RobertS975

I have read what I could on the Skype website, but is there a site that anyone is aware of that explains Skype in real basic terms.

Here is what I think I know: Skype is a program which you download onto your laptop that allows you to make telephone calls over a broadband internet connection wherever you are in the world. You fund it presumably by leaving a balance via credit card or PayPal. You can call landlines or cellphones. You can either hook a headset/mike to your laptop via the jacks or via USB. You can buy relatively inexpensive USB phones to use instead of the headset/mike combo. And you can buy more expensive phones that actually are pre-loaded with Skype and some sort of web browser that allow phone calls to be made without your computer from any WiFi hotspot.

Am I missing anything important here? How is the quality of the sound? Is attempting to make a call a hit or miss thing or is it pretty reliable (recent outage not withstanding)?

SkypeIn? SkypeOut?

dtsm

Yep, you got the important stuff

They also have number of bells and whistles like:

1. paying flat fee for unlmited calls US and Canada
2. buying a landline number that you then give to friends to dial in case they don't have skype and/or computer; you essentially are paying for a 800 number for them to call you
3. call forwarding to your mobile, etc.
4.
5.

But essentially what you wrote will get you started...

Btw, they do have community (forum) for more details.

jcherney

The quality of the sound is generally quite good. The faster the connection, the better the sound. If you're using the video option, it's choppy even with a fast link. Making calls are simple and reliable. And the software gives you a number of great options, like call forwarding to a cell phone.

My son was in Norway for 4 months and we only used Skype. Most of the time you could not tell the difference between Skype and a land line/cell phone.

Skype in is an option in which you purchase a local phone number for one year. In my case, I dialed this local number and it connected to my son. Saved my a bundle in not having to place international calls.

Skypeout is simply the term in which you call landlines or cell phones. You pay by the minute.

UAVirgin

Keep in mind that Skype is like a p2p system. When your Skype client is on you are allowing other users to use your bandwidth. It could slow your other Internet activities down.

If you don't care about making calls to land lines/mobile phones then you could just as easily use Yahoo messenger for your calls.

RobertS975

OK, some questions on the WiFi Skype capable phones... how do they work? Most of the time, when I am in a hotel room in the US or overseas, even if the high speed internet service is free, there is still some sort of connection protocol, ie. feeding in your name and room number, accepting the terms of usage etc. How do you connect to a wireless network with a phone and no computer? Do these WiFi phones also have ethernet cable connects when your hotel does not have wireless?

And the SkypeIn phone number... so that means that to receive a call, you need to be at your computer? Or will it forward to my overseas capable cell phone (ATT service, a US number)?

PTravel

As others have noted, you've hit the main points of Skype (it can also video conference and a few other "tricks.") I've found sound quality variable. Most annoying is a frequent delay on long distance and international calls -- there is noticeable latency, resulting in an effect similar to the delay experienced in placing international calls that used to be handled by satellite instead of fiber optic cable.

SmilingBoy

You are missing one point, which is that you can make free calls to anybody else using Skype. Skype-to-Skype voice quality is very good, usually much better than normal telephone quality.

SmilingBoy.

nmenaker

uh, what?

so, when the skype client is running, are you saying that I am acting as a virual node, routing traffic across my pc? Why would that be, for local DID termination? I haven't seen it act that way, not sure what the point to point voip benefits would be?

Any links to this info?

JHattery

Calls to another registered Skype user are FREE.

Skype also has very good videoconferencing capabilities that are free when communication with another Skype member.

RobertS975

MisterNice

Skype seems fine if you have over a 200kbps connection for it alone. You dont need 10mbps or whatever. Anytime I get a connection with noise, echoes, latency (less than 10% of the time calling US to Europe) I hang up and quickly call again and 95% of the time its as good as Verizon. At 2.1 cents/min computer to landline its the nicest bargain in town to call US to overseas or visa versa

MisterNice

RobertS975

So to call another Skype user, they need to have the SkypeIn phone number, right? Now if I have Skype on my laptop and Skype on the desktop back at home, how do we call back and forth? Do we need two SkypeIn numbers?

MisterNice

If you have a computer with a microphone and loudspeakers/earphones and the other person has the same, and you both have a high speed connections you both download the free skype software, both sign up and one alls the other and chat, chat, chat.....for free. You can call any other skype user in the world the same way.

MisterNice

PTravel

Okay, some clarificactions:

1. Skype is a peer-to-peer network implementation that uses a central "directory" to identify Skype nodes. Each node does not forward traffic from other nodes, and will only exchange traffic with the node that you have called.

2. SkypeIn phone numbers are necessary only if you want a non-Skype user to be able to call you with a standard phone. If you are making only computer-to-computer calls, you don't need a SkypeIn number.

SmilingBoy

No, none is needed. You just need the Skype user name of the person you want to call.

If you want to call between home and a desktop, you should have one account that you can use on your laptop, and your family at home could have another account on your desktop.

SmilingBoy.