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Callcentric

Started by jpw94, July 27, 2017, 12:24:17 PM

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jpw94

Is there any need for this service? What are the benefits?

Lavarock7

I assume you mean to ask is there any reason to have a service provider like Callcentric vrs using Google?

Many people enjoy GoogleVoice because it is free for the U.S. and Canada. Obi is the only device I personally know of that connects to Google and allows a phone to be plugged in, making a landline of sorts. I have a Google account on my Obis.

With that said, GoogleVoice is not the best solution for everyone. They are not a traditional phone company and don't have to follow all the rules or procedures other providers do. For example, they don't offer 911 service, may not deliver calls to certain locations because of cost, etc. Still, they are usable and great to have.

Alternate providers like Callcentric will charge you a fee for acquiring  and holding your phone number and will charge per minute for calls or have a flat rate per month.

These service providers will allow you to connect multiple input and output deices to the account, you can do a lot more with call routing such as whether to allow friends to reach you during certain hours or go to voicemail, have multiple voicemail boxes, "press 1 to reach" call directing, block specific area codes, ring one phone after another, etc.

It all depends upon your needs. If they are simple, then you can probably stick with GoogleVoice. I have noticed that it seems that a lot of the forum issues mentioned involve GoogleVoice.

As an aside, here is a Facebook posting I put up this morning. I was using Voip.Ms but it could have just as easily been CalklCentric. The device I mention is an Obi202 but any of them would have been the same.

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A backpacker from Canada was staying at a place on island and had no cellphone. Her husband had his elsewhere and she needed to call Canada a few times.

I went to my VOIP account and bought a Toronto number for her. Within 10 seconds we had one. Cost was 40 cents to acquire the number and 85 cents for the first month. Calls to Canada are about a half cent per minute. I loaned her an adapter and phone.

Calls: 33 | Duration: 49 min | Total: $0.27

So for $1.52 she had 45 minutes of calling. Her caller-id showed Toronto and people up there could dial a local number to reach her in Hawaii.

So my question is this: How much is YOUR phone bill?

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In this case, I could have done similar with GoogleVoice but it would have taken a lot longer and the cost would ahve been quite a bit more to get a Canadian number (if I could) and it is not cost effective to drop it right away either.

I was given 10 free inbound numbers from the U.K.. People could dial a number in London and it gets dumped into the internet. With a Voip account I could receive those calls on my account. The caller pays nothing and I pay nothing (London to Hawaii). Google had no option to allow that. Yeah, I know, who needs that capability? I didn't until a friend called and said he was heading to London and how could he call back home to Arizona from there? I gave him the London number and told him "have at it".

So, look at Voip providers like CallCentric, Voip.Ms and others mentioned in the forums. Many offer a free account and multiple free neat options.

I like having multiple options available and use them all. Your mileage may differ.
My websites: Kona Coffee: http://itskona.com and Web Hosting: http://planetaloha.info<br />A simplified Voip explanation: http://voip.planet-aloha.com

jpw94

Thanks for that info. I have GV and I also have a Callcentric account so I can get caller ID on my line. I'm not sure if that's actually delivering my need.

I'm starting a small business and want to get separate number for it but Google requires me to provide a mobile # to associate the GV line but I am already using my cell for that. So I thought I am forced to get a number elsewhere but I don't want to spend a ton of money for it. I just want to use it to forward to my other phone(s).