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Gossiptel
Price: £117 inc VAT

Features
Performance
Ease of use
Value for money
Overall

Reviewed By: Andy Shaw

This review updated: 16/08/2004
Featured in magazine:
Issue 88
Manufacturer Contacts:
Supplier: Gossiptel
Tel: 0870 930 0700
Web Address: www.gossiptel.com


Features
The main difference with this internet telephony service is that you plug a standard phone into a device that links it to an Ethernet port on your broadband router. When you pick up the receiver you'll hear a dial-tone and, once you've registered with the service and have some credit on your account, you can start making or receiving calls. And because it's plugged into a broadband router rather than your computer, you don't even need to have your computer switched on to use it.

Performance
When using the phone to make calls, both ends of a conversation are mostly crisp and sharp, though we got the occasional loss of quality while using the service. There's also a slight time delay that, while far from terrible, can leave you talking over the person you're chatting to.

Ease of use
If you can use a phone and find your way around a website, you can use this. Setting up the hardware is simple (presuming you've already got that broadband router) as you just have to plug the phone into the converter and the converter into your router – there isn't even any software to install.

Value for money
The bundle reviewed here, which includes a caller display phone and an adapter, costs £117. However, you can supply your own phone (any standard landline phone should work) and get the adapter on its own for £94. Calls to other internet phones using the SIP system (a common standard supported by a number of companies including Microsoft) are free and, if you want to try it out, there are links to free downloadable software phones on the site. Calls to standard landlines are excellent value, especially if you regularly phone overseas – see www.gossiptel.com/plans/?prices=yes for specific details.

More Internet Peripherals reviews:

• Netgear SPH200D Dual-Mode Phone
• Belkin Wi-Fi phone for Skype
• Vonage Wi-Fi Phone
• Netgear Skype Wi-Fi Phone SPH101
• Plantronics Voyager 510 USB