K...I'm getting ready to head to Osan and I'm wondering if Vonage or something like that would work over there. Does anyone else do this? If so, can you give me the low down? I've never done it before, so you might have to use crayon. Here's what I'm gathering so far: I can get Vonage, or the equivelent while I'm here in San Antonio, have it set up for here, and then bring the phone adapter and my PC with me to Korea, hook it up to the local high speed connection, and I'm making local San Antonio calls just like I was at home. Correct? If not, please let me know.

Joe

__________________
Joeninpo

The tyrant custom, most grave Senators,
Hath made the flinty and steel couch of war
My thrice-driven bed of down

That is correct. Actually you don't even need to bring your computer, but you do need a DSL router, so you can plug both a computer and the adapter to it. I know that Vonage is still working here. One of my co-worker is still using it. There were talked of shutting down all VoIP service a couple of months ago. But I think that talk has been postpone indefinitely. You'll also need to bring a phone. I have never used Vonage before, so I am not sure what the adapter is like. My VoIP service uses a DAT adapter which I just plug a regular phone into it while it is connected to my DSL router.

I believe that they did ban new vonage customers but grandfathered it if you previously had Vonage. I think they banned it starting in August. I cannot confirm this 100% but i remeber reading it. HOWEVER, there is a better service than VONAGE and it is FREE!!!!!

I use it twice a day to talk with my wife. It is called SKYPE. You can download it from www.skype.com. Its a free service that allows you to use your computer to call other skype members. You also can use your webcam...now I know everyone has seen the poor quality of Yahoo messanger and MSN.....skype is VERY HIGH quality. I can webcam with my wife with no lag and have the video size at 17"...yes, thats right, a video window of 17 inches!!! Try it out, you will not be disappointed.

Also, you can purchase a state side phone number from them that will allow family members in the states to call your computer with no international rates. You can also call using your computer to regualr phone numbers in the states and its like .02 a min. I highly recommend it. The webcaming is totaly free though! I bought a mic/ headset that I use and the call quality is as good or better than a regualr phone line.

Having skype has made my tour here without my family go so much better. The video quality is awesome....try it out.

__________________
Athlon 64 4800 X2
Thermaltake Big Typhoon CPU cooler
Asus A8N32-SLI Deluxe
2GB Corsair PC3200
BFG 7900GTX 512MB
Antec P180 Case
Antec 550w Truecontrol 2.0 PS
Dell 24" Widescreen LCD

Thanks for the replys! Of course, this has just spawned more questions for me. On the Skype thing...doesn't that tie you to your computer? You pretty much have to be sitting there the whole time, right? I guess if it's free, that should be a relatively small complaint :-)

__________________
Joeninpo

The tyrant custom, most grave Senators,
Hath made the flinty and steel couch of war
My thrice-driven bed of down

Can anyone confirm whether new Vonage or other VoIP systems will work over there? Has anyone moved there in the last month or so and tried it out?

__________________
Joeninpo

The tyrant custom, most grave Senators,
Hath made the flinty and steel couch of war
My thrice-driven bed of down

I have Lingo, same as Vonage, and it's still working for me.

So do you have a local (wherever you're from) phone number, or do you have a Korean phone number? I've seen a couple of them where you can both, but maybe I'm mistaken. If so, how do you get local (Korean) phone calls?

__________________
Joeninpo

The tyrant custom, most grave Senators,
Hath made the flinty and steel couch of war
My thrice-driven bed of down

And don't forget that you both must have a high speed connection, that is the only reason that I did not use that service. Both computers must be hooked up to the internet at all times.

My vonage still works for me....

__________________
CH-47 SI

They must find it difficult...

Those who have taken authority as the truth, rather than truth as the authority. --Gerald Massey

So, Joeninpo, now that you've been there a few months, what have you found out? Did you run with Skype, Vonage, or just MSN/Yahoo chat?