Communicating with the Folks Back Home ...

<p>Have any of you that are in college or perhaps recently graduated used VoIP services such as Verizon's VoiceWing ? Will thse work using the schools network? Any info would be greatly appreciated. :D Thx</p>

<p>They might work but I dont know why you would want another phone service. Your room will have phone service that is tied to the room just like the voip and if you have a mobile phone...that would just be a third phone network.</p>

<p>I was considering it becuase there a couple unique features that could make things cheaper:</p>

<p>-- A secondary phone # matching the area code of where your parents live would allow your parents to be able to call you for free...no long distance charges.</p>

<p>-- Actually, that would be the main feature ..but if you really wanted to communicate back home you could even select your main # to be local to your fam so you wouldn't have to worry about paying long distance charges calling in or out....</p>

<p>I was just wondering if anyone had experimented with this or not...</p>

<p>The service costs about $25/month, if I am not mistaken. Most college dorms phones cost 10 cents per minute. So unless you think that you will talk to your fam for more than 250 minutes a month, which is over 4.5 hours, then the Verizon service is not worth it. Combine that with you using your cell phone with free nights and weekend, and I do not think you would need the VoIP service. Plus, you or your parents could always get a prepaid calling card, which will offer great rates without the hassel of setup and dealing with yet another service provider.</p>

<p>so true, so true.</p>

<p>just have your cell phone in the home area code.</p>

<p>if they are smart, your friends at school will be on a national plan and it wont cost them anything to call you from their cell phones and your people back home can still call your phone as a local call.</p>

<p>how bout skype?</p>

<p>Is it common for parents to get an 800 number so kids can call them for free?</p>

<p>What sixsity said. <a href="http://www.skype.com%5B/url%5D"&gt;www.skype.com&lt;/a> Check it out. Free calling anyplace in the world. All you need is internet access.</p>

<p>and if you check out slashdot, you can find out how to make an old cordless phone work with skype.</p>

<p>HI. I just started a website to communicate with my family and friends. I gave them the link and they log on everyday. I put photos and write in it almost everyday like a journal and my parents and friends have my page as their AOL startup page. Its free and really fun to do. I also use TMobile Sidekick and use AOL AIM and Yahoo Messenger for free and send and receive emails or just text message...My cell phone is still a local number for them so all the rest is really unnecessary..or you could just join the same network as your friends/family and get free mobile to mobile (verizon)</p>

<p>We had gotten an 800 number when DS was in HS for traveling to swim meets. Works great now, too, and is much cheaper than using the cell from MD to AK.</p>

<p>We have a Sprint plan with each child (and Grandma) having their own phone - nights and weekends are free, plus all calls between the 5 phones are free anytime.</p>

<p>The have a phone in the room for anything the school might have to contact them about, but all their fams and friends use the cell phones, plus IM.</p>

<p>No need for anything else.</p>