July 2009

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Using Google Voice outside the United States

July 26, 2009 in How To, Saving Money, Uncategorized by admin | No comments

At the time of this writing, Google seems to be using IP filtering to prevent people with non-US IP addresses from setting up accounts.  Fortunately, “mgoebel” of the Internet Tablet Talk forum has figured out a beautifully simple way around this.

Here’s how it works:

When you receive your Google Voice invitation, send it to a someone you trust in the United States, and ask them to set up the account for you.  You’ll have to trust them with your password, but you can change that later.  Have them set up the account and send you the login credentials.

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How to set up your Sunrocket “gizmo” or “ATA” for free phone service with Google Voice

July 25, 2009 in Deals, Google Voice/ VoIP, How To, Saving Money, Uncategorized by admin | 22 comments

In my two previous posts, I showed you how to use Google Voice and the Gizmo Project to set up your Nokia N810 internet tablet as a free wifi phone, and how to unlock your old Sunrocket analog telephone adapter (ATA) (Linksys SPA2102-R) for use with another VoIP service.

In this post, I’ll show you how to set up your Sunrocket ATA and landline phone for free domestic phone service (US only) using Google Voice and the Gizmo Project.  If you don’t already have an ATA, I’ve found the Linksys SPA2102 VoIP Phone Adapter with Router to be an excellent and reliable piece of equipment which can be configured for use with most SIP-based VoIP services.

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How to unlock your Sunrocket Gizmo for use with another service (Linksys SPA 2102-R)

July 25, 2009 in Google Voice/ VoIP, How To, Uncategorized by admin | 6 comments

Background

Way back in  July of 2007 I signed up for VoIP phone service with Sunrocket.  They sent me a telephone adapter, called a “Analog Telephone Adapter” or ATA, which connected to my land-line phone and my internet connection, enabling me to make calls over the internet from any normal phone.  I enjoyed the service for about one month before Sunrocket went out of business.

Sunrocket did not ask for their device back.  Unfortunately, they had “provisioned” the ATA so that it only worked with Sunrocket’s service.  You couldn’t use it anywhere else.  Someone developed a solution for unlocking the device, but I lacked some critical knowledge and couldn’t make the solution work for me.  So I ended up with a perfectly good piece of hardware that I couldn’t use.  I put it on a shelf in the back of my closet, and there it remained for the next 2 years, like Sleeping Beauty waiting for her prince.

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How to make and receive free phone calls using your N810, Google Voice and Gizmo

July 17, 2009 in Google Voice/ VoIP, How To, Saving Money by admin | 37 comments

The Nokia N810 excels as a VoIP Wifi phone.  I previously mentioned the device’s Skype capability, which I am so far pleased with.  It’s inexpensive and works well, and I recommend it.  This article will show you how to take things one step further by setting up your N810 to make and receive absolutely free phone calls to landlines and cell phones within the United States.  I’ll walk you through the entire setup process.

Things You’ll Need

  1. A Nokia N800 or N810 Internet Tablet.   If you don’t yet have one, you can purchase it here. This can also be done with a Wifi capable Blackberry or Windows Mobile device, but since I don’t have either of those, my instructions will focus on the N810.  Setting up other devices should be similar- you’ll just have to find the specific client programs yourself, and they may not be free.

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