Beginner questions
 

I am running Fedora Core 5 on a PIII computer. I installed x-lite, registered with voxalot, made a test call to 600, and now ready to go to next step, I think. I have registered with e164.org: 16412283271@voxalot.com
My voxalot number is: 506167@voxalot.com

So, to place calls to others that have SIP numbers, what do I do next?

Do I need to sign up with sipbroker.com?

Is there a PC to Phone provider that is recommended? I live on a small pension, so would like to find one that is highly recommended, rather than find out the hard way. :)

Hi,

The ENUM registration is not correct. You should be mapping your number 16412283271 to sip:506167@voxalot.com and not sip:16412283271@voxalot.com

The above will only affect inbound calls to you and not your outbound calls.

To make outbound calls you dont need to do anything except have your device registered to either voxalot.com or voxalot.com.au (depending on where you are).

If you successfully dialled 600 then you are in good shape. Try some other numbers like:

*266300 <-- An example SIP Broker number
18005551212 <-- An example ENUM number

You should also be able to dial other VoXaLot member directly by dialling their 6 digit number.

Judging by your ENUM number you are in the U.S., yes? Maybe Dracofelis or Ron can help with a recommendation here.

Beginner questions (cont'd)
 

Martin: Thanks, much. Somehow, I managed to use the 506167@voxalot.com for the x-lite, and successfully connect with 600. I showed a connection with the sipbroker example #, then refused. I showed a connection with the 18005551212 number, and the taped information operator said her spiel. Voice quality coming inbound was good. I'm suing IBM's Intel810 sound card on an old desktop.

I went back to e164.org, and it lead me to believe that voxalot.com is already allocated with e164.org, so that must mean that there's no reason to register my account with e164.org?

Next question: Would the OpenSER server let me set up a voice mail account? Would it work nice with what I have so far, x-lite and voxalot.com as the gateway?

VoXaLot members are automatically allocated an ENUM number in the 8829993 range. i.e. +8829993-[VoXaLot number]. For example your number would be:
+8829993-506167

You can however still register other numbers to point to your VoXaLot URI.

VoXaLot automatically creates a voicemail account. Just dial 500 and enter the default password of 9999.

Beginner questions (cont'd)
 

Martin: Well, that's amazing! So, let's see:

One day, long ago, I decided to set up my cheap desktop computer to use Session Initiation Protocol, and make PC to PC phone calls. It was all new to me, this VoIP stuff, and confusing to say the least. At one point, I ended up at a site called, www.VoXaLot.com . They offer services as a gateway for VoIP (I think that's what it is). As a gateway, they work with an organization called, www.e164.org, which maps phone numbers to account numbers to users that want to make PC to PC phone calls. They also automatically create a voice mail account for the user. So, when I'm not hooked up, I should be able to instruct the gateway to enter my account and leave a voice mail.

All in all, the day was looking good. I entered the information needed to set up the account.

Then, I went to www.xten.com , and downloaded and installed x-lite softphone to use to make VoIP calls.

Once installed, I followed the instructions to load my account information, dialed 600, and followed those instructions to fine-tune my audio for outgoing and incoming calls.

Finally, I made a test call to an example sipbroker: 266300
and to the information operator in the U.S., 1-800-555-1212

What a nice day! Friends and Family networks takes on new meaning to me.

I've had good luck with Gizmo Project and PlainVoIP. They're both Pay-As-You-Go providers at 1 cent per minute. Gizmo Project bills in 1 minute increments and PlainVoIP bills in six-second increments. The minimum buy-in for Gizmo Project is $10.00 whereas PlainVoIP is only $5.00, so you're not gambling very much should you not be happy with them. Both have worked well with VoXaLot.

Ron

Do either allow accounts from overseas?

I don't see any restrictions on their web sites and I seriously doubt they'd turn down your money. Both prefer PayPal for payment.

Ron

I see that Gizmo Project shows as 1 way only in the provider feeback thread, but PlainVoIP isn't mentioned. Do you know if PlainVoIP can do 2 way and/or whether there is an update on Gizmo Project capability?

If you're referring to Web Callback...

Gizmo Project only supports one outgoing call at a time. Therefore it can only be used for one leg of a Web Callback operation. PlainVoIP allows a large number of simultaneous outgoing calls and therefore can be used on both legs of a Web Callback operation.

Ron