Computers & Electronics

simple VoIP auto-attendant with forwarding to cell

  • Last Updated:
  • Feb 9th, 2016 3:42 pm
Deal Fanatic
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Mar 3, 2002
9417 posts
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adamm wrote: any ideas?
I'm not sure I understand this question.

Why would FPL cost you per minutes fees if the call is within the free calling area?

I thought the idea is

A. FPL+PBX.

So provided the call from your FPL number to your cell phone is within FPL's free calling area, and provided you're within your cell plan's free calling area, you're only going to charged for cellular airtime (incoming minutes).

Or

B. VoIP.ms. No way around not paying fees with them. Both the incoming call to the VoIP.ms DID and outgoing from VoIP.ms to your cellphone will be charged. The call is bridged (in both A+B scenarios). But, as csi123 mentioned, VoIP.ms does have plans with included minutes.

I'm not sure I understand why you'd be using a PBX with VoIP.ms.
Deal Expert
Aug 22, 2006
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adamm wrote: Yes I've used VoIP.ms in the past for other things. It's $1 USD/ month for the DID (that's like $7 CAD now, right? :D ).
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The one thing I didn't like about voip.ms was that it didn't support automatic billing. So I had to go in and manually fill my account with the funds and pay manually. It sounds stupid but it was a serious pain in the ass. Not sure if they've implemented automatic billing now. I used it a couple years ago.
Nope. Still manual billing.
Not necessarily a bad thing if someone hacks your PBX.
Some people have run up a bill of hundreds of thousands of dollars.
But still... I'd rather have an option for automatic billing. I don't need the world nerfed for the few idiots out there.
Also if I'm only receiving calls to the IVR and then forwarding to a cell phone, am I paying for airtime that a person is listening to the IVR?
Yes. As soon as voip.ms picks up the call you're paying. Even if they pick up the call and broadcast "ring tones".
The only time you're not paying is when it's ringing (directly).
If your IVR picks up, broadcasts ring tones to the caller while "holding" the call, you're paying airtime.
csi123 wrote: For call forwarding you are paying both "legs" (i.e. incoming and outgoing). However like I said the per minute cost is so low (less than 1 cent) that I found it hardly matter. You can always go with the unlimited package (around $4 per month) if you really talk that much.
With both directions it's a bit more than $0.01. Closer to $0.02 or just under.
With unlimited it is only free one way (in). Outgoing calls (ie forwarding to your cell) is still $0.01ish.
If you run your own PBX, your electric bill per month alone will be more than the unlimited package. voip.ms is definitely the cheapest way unless you are talking about a large enterprise company.
Well not quite. I don't know how much a RasPi consumes for power, but since it takes like a 2A 5V that's like 10W or $10/year.
If you're running a full blown computer then yeah it'll be way more.
Webslinger wrote: I thought the idea is

A. FPL+PBX.
Again I'm assuming here, but I think OP settled on voip.ms
I'm not sure I understand why you'd be using a PBX with VoIP.ms.
In the reference, I think he might be referring to voip.ms' PBX and not one he's running himself.
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Mar 3, 2002
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adamm wrote: What I'm trying to get at is that I'm already paying for the cell phone, so I don't want to pay double airtime (cell phone AND voip airtime)
death_hawk wrote: Again I'm assuming here, but I think OP settled on voip.ms
Okay, with his above comment, I wasn't so sure about that.
In the reference, I think he might be referring to voip.ms' PBX and not one he's running himself.
Okay, that makes more sense. I sure hope so.

Anyway, I think I would lean more towards using VoIP.ms in the OP's situation.

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