Netgear phone says bye bye PSTN, hello VoIP

I've been having a play with a review unit of a Netgear SPH200D cordless DECT phone with Skype and after just one weekend I have come to the conclusion that I only need half of what this phone can do. The other half, making phone calls using an expensive landline, I may as well simply switch off.
The fact is that the quality and reliability of VoIP services has now reached a level where they are comparable with fixed line services and they can be had for a fraction of the price. Phones like the SPH200D merely serve to highlight that anyone who has a broadband connection is simply pouring money down the drain if they persist with a PSTN service.As a phone to look at, the Netgear SPH200D is nothing special. It's a little brick-like and bulky compared to the sleek mobile phones available today and its color screen, though clear enough, is relatively tiny. It also has a poor selection of ringtones. However, its controls are intuitive and the really important things in a cordless phone, such as call quality, range and hands free operation - are there.However, the thing that won me over with this style of phone was the versatility of the device. Yes, it's a combination PSTN and Skype dualphone but you don't need to run it through your computer and, after using it for a few days, for many it will become clear that you don't need the PSTN.The SPH200D DECT basestation plugs directly into a broadband modem or wireless networking router - that part enables your Skype calls. The SPH200D basestation can also simultaneously be plugged into your standard PSTN RJ11 wall jack. What you end up with is a system that can run up to four phones which can send and receive calls in both modes and are totally independent of telephone wall sockets and a computer.The SPH200D phones can also communicate with each other via an intercom button, which is a very handy feature in a small office situation.The biggest impact that this phone system will have for most users, however, will be felt in their hip pocket.
In Australia, if you subscribe to the Skype Pro service, you'll pay a bit less than $6 per month (if you include a 12 month SkypeIn subscription) rental, 6 cents a SkypeOut call untimed anywhere in Australia, about 2.7 cents a minute for SkypeOut calls to most major overseas destinations and 27 cents a minute to mobiles. That's a bit more expensive than some local VoIP services but incomparably cheaper than the PSTN service I now subscribe to.

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In addition to being cheaper than the PSTN, Skype and other VoIP services enable you to take your phone on the road, including your number. Wherever there's a broadband connection, you can simply plug in your base station and phone or your laptop and make and receive calls at low rates.The Netgear SPH200D, however, is not really made for Skype road warriors. As a DECT phone, it is particularly suited for the home or small offices, where handsets move around and the base station stays put.A Wi-Fi handset version, the SPH200W should prove more suitable for travellers looking to take advantage of the growing number of hotspots to place Skype calls.If there's a deficiency in the Netgear SPH200D then it's that I couldn't find a way to send SMS messages like I can from my computer. This is a pity because Skype SMS messages are half the cost of those sent from mobile phones. However, I hate sending SMS messages from anything but a QWERTY keyboard anyway.The big objection I always get from people when I tell them I'm thinking of disconnecting my PSTN service and using VoIP is what will I do if there's a power failure (as if I have old fashioned PSTN handsets and not cordless phones that need power anyway). What if Skype goes down again? My answer is always the same - well I guess I'll just have to use one of the three charged up mobile phones that are laying around the house until the power and Skype come back online.So now I have two telephone numbers running off the same base station - my cheap and versatile Skype VoIP service and my expensive, limited and inflexible PSTN service. Guess which one I'm going to disconnect?
Source: itwire.com
By Stan Beer