original. 
>Works over WiFi.  I did have to tweak the app settings to get
>acceptable volume levels.
>
>Some people seem happy with it as their primary phone.  I would not use
>it as my primary phone, but my quality problems may be due to a cheap
>phone and poor internet.
>
>Fongo also has a small business version, with telephone extensions and
>scripting.  I haven't tried it, but it could be fun.  Duct cleaners
>dial extension ..., Chinese language calls dial extension ... .
>
>William Kisin
>
>On May 26, 2020 11:24:15 AM EDT, Dan Astoorian <djast at ecf.utoronto.ca>
>wrote:
>>On Tue, 26 May 2020 10:26:59 EDT, William Kisin writes:
>>> I think I read somewhere that the fongo app uses SIP internally.
>>> 
>>> I find  fongo useful as a secondary number.  Quality varies.
>>> 
>>> The free service requires that you make an outgoing call
>>occasionally, or you
>>>  lose the service.  I don't remember the details, but I call my own
>>home numb
>>> er a couple of times a month to keep the service alive.
>>
>>Are you talking about Fongo Home Phone or Fongo Mobile?
>>
>>Fongo Home Phone is currently $4.95 per month according to
>>https://www.fongo.com/home-phone/ .  Freephoneline.ca (the service I
>>was
>>asking about) is a separate but affiliated "free" service that's
>>"powered by fongo." It's possible that there's been some rebranding
>>and/or shifting of business models.
>>
>>If Fongo Mobile works over WiFi, maybe that's what I'm looking for--it
>>looks like the basic service is indeed free.
>>
>>Thanks for the input.
>>
>>-- 
>>Dan Astoorian, Systems Administrator
>>Engineering Computing Facility
>>University of Toronto


William Kisin