Skype alternatives for data to landline/mobile phone calls.

[Zing]

I've been having problems with Skype failing to make connections or to lose sound and am looking for an alternative to make low cost international calls using a data or wifi connection. Any tips?

 

[jordanbasset]

Whatsapp works for me

 

[Zing]

Whatsapp works for me

Is no good to landlines or phones on the mobile network only.

 

[Gumpy]

We used Cheap International Calls and from Mobile or Landline| Dial 123 before all our family migrated to Whatsap ,
It works well and is not overly expensive. Unforunately it needs a mobile or landline to call from.

 

[billskip]

I've been having problems with Skype failing to make connections or to lose sound and am looking for an alternative to make low cost international calls using a data or wifi connection. Any tips?

I had this trouble, I think it was due to using a vpn that auto connected...however I rarely use skype now.
I have heard Viber is supposed to be good
EDIT... I've just checked it seems Viber is not good for your requirements

 

[syvictoria]

Might not be helpful, but a Lebara mobile sim (pay monthly, not on contract) typically provides 100 minutes of international calls for 'free'. Prices start from about £5pm (often less for the first month's and there's often a further discounted offering available via the Money Saving Expert website). Lebara uses Vodafone.

 

[Fiddlesticks]

We use Draytel's pay as you go service over cable broadband. You get a geographic number so people can call you and cheap VOIP to landline calls. You manage and top up credit online, and use an Internet phone (Siemens Gigaset) that plugs into both your internet router and also old fashioned phone system.

 

[Zing]

We used Cheap International Calls and from Mobile or Landline| Dial 123 before all our family migrated to Whatsap ,
It works well and is not overly expensive. Unforunately it needs a mobile or landline to call from.

Might not be helpful, but a Lebara mobile sim (pay monthly, not on contract) typically provides 100 minutes of international calls for 'free'. Prices start from about £5pm (often less for the first month's and there's often a further discounted offering available via the Money Saving Expert website). Lebara uses Vodafone.

These look fine if you are UK based, but I am not and It’s not available or massively expensive here. Sorry, I should have been clearer.

 

[Zing]

We use Draytel's pay as you go service over cable broadband. You get a geographic number so people can call you and cheap VOIP to landline calls. You manage and top up credit online, and use an Internet phone (Siemens Gigaset) that plugs into both your internet router and also old fashioned phone system.

It seems good and looks professional. I would have to buy a VOIP handset and puzzle out how to get a MiFi device working through a suitable VOIP router. Probably much easier with the Draytel hardware. I’ll come back to it if I can’t find a simpler answer.

 

[Yngmar]

While Viber has worked well for this in the past, I wouldn't recommend it based on the app being a bit annoying and having the usual batch of horrible privacy issues (although not as incredibly dodgy and horrible as Whatsapp).

I've got Satellite now, which gives you a German mobile number, is free up to, iforget, 100 minutes a month or something, but you need to fake a German location to sign up (unless you happen to be there). After signup location no longer matters and it works well enough. If you go above 100 minutes they want 5 EUR a month, which gets you unlimited minutes in 63 countries.

 

[Zing]

After a bit of research and flailing around and I downloaded a number of apps and found a couple, which seem OK for my purposes. TalkHome and LivePhone. I gave them each £5.00 and made a couple of calls including to my 96 yr old uncle. Great to hear him alive still. Sound quality was not as good as Skype or especially the other IP only phone apps like FaceTime, WhatsApp and Signal. Price is ridiculously low and half the price of Skype, under a penny a minute to most places, USA, EU, UK.

 

[Zing]

While Viber has worked well for this in the past, I wouldn't recommend it based on the app being a bit annoying and having the usual batch of horrible privacy issues (although not as incredibly dodgy and horrible as Whatsapp).

I've got Satellite now, which gives you a German mobile number, is free up to, iforget, 100 minutes a month or something, but you need to fake a German location to sign up (unless you happen to be there). After signup location no longer matters and it works well enough. If you go above 100 minutes they want 5 EUR a month, which gets you unlimited minutes in 63 countries.

I had this trouble, I think it was due to using a vpn that auto connected...however I rarely use skype now.
I have heard Viber is supposed to be good
EDIT... I've just checked it seems Viber is not good for your requirements

Thanks for the suggestions of Satellite. How they can do free calls is amazing and puzzling, where’s the catch? Viber looks OK, but most often the apps only work with a live local phone connection and it’s not clear if it does. I need a mobile data link to work to connect in. Why do you think it’s no good billskip? What are the privacy issues Yngmar?

All the apps have privacy issues, they will copy your contacts and send them off to base for analysis if you let them. That’s what WhatsApp do, but without the option to block it if you already have it running as I did. Probably also can’t stop it now anyway. That is FaceBook’s M.O. I Whatsapp as that was unacceptable to me.

 

[billskip]

Thanks for the suggestions of Satellite. How they can do free calls is amazing and puzzling, where’s the catch? Viber looks OK, but most often the apps only work with a live local phone connection and it’s not clear if it does. I need a mobile data link to work to connect in. Why do you think it’s no good billskip? What are the privacy issues Yngmar?

All the apps have privacy issues, they will copy your contacts and send them off to base for analysis if you let them. That’s what WhatsApp do, but without the option to block it if you already have it running as I did. Probably also can’t stop it now anyway. That is FaceBook’s M.O. I Whatsapp as that was unacceptable to me.

I think it's not possible to dial landlines (as you can with skype) which is possibly one of your requirements.
Skype I have found is getting unnecessarily expensive I think

 

[KompetentKrew]

I'm hoping to shortly be able to port my mobile number to www.aa.net.uk

They're very affordable for just maintaining my UK mobile number, SMS messages (for banking etc) to be delivered by email.

Use your handset's builtin SIP client if you have vanilla Android or just install any other free SIP client.

They're probably not very cheap on a per minute basis, but their service and tech support is probably the best in the UK.

 

[Zing]

I'm hoping to shortly be able to port my mobile number to www.aa.net.uk

They're very affordable for just maintaining my UK mobile number, SMS messages (for banking etc) to be delivered by email.

Use your handset's builtin SIP client if you have vanilla Android or just install any other free SIP client.

They're probably not very cheap on a per minute basis, but their service and tech support is probably the best in the UK.

Interesting. It could be a good option. It seems a bit more techy than ideal though.

 

[billskip]

Has ... airdroid ..... been looked at. It may not be what you want but if you think outside the box it my have possibility..

 

[Zing]

Has ... airdroid ..... been looked at. It may not be what you want but if you think outside the box it my have possibility..

Another possibility. It seems I could have a mobile in the office and control it remotely whilst abroad.

 

[KompetentKrew]

Interesting. It could be a good option. It seems a bit more techy than ideal though.

I haven't done it yet, but should be as straightforward as installing the app and entering YOURNUMBER@voiceless.aa.net.uk and your password in its settings.

They're pretty expensive for broadband, and I don't know how much they charge for calling minutes, but I wouldn't have any concerns about it being too techy as they're widely regarded as having the best support of any UK ISP.

 

[billskip]

Another possibility. It seems I could have a mobile in the office and control it remotely whilst abroad.

Twaz wot I wuz finkin...

 

[EdMiami]

TextNow.com offers Skype like functionality. They have an app for PC and for mobile. Free calling to US and Canada plus low cost international calling. Been using them for several months without issue.

Let me know if this works for you.