[Year 12 IPM] I'm leaping into the VoIP

Tue Sep 20 21:30:50 EST 2005

Hi Mark.

WOW!!! Thanks for your time and affort to answer all my dumb questions. I must research this more. Got a Dick Smith catalog online today which had some offers of VoIP gear.

I am actually thinking of ditching the dedicated fax line to go VoIP - I could save money by making all calls from that line, and incoming calls would still be the normal phone number which could take the fax also (with 2 kids, and family in the country and USA my phone bill is rather large!). I would still have the cable internet, one landline and 5 mobiles with Optus, so surely they would still give me one out of 3 months for free.

Re: IPM and IS numbers for next year - We have a full year 12 class, but only one, this year we had two, last year we had 3. I tried to talk Keegan into doing IS  - but the lazy little devil is looking for "soft* options. He also said "if I want to do an IT degree I don't need it in Year 12" and I still think that is one of the biggest problems we face with IT - that the tertiary institutions basically assume no prior knowledge - which makes it very boring for some kids who have chosen all the IT electives throughout their school life (one of our ex year 12's still works on our web page and said the first semester of his multimedia course consisted of 'nothing I already didn't know')

Realistically that's what we need to do - lobby the unis and TAFES to make IPM and/or systems compulsory for entry into their IT courses - then we'd be teaching decent sized classes, and our positions would be more secure.

Hoping you all are continuing to enjoy your holidays

Thanks again Mark.

Ros Meadows
Bentleigh SC
9579 1044
meadows.roslyn.m at edumail.vic.gov.au

"Furious activity is no substitute for understanding." H. H. Williams 

________________________________

From: ipm-bounces at edulists.com.au on behalf of Mark Kelly
Sent: Tue 9/20/2005 3:25 PM
To: Year 12 Information Technology Processing and Management Teachers'Mailing List
Subject: Re: [Year 12 IPM] I'm leaping into the VoIP

Meadows, Roslyn M wrote:
> Congratulations Mark!!

> I would follow suit but unfortunately next year's Yellow Pages ads have gone in, so it would be a bit of a problem to change phone numbers. Although I could pay for redirection I guess.

> Who are the service providers for VoIP? Are they existing IP's or phone companies? Do you think Optus and Telstra will eventually jump on the band wagon?

The best place to start research is at
http://forums.whirlpool.net.au/forum-threads.cfm?f=107

(no, it's NOT a fridge discussion board as I used to think).

VoIP providers include Skype, MyNetFone and FaktorTel (which I chose).
There are a dozen or so, all told.  They vary a lot in monthly fees,
services, ISD rates etc so you really need to work out what your needs
are and find the provider that is best for you.

I don't think there's a "one size fits all" provider.

You mainly have to decide:

- Do I have ADSL?  In which case you have to keep your existing phone
line and pay for VoIP on top of that (though you can drop your landline
contract to the bare minimum cost and use the VoIP for voice calls)

- Do I want to call real phones and receive real calls (as opposed to
talking to other VoIP users online).  If so, you need an ATA box to
connect your real phone to the internet (about $120)

- Do I make enough calls to warrant the cost of the ATA box?  I don't
make or receive many calls (sob - another long and tragic story) but
over a year, I'd save with the reduced monthly costs from ditching the
Optus landline ($20/month), the cheaper local calls (10c vs Optus 20c)
and 10c STD calls.  ISD rates are a fraction of Telstroptus rates.

In brief, VoIP providers are not (currently) major Telcos.  After all,
would Caltex promote the concept of the Water Powered Car?

Having said that, my feeling is that Telcos will end up collapsing under
the weight of VoIP and be like Kodak who had to re-engineer themselves
to stay alive.

> With optus cable and 2 phone lines I get one month out of three free for the cable internet  - will you still get that ? (I thought you had to have the 2 phone lines)

Optus does not (currently) offer VoIP so they're not in the equation.
With VoIP you can get more than on DID (VoIP phone number) at about $5
per month on average, depending on the supplier and the plan you want.

Everything is a trade-off.  You get 'cheaper' Optus cable by packaging a
landline... you get cheaper landline by going VoIP and keeping the
cable.  You need to do the maths.

I don't worry about $5 a month here and there if I get the chance to
really piss off major telcos.  (Ooops - can I use the word "telcos"
here? Thinks: Do mailing list moderators have to punish themselves?)

> Do you have to have your computer and cable modem turned on all the time?

The cable modem has to be on (obviously, otherwise you don't get no IP!)

The PC does NOT need to be on if you go the ATA box option.

If you want the free VoIP path, yes - the PC has to be on - it's like
vocal instant messaging.

 >Can you use an answering machine with the VoIP?

Yes, any normal existing phone/ answerphone can plug into the ATA box.

> Can you have call waiting?

Dunno.

