Everyone here seems to NOT have figured out the internet calling part of the crossbow. So I thought I would start a thread for that.
This is what I know and have researched so far.
1. There is a HELP section on the crossbow that talks about Internet Calling Providers. But there is NO application that is visible to configure them
2. Looking through the systems files, I found this DLL: voipphonecanvas.dll
3. The above DLL is not documented and maybe is the DLL for the Today Screen or the Tab in the phone settings.
Please add what you have found out or researched about this. Any links to any hint of documentation OR talk would be great.
I have also read the help file for the internet calling, and the feature is CELLULAR CARRIER dependant!
In other words, it's not a standards-based SIP phone. This would be a 'feature' (translated: extra charge item) that your cellular provider would offer.
I am also disappointed about this. Was hoping for more!
Voice over Internet Protocol, also called VoIP, IP Telephony, Internet telephony, Broadband telephony, Broadband Phone and Voice over Broadband is the routing of voice conversations over the Internet or through any other IP-based network.
Companies providing VoIP service are commonly referred to as providers, and protocols which are used to carry voice signals over the IP network are commonly referred to as Voice over IP or VoIP protocols. They may be viewed as commercial realizations of the experimental Network Voice Protocol (1973) invented for the ARPANET providers. Some cost savings are due to utilizing a single network - see attached image[1] - to carry voice and data, especially where users have existing underutilized network capacity that can carry VoIP at no additional cost. VoIP to VoIP phone calls are sometimes free, while VoIP to PSTN may have a cost that's borne by the VoIP user.
There are two types of PSTN to VoIP services: DID (Direct Inward Dialing) and access numbers. DID will connect the caller directly to the VoIP user while access numbers require the caller to input the extension number of the VoIP user. Access numbers are usually charged as a local call to the caller and free to the VoIP user while DID usually has a monthly fee.[2] There are also DIDs that are free to the VoIP user but chargeable to the caller.
Cossbow also contains a file called ipdialplan.xml witch is used by the voipphonecanvas.dll. How to configure it is beyond my knowledge.
I read somewhere voipphonecanvas.dll interacts with radio rom that comes with the crossbow. Since we don't have that rom we won't get it to work.
Pitty, I would really like to get this to work.
Cheers,
Cacti
Ipdialplan.xml
Here is the IPDIALPLAN.XML if any one can that has NOT seen this can make sense of it.
Could not upload the XML file so had to add the .txt entension to it.
I dont understand it but it looks like cammands like a dial up modem
Example: AT & FX.....etc.
The XML file is similar to that used with other VOIP solutions. My guess is that the main thing that needs to be changed is the host name which should be the DNS value for your SIP provider. The application would have to have a username and password (or deviceid and password) to register the device as a SIP peer. Has anyone been able to get the application on the today screen to say anything other than "Not Available"?
ip-rob said:
The XML file is similar to that used with other VOIP solutions. My guess is that the main thing that needs to be changed is the host name which should be the DNS value for your SIP provider. The application would have to have a username and password (or deviceid and password) to register the device as a SIP peer. Has anyone been able to get the application on the today screen to say anything other than "Not Available"?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Could you post a similar file from another provider if available ?
The IPDIALPLAN.XML file contains a set rules that use regular expression patterns to tell the VoIP client how to actually dial the other party. You can see that there are patterns for 11-digit, 10-digit, 7-digit, 5-digit, and SIP URI rules. These are all the possible SIP address/number formats that you may dial. The only real configuration portion seems to be:
Code:
<dialplan-header>
<host>#use_sipsrv_host_name#</host>
</dialplan-header>
Where I would assume, as others have said, that you replace #use_sipsrv_host_name# with the name or IP of your SIP server.
VoIP
VoIP would be great on our Wizard. I have SunRocket at home as my VoIP, and many others probably also have Vonage. If we can somehow configure the Crossbow ROM to natively support the VoIP services, it looks like the Internet Calling can be automatically turned on when you're in a hotspot connected to Wifi.
I guess the cellular provider will have to figure out whether to allow this. I can foresee that if you are with Cingular, which will be AT&T Wireless, which will AT&T offers CallVantage as their VoIP service. So, potentially your phone can be both a wireless mobile handset as well as a VoIP handset.
