ewrfll77

I just got a desk business IP phone, and I would like to bring it with me when I travel because I do a lot of phone interviews. I rely on good call quality, and cell phones are not always consistent.

Is there any way I could plug my phone into the ethernet in a room? I have to use a splash screen to register my Mac or iPhone, but I'm not sure how I would go about doing that with my phone. I don't think that's possible. Are there any workarounds besides using personal network at an Airbnb?

jeanie

My work has a VOIP desk phone as well, and we also have an app that works on our smart phone when we aren't at our desk. Many smart phones have the ability to make calls over wifi these days even without an app like that. I don't know that carrying the desk business phone with you will always be viable. Even with Airbnb, the homeowner might not want you to mess with their router for a wired connection.

From my personal experience, I would recommend exploring internet calling on your mobile phone either through the app or through your mobile provider. I do that a lot when I am overseas to avoid roaming charges.

t1c

+1

yultraveler

I would explore the option to use an app on your Mac or iPhone to do this instead of carrying a physical phone. They are called softphone.

However, if you do bring the phone with you, there should be a sticker on the underside of the phone with the MAC address. If you provide it to the Internet support of the hotel, they will be able to register it on the network for you. This works great for variety of devices like game console or media streaming devices.

jliehr

Most IP phones are designed to only be ran on an internal network, it likely uses power over ethernet, which the hotel won't have in room. If you can take the phone and make it work at home, then you have a chance. But it's pretty unlikely.

txpenny

I have a HooToo travel router which I connect to my hotel wifi (DL/UP is usually around 8/5). My router has an ethernet connection which plugs into my VOP phone. This has worked well for me.

Kacee

I just use the Vonage app on my iPhone. You may run into issues if the hotel has unstable internet, but that's not (usually) a function of wifi vs. wired.

Speeds are entirely dependent on the hotel's internet connection.

RogerD408

I've carried an IP phone when driving around the country and don't recall any issues connecting when in an hotel, it was pretty much plug 'n play. It's power was supplied by an external wall-wart. I made a point of unplugging the phone when I left so there was no issue of someone attempting to use the phone. I also set my dial plan so if someone dialed 911 or just took the phone off-hook more than 5 seconds without dialing a number it would call my cell phone!

Usually the phone would only be used if I was on a long stay (over two days). For the shorter staysI used EyeBeam (now Bria?) on my laptop and it did just fine.

edcho

Depends -- We use ShoreTel (bought out recently by Mitel) and the IP phones will connect via VPN for remote work if it's not on-prem. Couple that with a POE injector and the remote worker is fine.

However, I also recommend a softphone as well. I can't imagine lugging an IP phone around.

Often1

There is a decent chance that if you have an enterprise-level VOIP system at work, that there is an accompanying app which will allow you to make and receive calls on your business line using your smart phone. If you don't care about the business line issue, is there a limitation on your cell service in the event that you can't use WiFi calling?

Better question is, what are you trying to accomplish?

mahasamatman

Google Voice is also a good option, and free for calls to North America.

TheCount2

I have brought my Amazon Echo with me to a Courtyard and it worked perfectly; I used the software it came with to install it in the room. I assume the same can be done with an IP phone if you have the software to connect it to the wifi network.

CJKatl

This has not been my experience. I work in an industry where pretty much everyone not in the head office works from home. My former company/division closed 28 brick offices and sent almost 1k people home. I have used a VoIP phone for well over a fourteen years. Once it is connected to the system it appears I am in the head office to anyone on the other end of the phone. We can easily move our phones from place to place and can pretty much forward our calls to any internal or external phone. When I am in the main office, I put a code into any phone and it works just like my phone. Same at a hotel. Even the people who primarily work in the office are able to use their phones remotely and sometimes take the phones with them. The headset with the VoIP phone is excellent so I sometimes bring the phone with me when leading webinars from a hotel room because we cannot use the computer's built in VoIP: many of our customers have their audio unavailable due to their corporate policies. Of course, YMMV.

ADVICE: Call your company's IT department or your VoIP provider and ask if there is anything you need to to before using your phone elsewhere.

This has been my experience, too. The one time there was an issue connecting, my IT department reached out to the number on that triangular cardboard pop-up in the hotel room and the two of them did whatever needed to be done to make it work. So many hotels no longer have the necessary ethernet cord in the room, so I always make sure I've got one with me when I bring the phone with me. The biggest issue is the hotel's internet speed. I've had complaints that a VoIP call is breaking up which is likely due to the speed, so I always have Plan B (mobile phone with a worse headset of the hotel phone holding the receiver like it's 1968) ready to go.

sdsearch

What the relationship between Google Voice and Google Hangouts, the latter which I've seen touted as an alternative to Skype?

RogerD408

My take on it is GV is good for one-to-one contacts to anyone with a phone number GH is for video & groups with other GH members.