Looks like ZyXel is all set to launch a couple of new VoIP related gizmos. First up is their new gateway ZyXel P-2302R which has two built-in standard phone jacks, which means you can have two different phone numbers on different ports. One for New York, one for San Francisco. And then you can be truly bicoastal. Actually a lot of companies are beginning to offer these twin port ATAs or gateways. The trick is trying to make it all work with a single old style cordless phone. ZyXel’s product I am waiting for is their next VoFi handset. (Please don’t use the phrase without giving credit!) I have used their first handset for a while, and while good looking device, it has some issues. (Read my review here) Still, the new Prestige 2000W v2 VoIP Wi-Fi phone, has been designed to pass off as a cellular phone (circa 1990, but what the hell!) and supports SIP (Session Initiation Protocol), which interoperates with major SIP-based call servers, IP-PBXs and various VoIP client devices.
What soft, free and easy to use VoIp client would you recommend to use for callers to a VoFi phone?
I have able to teach several family members how to use Skype but I suspect Skype will not call any other clients than Skype and thus I’ll have to teach them yet another VoIp client?
xten seems to be the best one right now. if you want, you should get that from the company website. xten.com.
I got this phone in my hands yesterday to replace a 2000W v.1 I bought two weeks ago. To me it seems that the only thing they updated was the casing. Firmware seems the same (not the same version number) – except from the fact that the firmware on this phone seems even buggier 🙁
Another thing is that the phone comes bundled with a service ZyXEL calls “GloConnect”. This means you are forced to use GloConnect for VoIP calls – hardly justifiable if you’d like to use your own VoIP service provider. You can’t edit the settings directly on the phone. However, I flashed the phone with the only firmware available on ZyXEL’s site (called “wr0003_img_TGLO_ONLY.ftp”, a bit odd) – this firmware lets you log in as “zyxeladmin” and change the settings from the web interface. Phone is still buggy as hell, so I’m hoping for a revision of the firmware shortly.