Unlimited free calls to US [Free Calls]

Calling to the US just got cheaper (or free)!!!

Jaduka has just launched dukaDial, which allows you to make calls to any US number for free. Similar to other web based calling services such as Nonoh and Rebtel, you enter your number and the party you want to call and Jaduka completes the call. Note that both parties need to have a US number, i.e. it connects calls within the United States only. Do not fret if you are not in the USA, you can still use dukaDial to call within the US. Here's how:

1. Sign up for a SIP account. You can get one for free at Voxalot.
2. You can access the SIP service using one of the 6 methods detailed here.
   
3. Get yourself a free US DID number from Ipkall.
4. Forward the Ipkall number to your SIP account.
5. If you do not have an account, signup for a new account at Jaduka
6. Now go to dukaDial and enter your Ipkall number and the number you wish to call.
7. Jaduka will first dial your number and once you pick up, it will complete the call by dialing the other number.

Earlier, the company acquired Earthcaller that allows free calls to any US number using the browser alone. So, if you do not want to go through the above hassle and are comfortable calling using a headset and microphone then you can use Earthcaller to make free calls to the US.

This is one more addition to the list of things students applying for admissions should consider to lower their expenses.

Technorati Tags: Application, ATA, DID, DukaDial, Earthcaller, Free Calls, Free DID, How To, IPKALL, Jaduka, Rebtel, Save Money, SIP, Tutorial, Unlimited calls, VOIP, Voxalot

Use VoIP to save money during the admission process [Tutorial]

I recall that when I was applying for my PhD program, I literally spent hundreds of dollars on telephone calls alone. If you are one of my kinds (control freak), you would want to call up every possible person to ensure that everything is under control. Depending on which program you are applying (MS, MBA or PhD), you may have to call up different people for different reasons.

Although emails are a great means of communication, you do not want the delay in the email response (especially during the busy admissions period) to affect your chances of getting in your dream school. You may have to make costly international calls for various reasons, some of them are listed below:

• Speaking to your friends in the school to get to know more about the school and the little things that may help you in your application process.
• Speaking to the faculty to talk about research interests, admission queries, funding issues, etc.
• Speak to the department to ensure that your application is in order.
• Speak to the testing agencies, e.g. ETS, GMAC, etc. for additional score reports.
• Speaking to your logistic provider to track your application packet.

Depending on the number of schools you apply, this may be a huge expense and money is always a scarce resource :-)

This post will tell you about the basic things you can do to save on the telecom costs during your application process (I would be glad to assist any student seeking my advice during the application process, but that is not the topic of this post). If you are already aware of VoIP then this might be a repetition, but for lots of people VoIP is still a geeky thing so it is still worth the repetition.

1. I had detailed out 6 methods to access VoIP, but for the time being I am assuming that you do not have any VoIP hardware like most and hence you would typically use software applications like instant messangers or softphones or your regular phones. If you have any VoIP equipment, you already know how to save some money.
   
2. You should select the access method depending on whom you are calling. If the call is being made to a faculty or the testing agency, you do not want any interruption or delays due to bandwidth issues. So you would be better off making call through VoIP providers, which allow you to make calls using regular phones. Some good providers that allow such service are Jajah, Webcalldirect, Jaxtr, etc. These providers allow you to make low cost international calls using your regular phones, without worrying too much about the bandwidth.
3. If the call is less critical, e.g. your friend or your courier company, then you can use a software based access method like instant messengers or softphones. Details on how to use these methods are available here.
   
4. International calls do not always have to be expensive. In fact, very often you will be able to call many international numbers for free. Lot of organizations are adopting VoIP, which means you can reach them for free if you know their VoIP (SIP) address (remember, VoIP to VoIP is typically free).
5. This service is called ENUM (TElephone NUmber Mapping), which maps the regular PSTN number to the corresponding VoIP address. Fortunately, you do not have to do this manually everytime. Voxalot does this for you for free. You can read the hyperlinked post to find out more about how to do that. But for example, you had to call ETS for additional score reports on +18884737267. If you are using Voxalot, it will translate this number to the corresponding VoIP address, which is sip:18884737267@tf.voipmich.com, which can be reached for free.
   
6. It is usually a god idea to check the ENUM directory before making calls, unless you are routing your calls through a service which does it for you.
7. Lastly, while this offer lasts you could actually make unlimited free calls to any country using the steps detailed here.

I hope that you are able to save some money through these tips and put your money to a much better use. All the very best with your application process and feel free to drop a line if you need any assistance during the process. I have gone through the process myself and I know it can be overwhelming at times.

