* Anyone have experience with doing fax over cellular on boats and yachts?
The last experiences I had is that most of the GSM (e.g. Cingular/AT&T now)
stopped providing WFAX - Wireless Fax over their network. Verizon was still
providing it just recently. I haven't had an opportunity to re-verify that
lately. But I've got several boats using Verizon for Fax as well as for
voice. Typically you use a Fixed Cellular Terminal, connected to phone jacks
or to a PBX system. Examples are Sony Ericsson, and Telular products.

* Is anyone using Vonage or similar Internet Voice services over Internet to
save money on voice onboard?
--
---
Alan Spicer
PopularWireless.com Marine Forum Co-Moderator
http://www.popularwireless.com/forum...tlist&Board=30

DBA Alan Spicer Telcom / Alan Spicer Marine Telecom
Computer Services, Wired/Wireless Networking,
Cell/Sat/Landline Communications, General Consulting...
Marine, Business, Small Office and Home Office (SOHO)
* http://telecom.dyndns.biz/ (Main Site)
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* http://alanspicermarinetelecom.com/ (.com mirror site)
* http://www.wifiyacht.net/ (Yacht WiFi Main Site)
* http://www.mymarinewifi.com/ (Marine WiFi .com mirror site)
* 954-683-3426 Business Mobile
* 866-977-5245 Toll Free 800#
* 954-977-5245 Office
* skype:alanspicertelecom

"Alan Spicer" wrote in
:

* Is anyone using Vonage or similar Internet Voice services over
Internet to save money on voice onboard?
--


As many of the marinas are now providing free wifi, we've been using
Skype with great success on any available wifi in range. Many of the
posters here are using high powered access points up the mast to increase
wifi range for internet, as well as Skype purposes.

My home phone is on Skype. I have a Netgear SPH101 Skype phone which
hooks itself directly to my wifi router, without eating computer
resources. I also run Skype on laptop and desktop computers in various
parts of the house. You can run up to 10 simultaneous Skypes on the same
account. They all ring at once...(c;

Unlike Vonage's pay-even-if-you-don't-use-it fees, Skype only eats money
if you connect it to landlines. In the USA-Canada, an unlimited Skype-
to-telephone/cellular phone interconnect is $30/YEAR (not month). No
per-minute charges. In Europe, Skype has another bulk use deal. If you
use Skype to call from X to a phone not covered by the bulk rates, the
per-minute charges vary, usually 2.1c/minute to most civilized countries
that don't charge both parties to use the phone. There's a long rate
list on Skype Out to about any place on the planet.

To receive calls from POTS or cellular phones TO Skype, Skype In rates
have doubled with the Ebay takeover to a paltry $60/year/number. You can
have up to 10 phone numbers on ONE Skype account any place Skype has made
a deal to interconnect. I have a Charleston, SC, USA phone number and
one on BT in London, England. Calls to either ring all my Skypes online.
I can even take another call from the other number and interconnect
everyone from my Skype in a conference. There is no per-minute charge
for incoming calls. The caller pays normal telephone charges to call
either of my numbers.

Skype is MUCH cheaper than Vonage. http://www.skype.com/

As for FAX service, again on wifi from anywhere, there are hundreds of
Internet-to-FAX services, some even free, once one has broken the bonds
of being on analog for FAX. I use an HP scanner/printer to scan the
document into a jpg and simply email it to it destination if possible.
If not, I send the jpg to a FAX service, who completes the analog-to-FAX-
machine interconnect for me. Incoming FAXes from analog fax machines
simply reverses the process and my FAX comes in my email as a jpg ready
for printing, locally, if necessary. I usually store them, not print
them.

http://www.efax.com/en
You can have your own number wherever it is most expeditious and
inexpensive for your faxers to connect to....cheap.

Larry
--
While in Mexico, I didn't have to press 1 for Spanish.
While in Iran, I didn't have to press 1 for Farsi, either.
It just isn't fair.

On Jul 9, 10:58 pm, Larry wrote:
"Alan Spicer" wrote :

* Is anyone using Vonage or similar Internet Voice services over
Internet to save money on voice onboard?
--

As many of the marinas are now providing free wifi, we've been using
Skype with great success on any available wifi in range. Many of the
posters here are using high powered access points up the mast to increase
wifi range for internet, as well as Skype purposes.

My home phone is on Skype. I have a Netgear SPH101 Skype phone which
hooks itself directly to my wifi router, without eating computer
resources. I also run Skype on laptop and desktop computers in various
parts of the house. You can run up to 10 simultaneous Skypes on the same
account. They all ring at once...(c;

Unlike Vonage's pay-even-if-you-don't-use-it fees, Skype only eats money
if you connect it to landlines. In the USA-Canada, an unlimited Skype-
to-telephone/cellular phone interconnect is $30/YEAR (not month). No
per-minute charges. In Europe, Skype has another bulk use deal. If you
use Skype to call from X to a phone not covered by the bulk rates, the
per-minute charges vary, usually 2.1c/minute to most civilized countries
that don't charge both parties to use the phone. There's a long rate
list on Skype Out to about any place on the planet.

To receive calls from POTS or cellular phones TO Skype, Skype In rates
have doubled with the Ebay takeover to a paltry $60/year/number. You can
have up to 10 phone numbers on ONE Skype account any place Skype has made
a deal to interconnect. I have a Charleston, SC, USA phone number and
one on BT in London, England. Calls to either ring all my Skypes online.
I can even take another call from the other number and interconnect
everyone from my Skype in a conference. There is no per-minute charge
for incoming calls. The caller pays normal telephone charges to call
either of my numbers.