> Can you have call diversion (eg divert to your mobile when you are going out?)

With some providers, yes.  There's one that will send incoming calls to
both your VoIP phone AND your mobile, and whichever one you answer will
collect the call.  Pretty nifty.

> Also one of my lines is a dedicated fax - does VoIP cover fax lines, or just voice (ignorant aren't I!!)

Some providers do the VoIp fax thing.  Again, you need to do the
homework to find which provider you need.  Naturally, most extras cost
extra.

> How are your IT numbers for next year shaping up? We have dropped 3 VCE IT classes (not because the kids have not chosen it but because 12 classes have been dropped from the VCE blocks) Also our principal is talking about integrating IT at Years 7-9. I don't think there will be anything for me to do here next year. Any jobs going for a dedicated IT teacher over there?

Grrr.  IPM is about FIFTEEN kids out of 1300.  Systems was FOURTEEN but
the admin decided not to let it run.  Go figure.  Not happy.

> 
> Cheers to all and hope you are enjoying your break! I am in agony already from a day spent gardening and knocking down rendered and hard plastered walls!

And rendering takes such a LONG time even with a Cray supercomputer.

> Ros Meadows (TONS)
> Bentleigh SC
> 9579 1044
> meadows.roslyn.m at edumail.vic.gov.au
> 
> "Furious activity is no substitute for understanding." H. H. Williams
>
> ________________________________
>
> From: ipm-bounces at edulists.com.au on behalf of Mark Kelly
> Sent: Mon 9/19/2005 2:42 PM
> To: Year 12 Information Technology Processing and Management Teachers'Mailing List
> Subject: [Year 12 IPM] I'm leaping into the VoIP
>
>
>
> Dear all
>
> I'm taking the plunge and cashing in my Optus home landline for a VoIP
> phone account.  (Since I have cable internet, I don't need to keep my
> existing landline as ADSL users have to do.)
>
> I'm going for the ATA with DID - the ATA [Analogue Telephone Adaptor] is
> a $120 black box that connects my existing phone to my router and the
> internet.
>
> The DID [Direct Inward Dial] is a virtual phone number that lets me call
> real [PSTN] phones anywhere in the world and receive calls from real
> phones from anywhere.
>
> Alas, I can't keep my existing PSTN phone number  :-(
>
> All calls [even STD] within Oz are 10c (untimed) and international calls
> are about 33% or less of Telstra/Optus.  Monthly subscription is $10
> (half of what Optus asks).
>
> If you want a risk-free trial, you can get free VoIP using software and
> headset/mikes but you can only talk to other people using the same
> software if they're currently on the internet - you can't call normal
> phones or get called by them.
>
> I'll let you know how it goes.
>
> --
> Mark Kelly
> Actively on Holiday from being
> Manager - Information Systems
> McKinnon Secondary College
>
> IPM Lecture notes: http://vceit.com
> Moderator: IPM Mailing List
>
> _______________________________________________
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> IPM Mailing List kindly supported by
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>
>
>
>
> Important -
> This email and any attachments may be confidential. If received in error, please contact us and delete all copies. Before opening or using attachments check them for viruses and defects. Regardless of any loss, damage or consequence, whether caused by the negligence of the sender or not, resulting directly or indirectly from the use of any attached files our liability is limited to resupplying any affected attachments. Any representations or opinions expressed are those of the individual sender, and not necessarily those of the Department of Education & Training.
> _______________________________________________
> http://www.edulists.com.au - FAQ, resources, subscribe, unsubscribe
> IPM Mailing List kindly supported by
> http://www.vcaa.vic.edu.au - Victorian Curriculum and Assessment Authority and
> http://www.vitta.org.au  - VITTA Victorian Information Technology Teachers Association Inc

--
Mark Kelly
Manager - Information Systems
McKinnon Secondary College
McKinnon Rd McKinnon 3204, Victoria Australia
Phone +613 95780844  Fax +613 95789253
webmaster:   http://www.mckinnonsc.vic.edu.au
IPM Mailing List Moderator
IPM notes:   http://vceit.com

  I'm often spick, but never span.
_______________________________________________
http://www.edulists.com.au - FAQ, resources, subscribe, unsubscribe
IPM Mailing List kindly supported by
http://www.vcaa.vic.edu.au - Victorian Curriculum and Assessment Authority and
http://www.vitta.org.au  - VITTA Victorian Information Technology Teachers Association Inc

Important - 
This email and any attachments may be confidential. If received in error, please contact us and delete all copies. Before opening or using attachments check them for viruses and defects. Regardless of any loss, damage or consequence, whether caused by the negligence of the sender or not, resulting directly or indirectly from the use of any attached files our liability is limited to resupplying any affected attachments. Any representations or opinions expressed are those of the individual sender, and not necessarily those of the Department of Education & Training.
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