Fongo Canada Now Charges a 4-Cent Connect Fee

Fongo Canada is now charging a 4¢ connection fee for all calls outside of their network of free calling zones in Canada.  Initially, they were only charging a straight 2¢/minute with no connection fee for calls to the USA and other areas in Canada not considered in the free calling zone.

I guess this is the typical road map that most all "freemium" based services follow.  Start out with lots of hype about FREE services.  Then, offer premium services for a nominal fee.  This will typically recover the losses from the freemium services.  But then, once a customer base is established (and hooked), here come the price increases.

Google Pulls Plug on Free iNum +883 Calling

In June of 2012, I reported that Google was finally allowing direct and free routing of calls, from Gmail, to numbers in the Voxbone hosted iNum +883 network.  I considered that to be a great initiative on the part of Google and their support for the iNum initiative.

I often made calls to the iNum Echo Test number at +883-5100-0000-0091 from my Gmail accounts just to test that everything is working AOK.  As well, I also have iNum numbers with Voip.ms, CallCentric, and Spout Canada (thespout.ca).  I also often call the iNum Echo Test number through them for testing, too.

Well, today I tried to call the iNum Echo Test number via one of my Google Apps Gmail accounts and the calls failed.  The error message indicated that I didn't have sufficient calling credits to call this destination (+883-5100-0000-0091).  "Sorry! You do not have enough credit to make this call. Add credit."

Fongo Is Passing the BYOD Baton to FreePhoneLine.ca

Fongo Canada stopped offering their VoIP Unlock Key to the BYOD crowd a while back in lieu of a new offering of their very own Home Phone Service.  In the process, Fongo grandfathered their BYOD SIP VoIP service for people like me who already paid for the SIP unlock key in the past.  Theoretically, this unlock key is good for life (for their one-time fee of $50, back when it was offered).

Today, Fongo sent out an Email notice to all previous owners of the Dell Voice and Fongo Unlock Keys that we should update our SIP service settings with their new "recommended" SIP configuration settings.  Their Email goes on to say that as of March 30th, 2013, people using the old SIP settings "may" experience service disruptions if not using the updated recommended settings.

Configuring Cisco SPA122 For Bridge Mode

By default, the SPA122 VoIP ATA is configured to function as a NAT-Router and DHCP server.  This allows the SPA122 to act as a suitable Internet gateway device for your local home or small office network.

However, there may be times when you don't need or want to use the SPA122 in NAT DHCP server mode.  For example, if you will be using the SPA122 behind an existing NAT-Router, you will likely be better off disabling the NAT functionality within the SPA122 ATA.  In which case, you will change its Network Service Mode from NAT to Bridge.

Voip.ms Announces Lower-Priced Number Porting Fees

Today, VoIP.ms announced that they have dropped the price for their USA and Canadian phone number porting fees down from $25 to only $10 per phone number ported to their BYOD DIY VoIP service.  They go on to say that this price drop is not a promotion.  It is a permanent price drop from today on.

Cisco SPA122 VoIP ATA - How to Update Firmware

Updating firmware in the Cisco SPA122 VoIP ATA is exactly the same procedure as with the Cisco SPA112 VoIP ATA.  After all, they both use the same common firmware versions and .bin files; and thus, all common functions work the same on both ATA's.... even the firmware upgrade  procedure.

Cisco SPA122 - How To Login As Administrator

For the most part, the Cisco SPA122 VoIP ATA, with built-in NAT-Router, is very much the same as the SPA112 ATA (but, without the NAT-Router).  They even share the same firmware (router features turned on, or off).  So, it's not surprising that all their common features function exactly the same - including logging in.

I've already written an article on "Cisco SPA112 - How To Login As Administrator".  And, if you read that article, you will have most of the information that you need to know about logging into the SPA122.  However, there are a couple of differences worth pointing out.  Thus, I will only highlight the details and connections that distinguishes the login similarities and differences between the SPA112 and SPA122 ATA's.

Cisco SPA112 - SPA122 VoIP ATA - What's the Difference?

Last year, Cisco obsoleted the well known PAP2T and SPA2102 VoIP ATA's and has since replaced them with the next generation of VoIP adapters: the SPA112 and SPA122.

