Sure, you can call your friends on Skype as long as they are have a Skype account or buy a Magik Jack thing and pay either one of them for making and receiving calls over the net on your computer to real phone numbers. Well, I don’t know about you but in my all too well known form of being the ultimate cheapskate, I’d rather do it free.
Hosts will take note that this will allow you to not only have a call-in number for your shows but you can use it to make outgoing calls as well to interviewees.
I’ll tell you how and take you through the steps and even give you clickable links that will open in a new window so you don't lose these instructions as you go.
Now, I will warn you that it may sound complicated but is worth it in the end. What we do is combine separate programs in order to make everything free. Thanks to a host here at BoldVoices.TV named Qubano for being the first of us to figure out how to do this. Since I am the resident TechnoTard, I thought I’d write a post about how I did it and do it without geek speek. I am going to assume that you already have the necessary hardware like a microphone, speakers or headset, and already know how to mess with your sound settings if needed.
Step 1: Get a Google Voice invite. Google Voice is currently by invitation only so if you don’t have it yet then request and invite at https://services.google.com/fb/forms/googlevoiceinvite/ It may take a while to get your invite in the email but is the final key to solving this puzzle. Mine took two weeks. Go ahead and do the other steps so that you are already set up. You will need the rest done anyway so that you can set up Google Voice correctly at the end.
Step 2: Get an SIP account. I use Sip2Sip and you can go set up an account at https://secure.dns-hosting.info/register_sip_account.phtml Make sure you use an active email account as they will send you an email with directions that you might have to follow to confirm your account. That email will give you a number that works for any other SIP users only to call you. With Sip2Sip it will probably start with 22333…. I will refer to this number you get as your SIP User Number in further steps. Bookmark your login website for Sip2Sip as you will need to login periodically to ensure your account isn’t considered abandoned and taken away. I usually do this on a weekly schedule just to be safe.
Step 3: Get a softphone. This is simply the term we use for a phone that is on your computer screen instead of sitting on your end table. I use XLite Version 3.0 and do not allow updates since the other newer versions are currently in beta. You can go download this program for free at http://www.counterpath.com/x-lite.html It also has a feature to enable video calling but I have disabled that feature from automatically turning on when making a call.
After downloading and installing, you should have a cellphone looking thing on your screen. At the top click on the arrow that is pointing down (main menu). Select SIP Account Settings and another little window will open up. You will see an empty list. Click ADD for yet another little window. Enter the following information for each field.
Display Name: Whatever you want your name to be.
User Name: Your SIP User Number (do not put the @and other info)
Password: Your password to the SIP account
Authorization User Name: Your SIP User Number again (do not put the @and other info)
Domain: sip2sip.info
Domain Proxy: Make sure that the box for ‘Register with domain and receive incoming calls’ is checked. For the ‘Send outbound via:’ area do NOT enter anything. If you happen to click on any of the little targets there then you can’t seem to get them to go away, then choose ‘target domain’. This is where some people mess up and put something in for ‘proxy’ because the SIP email provides it. Don’t use it since it is intended for you to use through a pay service for outgoing calls and we are going the totally free route.
Dialing plan: Leave the field empty
Hit ‘Apply’ or ‘Save’ or whatever choice it gives you. The list that used to be empty should now show your sip2sip info and make sure the box to the left under the word ‘Enabled’ is checked. You can at anytime select that account and hit ‘Properties’ to go back and check or modify the information you just entered.
Your XLite softphone should now say ‘Ready’ and show ‘Your username is: (SIP User Number) on it’s screen. If not, then just try fully closing the program and restarting it. From now on it should register and connect automatically whenever you start the program. A little troubleshooting advice to keep in mind – there are two phone lines and you should make sure to click on each and actually hang up on them after each call. There sometimes seems to be a problem where it will ring busy. Lots of people blame this problem on their sip account or ipkall not hanging up when it is actually the phone that hasn’t fully disconnected from it. After each call, hanging up on each line will fully disconnect it from your sip account and your XLite should again read as ‘ready’.
Step 4: Get an incoming real phone number for your SIP. I use IPKall and you can get a free number at http://phone.ipkall.com/ Enter the following information:
Account Type: SIP
Area Code: Choose any one from the dropdown menu
SIP Phone Number: Your SIP User Number (do not put the @and other info)
SIP Proxy: sip2sip.info
Email Address: Give a real one
Password: Your SIP password
Choose however many seconds you’d like of ringing before it hangs up, fill it the captcha, and hit submit. You will get an email with information that you will use on Google Voice and perhaps some instructions for verifying your account with IPKall. Bookmark your login website for IPKall as you will need to login periodically to ensure your account isn’t considered abandoned and taken away. I usually do this on a weekly schedule just to be safe.
The phone number that IPKall just gave you enables people to call your softphone from landlines, cellphones, or other softphones. However, I do not give this number out to friends and family and waited to get your Google Voice number. YOU cannot use it free of charge to call normal phone numbers, just RECEIVE them.
Step 5: Set up your Google Voice account that you should have requested an invitation to in step 1. While you are making a Google Voice account you will be able to somewhat pick the phone number that you want. This will be the number that you actually give to friends and family so go nuts with it and try to get one you like. What is really neat is that if you ever change to a cellphone, change your home landline number, or even change your SIP phone number then you can simply update Google Voice at that time. This avoids sending out new contact information to your family anytime this happens and they will just continue using the same Google Voice phone number to say ‘hi, what’s up’.
What you will do is tell Google Voice your IPKall phone number and categorize it as a cellphone. When it asked for the cellphone company information I just picked one that was local and followed the directions. Google Voice will then call your cellphone/softphone and have you dial a couple numbers so that it can verify that your connection works. You are set …. and it’s all free of cost. Test it out a couple of times and make sure your XLite says ‘ready’ before each one.
Step 6: Remember me in your dreams, tell everyone you know where you got this info and how cool we are, get your tail over to BoldVoices.TV, watch the shows, and join the chat. I’m usually in there.
Bye Darlins,
A_G1RL
