Skype without a computer

hi there,

i am thinking about buying a skype phone. I've no experience of using one and at the moment I don't have a broadband connection. It was mentioned to me during the weekend that I could buy a skpe phone and plug it into a modem and call other skype phones for free and landlines in Ireland, Uk and Canada for a fraction of the cost of the same call using eircom. Is this true and is it just a matter of installing broadband and buying the phone? What are the advantages/ disadvantages of this?

thanks for your help and advice

A

Hi Amh
First of all, not only would you need a broadband connection, but you would also need a pc or a laptop, as you need to download skype in order to use it. Yes, all skype to skype calls are free & you can purchase skypeout packages for calling landlines which are very cheap. The downside is to make & receive calls your broadband & pc/laptop have to be switched on.

You could consider switching mobile providers to Three. As a billpay customer you can connect to skype for free (& get free skype to skype calls) & you can still purchase skype call credit for cheaper international calls to landlines. Or with Three pay as you go once you top up by €10 a month (soon to change to €20 per month) you can connect to skype for free for that month. You would just have to make sure that the mobile phone handset is compatible with skype or skype enabled, & that is all shown on their website. That way you wouldn’t have to be at home to make or receive calls & you wouldn’t need to have your pc/laptop switched on either.

http://www.fon.com/en/

No need to have a lap top. Just get broadband and buy a skype phone.

Didn't realise you could do it that way - so you'd have to pay €79 for the Fonera router, buy a skype phone, pay for your broadband connection & monthly fees.

I still think it would be cheaper & less hassle for the OP to go for the mobile option.

I use skype on my PC. No problems.
If I wanted skype on a phone such as an iPhone, could I set up the same account as I have on my PC on the phone? Or would I have to set up a seperate account with a different user name?

R

No, you can use the same account.

Glad to hear that it can be done alright. Would the phone be on all the time to let people phone in and out so long as it is plugged into the router? and would I get a new number or would it stay the same? who do you think would provide the best broadband package to do this with? I would not be downloading much so I would really only want a basic package, just enough to make the phone calls. As I say lads I'm really only an amature and I find the whole internet thing daunting!!!!

Thanks again to you