In actuality, there are more similarities than differences between these two VoIP boxes.

So, with that in mind, I'm not going to waste time and space here comparing item for item specifications. You can do that on Cisco's product web site.   My objective here is to briefly point out only their significant differences (and similarities) and why you might choose one over the other.

Configuring Cisco SPA112 ATA With Voip.ms - Quick Guide

In this article, I will walk you through the basics of how to quickly configure (relatively speaking) your Cisco SPA112 ATA for connecting directly with Voip.ms.  They are a SIP-based VSP (VoIP Service Provider) that offers BYOD and DIY  SIP (Session Initiation Protocol) connectivity.  Voip.ms has POP servers (Points of Presence) throughout the USA and Canada.

In order to keep this configuration guide straight forward and simple, I will begin with the ATA preconfigured with it's factory default values;  and, I'm recommending other users do the same.

Then, I will point out only the essential settings that "must be edited" in order to connect, achieve service registration, and a dial-tone  with Voip.ms VoIP service.

Configuring The SPA112 With Fongo Canada - Quick Guide

In this article, I will walk you through the basics of how to quickly configure (relatively speaking) your Cisco SPA112 ATA for connecting directly with Fongo Canada.  They are a SIP-based VSP (VoIP Service Provider) that use to offer BYOD and DIY  SIP (Session Initiation Protocol) connectivity.

When I say "use to" offer BYOD DIY connectivity, I mean that they did up until about June of 2012.  Then, Dell Voice and Fongo dropped offering BYOD connectivity (stopped selling their "VoIP Unlock Key") in lieu of offering their very own "Home Phone Service" where they sell you their own preconfigured VoIP box with their services.  So, no more BYOD service "offered".

And recently, I reported that "Dell Voice Is Dead".  However, the Dell Voice Canada relationship is survived by Fongo Canada.  And, Fongo Lives On...

The good news is that the Dell Voice VoIP Unlock Key (which I purchased way back when Dell Voice was still alive) is still honored ongoing by Fongo.  After all, I did pay a one-time $50 fee for the Unlock Key for a "lifetime" access to the Fongo SIP VoIP network.  (Just whose lifetime we are talking about though is yet to be determined...)

So, the main reason I'm writing this tutorial on configuring the SPA112 with Fongo is because there are still many Dell Voice/Fongo VoIP Unlock Key survivors out there still using the service (on a grandfathered basis).  And, I am one of them.  And, some of the Dell Voice/Fongo Unlock Key Survivors are now upgrading from their old trusty PAP2T or SPA2102 ATA's to Cisco's next generation SPA112 ATA (like I have recently done).

So, enough history lessons and onto my Quick and Dirty Guide to Configuring the SPA112 with Fongo Canada SIP VoIP service.

Configuring SPA112 With CallCentric - Quick Guide

In this article, it is my intention to walk you through the basics of how to quickly configure (relatively speaking) your shiny new SPA112 ATA for connecting directly with CallCentric.  They are a SIP-based VSP (VoIP Service Provider) that offers BYOD and DIY connectivity.  I've used CallCentric for years with good results.

With the aim of keeping this article straight forward and simple, I am starting with the ATA configured with it's factory default values;  and, I'm recommending other users do the same.

Then, I will point out only the essential settings that "must be edited" in order to connect and achieve service registration with CallCentric.

Configuring Cisco SPA112 VoIP ATA From Scratch - The Basics

The Cisco SPA112 VoIP ATA (Analog Telephone Adapter) is the next generation SIP based (Session Initiation Protocol) ATA that replaces the Linksys PAP2T.

In this article, it is my intention to walk you through the basics of how to quickly (relatively speaking) configure your shiny new SPA112 ATA directly with most any cloud SIP-based VSP (VoIP Service Provider) that offers BYOD and DIY connectivity.

To achieve this goal, I will be using the ATA as configured with it's factory default values.  Then, I will point out only the essential settings (typically) that "must be edited" in order to connect and achieve service registration with your favorite BYOD DIY VSP.