Skype is MUCH cheaper than Vonage. http://www.skype.com/

As for FAX service, again on wifi from anywhere, there are hundreds of
Internet-to-FAX services, some even free, once one has broken the bonds
of being on analog for FAX. I use an HP scanner/printer to scan the
document into a jpg and simply email it to it destination if possible.
If not, I send the jpg to a FAX service, who completes the analog-to-FAX-
machine interconnect for me. Incoming FAXes from analog fax machines
simply reverses the process and my FAX comes in my email as a jpg ready
for printing, locally, if necessary. I usually store them, not print
them.

http://www.efax.com/en
You can have your own number wherever it is most expeditious and
inexpensive for your faxers to connect to....cheap.

Larry
--
While in Mexico, I didn't have to press 1 for Spanish.
While in Iran, I didn't have to press 1 for Farsi, either.
It just isn't fair.

Good post. I've used both of those and recommended them for boats/
yachts.
I also recently connected a Netgear SPH101 on a yacht that purchased
it
on his own, to the WiFi Amplifier/Sharing System I had done for them.
He
also bought the Netgear portable WiFi Skype phone, he figures if he is
off
on the dock somewhere else where there is WiFi he can use that, and
can
even call back to the boat. Cool.

(I don't know what Bellsouth/AT&T's Newsgroups server is doing
tonight.
It had problems the other day as well. So anyway I'll use Google
Groups
for now. Not sure what my signature looks like via Google.)

Alan

aspicer wrote in
oups.com:

NNTP-Posting-Host: 74.238.88.37


Also notice Google and ATT expose your IP to the kiddie krackers if you
**** someone off. A great opportunity to DoS you.

Look at the header to this post from UNS....anonymous, no IP, no address,
nothing. Much better.

Larry
--
While in Mexico, I didn't have to press 1 for Spanish.
While in Iran, I didn't have to press 1 for Farsi, either.
It just isn't fair.

On Jul 9, 11:03 am, "Alan Spicer" wrote:
* Anyone have experience with doing

I use Skype at times for voice and "intertainment." Skype to Skype
calls are free and Skype to phone varies: about $0.03 in USA more
outside. Ive talk to about a dozen people using Skype who talk to
relitives round the world and all say Skype has best voice quality.

I use Verizon wireless (cell phone) for internet connection and txt
msg to cell phones. Connection in most places for download at 400-600
kbs, other places 50-70 kbs. Upload at 60 kbs. With cellphone and
"wireless card" service for internet connection runs about $100/month.
Bob

wrote in news:1184043834.863222.55200
@g37g2000prf.googlegroups.com:

On Jul 9, 11:03 am, "Alan Spicer" wrote:
* Anyone have experience with doing

I use Skype at times for voice and "intertainment." Skype to Skype
calls are free and Skype to phone varies: about $0.03 in USA more
outside. Ive talk to about a dozen people using Skype who talk to
relitives round the world and all say Skype has best voice quality.

I use Verizon wireless (cell phone) for internet connection and txt
msg to cell phones. Connection in most places for download at 400-600
kbs, other places 50-70 kbs. Upload at 60 kbs. With cellphone and
"wireless card" service for internet connection runs about $100/month.
Bob



Bob, be informed that using anything but webpages, email and, if you have
one, a company intranet to the company mainframe are specifically
forbidden by your Verizon agreement, buried deep in the paper
trash/webpage nonsense. If you use more than 5GB/month on Verizon's
wireless internet, they automatically assume you are in violation and
automatically dump you from the system, which is also in the legalese.

Here's what it says, without all the hunting:

"UNLIMITED DATA PLANS AND FEATURES
Unlimited Data Plans and Features (such as NationalAccess,
BroadbandAccess, Push to Talk, and certain VZEmail services) may ONLY be
used with wireless devices for the following purposes: (i) Internet
browsing; (ii) email; and (iii) intranet access (including access to
corporate intranets, email, and individual productivity applications like
customer relationship management, sales force, and field service
automation). The Unlimited Data Plans and Features MAY NOT be used for
any other purpose. Examples of prohibited uses include, without
limitation, the following: (i) continuous uploading, downloading or
streaming of audio or video programming or games; (ii) server devices or
host computer applications, including, but not limited to, Web camera
posts or broadcasts, automatic data feeds, automated machine–to–machine
connections or peer–to–peer (P2P) file sharing; or (iii) as a substitute
or backup for private lines or dedicated data connections. This means, by
way of example only, that checking email, surfing the Internet,
downloading legally acquired songs, and/or visiting corporate intranets
is permitted, but downloading movies using P2P file sharing services
and/or redirecting television signals for viewing on laptops is
prohibited. A person engaged in prohibited uses, continuously for one
hour, could typically use 100 to 200 MBs, or, if engaged in prohibited
uses for 10 hours a day, 7 days a week, could use more than 5 GBs in a
month.

For individual use only and not for resale. We reserve the right to
protect our network from harm, which may impact legitimate data flows. We
reserve the right to limit throughput or amount of data transferred, and
to deny or terminate service, without notice, to anyone we believe is
using an Unlimited Data Plan or Feature in any manner prohibited above or
whose usage adversely impacts our network or service levels. Anyone using
more than 5 GB per line in a given month is presumed to be using the
service in a manner prohibited above, and we reserve the right to
immediately terminate the service of any such person without notice. We
also reserve the right to terminate service upon expiration of Customer
Agreement term"


At Verizon, and most ISPs except Sprint, "unlimited access" has nothing
to do with "unlimited data". It means you can connect to it 24/7....you
just can't USE it 24/7.....which simply sucks for that much money.


Larry
--
While in Mexico, I didn't have to press 1 for Spanish.
While in Iran, I didn't have to press 1 for Farsi, either.
It just isn't fair.