voip.ms discussion

[lawman]

Nice! Thanks FunkyTown! I'll need to try it out. I tested DISA out, but was wondering how to make the options work until I saw your example. Very cool indeed.

[99semaj]

Of course, you could also make it a 'hidden' option by including DISA in your call tree, but not actually adverstising it via your WAV file.

[FunkyTown]

You could do that, but you still need a password to access it, and the only people hearing the WAV file are the people whose caller Id matches your caller id rule. I'm the only person who would hear mine, and only if I call from my cell or work phone.

[lawman]

Have a difficult question for me to resolve.

Is it better to get a voip.ms Toll Free number for US+Canada instead of buying a local DID number? The cents per/min is not that important but accessibility to the DID number from any province in Canada or from any state in the US, is definitely more appealing than just a local DID to be used for DISA purposes, am I right?

If I'm calling the local Ottawa DID (used for DISA) from an Ottawa cell while I'm in Vancouver, that would entail LD charges for my cell while in Vancouver to the local Ottawa DID number before I get to link and use the DISA option, to call somewhere else.

But if its a Toll Free number, and it was linked as DISA, it would be cheaper, would it not? There would be no LD charges from the cellphone, and just local charges, am I correct? The only cost would be just the incoming cost per/min to the Toll Free number vs the LD charges to the local DID (if calling from outside the local DID region).

[merve04]

Is it possible to filter a specific are code to a sub account? Example all 514-xxx-xxxx would only go to a sub account I created

[99semaj]

Yes, set up a ring group with your subaccount in it, and then set up a wildcard CallerID filter (514*) to forward that area code to the ring group. Just remember that some area codes have overlays (like 450*) that would need two or more filters applied.

I do exactly that when I call forward my office number to the house. I only want it to ring my home office extension.

[merve04]

Doh! I feel like I should of known this. Thanks for the tip was easy to setup.

[Mango]

Originally Posted by lawman

If I'm calling the local Ottawa DID (used for DISA) from an Ottawa cell while I'm in Vancouver, that would entail LD charges for my cell while in Vancouver to the local Ottawa DID number before I get to link and use the DISA option, to call somewhere else.

Are you sure about this? Last time a member of my family had a cell phone, the local calling area was always the same no matter what city the phone was in. If it was an Ottawa cell, and used in Vancouver, calls to Ottawa were still considered local. You may want to check this with your cell provider, and also ask if roaming charges will apply.

m.

[Mango]

Originally Posted by 99semaj

Yes, set up a ring group with your subaccount in it, and then set up a wildcard CallerID filter (514*) to forward that area code to the ring group. Just remember that some area codes have overlays (like 450*) that would need two or more filters applied.

Out of curiosity, why the ring group, if there is only one subaccount?

m.

[FunkyTown]

I don't know about that cell plan. I've been with Bell, Rogers, and Telus for cell phone service and the way my plans worked was:

- All local calls are local to the city you are in.
- If you call someone in your "home" city while traveling it's considered long distance.
- If someone calls you while you are traveling, the call is local to the caller but the cell phone owner pays LD rates on the call.

So if I was visiting Vancouver, and someone in Ottawa called my cell at 613-555-3342, the call is local to Ottawa so no LD to the person calling me. However I get dinged the LD rate. Yet I can call anyone in Vancouver as if it were a local call because that's where I'm visiting. My Ottawa shows up on their call display, but it's treated as a local call. Calling an Ottawa number for me requires the digit 1 first from Vancouver and it is long distance.

[Mango]

Interesting; my information must be out of date!

In that case, a toll-free DID would probably be a good solution. The only caveat is that you cannot call a VoIP.ms toll-free DID from American pay phones.

m.

[FunkyTown]

Could you call a voip.ms toll free number from an American residential (non pay) phone?

Yeah they want you to pay long distance so they cover every angle with cell phones. Otherwise you could buy a cell phone in Nova Scotia, and move to Vancouver with free long distance to Nova Scotia for as long as you keep that cell phone/number.

[Mango]

Yes, you can call a VoIP.ms toll-free number from an American residential phone.

[FunkyTown]

It's strange that payphones won't work. Is it just with voip.ms or are the US payphones programmed not to allow any toll free numbers? I just wonder how the payphone would know it's a voip.ms line.

[Mango]

It's the case with many VoIP providers. The reason is that US payphones impose a $0.494 charge to the owner of the toll-free number. The way it was explained to me is that for some reason it is difficult to tell whether or not the call is from a pay phone, so the VoIP provider can't properly bill the customer for this. Unfortunate.