Technorati Tags: Application, Cheap calls, ENUM, Free Calls, How To, Instant Messenger, IP Phones, Jajah, Jaxtr, MBA, MS, PHD, Save Money, SIP, Tutorial, VOIP, Voxalot, Webcalldirect

6 ways to use VoIP [Tutorial]

One of the biggest challenges in increasing the adoption of VoIP is to encourage a newbie to use VoIP. This tutorial is a humble attempt to provide an overview of the various options one has to use VoIP. In the order of increasing convenience, here are the 6 ways to use VoIP. Read on…

• Instant Messengers – This is probably the simplest, though not necessarily the most convenient, method to access VoIP. Yahoo has been offering VoIP service on its messenger since long. You can make low cost calls directly through Yahoo messenger after recharging your account with voice credit. An even cheaper alternative is GtalktoVoIP. GtalktoVoIP provides VoIP facilities within your messengers without any additional software at competitive rates. You can use it with Google Talk, MSN messenger, ICQ, AOL, and Yahoo messenger. Gtalktovoip has tie-ups with several VoIP providers and uses one of them (with the lowest cost) to complete the call. For instance, if you were to call India, the call would be routed through Avangard as the others are more expensive. You can also specify your own VoIP service provider to route the calls to get an even better deal.

Pros – No additional equipment required
Cons – Stuck to a computer, does not give a feeling of using a telephone,

• Soft phones - A soft phone is a computer program to make phone calls over the internet using VoIP. The software is similar to (in terms of look & feel) a typical instant messaging client, but specialized for VoIP communication. It has the ability to connect to a VoIP provider and make regular telephone calls. Soft phones can use standard protocols like SIP, H323 or they can use proprietary protocols. Some good free soft phones that use standard protocols like SIP are Counterpath Xlite, YATE (Yet Another Telephone Engine), GizmoProject, etc. Others, such as Skype use proprietary protocols.

Pros – No additional equipment required
Cons – Stuck to a computer, does not give a feeling of using a telephone

• PC based IP phones - These are little more sophisticated devices that can communicate with the VoIP application on the computer directly. They typically communicate with the computer through the USB port. These devices can initiate the VoIP communication without the PC. The computer, however, is required to complete the communication. Skype phones, Magicjack, etc. are example of such devices.

Pros – Little freedom from the computer (not complete)
Cons – Requires a computer,

• Analog Telephone Adapters (ATA) - is an equipment to connect the traditional analog phone to the VoIP network. An ATA is a useful device to use VoIP without keeping your computer switched on. More information on ATAs can be found here. The most popular ATA providers include Linksys, D-link, Cisco, Grandstream, among others. ATA’s offer more control and flexibility in terms of using VoIP provider, call routing etc. Service providers such as Vonage and Ooma offer preconfigured ATA’s, which do not require any configuration.

Pros – Complete freedom from the computer (except while configuration), flexibility
Cons – Additional investment, Multiple devices (ATA & the phone)

• IP Phones - Instead of using ATAs and a regular analog phone, one can use SIP phones which can directly connect with VoIP service providers. These phones look like regular phones but have a built in ATA to communicate with digital networks. They come in both wired and wireless variety, with the wireless variety being able to use the Wi-Fi network. They are different than the PC based IP phones in the sense that they do not require a computer to complete the communication. Top wired IP phones can be found here and top wireless phones can be found here. The big players in this segment are Linksys, D-link, Cisco, Grandstream, among others.

Pros – Complete freedom from the computer (except while comfiguration), single device
Cons – Lower flexibility

• Regular telephones and mobiles – Yes, you can even use your existing phones to use VoIP. Several VoIP providers provide access numbers to use their service. To make a call, you just dial their access number, dial your pin (this may be optional in some cases) and dial the number you want to be connected. Example of such providers includes Tpad, Airtel, SMSdiscount, among others. Some providers such as Rebtel or Talkster provide local number (in few countries) for your contacts. Once you have a local number for your contact, dial as you would dial any other local number.

Pros – Complete freedom from the computer (except while configuration), no additional investment, no additional device, voice quality does not depend on your internet bandwidth
Cons – Lower flexibility, receiving calls may still be expensive

With so many options, you really do not have an excuse to not use VoIP. If you have any queries about any method, I will be more than happy to assist you. Just drop a line!!!

Technorati Tags: ATA, Cheap calls, H323, How To, Instant Messenger, Rebtel, SIP, SIP Phones, Soft Phone, Tutorial, VOIP