iTalk v Skype

Forums › 2degrees (including Slingshot, Orcon, Flip, Stuff Fibre, MyRepublic, 2talk and Vocus) › iTalk v Skype

3puttssuck

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#26121 12-Sep-2008 13:06

I hope somebody can give me some help on this one. We are about to move house from 1 side of Chch to other. Currently with Slingshot and about to move to xnet. I was wanting to sign up got iTalk to use there VOIP. The wife is worried about VOIP quality because we curently use skype a fair bit and at times it is not good. I was hoping iTalk users could put her mind ( ok and mine, just a little lol) at rest about connection quality and consistancy. Any help and ideas would be awesome.
Thanks guys.

sbiddle

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#163986 12-Sep-2008 13:34

Skype = rubbish. The quality of iTalk is far superior.

If you are moving to Xnet however you would be better off going with their VFX VoIP service which is even bundled with some Xnet plans. You then get QoS for voice calls on their network and voice traffic also doesn't use your data cap like it will if you use iTalk.

What type of VoIP device do you plan to use?

3puttssuck

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#163993 12-Sep-2008 13:54

I had planned on using the iTalk voice box ($69) and plugging in my current cordless phone. I want to be cordless and the ITalk voice box allows this where as xnet seems to be only wired. Trying to do it as cheap as I can. Don't want to be stuck sitting at pc or laptop just to use VoIP. Whats Qos ?

Edit.... Have just been back to xnet website and noticed the ATA, so will check out my options further.

sbiddle

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#164002 12-Sep-2008 14:45

QoS = Quality of Service.

It means that voice traffic is given priority ofver other internet traffic so your voice calls don't drop out if you are surfing the net and talking on the phone at the same time. Whatever ATA you opt for plugs into your router - if your router doesn't support QoS you run the risk of suffering some some dropouts if you're a heavy downloader and want to talk at the same time.

redjet

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#164011 12-Sep-2008 15:20

sbiddle: Skype = rubbish. The quality of iTalk is far superior.

Any evidence to back this claim up? I use Skype everyday for work and speak to clients around NZ and Australia and the call quality is excellent. I use it PC to PC, PC to phone and phone->Skype->my mobile phone.

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sbiddle

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#164013 12-Sep-2008 15:31

My definition of rubbish is merely the fact it's a very poor quality product compared to NZ SIP providers such as VFX, iTalk and 2talk if you are wanting to make calls to landlines. Call quality is nowhere as good due to calls being interconnected outside NZ and the use of a low bitrate codec.

Maybe I'm just fussy but I expect a VoIP solution to offer me a rock solid connection with great audio (ie not very heavily compressed), very little latency, no call jitter and no dropouts. That's something Skype simply doesn't deliver when you're calling PSTN lines. Skype's calling rates also aren't that great compared to other solutions out there.

coffeebaron

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#164021 12-Sep-2008 16:10

Hi David,

I'm an Xnet dealer, and can assist you getting all sorted. Send me a PM if you would like some assistance. Also note if you are wanting to keep your same number, this needs to be done before you move.

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3puttssuck

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#164089 12-Sep-2008 19:48

Thanks Fraser, PM sent.

Slingshot

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#164758 16-Sep-2008 11:11

sbiddle: Skype = rubbish. The quality of iTalk is far superior.

If you are moving to Xnet however you would be better off going with their VFX VoIP service which is even bundled with some Xnet plans. You then get QoS for voice calls on their network and voice traffic also doesn't use your data cap like it will if you use iTalk.

What type of VoIP device do you plan to use?

Actually, iTalk traffic doesnt count towards your cap

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sbiddle

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#164765 16-Sep-2008 11:26

Slingshot:
sbiddle: Skype = rubbish. The quality of iTalk is far superior.

If you are moving to Xnet however you would be better off going with their VFX VoIP service which is even bundled with some Xnet plans. You then get QoS for voice calls on their network and voice traffic also doesn't use your data cap like it will if you use iTalk.

What type of VoIP device do you plan to use?

Actually, iTalk traffic doesnt count towards your cap

I realise this is the case if you are a Slingshot customer but the OP was moving from Slingshot to Xnet so the iTalk traffic would count towards their cap.