Cheap Long Distance

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kcowan
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Re: Cheap Long Distance

Post by kcowan »

I would try it again on Dec 27th. VOIP connections tend to get bogged down Dec 24-26 due to traffic. Who supplies your internet connection? 4GB should be enough to handle it on your laptop. No USB key will fix it.

The other choice is to turn off the video feature which reduces the load the Skype puts on your network connection.
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Re: Cheap Long Distance

Post by tedster »

Videotron is my service suppleir. The 4GB to which you refer is what? The RAM?
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kcowan
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Re: Cheap Long Distance

Post by kcowan »

4GB is the RAM.

Videotron at what speed?
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Re: Cheap Long Distance

Post by tedster »

with the dongle it is 54Mbps
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kcowan
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Re: Cheap Long Distance

Post by kcowan »

tedster wrote:with the dongle it is 54Mbps
that would be the speed to your router. You need to use http://speedtest.com to determine your real speed. If it is 5MBS, you should have no problem with VOIP. But if your upload speed is throttled, VOIP will not work well.
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Re: Cheap Long Distance

Post by tedster »

kcowan wrote
that would be the speed to your router. You need to use http://speedtest.com to determine your real speed. If it is 5MBS, you should have no problem with VOIP. But if your upload speed is throttled, VOIP will not work well.
I went to this site but am unsure which option to choose. Some of them want me to download more programs. Also, if the speed turns out to be less than 5MBS, would I need a new router?
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AltaRed
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Re: Cheap Long Distance

Post by AltaRed »

Tedster, speed problems are often the problem of the Internet itself, that is, the speed of the data coming in from your cable connection, not with your router or PC. With cable, the speed can also vary by time of day depending in how many users are on the same data pipe at the same time. You can either upgrade to a higher speed service from your cable provider or convert to DSL.
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tedster
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Re: Cheap Long Distance

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Aaah. I see, I think. lol. I am supposed to be getting the fastest speed from videotron. Anyhow, I don't Skype that often, maybe once a month, but last night was special.
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Re: Cheap Long Distance

Post by gsp_ »

AltaRed wrote:You can either upgrade to a higher speed service from your cable provider or convert to DSL.
Good generic advice but as a longtime Videotron and Bell DSL subscriber I very much recommend sticking with Videotron.

Ted, just go to http://www.speedtest.net and click on "begin test". You could also check your bill and see what speed you're paying for from Videotron. I've been their customer for over a decade and always found the speed slightly higher than advertised. They have lots of price points for different speed levels from 5 to 200 MBS. http://www.videotron.com/residential/in ... cat1640047
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Re: Cheap Long Distance

Post by tedster »

I did as suggested. Download speed 10.36Mbps, Upload speed 1.5Mbps. Checked the Videotron Invoice and it simply says Hi speed internet.
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Re: Cheap Long Distance

Post by gsp_ »

tedster wrote:I did as suggested. Download speed 10.36Mbps, Upload speed 1.5Mbps. Checked the Videotron Invoice and it simply says Hi speed internet.
That's the 8MBS, should be plenty for your usage.
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Re: Cheap Long Distance

Post by tedster »

Thanks, then it must be because it was Xmas and the net was busy.
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Re: Cheap Long Distance

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Semi related?

Anyways, we're giving Bell the old heave ho, and switching to Primus for home phone - I am not allowed to give up the landline for a couple of reasons. SWMBO has said so and also we have an ADT contract with 18 months remaining.

ADT says Primus isn't compatible. Primus says no, they're POTS and there is no difference from Bell in terms of the service we'll be receiving.

Google has not yielded any confirmation one way or the other. ADT is a sunk cost at this point, but does anybody have an experience with ADT on a service other than Bell? Rumours, innuendo, words of the profits (sic.) writtten on the subway walls and tenement halls?
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Re: Cheap Long Distance

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Serdic wrote:Semi related?

Anyways, we're giving Bell the old heave ho, and switching to Primus for home phone - I am not allowed to give up the landline for a couple of reasons. SWMBO has said so and also we have an ADT contract with 18 months remaining.

ADT says Primus isn't compatible. Primus says no, they're POTS and there is no difference from Bell in terms of the service we'll be receiving.

Google has not yielded any confirmation one way or the other. ADT is a sunk cost at this point, but does anybody have an experience with ADT on a service other than Bell? Rumours, innuendo, words of the profits (sic.) writtten on the subway walls and tenement halls?
Primus wrote:Can I plug my home alarm system into my TalkBroadband VOIP Gateway?
Primus is concerned about your home safety and therefore does not support this configuration. Some home alarm systems need a real telephone line to be able to report emergencies to your alarm company. Other systems might work with TalkBroadband; however remember that if you connect your home alarm system to TalkBroadband, you are relying upon your broadband (DSL or cable modem) connection to be functioning correctly in the case of an emergency. Also remember that your broadband connection (and therefore TalkBroadband) will not work in the case of a power outage. Primus encourages you to make wise choices when it comes to your home safety.
http://resisupport.primus.ca/en/tbb/131 ... sis-wiring

So it might work, but might not.

