VoIP calls through webcafés when travelling?

While reading this article from the NYT that shows how to make cheap calls from overseas with a cellphone, I was thinking of an alternative: Do you know of a compact IP phone that comes with two Ethernet plugs (usually labeled "WAN/LAN") so I could just unplug the Ethernet cable from any PC in a webcafé, plug it into the phone's WAN plug, re-plug the PC into the phone's LAN plug, and have the phone connect to a VoIP provider?

Another option would be a portable SIP client application that can be installed on any PC, ie. without admin rights etc., and a dumb USB handset.

A third option would be a USB handset that supports SIP (so that I can use any VoIP, not just Skype).

Has someone done this before and could provide feedback?

Thank you for any hint.

voip

OverTheRainbow

Posted 2010-01-08T09:57:07.117

Reputation: 5 153

I doubt that webcafés will be keen on you plugging in phones, but it's worth a shot. – Iain – 2010-01-08T10:48:28.997

Answers

If you have WiFi access try a UTStarcom F3000 VoIP phone. I have two and they work fine.

mr-euro

Posted 2010-01-08T09:57:07.117

Reputation: 461

Or an old Nokia E65. It comes with WiFi & VoIP support. – mr-euro – 2010-01-08T16:51:11.227

Thanks guys for the feedback. The wifi connector on my BlackBerry isn't very good, so I'm looking for a better alternative. I'll check out the UTStarcom phone. – OverTheRainbow – 2010-01-10T12:01:42.137

You can try but I think your best bet would be to have your own laptop and use their wifi that is available. Many web cafes do not let you plug anything at all in, and some have USB ports disabled. Also if they have timers to allow a certain amount of time on a PC, they sure aren't gonna let you use their network jack.

Keep in mind that many web cafes filter out VOIP traffic, so Skype, etc, won't work at all. Some hotels do this too.

Joshua Nurczyk

Posted 2010-01-08T09:57:07.117

Reputation: 2 316

I don't think you need to go all that trouble just to make VoIP calls.

If you have a laptop then most probably yours has wifi connectin already and most if not all webcafes has wifi service.

Also if you are using a PC already on webcafes then why not just use a softphone, put your VoIP details there and voila! you can make voip calls already because all cafes has headsets now.

I do this all the time when I don't have my laptop with me and I need to make international calls using my voip service.

ZXT

Posted 2010-01-08T09:57:07.117

Reputation:

Thanks but I don't usually carry a laptop when I travel, so I was looking for a lighter alternative that I can use whenever a wired/wireless Internet connexion is available. – OverTheRainbow – 2010-01-15T16:47:13.813