Cisco SPA112 - Quick Setup Page - Good Idea - Poor Implementation

The Cisco SPA112 is the successor of the Cisco-Linksys PAP2T analog telephone adapter (ATA).  The SPA112 does have a few feature enhancements that weren't available in the PAP2T.  Among those enhancements is the Quick Setup feature.

I started this blog page with enthusiasm and the impression that Cisco really did it right this time with the implementation of the Quick Setup page.  I thought to myself, "this will make for a great article to explain how to quickly configure the SPA112 ATA from scratch, in just a few minutes, without having to sift through all the mountains of configuration data, like in the past".   I was wrong.

Cisco SPA112 VoIP ATA - How to Update Firmware

Knowing how to update the firmware on your VoIP ATA is a very important topic.  It's not as sexy a subject as how to configure the ATA with VoIP service providers (VSP's).  After all, most people just want to start making phone calls once they plug-in their shiny new VoIP box.

The fact is, most ATA's ship with old(er) firmware installed.  If it isn't the latest release of firmware for the product that's installed, it's old.  Actually, I was astonished to find that the firmware installed on my recent shiny new Cisco SPA112 ATA was version 1.0.2.006 - released 14 Dec, 2011.  When I checked to see what the latest released version was on Cisco's web site, I saw that it was version 1.3.1(003) - released 10 January, 2013.  That means my ATA was shipped with firmware ~ 13 months out-dated.  And, there have been 3 version updates since it was manufactured.

Cisco SPA112 - Backup - Restore Configuration Settings

Being able to backup your configuration settings is an invaluable tool.

The predecessors of the SPA112 VoIP ATA  (i.e. the PAP2T) did not have this built-in function.  So, I'm happy to discover that Cisco finally did the right thing this time around.

Performing the Configuration Backup and Restored procedure is now a strait forward and simple process on the SPA112.  So, I'll get right to it.

Cisco SPA112 - How to Restore to Factory Defaults

In this article, I will outline three methods by which you can choose from in order to perform a System Restore to Factory Defaults.

Once in a blue moon, you may feel the urge to restore your Cisco SPA112 VoIP ATA to its factory set default values.  I can only speculate as to what might bring these feeling on:

1. Your ATA is plagued with mysterious problems that don't seem to be resolved by a simple system restart/reboot procedure.
2. You suspect the mysterious performance issues could possibly be caused by a configuration settings corruption.
3. You have been doing lots of fiddling around with configuration settings and can't remember what the default values were way back when you first bought your shiny new ATA.
4. Other reasons I haven't thought of yet...

Whatever the reasons may be, sometimes there is nothing like a fresh new start in life.  And, that goes for VoIP telephone adapters, too.

Cisco SPA112 - Four Ways to Reboot the ATA

Why Restart/Reboot?
Whenever you perform and save System or Voice setting changes within the SPA112, the ATA will often initiate its own auto-restart/reboot initialization procedure automatically.  However, there may be various reasons as to why you would want or need to perform a manual restart or reboot.

The reasons for needing to restart/reboot may range from a system lock-up, loss of VoIP service registration, or the ATA just plain starts behaving kind of flaky.  When any of these things happen, we usually start feeling the urge to perform a system restart/reboot.  Often, this will clear-up the issue causing a problem.  Other times, it will only result in a temporary resolution before the problem returns.

Returning and recurring problems can be due to any one of numerous issues.  We may only be able to take a wild guess as to why.  When these recurring issues become pervasive, it may be time to consider that there are corrupted configuration settings, in which case your only recourse may be to issue a System Restore to Defaults procedure.  I will be covering this issue and procedures in a another article.

Cisco SPA112 - How to Login as Administrator

While logging into the Cisco SPA112 VoIP ATA Phone Adapter may seem like a no-brainer for many experienced VoIP enthusiasts, what may seem apparent to many, may not always be so evident to a few.

Therefore, in an effort to be complete, I'm writing this article to help clarify the requirements needed to log into the SPA112 ATA (Analog Telephone Adapter).  As well, in future articles when I need to refer to logging into the SPA112 ATA, I will just refer to this article for the instructions on how to do so, rather than repeating the same information for each article that requires login access.

Dell Voice Is Dead!