If you are connecting the TBB Gateway to your house wiring so you can activate all the phone jacks (and the security system), don't forget to disconnect the Bell wiring at the junction box where it comes into your house.
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Re: Cheap Long Distance

Post by Serdic »

Thanks - however, I'm not signing up for VOIP or TBB - this should be POTS (Plain old telephone service). I think the lack of information on this specific or screeds decrying Primus tells me what I need to know: it will probably just work.

Well, I'll report back once the dust has cleared.
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Re: Cheap Long Distance

Post by Bylo Selhi »

Primus says no, they're POTS and there is no difference from Bell in terms of the service we'll be receiving.
That makes sense to me. Perhaps the ADT rep's script reads something like, "If not Bhell, then must be VoIP, ergo we don't support." Perhaps ADT doesn't want the liability in case the emergency call doesn't go through, etc.

Of course nothing will get through if a burglar cuts the phone line, but that's a separate issue.
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Re: Cheap Long Distance

Post by Bylo Selhi »

Check cost of long-distance call at pay phone
David Simpson made two collect calls from a pay phone in Windsor, Ont., to his home in St. Thomas, Ont. (a distance of 180 kilometres). He thought the fees were high and complained to Bell Canada. But he was given a toll-free number for WiMacTel, a California-based company that handled operator-assisted calls at Bell’s pay phones. “I was told my six-minute call was indeed $14.61 and my four-minute call was $12.37, when all the fees and charges were added,” he said. “I was not allowed to speak to a manager about my concerns.”
Solution: Go into a convenience store and buy a $5 long distance card. It will let you talk for hours on a payphone with no additional charges. And best of all, neither Bhell nor WiMacTel will see a cent of your money.

P.S. When I read this I almost started a thread titled "Man bites dogghariton wants help from his government, um, friends"... :lol:
Long-distance calls are not regulated (whether from pay phones, wireless or home phones). The long-distance market is seen as competitive and suppliers can charge whatever they like. “Normally, this isn’t a problem, as customers can shop around for a long-distance plan or bundle, much as they would shop for any other good or service,” says George Hariton, an Ottawa lawyer. “However, it is unreasonable to expect someone at a pay phone to start shopping around, given the few calls they intend to make.”
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Insomniac
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Re: Cheap Long Distance

Post by Insomniac »

You still have pay phones in Ontario? :shock:
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Re: Cheap Long Distance

Post by Jaunty »

Insomniac wrote:You still have pay phones in Ontario? :shock:
Yep, I used one yesterday (at the library) to call Cogeco cable to tell them my phone, TV and internet were all down - no doubt a result of Friday night's storm.
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Re: Cheap Long Distance

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Insomniac wrote:You still have pay phones in Ontario? :shock:
You still have them on Vancouver Island and even on the ferries! :shock:
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AltaRed
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Re: Cheap Long Distance

Post by AltaRed »

They probably will continue to exist indefinitely in specific places, e.g. supermarkets for the aged to call the taxi to pick them and their groceries up, and in hotel lobbies where travellers do not necessarily have cheap roaming plans. Probably most public places as well, such as libraries, sports and theatre venues.
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Re: Cheap Long Distance

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Insomniac wrote:You still have pay phones in Ontario? :shock:
CRTC says no to payphone rate hikes, may prohibit their elimination
CTV News wrote:Canada's telecom regulator is hanging up on Bell Canada's bid to increase the cost of using a pay phone.

The Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission has rejected a request by Bell (TSX:BCE) to charge people more to use coin-operated land lines, a familiar fixture of the pre-cellphone age.

[...]

Bell and its subsidiary Bell Aliant Inc. had asked for permission to boost the price of a local call to as much as $1, compared with the current price of 50 cents, and to double the cost of using a credit or debit card at a pay phone to $2.

In their submissions, the companies said that without a rate increase, they would be forced to get rid of their least profitable pay phones.

Pay phone usage has been steadily dropping as more people turn to cellphones, Bell argued. But the CRTC countered by saying unprofitable coin-operated phones would likely end up being removed anyway, regardless of cost.
It used to be a quarter per call...
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Bylo Selhi
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Re: Cheap Long Distance

Post by Bylo Selhi »

adrian2 wrote:It used to be a quarter per call...
It was a dime before your time ;) That gave rise to the phrase, "drop a dime on" i.e. to rat on someone (by making an anonymous call to the cops from a payphone back in the days when a local call cost a dime.) Dunno if payphone calls ever cost any less. I suspect not based on the etymology.
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adrian2
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Re: Cheap Long Distance

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Bylo Selhi wrote:
adrian2 wrote:It used to be a quarter per call...
It was a dime before your time ;)
In my time, it used to be 25 bani and 25 cents in the other countries I've lived in.
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Re: Cheap Long Distance

Post by Shakespeare »

That gave rise to the phrase, "drop a dime on"
In even earlier times it was "spend a penny". But that was for something else.
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