Want A Free Vonage Inbound Softphone?

Posts: 605

I was playing around this morning and found a neat way to setup a softphone for receiving inbound calls from your Vonage number.

Here are the step by step instructions for setting this up.

First go to Free World Dialup and sign up for a FWD account. You will be assigned a 6 digit accoutn number and a password of your choice.

Next you will go to ipKALL and sign up for a free direct dial telephone number in the format 360-XXX-XXXX. For the signup just enter your FWD number that was assigned and choose a password. Dont click the box for the voicemail or it would probley override your Vonage voicemail. Please note it does take about an hour for your ipKALL number to be active.

Next you will download a free softphone from X-Ten called X-Lite. Im actually using their eyeBeam but X-Lite is almost the same. You can find the download link for their softphone at Download XLite Here and install that. You will then have to configure XLite for use with FWD. Should be pretty easy, I dont use it but im sure its the same as eyeBeam from Xten.

Last, after about an hour you should be able to call your 360-XXX-XXXX number and it should ring your softphone. If it does go into your Vonage web account and go to call forwarding and simularing and put your 630XXXXXXX number in there.

Now when you receive calls on your Vonage line your softphone will ring too. This would be great if you are at work or school. I would also reccomend getting a USB headset if you want to use a softphone. I have one from logitech which was about 39.00 at compusa.

Posts: 2257 · Posted: Fri Jan 13, 2006 10:21 am Post subject:

That is very cool. Thanks for the heads-up on ipkall.com - that's a nice service they have there.

Posts: 605 · Posted: Fri Jan 13, 2006 10:34 am Post subject:

I was thinking this would probley work pretty well if you had one of those fancy Cisco IP telephones laying around collecting dust too Smile

Or you could always steal one from work if your the pillaging type.

I was going to get one but the phone I wanted was 899.00..a little much for a toy. Maybe I will get a 150.00 one sometime.

Would only work for inbound but would still be fun.

Posts: 1424 · Posted: Fri Jan 13, 2006 2:18 pm Post subject:

What happens if you have simulring set up but no SoftPhone running?

Posts: 605 · Posted: Fri Jan 13, 2006 2:25 pm Post subject:

scerruti wrote:

What happens if you have simulring set up but no SoftPhone running?

Vonage phone rings as normal. Your softphone just doesnt ring Very Happy

Just tested it.

Posts: 605 · Posted: Fri Jan 13, 2006 3:07 pm Post subject:

I was just thinking...this could be used for OUTBOUND too if you download and install the Vonage click to call extension for firefox browser.

edit: Just tried it and for some reason the softphone rings...you pick up and it hangs up when using click 2 call. Says your getting a call from "asterisk" or something.

Posts: 2257 · Posted: Fri Jan 13, 2006 4:16 pm Post subject:

scerruti wrote:

What happens if you have simulring set up but no SoftPhone running?

The "ipkall.com" line, unlike a cell, just rings and rings if you don't have a SIP phone attached to it. It doesn't give a busy signal nor does it give an "out of service area" error message.

So Vonage would think that the line was just ringing, and would eventually drop back to its own voice mail.

Posts: 605 · Posted: Fri Jan 13, 2006 10:06 pm Post subject:

Another nice feature I beleive is part of the ipKALL is when you place a caller on hold with the softphone it starts to play music on hold. I just made a test call to my 630 number from my Vonage line, placed the call on hold on the softphone and received loud rap music once I pressed hold on the Vonage line Rolling Eyes

Posts: 1424 · Posted: Sat Jan 14, 2006 9:15 am Post subject:

KDWycha wrote:

I was just thinking...this could be used for OUTBOUND too if you download and install the Vonage click to call extension for firefox browser.

edit: Just tried it and for some reason the softphone rings...you pick up and it hangs up when using click 2 call. Says your getting a call from "asterisk" or something.

Click-2-Call to this point has only worked with the adapter when simulring is active. It would be interesting to test click-2-call, and simulring to two C2C capable adapters.

I would like to see the incoming SIP message(s) for Click-2-Call if you can capture it with ethereal or equivalent.

Posts: 19 · Vonage Forum Associate Joined: May 06, 2005 Posts: 19

Truly awesome! Thanks for the information. I just downloaded X-Lite and everything's working.