TELECOM Digest OnLine - Sorted: Connect to Skype with Multiple Phones Around the House?

Connect to Skype with Multiple Phones Around the House?

jaykchan@hotmail.com
30 Dec 2004 12:28:48 -0800

I am interested to use Skype to save money on long distance calls that
I made regularly to far east countries (and I really don't like the
trouble of using calling cards that keep reducing the minutes for no
reason). I intend to get a VoIP USB base unit from pcphoneline to
control Skype in the PC using USB; it has a phone jack that I can plug
my cordless phone into it. So far this seems like this will work. But
my PC will be in the basement; this means the VoIP USB phone connection
device will also be in the basement right next to the PC. I prefer to
make phone call in the living room and in the bedroom, not down there
in the basement. This means somehow I need to make the VoIP service
available in multiple locations in my house.

Can I connect multiple phone line to the VoIP USB base unit mentioned
above? Then I can run cables to various locations in my house. Running
cable is no big deal because I have already run cat-6 cables around the
house for networking. I can easliy change the cat-6 jack with a
phone-jack. What I am wondering is whether there will be any conflict
in the base unit if I plug a lot of phone lines into it. How to connect
many phone lines into it anyway? I mean ... physically?

How is the sound quality of using a USB phone with Skype (or with other
VoIP service provider)? My co-worker uses a headset that connects to
the sound card of the PC to talk to developer in Russia, and he has
good result. Does using USB phone give us an even better sound quality?

I have thought of using Vonage and a VoIP phone that connects to a LAN
jack. But I am forced to maintain a local phone service with Verizon
(in order to use their low cost DSL service), and I don't want to pay
$15 basic monthly rate for Vonage. This doesn't make economy sense to
keep both Verizon local service and Vonage basic package at the same
time. Because I am forced to keep Verizon local service, I would prefer
to get VoIP through Skype that is pay-as-you-go.
Thanks in advance for any input.

Jay Chan

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