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Actiontec Vosky Call Center
Price: £55 incl VAT

Features
Performance
Ease of use
Value for money
Overall

Reviewed By: Andy Shaw

This review updated: 03/04/2006
Featured in magazine:
Issue 131
Manufacturer Contacts:
Supplier: Actiontec
Web Address: www.vosky.com


Unless you have a service like Freetalk or Vonage installed, making VoIP (voice over IP) calls is a PC-based affair. With services like Skype you need to be sitting in front of your computer to make the call. Compared to standard cordless phones, which let you wander around the house, this is quite a restriction. This VoSky device from Actiontec not only merges Skype with your home phone, so you can use your standard phone for landline or VoIP calls, it also lets you dial into your Skype account from any other phone and make the most of its cheaper international or free Skype to Skype calls.

Features
The VoIP world seems to be crammed with small, black, non-descript boxes and this device isn't bucking the trend. It has three sockets on the back – one for plugging in your regular home phone, another for connecting to your phone socket so you can still make regular telephone calls, and a third USB socket for connecting it to your computer. Set up the hardware, install the software and that's it – your Skype account has merged with your home phone so you can use the same handset for either type of call, or make calls using your Skype account from any other phone by ringing into your home number from elsewhere.

Performance
Press two hashes (##) when you pick up the phone and you lose your regular dial tone and get through to a keypad-activated Skype interface. A voice on the line tells you what to do but it's sensible to have some quickdials set up on your Skype account. Then, making a call to one of your Skype contacts (or any other number if you're using Skype Out) can be done with a single button press. The downside is that your computer still needs to be switched on with Skype up and running, and the USB connection means you're going to have to have your computer close to your phone socket – there are no networking options available here. This is in sharp contrast to services like Freetalk (www.freetalk.co.uk) and Vonage (www.vonage.co.uk), which let you use their services without the need to have a computer close by or switched on.

Ease of use
Basic operation is quite straight forward. You could even just use this as a phone adapter to connect a spare standard phone to your PC for use with Skype. It gets a bit more complicated the more you want to do with it. If the phone you're plugging into the system is sophisticated, with something like an answerphone already built in, things can get a little complicated with regards to leaving messages, as the Skype option has been designed to pick up the call in case it's you that's ringing in, wanting to make a Skype call from a different phone.

Value for money
If you're smart you could save money with this, especially if you find yourself in crazy situations such as having to dial an international number from your mobile: you could just dial into your Call Center for the price of a UK call and have it forward your call abroad via Skype's far superior rates. The £55 device is good value for a one-off payment as long as you don't mind leaving your PC on to make full use of its features.

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