It would just be like using our phones for Skype, but Skype is not using the standard SIP protocol, while our Microsoft phones will support the official SIP stack. I bet a lot more vendors will jump on this.
When Wi-Max come out, perhaps we won't even need a Cellular provider, and will have a VoIP provider for our mobile phones. How's that for some competition? Can someone say FREE long distance?
Talking about CallVantage
AT&T CALLVANTAGE WEBSITE: said:
........ When dialing into service remotely, you may incur additional access charges for non-local calls, hotel service charges or cellular mobile charges. Video calling available between AT&T CallVantage Softphone customers only (up to 2 additional callers) and requires video camera (not included). ..........
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
hmmmm.. The above is the disclaimer for the CallVantage Softphone at the bottom of the page here.
Yes, that was what I was referring to...dialing rules. The SIP clients typically use these types of rules which you can see in systems ranging from very complex (e.g. Asterisk) to that in the XML file. The XML file doesn't have enough information on how to actually log into the SIP server such as the userid/deviceid and password...just a placeholder for the sip gateway.
hjkl;' why no delete?
Skype
Does anyone know if skype allows VOIP calls without using their software? If they have generic settings, maybe they could be used here.
If someone here has CallVantage, could you try using your seeting in the XML file and see if you can enable the VOIP service on the phone.
Change ipdialplan?
I was going to put my sip server in the dialplan but how can I change the ipdialplan.xml file? It is set to read-only and system file.
Here Are The Sip Values Needed To Make It Work
Here are the SIP settings from ChallengerMobile. Can someone figure out where to put in all this data? The Only One I figured out was to add the HOST name on the top line. But I guess the rest are just rules. Which other file might there be to add all these values?
[FONT=Verdana,Arial]Profile name: [/FONT][FONT=Verdana,Arial]Challenger mobile [/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana,Arial]Service profile: [/FONT][FONT=Verdana,Arial]IETF [/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana,Arial]Public user name*: [/FONT][FONT=Verdana,Arial]enter your Challenger SIP number. E.g. [email protected] [/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana,Arial]Use compression: [/FONT][FONT=Verdana,Arial]No [/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana,Arial]Registration: [/FONT][FONT=Verdana,Arial]Always on/When needed [/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana,Arial]Use Security: [/FONT][FONT=Verdana,Arial]No [/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana,Arial]Proxy server: [/FONT][FONT=Verdana,Arial]sip:challengermobile.com [/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana,Arial]Registrar server address: [/FONT][FONT=Verdana,Arial]sip:challengermobile.com [/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana,Arial]Realm: [/FONT][FONT=Verdana,Arial]challengermobile.com [/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana,Arial]User name*: [/FONT][FONT=Verdana,Arial]enter the userpart of your Challenger SIP number. If your SIP number is [email protected], enter 461234[/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana,Arial]Password*: [/FONT][FONT=Verdana,Arial]enter your Challenger mobile password [/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana,Arial]Allow loose routing: [/FONT][FONT=Verdana,Arial]YES [/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana,Arial]Transport type: [/FONT][FONT=Verdana,Arial]UDP [/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana,Arial]Port: [/FONT][FONT=Verdana,Arial]5060 [/FONT]
ip-rob said:
I was going to put my sip server in the dialplan but how can I change the ipdialplan.xml file? It is set to read-only and system file.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Use Total Commander to change the Read Only property of the file.
modifying the host information has no impact...I still can't get the application to list anything other than "Not Available"
didn't this app was design to communicate with the radio rom that came with wm6
Related
Hey all,
for the PC, there are plenty of programs that you can use in order to send free SMSes. for example: ExtraSMS, ICQ and others.
Is there anything similar for the pocket pc?
Thanks a lot...
there are also sites who offer online versions of that you can try to see if you can get those to work in pIE or minimo or opera
yes crikee try that mate,device dependant
Actually, I was looking for some more convient. a program that i can link the messaging hardware button to it, thus making it very easy and more important, free...
Not sure if this helps, but......