Dell Voice is Dead!  Long lived Dell Voice!

It sounds kind of dramatic, when I put it that way.  But, the fact is, Dell Voice as a VoIP service provider never really existed in the first place.  Well, OK, they did exist in name, but in name only.  As far as tangible services go, Dell Voice never was a VoIP service provided by Dell Canada, it was a service provided by Fongo Canada.

You might be wondering why I'm babbling-on about all this...?

CallCentric Supports +888 United Nations Disaster Relief Calls

A few months back, I posted an article that Voxbone is spreading the word requesting the cooperation of telecommunication providers regarding the implementation of the country code +888 into their networks.  The purpose of the +888 international country dialing code is to facilitate United Nations disaster relief communications during times of global disasters, wherever they may occur.

Today, CallCentric has informed me that they have now implemented and support +888 United Nations disaster relief calling through the Voxbone iNum network.

Yahoo Voice is Shutting Down

Yahoo Voice has recently announced that they will no longer be providing phone-in and phone-out services to their customers.  They say that as of January 30th, users will no longer be able to make or receive calls to and from PSTN landlines or mobile phones.  For the past number of years, Yahoo Voice service has been under the management of Jajah.com.

I can barely remember using and testing Yahoo Voice a number of years ago.  That was around the time Skype, GrandCentral, and Gizmo Project were the dominant up-and-comers in the VoIP world (GrandCentral and Gizmo Project were later purchased by Google).  Somehow, Yahoo Voice never had a very lasting appeal for me.

Google Announces Free Calling in GMail Through 2013

Today, Google has once again announced free voice calling from GMail to domestic land-lines and mobile phones throughout the USA and Canada.  Free domestic phone calling has been extended throughout 2013.

I've been anxiously awaiting this announcement from Google Voice for some time now.  This year's announcement comes a little later in December than past announcements did for 2011 and 2012.

I have been long expecting Google to eliminate the free calling to phones and start charging for domestic calls, much the same way that Skype did.  Skype only provided free domestic phone calling for the first year or so of service before opting to charge for all calls to phones.



Google is setting a new precedent for free USA/Canada calling over such a long period.  Most providers only allow free calling for a short limited introductory period, and then once they have established a sufficient subscriber base, wham, time to start charging money.

Dell Voice Fongo Service Disruptions

For the past 4 days, I have been experiencing numerous and frequent service disruptions via my Dell Voice Fongo VoIP service.  My Cisco SPA504G repeatedly drops registration.  While, my other three VoIP services on the other 3-lines have been stable.

Do You Have A VoIP Back-up Plan?

Periodically, it's a good idea for everyone to review their VoIP back-up plans and strategies.  That is, if we have one in the first place.  And, this includes the DIY BYOD VoIP users like me.

I'm bringing-up this topic once again in light of the recent severe and disruptive DDOS SIP attacks against one of my VSP's, CallCentric.  Due to no fault of their own, CallCentric's services had been seriously disrupted by DDOS attacks with criminal intent.

As well, back in March of this year, the Dell Voice Fongo service was down for most of a day.  I was using their service, too.  I have used numerous VoIP services over the years (often subscribing to various services at the same time), that have either gone through periods of disruption or just plain failed as a business and went  belly-up.

Google Voice Chat Is An Excellent Service

Google's Voice and Video Chat feature, which in embedded into Gmail and Google Apps mail, has really come a long way since it first appeared in November of 2008.

Recently, I used Google Voice Chat to call my brother who lives in New Mexico, USA from my home here in the North Okanagan Valley of British Columbia, Canada.  We talked for quite a while via PC-to-PC calling (we both use headsets).  I have to say, I was very impressed with the voice quality of the call.  I don't recall a single glitch,  latency, echo, or dropped packet, etc.  It was a perfect crystal clear voice conversation for maybe 45 minutes or so.  And, of course the call was free.

Personally, I now prefer to use Google's Gmail Voice and Video Chat rather than Skype.  While, there are probably a lot more people who know and use Skype, I have been an avid user of Gmail since its infancy back in 2004.

Does Your VSP Allow VoIP Peering?

