Skype as a home phone service

After getting hit with a $300 phone bill, my wife and I switched to Skype for our home phone service ($5/month). (And, thanks to push and multitasking on the iPhone, we now use Skype on 3G as our cell phone service too.)

We researched prices on unlimited home phone service over the net to find:

In addition to being cheapest, Skype works with old landline phones and iPhones/iPods/iPads.

My wife and I have the cheap 450 minute plan for the iPhone, but thanks to Skype over 3G, we effectively have unlimited mobile minutes.

Three steps: Instant home phone line

Skype could do a better job of organizing its site to explain how to use it for home phone service. Here are the relevant pages:

1. Click here to download Skype.
   
2. Click here to subscribe to unlimited calling.
   Without a monthly plan, you can use the SkypeOut service to call other phones, where you pay about two to three cents per minute. We opted for the Skype subscription for about $3/month. That brings unlimited calling, and you get a discount if you pay for a year in advance.
3. Click here to get a phone number for inbound calls.
   So that others could call us, we got an online number for our area code. Skype lets you pick your phone number, so I opted for one ending in 007.

If you install the iPhone Skype app, calls to your Skype number will ring through to your iPhone while you're on 3G. (Your computer will also ring.) Best of all--you won't lose any of your cellphone minutes.

Optional add-ons

We also use Skype voicemail, a couple Skype phones and a webcam.

1. Click here to get Skype voicemail.
   The Skype voicemail service lets you browse your voicemail from the internet. It's well worth the $20/year in my opinion.
2. Skype phones and converting landline phones.
   My Grandma has to be able to use our home phone. So, we've tried out a couple different Skype phones.

   Even the cheapest standalone phone--the Belkin Skype Phone--has served its purpose without any real complaints.

   But, the best one so far has been the IPEVO S0-20 WiFi Phone. Its wireless range covers all three floors of our house.

   If you have an old telephone that you'd like to plug into Skype, you can use the Eforcity USB Phone Adapter:

   

   iPhones, iPod Touches and iPads can also work as Skype phones.

3. Get a cam for Skype video calling. My parents use a Logitech Webcam so that they can "play" with their grandson on Skype.