In the UK, there are services that provide a free messaging service, kinda like SMS - take a look at http://www.tex2me.com or http://www.hotxt.co.uk
They provide a Java applet that you use to send messages to other users of the service, so there's no link to the real SMS text message application in WM....might not be what you were looking for?
Don't know of anything else; like another poster suggested, maybe your only option is to use a browser to access one of the online sites?
Mark.
think the problem is that sms is point to point cellphone network based
and gprs is the internet
somebody needs to act as gateway from the internet to the cellphone network
the cellphone the sms could be the "free" sms is being sendt to could be without gprs at all or simply offline
those free sites offer that gateway
and they most likely make money on the adds on their sites
so i'm not sure they would be happy to have people access their services without being exposed to their adds
and their interfaces are prob different from eachother so if a real application was made it would be different depending on what free sms network it would access
https://github.com/venomous0x/WhatsAPI
What is WhatsApp?
According to the company:
“WhatsApp Messenger is a cross-platform mobile messenger that replaces SMS and works through the existing internet data plan of your device. WhatsApp is available for iPhone, BlackBerry, Android, Windows Phone, Nokia Symbian60 & S40 phones. Because WhatsApp Messenger uses the same internet data plan that you use for email and web browsing, there is no cost to message and stay in touch with your friends.”
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Late 2011 numbers: 1 billion messages per day, ~20 million users.
Modified XMPP
WhatsApp uses some sort of customized XMPP server, named internally as FunXMPP, which is basically some extended proprietary version.
Login procedure
Much like XMPP, WhatsApp uses JID (jabber id) and password to successfully login to the service. The password is hashed and happened to be an MD5’d, reversed-version of the mobile’s IMEI (International Mobile Equipment Identity) or equivalent unique ID, stored in servers upon account creation and used transparently everytime the client connects the server.
The JID is a concatenation between your country’s code and mobile number.
Initial login uses Digest Access Authentication.
Message sending
Messages are basically sent as TCP packets, following WhatsApp’s own format (unlike what’s defined in XMPP RFCs).
Despite the usage of SSL-like communication, messages are being sent in plain-text format.
Multimedia Message sending
Photos, Videos and Audio files shared with WhatsApp contacts are HTTP-uploaded to a server before being sent to the recipient(s) along with Base64 thumbnail of media file (if applicable) along with the generated HTTP link as the message body.
FAQ
What’s with the hex chars floating all over the code?
Mostly WhatsApp’s proprietary control chars/commands, or formatted data according to their server’s specifications, stored in predefined dictionaries within the clients.
What’s your future development plans?
We don’t have any.
Would it run over the web?
We’ve tested a slightly-modified version on top of Tornado Web Server and worked like a charm, however, building a chat client is a bit tricky, do your research.
Can I receive chats?
Indeed, using the same socket-receiving mechanism. But you have to parse the incoming data. Parsing functions aren’t included in this release, maybe in the next one?
I think the code is messy.
It’s working.
How can I obtain my password?
It depends on your platform, with Android for example, you can use TelephonyManager
Code:
TelephonyManager tm = (TelephonyManager) getSystemService(Context.TELEPHONY_SERVICE);
tm.getDeviceId();
With the sufficent permissions of course
Code:
<uses-permission android:name="android.permission.READ_PHONE_STATE"/>
NOTES
This proof of concept is extensible to contain every feature that make a fully-fledged client, similar to the official ones, actually could be even better.
During the two weeks of analysis of service mechanisms, we stumbled upon serious design and security flaws (they fixed some of them since 2011). For a company with such massive user base, we expected better practises and engineering.
Perfectly working as PHP and JAVA ports.
License
MIT - refer to the source code for the extra line.
Venomous
Team of Bahraini Developers.
Ahmed Moh'd and Ali Hubail (@hubail) contributed to this release.
I really would like to know whats your debugging strategy in this case? I'm still not able to capture the traffic from my Android 4 VirtualMachine in order to decypher the ssl traffic.
I documented my setup on my blog, just search for "WhatsApp für Android 4.0.X-X86 ICS auf VirtualBox" on Google.
Could you please provide some infos on your setup?
Except for some requests ( Syncing and Status update) , all requests go on plain text ( although they use SSL port , they still send in plain text )
onnsoft said:
I really would like to know whats your debugging strategy in this case? I'm still not able to capture the traffic from my Android 4 VirtualMachine in order to decypher the ssl traffic.