VoIP peering is essentially where two VoIP service providers (VSP) have a "bilateral" agreement in place that allows VoIP calls to be routed between their respective networks.

Because VoIP peering agreements typically allow for direct IP inter-connectivity between two or more networks, all calls between the peering networks can circumvent the PSTN networks (public switched telephone network) which in turn enables extremely low connectivity costs for users that would otherwise have to pay substantial PSTN toll charges.  In some respects, VoIP peering is really just an extension on "in-network" IP-routing, which is usually free.

When multiple VSP's agree to share traffic between their respective networks, they create what is known as a "federation" of peers. Through federation, the VSP's are able to grow their geographic areas of coverage at a substantial savings over PSTN call routing. And, hopefully these savings are passed onto their customers.

United Nations OCHA +888 numbers now reachable via iNum PSTN Gateways

iNum and Voxbone have been working very hard to create partnerships with world-wide carriers to route calls directly to iNum +883 and the United Nations OCHA +888 disaster relief networks, for free, or at very low cost.

However, if the telecom carrier you're using is still not routing your calls to +883 or +888 destinations for free, or very low cost, then there is currently an alternate option for making those calls:

iNum +883/+888 PSTN Dial-In Gateways - Provided by the iNum Initiative, For Free
Over the past few years Voxbone, through their iNum initiative, has commissioned world-wide PSTN telephone Dial-In numbers (VoIP Network Gateways) in major cities all around the globe.  If you happen to live in, or  near, one of these cities, you can call the local iNum gateway number and then place an iNum +883 call as a local call.   iNum routes the +883 calls for Free.

As well, these same dial-in gateway numbers also provide access to the United Nations Office for Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) +888 global numbers - for Free.

Hurricane Sandy Knocks-Out CallCentric VoIP Service

--- 6:00 PM Monday Evening, Oct. 29, 2012 ---

As of just a few minutes ago, all my VoIP devices connected to CallCentric have lost registration.

Hurricane Sandy is currently pounding the eastern seaboard of New Jersey and New York.

It is my understanding that CallCentric is located in lower Manhattan of New York City.

I have just read a post, by a CallCentric employee, on the DSLReports.com that CallCentric has performed an emergency shutdown because all power has been lost in NYC due to Hurricane Sandy.  CallCentric's web site is also down and not functioning.

United Nations OCHA Teams-up With Voxbone to Facilitate Disaster Relief Communications on the iNum +883/+888 Network

Voxbone SA of Belgium  is spreading the word that the United Nations Office for Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) has been assigned the exclusive use of the E.164 geographic country code +888 by the International Telecommunications Union (ITU), and that OCHA and Voxbone have entered into an arrangement where Voxbone provides assistance to OCHA for the implementation and routing of the +888 numbering range allocated to OCHA.

Using Your iNum +883 Number as a Call Forwarding Service

In past articles, I have discussed various access methods of calling to global +883 iNum numbers. 

Recently, I have learned to appreciate the value of my CallCentric-issued iNum number as a "call-forwarding" feature.  Here is my story of how it became a valuable tool that also saves me money on my inbound DID VoIP calls.

In the early summer of 2012, I moved to the city of Vernon in the North Okanagan Valley of British Columbia from my previous home of 30 years in Calgary, Alberta, Canada.  Before I moved here, I suspected that it may be a bit of a challenge obtaining a local area inbound DID (Direct Inbound Dialing) phone number for the city of Vernon, BC.

Well, it did turn out to be quite the ordeal.  None of my long-time BYOD VSP's (VoIP Service Providers) were able to provide DID's for the City of Vernon (population ~ 40,000) - not even Dell Voice or Fongo.  I have been a long time user of CallCentric and Voip.ms, but not even they could provide me with a local area DID for this area.

What is a VoIP Dial Plan?

( *xx | [3469]11 | 0 | [2-9]xxxxxx | 1xxx[2-9]xxxxxxS0 | xxxxxxxxxxxx. )

A Dial Plan is a specially crafted text string, or script, that specifies how to interpret digit sequences as dialed by the VoIP user and how to convert those digit sequences into an outbound dial string to be used by your VoIP service provider (VSP) for call routing and termination.