PcPhoneline VTA1000 dual mode Skype/SIP Gateway Review
Last week I placed my order for the VTA1000 dual mode Skype/SIP version and waited patiently for it to arrive. Now I am one of those people who gets excited about technology and gadgets and couldn't wait to open the package when it arrived. My excitement was somewhat muted after looking at the contents of the package. There's not much to the VTA1000, a small cream coloured plastic box with a little red LED on top. But then again with this sort of product it's not what it looks like that's important, but what it can do. So does PCPhoneline's dual mode Skype/SIP VTA1000 deliver on it's promises?
Package contents
So what do you get for your hard earned $59?
VTA1000 Box - This has a USB socket at one end and a standard PSTN socket at the other end, where you plug your telephone in, and a small red LED built into the top.
Reasonable length USB cable
Installation Instruction Sheet
Installation CD
Installation
Actual installation of the product is fairly simple. Insert the Installation CD into your PC and wait whilst the PcPhoneline software is installed. The next thing I did was to see if I needed to install any updates. Normally when you're supplied with software it's always version 1.0, so you need to download the latest patches before you start using it. So, when I checked my version of the PcPhoneline software I was pleasantly surprised to see that I'd been supplied with the latest version.
Once the software is installed you need to re-start your PC and then plug the VTA1000 USB cable into a spare USB port. Now, the first time I did this nothing happened. Windows did not detect any hardware. I thought 'Oh no! it's either been damaged during shipment or it's a duff unit!' After a bit of thumb-twiddling I thought perhaps I should plug a phone into the VTA1000. I did this and tried again. This time Windows detected a new device.
r />Skype Setup
Skype Setup involves changing a few settings in Skype. These are changing the Audio In and Audio Out settings to "USB Audio Device" or "PC Phoneline USB Device". You also need to changed the settings to enable Global Hotkeys and also de-select the Play Ring tone options in the Call Alerts section of Skype.
SIP Setup
This involves right clicking the little 'red-telephone' icon in your task bar and then selecting 'Account' from the pop-up menu. Here you enter your SIP account details. I've got a Free World Dial-up account and so entered the relevant details. If you go to the PcPhoneline website there is a list of configurations for different SIP providers. When your account is successfully registered with the Registrar Proxy Server, the little red telephone icon will be overlaid with a bright green "R".
Using it with Skype
This unit really does make using VOIP applications a joy. A headset with a microphone is not really the most natural method of speaking to someone, unless you work in a Call Centre! Picking up the phone and just dialling a number makes internet telephony more accessible, in my opinion. With Skype you can call another Skype user by using the speed-dial function o?n your phone. Before you can do this though, you need to enter your Skype usernames into the PcPhoneline book. You can also program normal numbers for use with Skype Out. The phone book o?nly has 50 speed dial numbers available, for both Skype names and normal PSTN phone numbers (and SIP numbers). If you are using Skype Out you can either use the speed dial function to dial a number stored in your PcPhoneline phone book or enter a phone number just as you would with a normal phone, except you omit the leading zero's of the international code (e.g. 0044 = 44).
Using it with a SIP account
To use the unit with a SIP account you pick up the handset and dial #0 and then the number you want (based upon the instructions of your SIP provider). In my case I dialled a FWD number.
Phones
Unfortunately I only had one spare phone and the cordless o?ne that I?d intended to use with this product decided to die on me, so I could only test this product with a fixed line phone. If I get round to testing it with a cordless phone I will updated this review accordingly.
Software Registration
Ive included this bit, because whilst I dont think it is a huge issue, it is important to note it. The first time you pick up the phone and use the product you have to enter the licence key. Fair enough.
This licence key is then registered with PcPhoneline. If you wanted to then use the VTA1000 in another PC you are required to un-register the software on the 1st PC and then register the software on the 2nd PC. I spoke to PcPhoneline about this as it did bug me a little bit. They were honest and said that the software is licensed to the PC it is registered on and if it is not unregistered and you attempt to use the software, with the same licence key on another PC, it will not work.
The reality is, with this kind of product, you wouldn?t be uninstalling the hardware from one PC to another PC that often, so I don?t see it as a huge issue. If you did want to move the hardware from one PC to another often and wanted to avoid the hassle of de-registering and re-registering the software, then it is possible to buy an additional license.
Conclusion
So does the VTA1000 deliver on its promises? I think if you want the best of both worlds, then this is a good 'starter' product for a beginner in the world of VoIP. It allows you to make use of Skype, which for the time being is a very popular Internet Telephony service. My girlfriend has a lot of Skype contacts and has found that using a normal phone handset makes using Skype a much more pleasurable experience for her. Her own words were 'At least I don't feel like I'm working in a Call Centre anymore...'
If there was a negative point about this product, then it is that you have to have a PC switched on to make and receive calls. However, this is a failing of all USB based VOIP phone products and so cannot really be considered a failing of this product.
The thing I really like about this product is that it allows you to use Skype, but without then being tied into it, because the hardware you've purchased will only work with Skype. and Skype account connected at the same time. It isn't an either or solution.. which is good!
Lastly, after speaking with PcPhoneline they informed me that this product will also work with the Babble service? I find this encouraging as PcPhoneline seem to be working o?n their product line and updating the software accordingly.
George Pickles
Added: Tuesday, December 07, 2004
Reviewer: George Pickles
Score:
Related web link: PcPhoneline
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Language: eng