I documented my setup on my blog, just search for "WhatsApp für Android 4.0.X-X86 ICS auf VirtualBox" on Google.
Could you please provide some infos on your setup?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
WebOS port!!!
Sent from my R800x using XDA
Looks like Whatsapp is quite secure...
Swypesation
Isn't there anyway to hack it???
Sent from my MT11i using xda premium
google it
hi all,
CrowdCall allows to call free of cost to 40 countries. 10 calls are free per day. Has anyone know if this is a genuin app or so sort of phone info harvesting app?
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.socialdial.crowdcall.app&hl=en
Note: I am not doing the advt of the app. Just wanted to understand if there is any risk in using this app...
coolgal302006 said:
hi all,
CrowdCall allows to call free of cost to 40 countries. 10 calls are free per day. Has anyone know if this is a genuin app or so sort of phone info harvesting app?
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.socialdial.crowdcall.app&hl=en
Note: I am not doing the advt of the app. Just wanted to understand if there is any risk in using this app...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I used it once to initiate a conference call. It worked for setting up the call but the sound quality was pretty terrible. All of the participants on my call were within the United States, so I don't know how it works internationally.
From the website, here's the data they collect:
Information we collect and how we use it
We may collect the following types of information:
Cookies – When you download CrowdCall, we send one or more cookies to your phone or other device. We use cookies to improve the quality of our service, including for storing user preferences, improving search results and ad selection, and tracking user trends, such as how people search.
Log information – When you access CrowdCall services via a browser, application or other client our servers automatically record certain information. These server logs may include information such as your web request, your interaction with a service, Internet Protocol address, browser type, browser language, the date and time of your request and one or more cookies that may uniquely identify your browser or your account.
User communications – When you send email or other communications to CrowdCall, we may retain those communications in order to process your inquiries, respond to your requests and improve our services. When you send and receive SMS messages to or from one of our services that provides SMS functionality, we may collect and maintain information associated with those messages, such as the phone number, the wireless carrier associated with the phone number, the content of the message, and the date and time of the transaction. We may use your email address to communicate with you about our services.
Location data – CrowdCall offers location-enabled services. CrowdCall may receive information about your actual location (such as GPS signals sent by a mobile device) or information that can be used to approximate a location (such as a cell ID).
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Good app. No issues till now!
simplyapplied said:
I used it once to initiate a conference call. It worked for setting up the call but the sound quality was pretty terrible. All of the participants on my call were within the United States, so I don't know how it works internationally.
From the website, here's the data they collect:
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
http://forum.xda-developers.com/images/smilies/cowboy.gif
well ,I have used this app a couple of times recently.For a free calling app Its pretty good only if u wanna compromisehttp://forum.xda-developers.com/images/smilies/frown.gif with the sound quality and limitation of 1 hour. I mainly use it to call overseas frnds which is quite costly if ur using a standard cellular device. http://forum.xda-developers.com/images/smilies/mad.gif The main advantage I enjoyed is that U dont need any other client software for the clients ,http://forum.xda-developers.com/images/smilies/good.gif .Just cell number is enough. Regarding the info they collect , I am not sure about that. Haven't faced any issues regarding that.
still ,good enough app if u ask me! http://forum.xda-developers.com/images/smilies/cowboy.gif
Recently bought N5 (play store), also bought activation kit from T-Mobile for the $30/month unlimited data prepaid plan. Works great. Was my intention to use GrooveIP to make VOIP calls using the data only and never touch the 100 mins portion of the plan. Then I hear about Google dropping the XMPP support in Google Voice. While I understand that this isn't supposed to happen until May of 2014, my question is this. Are there any alternatives that will allow me to make Data only VOIP calls on my N5?
If this is posted in the wrong section I apologize.
Thanks In Advance.
D$
Im not going to even begin to worry for about 4 months. Gotta give Google some time to possibly introduce a Hangouts voice calling alternative. If they don't, then I guess I am going to have to switch to Straight Talk. It only ends up being 6 dollars more a month than the Tmobile plan when you buy 6 month cards off Amazon and as an added bonus you dont have to worry about minutes anymore and you get much better coverage. Only major negative is your data is cut in half.
