[tulare]

They claim unlimited out-of-network calls from your cell phone without using any wireless plan minutes. Sounds to good to be true to me.
Anybody have this device ? http://www.xcelis.com/pcvoip.htm

[mberlant]

There's no such thing as a free lunch.

This product is functionally equivalent to the Dock-N-Talk device that Voxilla sells. Basically, in order to meet the claim of no wireless plan minutes you have to do several things. First, you have to be a customer of a GSM service provider, like T-Mobile or Cingular GSM in the US. Second, you have to subscribe to another "line" on your family plan (or otherwise get another number on its own SIM card). Third, you have to subscribe to unlimited mobile-to-mobile calling, tied to either your service or your family plan, based upon which is available from your cellular company.

Once you have that arranged, you put the new SIM card in the device and connect its RJ-11 jack to the FXS port of your favorite VoIP ATA. Then, as long as your cell phone is not roaming, your cellular connection between your cell phone and your xcelis device will be free of wireless plan minutes.

[gremln007]

Originally Posted by mberlant

There's no such thing as a free lunch.

This product is functionally equivalent to the Dock-N-Talk device that Voxilla sells. Basically, in order to meet the claim of no wireless plan minutes you have to do several things. First, you have to be a customer of a GSM service provider, like T-Mobile or Cingular GSM in the US. Second, you have to subscribe to another "line" on your family plan (or otherwise get another number on its own SIM card). Third, you have to subscribe to unlimited mobile-to-mobile calling, tied to either your service or your family plan, based upon which is available from your cellular company.

Once you have that arranged, you put the new SIM card in the device and connect its RJ-11 jack to the FXS port of your favorite VoIP ATA. Then, as long as your cell phone is not roaming, your cellular connection between your cell phone and your xcelis device will be free of wireless plan minutes.

Mberlant,

Is this just a GSM gateway then?

Is the only way to get another SIM by adding a fictitious phone to your family plan? For $10/mo, I wonder if it is even worth it in the days of so many minutes & no roaming.

Jonathan

[edongp]

Yes this is the bluetooth equivalent of cell socket or dockntalk plus the ability to hookflash the VOIP/landline to take advantage of the 3-way calling feature of the line. Unfortunately it does not have the capability of call transfer (VOIP and Centrex lines) to allow multiple users to make calls almost at the same time.
You can have equivalent capabilities at a much lower price without the need for an extra cell phone if you have Nextel/Sprint (free incoming and to call one number) or Cingular Loyalty Plan (or any provider with free unlimited air time to call one number); VOIP with call transfer, three-way calling and call return features; and a WoodTel (www.woodtel.com) DialMate CM1003.

[gremln007]

Originally Posted by edongp

Yes this is the bluetooth equivalent of cell socket or dockntalk plus the ability to hookflash the VOIP/landline to take advantage of the 3-way calling feature of the line. Unfortunately it does not have the capability of call transfer (VOIP and Centrex lines) to allow multiple users to make calls almost at the same time.
You can have equivalent capabilities at a much lower price without the need for an extra cell phone if you have Nextel/Sprint (free incoming and to call one number) or Cingular Loyalty Plan (or any provider with free unlimited air time to call one number); VOIP with call transfer, three-way calling and call return features; and a WoodTel (www.woodtel.com) DialMate CM1003.

Thank you. Do you have any link or info on the Cingular program? I couldn't find anything previously (or now) on this. They were running a trial program in CT only that I could find. Thanks for the DialMate info. Will check that out.

[edongp]

Originally Posted by gremln007

Thank you. Do you have any link or info on the Cingular program? I couldn

I believe Cingular discontinued the plan after signing up the first 50,000 customers. These customers were allowed to continue the plan for life. However there are other cell providers particularly in the east coast that have unlimited air time plans to call a most often called number (moc) see thread http://voxilla.com/PNphpBB2-viewtopic-t-7356.html