I ought to explain why I’ve suddenly gone cold on VoIP.
It’s just I’ve watched my own behaviour. I’ve grown tired of the inconsistency of PC VoIP calls, and instead I’ve reverted to using landlines, mobiles and Jajah (for callback). But I’m still using IM to set up many of those calls! The problem isn’t unique to any one client — they’re all proving unsuitable for business use with clients (which is most of my telephony needs covered).
The worst of all seems to be Skype conference calling. We probably would rate the quality as “unacceptable” for 50% of the attempts. When it’s good, it’s great. But that isn’t what I’m after.
The problem seems far more acute on PCs than other devices. On a PC, various random programs start up and starve VoIP client software of CPU or bandwidth. PhoneGnome and Truphone seem to work pretty consistently on their respective hardware platforms.
Another problem with PCs is they’re just lousy telephones. When you hibernate Windows XP on my HP laptop, all kinds of audio settings seem to go wrong and the volume buttons stop working. Bluetooth is hopelessly unreliable, and who wants another wireless headset device to remember to charge up (and bring the charger when you travel)? Or to have to rush to fish out a headset and plug it in when a call arrives?
Much easier to just stick with your mobile or desk phone. Maybe the killer combo is Truphone + Phonegnome — charge everything to my home phone account (no more prepaid balances to deal with), route outbound via the home PSTN line, and let Truphone make their money from offering you another inbound mobile number (and collect termination fees) — or just go for a good old-fashioned low subscription fee? Then use my mobile for everything, and don’t make me think about how the call is getting there.
Posted by Martin Geddes at 10:46 AMTrackBack URL for this entry:
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Hi Martin - very much agree with your sentiments.
At Yuuguu we've partnered with PowWowNow to offer a high quality, low cost voice conferencing service integrated with IM and instant screen sharing.
Best Philip
Posted by: at May 25, 2007 07:52 PMI've occasionally tried to record VoIP calls on my laptop using Audacity, free audio recording software which is normally fine. Each time, on either Skype or my BT Internet VoIP softphone, the laptop has crashed and I've reverted to an ordinary phone.
A
Posted by: at May 29, 2007 03:57 PMSkype to Skype seems to work well when both ends are early adopters, have decent mics, and have the latest release. Or it's very long distance and everyone is surprised it works. Skype to Mobile seems to be uniformly crap but then mobile to mobile is not great so maybe it's the contrast with Skype to Skype quality I'm noticing. I suspect there's too many format changes going on. Bluetooth headset to PC to skype to skype was also very disappointing. Again too many stages of compression and codec.
As you point out though, VoIP really needs some QoS traffic shaping and CPU shaping to be properly reliable and approach the lack of dropouts of landlines. But when it works the quality is a big step up from landlines.
Posted by: at May 30, 2007 11:11 AMI agree with Julian. Skype works decently when people have the same version.
However, there is an useful gadjet skype (and probably others)has launched. It is a phone that you plug on your PC or Laptop so when someone is caling you through skype it rings normally.
You don't have to jump on your PC, plug your micro, and finally miss the call anymore.
The problem isn't VoIP - it's that you're trying to use an application where you're accustomed to using a service. (See the post linked in my name.)
Posted by: at May 30, 2007 08:08 PMCall me a skeptic if you want but...This echoes what I said to you ages ago (supporting why I often pick up the house phone and keep a copper line) and you protested at that time. Now for the real skeptic in me - could this be part of the Telco 2.0 thing beginning to speak out i.e., cutting back on more radical thoughts? :) Next you are going to be reverting on the E2E principle and "selling" us bandwidth guarantee voice (Strowger style) over packet :) ;)
Posted by: at June 1, 2007 02:29 PMIndeed, DG Lewis, and that's why these PC VoIP applications are only good as "2nd line".
There are supposedly more than 40M residential VoIP service "1st lines" on the planet with legacy landline phones connected via TA, and many of these users might not even know they are using VoIP.
Furthermore, VoIP is increasingly replacing the circuits in the telco's core networks (fixed and mobile) and saving loads of OPEX, without any end-users noticing a difference except decreasing prices.
At the heart of the issue is the unsuitability of PC hardware and software.
Technical reasons were mentioned plenty, and because of those nobody can offer a consistent telephony service on the PC - but good secondary uses of voice in applications.
VoIP technology is unstoppable and the world doesn't need VoSS7.
I used to be an avid Vonage user with virtual numbers in the UK, US and Canada with simultaneous ringing of my Vonage and mobile phones but after a while the joy of the technology wore off. The call quality, when it was there, was great but it was hit and miss especially on conference bridges which I use a lot. I got rid of all that when I changed jobs in December and my new company uses Skype a lot. It has the same issues especially when using it with VPN software which is often necessary to enable the viewing of one of our test platforms. You can easily get in to a state where all you get is a very loud high pitched whistle in the ear which can leave you slightly deaf for a while. So what have I done? Got a bigger Vodafone package with the Passport option so when in Europe I pay a flat rate per fee plus use minutes from by bigger minute bundle. I still use Skype when in the US because my Vodafone package does not provide the flat rate roaming cost outside Europe.
I agree with other comments that VoIP is unstoppable but for me it is not good enough for customers and partners. Residential is fine.
Posted by: at June 1, 2007 06:45 PM