Get a s4 with wifi calling.
The stock rom allows you to make "Internet" (SIP) calls or you could install an app like CSipSimple. Either way, just find a SIP provider you like.
gtj0 said:
The stock rom allows you to make "Internet" (SIP) calls or you could install an app like CSipSimple. Either way, just find a SIP provider you like.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thank you. I didn't know you could do that. Do you have any suggestions on where I might go to shop SIP providers? Thank you.
TheDMoney said:
Thank you. I didn't know you could do that. Do you have any suggestions on where I might go to shop SIP providers? Thank you.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
There are tons of them out there. Just search for "sip provider" or "voip provider". The right one for you will depend a lot on what country you're in, what your calling patterns are, how many minutes you expect to use, etc.
In the US, callentric, broadvoice, voip.ms, vitelity are just a few.
I think OP will have to wait for google to change their api. I am kinda worried too using OBI100 at my office.
TheDMoney said:
Thank you. I didn't know you could do that. Do you have any suggestions on where I might go to shop SIP providers? Thank you.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Here is a list of sip termination providers:
http://www.voip-info.org/wiki/view/Sip+Trunking+Providers
One popular way to make free sip calls is to use a free pbx that can relay outogoing calls via a Google Voice account:
https://www1.pbxes.com/
Thank you, the information is awesome. I knew I was in the right place, even if not in the right forum to begin with. :highfive:
zgx said:
Here is a list of sip termination providers:
http://www.voip-info.org/wiki/view/Sip+Trunking+Providers
One popular way to make free sip calls is to use a free pbx that can relay outogoing calls via a Google Voice account:
https://www1.pbxes.com/
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Will this still be possible after XMPP is terminated?
otacon507 said:
Will this still be possible after XMPP is terminated?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Gateways such as pbxes and Sipsorcery are not using XMPP, so they should work after XMPP is shut off.
zgx said:
Gateways such as pbxes and Sipsorcery are not using XMPP, so they should work after XMPP is shut off.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
To quote a guy from Reddit:
"If you are using OBI, GrooveIP, csipsimple via PBXes, or your own * box etc., they will cease to function as they use Asterisk PBX modules on the server end to translate XMPP (Jabber) in to SIP protocols."
Therefore, according to him, PBX is no longer possible?
otacon507 said:
To quote a guy from Reddit:
"If you are using OBI, GrooveIP, csipsimple via PBXes, or your own * box etc., they will cease to function as they use Asterisk PBX modules on the server end to translate XMPP (Jabber) in to SIP protocols."
Therefore, according to him, PBX is no longer possible?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
My misake. You're correct, PBXes.org will no longer work because, yes, they use XMPP.
(see: http://www1.pbxes.com/forum/thread.php?threadid=1289421168)
Sipsourcery does not use XMPP, but rather HTTP, so they should continue to work.
caribouxda said:
Get a s4 with wifi calling.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You do know that wi-fi calling still uses minutes.. right?
I have used the following process even before I discovered GrooveIP was going to stop working on May 15 because of Google dropping support for XMPP.
Setup a free SIP account on (say) www.callcentric.com and select a DID.
Use the Internet Phone setting on the N5 to create a SIP account to your Callcentric Number.
Go to Google Voice on a desktop and route your GV number to that DID. You will have to verify the number by installing a SIP client either on the desktop or set it up on your N5.
Download and install Google Voice Callback (available free at the Amazon app store).
Then when you want to make a call over data (WiFi or 3G) call as usual, let GV Callback intercept the call and do a callback. It should callback your Google Voice number which will be forwarded to your Callcentric number and ring on your cell. When you answer Google Voice will call and connect you to the original number.
Similarly if people call your GV number it should ring your cell over the SIP connection to Callcentric.
No airtime minutes should be consumed in this process.
lchiu7 said:
I have used the following process even before I discovered GrooveIP was going to stop working on May 15 because of Google dropping support for XMPP.
Setup a free SIP account on (say) www.callcentric.com and select a DID.
Use the Internet Phone setting on the N5 to create a SIP account to your Callcentric Number.
