FreeTalk Connect Me Skype VoIP Phone Adapter (TALK-1200)

Device works fine. Phone rings and shows the name of the caller however the sound is horrible. I don't know how much bandwidth you need to get a decent audio but the fact is you don't understand what the caller is saying.

I bought this VoIP Phone Adapter because the combo I had used before (OBI110/Google Voice) will no longer work after mid-May and I was looking for an alternative VoIP solution on the cheap.I already have a Skype subscription with a phone number so that I can make and receive calls to landlines and cell phones and I do not have a POTS phone anymore.This device installs quickly and works just as well as the OBI110/Google Voice combo. Quality is good, too.The unit I received was set up for European consumption so one has to wait patiently at least a day or so for the device to update itself with the latest firmware and then perform a factory reset which will then allow US specific configuration.

Basically is a really good solution and the device does what it supposed to in quite convinient way, but if you about to buy it you have to be aware of some down points:1. The device does not support initiating conference calls (AT&T , pressing TALK on the phone during call). I contacted the maker about it and they confirmed it.2. If you use this device - there is no way to get video. Actually the best combination/workflow for this I found is to sign in on the same account both in PC and FreeTell and when someone call and you wish video you ask him disconnect and call again and this time answer on PC (both ring).3. When you dial someone on land line (if as in my case I use it only for international calls having free SkypeToSkype and subscription for Int. calls.) there is rather long and annying delay before it actually dials. Basically it goes like this - you dial, there is a few annoying seconds of silance and only then you hear the device dial. Takes too long.4. It takes too long for device to start ringing if someone calls you over land line, actually the fone connected to the box usualy "misses" about 3 rings which is quite a lot (verified when connected one phone through box and another directly to landline).5. There is a small problem if you use some landline phone services that start with "*" and whant to call skype accounts using quick dial. On my old SkypeBox you could reprogramm it to use ** instead for skype speed dials but here you can't.6. Not sure it's a real problem but it can hold only up to 200 Skype contacts. Enough for me, but maybe worth mentioning for some.Other than that device does what it supposed to, actually waited for something like that for several years - used skypebox connected to computer before.And, yes, another small thing - there is no way to update device's firmware manually - it waits for the designated time and another funny thing - it does not updates to the latest firmware at one night - it took 3 nights until it reached latest firmware (1.0.8 as for now).

Compared to vonage, callcentric, phonepower this is not very reliable at all. Call go through about 40% of the time. Setup is pretty easy and straight forward. Phone should be 100% reliable all the time every time but I wouldn't rely on Skype's service.I have Vonage at my parents' house in Pakistan and since Vonage is fairly expensive I wanted to give Skype a try with this device. Setup was easy and got dialtone immediately after setup. However when someone calls from outside they hear rings but the phone wont ring, if it rings and you can one party's sound doesnt go to the other party but theirs comes through. Overall made over 20 test calls in a week with success rate of about 10%. Vonage was 100%. I know Pakistan disrupts or tries to block SIP and VOIP calls but Vonage continues to work. I'll have to try callcentric with Obi110 to something cheaper than vonage.

It works, but call clarity is about 70%. Incoming caller ID does NOT work. Outgoing caller ID does. Incoming voicemail pickup does not work, but if you purchase a regular land line phone with a messaging system, it's all good.

UPDATE: Don't buy this. FreeTalk has abandoned this hardware, and Skype has changed something so the box no longer works. This went from a good/decent VOIP solution to a piece of junk. The reliability of Skype's service has also declined. I guess it's time to move on.Original review: Having tried an Obi100 linked to my Google Voice account, I didn't have much hope for this device. (Google Voice over wifi on a cell was an equally terrible experience.) However, using FreeTalk to use Skype seems to work great!