TheSinister

Anyone experience using voip during their flight? I know a guy who used a voip app called Fongo on his flight and it worked. Any experiences?

Dodge DeBoulet

Please god, no.

Dubai Stu

I've tested VOIP over Boingo by discretely running a couple of echo tests using various services. I really don't recommend it.

While Boingo blocks most services (you connect to the services but they mess with the SIP packets) within ten seconds of the connection, you can VPN around it (don't use PPTP). It really turns on the bandwidth consumption of the other passengers.

Then you have a ton of background noise and basically have to talk into the palm of your hand to avoid drawing attention. People on the other side of the call will tell you to speak up and you really can't. Remember you are violating a dozen different regulations making the call. You basically need a window seat, the earbud mike in the palm of your hand and talk into the window. Alternatively, you need to have a friend in the next seat who will tolerate your activity and pretend you are conversing with them.

At the end of the day, it rarely works and it is not worth the hassles you will get. I stick to text messaging. While you could sneak off a two minute call, you can also get the message across via text messaging and via email.

For Americans, I recommend a free Google Voice account for a text messaging number; for Canadians, TextPlus gives you a free Canadian number which you can text with to any Canadian mobile phone (and US ones).

robroy90

In the name of all that is holy, please do not.

Air travel is miserable enough as it is. Don't add to the misery. Just don't.

davie355

I've used FaceTime Audio on a flight, just to see if it worked. My seatmate never realized I was speaking to anyone.

The whole "misery" concern is hypothetical and it fails to hold in practice. Jet engine noise drowns out normal conversation volume. I'm younger than most on this forum but I still remember seatback Airfones.

dougef

+1

Dodge DeBoulet

Airfones were quite expensive to use, so conversations were short and rare. And I'm sure you've noticed that they disappeared long before in-flight wifi became available.

The annoyance factor is real and scientifically verified.

Dubai Stu

Airfone was fifteen cents a minute if you had a connected Verizon account.

smorris76

I've listened to conference calls via SIP over IPSec on Gogo. The audio quality is fine. I have never tried talking however.

DMSFCA

Disagree. If you have some casual traveler that can pay $16 to talk coast-to-coast, by god they are going to get their $16 worth.

Try riding on a public bus or train when someone is talking on the phone or god forbid, on a conference call so when they take a turn to talk have to scream to be heard over the other callers.

I've been on a public bus when someone was yakking loudly on a phone during morning commute hours to the financial district and people on the bus started quietly asking "please get off the phone" and as the young woman kept gabbing loud and rolling her eyes, they were in her face yelling "GET OFF THE (#*%#% PHONE!"'

Note to self: don't use phone with morning commuters on quiet bus.

Doc Savage

Yeah, normal conversational volumes. Too many stupid people out there who blare out their annoying conversations. On the ground, I can get up and leave. On a plane, I'm stuck.

Airfones cost too much to be an annoyance. Rare is the person who would yap on about their colonoscopy for hours on end at $15/minute.

grahamfairbank

I've used Lync for voice successfully many times in the air via satellite

bryanlee81

IF you have Tmobile and a wifi calling capable phones, you can use wifi calling onboard. Recently flew from NRT-EWR and the 777 had WIFI available for 17 bucks. I was able to call my wife back home.

Granted I was sitting in BF and had an empty seat next to me and I wasn't bothering anyone.

1200GS

Clearly you've never been seated next to the one dude in F, who wants to make sure the entire front cabin hears the size of his portfolio, as he shoots the **** with his banker

owflyer

TMobile works fine on GoGo, but Jetblue blocks the port on FlyFi.