Go to Google Voice on a desktop and route your GV number to that DID. You will have to verify the number by installing a SIP client either on the desktop or set it up on your N5.
Download and install Google Voice Callback (available free at the Amazon app store).
Then when you want to make a call over data (WiFi or 3G) call as usual, let GV Callback intercept the call and do a callback. It should callback your Google Voice number which will be forwarded to your Callcentric number and ring on your cell. When you answer Google Voice will call and connect you to the original number.
Similarly if people call your GV number it should ring your cell over the SIP connection to Callcentric.
No airtime minutes should be consumed in this process.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Why are you stressing that we own a Nexus 5? I do not think that this is supported in regular JB systems? Would you mind writing a small tutorial and iron out the fine details you are outlining here?
Thanks, very resourceful post!
otacon507 said:
Why are you stressing that we own a Nexus 5? I do not think that this is supported in regular JB systems? Would you mind writing a small tutorial and iron out the fine details you are outlining here?
Thanks, very resourceful post!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
First of all this is a N5 forum which is why I assume that users will be using the N5. In fact this process works for the GN and Nexus S (and Nexus 4) but I can't vouch for non GED devices since I don't have any.
To expand a little (and as they say in maths texts, the rest is left an an exercise for the reader).
I have used the following process even before I discovered GrooveIP was going to stop working on May 15 because of Google dropping support for XMPP.
Setup a free SIP account on (say) www.callcentric.com and select a DID.. That means go www.callcentric.com and register an account. Then choose their free DID plan and select a number in one of the New York area codes they provide. I think 845 is one of them; It really doesn't matter what number you choose - just remember it.
Use the Internet Phone setting on the N5 to create a SIP account to your Callcentric Number. This is Phone/Settings/Call Settings/Accounts.
Setup a SIP account using the username 1777nnnnnnn which is assigned to your new account, password as you provided and server callcentri.com
Go to Google Voice on a desktop and route your GV number to that DID. You will have to verify the number by installing a SIP client either on the desktop or set it up on your N5.
Confirm that you can receive calls on this number in that your account [email protected] is receiving calls. Confirm that by calling you (e.g.) 845 number and make sure it rings on your phone. This will be a SIP call and not use any data.
Go to Google Voice and set the (854) number as a number for GV to forward calls. GV will then ask you to confirm that number by calling it and asking you to enter a 2 digit number into the called phone. You will need to make sure you can receive call on your cell on that number.
If you are successful, then your new number (callcentric) will not ring on your cell.
Download and install Google Voice Callback (available free at the Amazon app store). This app is not available at the Play Store since apparently it violates some rule Google has about apps but Amazon host it fine, The author is Xinlu,
What Google Voice Callback does is, it will intercept a regular call on your cellphone and ask if you want to use GV Callback. You do. The call will then be hung up and Google will now call your back on your (845) number (over the Internet) and when you pick up, it will present you will the ringing tone to the originally called number. When you connect you are now making an Internet call rather than using your TMO minutes,
Similarly if people call your GV number it should ring your cell over the SIP connection to Callcentric because you have forwarded all your calls to GV to your SIP phne.
No airtime minutes should be consumed in this process.
FYI if you are already a magicJack user, that is also a decent alternative. If you already use magicjack for your home line, you can download the app and make free calls to North America via wifi/data etc. You can get a new free number and route calls to your google voice number to your magicjack number. Unfortunately I'm not sure you can integrate your outgoing magicjack calls via google voice.
The quality of voip calls via magicjack is pretty decent over wifi and LTE from my experience. However if you're stuck in an area with 3G data, your call quality may vary. I have been using the app to make free calls on Nexus 7 tablet via Tmo data plan and it works well...
Do this https://simonics.com/gvgw/
Google voice calls right thru Android native sip. Works great..
Sent from my Nexus 5 using Tapatalk
david279 said:
Do this https://simonics.com/gvgw/
Google voice calls right thru Android native sip. Works great..
Sent from my Nexus 5 using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I suspect that's going to break also with the loss of XMPP support. To quote their site
The Google Voice Gateway service will be discontinued on May 15, 2014, due to policy and technology changes being implemented by Google. Please see this blog posting for more details and the SIP Providers forum to discuss SIP provider alternatives. Thank you for your support in helping to make this service excellent since November 2011.
What I plan to do is use Google Voice callback and a free SIP provider like Callcentric. It's a bit more fiddly but I think it does not rely on XMPP support and you can still make free calls using data.
VOIP For expatriates, multi-country presence, & escaping carrier-bound phone numbers
VOIP for Expatriates
The bottom line turned out to be, there is no good way to have worldwide phone connectivity unless all of the numbers you use are VOIP numbers, and the SIM/wireless provider simply becomes a wireless ISP. This started out an analysis for CallHippo, which I tried out for a month, but it branched out. So far, I've only worked with CallHippo, RingCentral, and Google Voice, and looked at GrassHopper and Phone.com. I've highlighted the other's differences in red. You might be able to somehow use MagicJack in the fit too. One thing to keep in mind is once you leave the SIM or standard PSTN, VOIP often requires 10-digit dialing. That many not matter to you, but it might to those calling you. 7-digit dialing requires a relationship between the PSTN provider and the phone company for your area.
Cost: The only CallHippo plan that makes any sense is the $15.00/$18.00 plan because the number is free, you get 800 incoming, and 200 outgoing minutes after which you pay a penny a minute. Additional numbers are $6.00/mo. from ~200 different countries.
Advantages:
1. The call quality and latency are good.
2. The call recording is good, and without the intrusive nonsense of, "this call is being recorded". It just works, and they back them up as well as your call logs. The advantages of this cannot be understated. Unless you are doing contracts over the phone you don't want that. Most people just want a note taker so you don't need to interfere with the conversation to write things down, especially while driving. It keeps track of time on calls for invoicing purposes. In most cases, it is not possible to know ahead of time if you will need to play it back later or they will be giving you numbers to write down etc.
3. Very flexible with multiple people using the same number at the same time and ring through to other devices, and using devices like extensions. This is different from something such as RingCentral and Phone.com which can use SIP devices because it assigns it a number on the PSTN. With Grasshopper, the device must already have a number in the PSTN to forward the call to, to use it as an extension, which must be Internet accessible, and has it's own voice mail and greetings per extension. Nothing is more feature-rich than RingCentral and it includes MMS, never-busy FAX number, video and call conferencing, and can manage and access everything from a soft-phone on a computer. Phone.com can do nearly as much, but no MMS. A big advantage of systems that can use a SIP device means you do not need to pay for cellular PSTN number to forward to, which requires the additional expense, and something that needs to change every time you change SIMs. With GrassHopper, every time you change SIMs or let your SIM lapse somewhere, you would have to reconfigure because you would lose your number to forward to. You can still forward, and you aren't counting minutes. If the end point for the number will be a cell phone, then CallHippo might make more sense.
4. It only costs $6.00/mo. for each additional line, which can be from ~200 different countries, giving you local presence in multiple countries from anywhere. RingCentral requires a $34.00 plan for the US plus a $44.00 plan plus a 2-year commitment. With Phone.com I can get 1 US line and 1 foreign line for $14.99/mo. by the year or $19.99/mo. by the month. You get 500 minutes and $.039/min. after that or you can buy a bigger plan. If they had Colombia, I'd go with it.
5. The overall combination of good call quality, call recording, flexible use of lines, and local presence in other countries for $6.00/line set it apart. Phone.com also supports a limited number foreign countries at a very practical cost, and would be by far the better way to go IF they support the countries you need.
Disadvantages:
1. Their web site is a confusing hodge-podge of pages that indicating it was built without a plan and pages added to piecemeal to add a capability. Signup was and getting things going was cruel and required multiple chats. RingCentral is very well done. Phone.com seemed like a bit of a put-off because it seems they want you to get a quote. However, it is actually by far the best. A real-live-American will assemble the features you need so it doesn't need to fit anything, and give you a quote where you are getting everything you need and nothing you don't, and at a better price than any other.
2. Competent support will not be available when you need it. This has been true in all but one case. RingCentral's support is good, and Phone.com's is off the charts.
3. CallHippo cannot dial from your Android contacts, nor does it's sync to contacts work. If you enter the numbers into CallHippo's directory by hand they will work but then you cannot use those CallHippo contacts anywhere else. If select a Contacts from Android Contacts to dial, it will return an error that the phone number not valid. This is the problem:
__a. In Android Contacts when you enter a phone number 1234567890 into Android, it will automatically format it to (123) 456-7890.
__b. The CallHippo directory stores contacts like this: 1234567890.
__c. The CallHippo Contacts is designed to work worldwide numbers. For numbers stored as US numbers, it will prepend a 1 and dial 1123456789.
__d. When you select a number from Android Contacts, it receives (123) 456-7890 from Contacts, for the US it prepends a 1 for 1(123) 456-7890 and returns an error that the number is not valid
4. Like most VOIP solutions, it only has SMS, not MMS. RingCentral Supports both.
5. The combination of the poor support, poor website layout, not-well-thought-out contact access
*RingCentral has no problem here nor does Phone.com.
Summary:
- What sets CallHippo apart is the combination of call recording and local presence in multiple countries for only $6.00/mo. That make the penny a minute make sense. Phone.com can do this better if you can live with the much smaller country list they support.
- CallHippo costs $15/mo. for Silver which gives you 800 minutes of free incoming and 200 minutes of free outgoing. If you do the same for RingCentral Essentials it will cost $30/mo. but it will be unlimited free calling in both directions. If you have two people, RingCentral's price goes to $20/mo. each, making it compelling unless you need foreign or multiple lines per person. For that price CallHippo gives you automatic call recording while RingCentral will make you remember to hit the * key unless you get the more expensive packages. If you add $5/mo. to RingCentral you get fax, audio conference and video conference. CallHippo allows you to add numbers for $6.00/mo. including in foreign countries. RingCentral only works with US numbers and it would cost another full monthly service charge. Google Voice is free, but it is only a US number and you must give them a US number for confirmation. I'm not sure if you will need a confirmation number at any point in the future but I do know that if the number is no longer available, the service does not stop. Call recording for inbound calls only and does an announcement. This enables free calls to from anywhere to anywhere in the US for free, and makes you reachable from anywhere in the US. This does not enable free local calling to and from a foreign country from anywhere. The way I can see this working is if you don't care about call recording, and you got a VOIP number in the foreign country. Otherwise, when you were out of country, you would not be able to be directly contacted from that country, and you would have multiple VOIP provider apps. You hear a lot about GrassHopper. It is more feature-rich than CallHippo, but the problem is it is more of a forwarding service. That means you need to have a number to forward to that you are maintaining from another service. Thus, GrassHopper's fit is for a US-based business using other phones as extensions. It doesn't do call recording, every time you change SIMs the number you forward to would have to change, and anything foreign would be at long distance rates. It is clearly not a fit for international use. Phone.com makes a ton of sense if their limited non-US country list works for you.
- CallHippo's poor website layout, poor support, and not having something as basic as dialing from Contacts working, indicates an amateur operation. RingCentral and Phone.com excel in all of these categories and even sharing a contact list. Not being able to dial from you Contact list? People's expectations of a dialer goes beyond that. They expect to be able to paste a number in from a web page and have it dial.
- I believe CallHippo has a lot of potential but it seems like it's in the alpha stage. Will it even exist tomorrow, and what happens to your ported numbers then? The attraction is there isn't anything with this level of functionality and price for doing frequent coordination in multiple countries.
- Defining the market for this service is a bit of a challenge. As a VOIP IP PBX system, it is much more limited than most. It doesn't work with regular SIP hardware for inside of an office. If you use your cell phone as your desk phone, you still cannot share a company telephone directory, nor can you use its Contacts to dial from because their sync does not make the telephone numbers available in a format that CallHippo can use, nor is there any other way to import or export Contacts. It cannot sanitize numbers copied from web pages. Ideally, as an expatriate, you want your domestic and foreign numbers to be VOIP numbers so when you switch SIMs, nothing changes because the wireless provider does not host your number. He is simply providing Internet access for the numbers. CallHippo's main detractors are the Contact list situation, and no MMS support. So it seems like the only market fits for CallHippo are for a single expatriate, or a one-man business that needs local presence to call other businesses in foreign countries.