VoIP Soft-Phone - PC to Phone Make phone calls with your Internet connection Click a question to view answer General Questions What type of calls can I make when I am using VoIP Soft-Phone? Are there any numbers that I can not call? How can I make a call if I am already connected to the Internet? Will I be disconnected from the Internet once I make the call? Can I receive incoming calls when I am using VoIP Soft-Phone? What operating system do I need to use VoIP Soft-Phone? Do I need any special software or hardware to use VoIP Soft-Phone? Does my computer need additional memory? Do I need to change telephone carriers or ISP? What is the sound quality of these calls? Are my calls secured?   Sign Up Questions How do I set up or open an account? What payment methods are available? Do I need a PIN and a password? Can I sign up if I am located outside of the U.S.? How do I view my call detail records ? How do I cancel my account? Are there any cancellation fees? Can I reactivate my account? Will I have access to my account from another PC? What happens if my credit card is declined when the usage is charged?   Troubleshooting The call is connected, but I cannot hear the person at the other end. The call is connected, but the person at the other end cannot hear me. My internet access is a 56kbps dialup line. Will this work? The call is connected, but the audio keeps breaking up. When I start the Soft-Phone client, it does not progress beyond the login screen, or tells me that the "server did not respond or could not be found". What does this mean? General Questions   What type of calls can I make when I am using VoIP Soft-Phone? VoIP Soft-Phone allows you to make PC to phone calls to any valid phone number worldwide including mobile phones. top Are there any numbers that I can not call? Calls cannot be made to: 911 emergency services 411 directory assistance operator assistance 900 caller-pays services top How can I make a call if I am already connected to the Internet? After you have signed up, downloaded and run the VoIP Soft-Phone client, you will be asked to log in. Once you have logged in, you can make calls by keying in the full telephone number, starting with the country code, followed by the area code and the number. As soon as you click on the Call button, the Soft-Phone will dial the number. top Will I be disconnected from the Internet once I make the call? To make calls from your PC using VoIP Soft-Phone you have to be connected to the Internet. You will not be disconnected from the Internet when making a call. top Can I receive incoming calls when I am using VoIP Softphone? Yes, you choose your own private U.S. or other country local phone number and receive unlimited incoming calls to your PC. View the sign up form to view the 'outgoing and incoming' plan choices. top What operating system do I need to use VoIP Soft-Phone? The VoIP Soft-Phone client can be downloaded on Windows 95, 98, 2000, ME, XP, and NT. top Do I need any special software or hardware to use VoIP Soft-Phone? Apart from the VoIP Soft-Phone client software (which you download after your account is activated), your PC will need a sound card and either a headset or microphone/speaker set. We recommend that you use either a headset or a USB port compatible handset. This should eliminate any possibility of echo to the party you are talking to resulting from their voice traveling back into the PC speaker on your end. top Does my computer need additional memory? No top Do I need to change telephone carriers or ISP? No. There is no need to change your telephone carrier or your ISP in order to join VoIP Soft-Phone. All you have to do is activate your account with VoIP Soft-Phone. top What is the sound quality of these calls? Sound quality may vary due to your connection to the Internet, i.e. dial up versus broadband, and the congestion level of your Internet access resulting from bandwidth available from your Internet provider at the time of your call. top Are my calls secured? Calls are as secure as the calls that you make from your telephone. top Sign Up Questions   How do I set up or open a VoIP Soft-Phone account? To set-up your account with VoIP Soft-Phone all you have to do is click on this Sign Up link. There are no activation fees or monthly fees and you may cancel at any time. top What payment methods are available? Credit cards are the only method of payment accepted. We accept Visa, MasterCard, American Express and Diners Club and JCB. top Do I need a PIN and a password? When you sign up, you will be asked for your preferred password for on-line account management. You will receive a VoIP PIN number and set-up instructions when your account is activated. top Can I sign up if I am located outside of the U.S.? Yes you can sign up no matter what your country location is. top How do I view my call detail records? When you sign up for the service, you will have access to an account management menu with a special link. This web page link will be sent to you as part of your activation email. top How do I cancel my account? Just send us an e-mail with your request. top Are there any cancellation fees? There are no cancellation fees. top Can I reactivate my account? You can reactivate your account by contacting customer service by e-mail or phone. Please have your Account number and and password ready to ensure fast processing. top Will I have access to my account from another PC? Yes. Simply go to the Account page directly, or download the VoIP Soft-Phone client onto your new PC and follow the same set up instructions. All your account details will remain the same. top What happens if my credit card is declined when the usage is charged? If your credit card cannot be charged, you will not be able to place any calls and you will need to contact customer service and provide another credit card. top Troubleshooting   The call is connected, but I cannot hear the person at the other end. Check that you have a sound card, and either speakers or headset Adjust the speaker volume on the dialpad (there are arrows next to the speaker icon to increase or decrease the volume) If you are using a router or firewall, see the router-related questions below. top The call is connected, but the person at the other end cannot hear me. Check that you have a sound card, and either a microphone or headset/microphone combination. Adjust the microphone volume on the dialpad (there are arrows next to the microphone icon to increase or decrease the volume) top My internet access is a 56kbps dialup line. Will this work? Running VoIP Soft-Phone with Microsft Windows will usually achieve acceptable results when the internet is accessed over a dialup (telephone) line. Actual performance may depend on the PC configuration, level of internet congestion, and the quality of service provided by your ISP. top The call is connected, but the audio keeps breaking up. The source of the problem may be: Congestion on the internet. If access to normal web sites is slow, this is the most likely cause. This must be resolved by your Internet Service Provider or by re-setting your sound card. Use the tools available in the Windows Control Panel to test your sound card. top When I start the VoIP Soft-Phone client, it does not progress beyond the login screen, or tells me that the "server did not respond or could not be found". What does this mean? Either your internet connection no longer works (you can check this easily with your web browser) or you are trying to use VoIP Soft-Phone from behind a firewall or router that uses Network Address Translation (NAT). You must configure your router to enable the SIP messages to pass between the VoIP Soft-Phone client and the server. Some routers refer to this as Port Forwarding, while others call these Virtual Server or Special Applications settings. The steps you need to take are: Find out your own PC's private IP address. Do this using either the ipconfig (for Windows 2000 or XP) or winipcfg (for Windows 95 or 98) commands from the DOS prompt. Configure your router to forward UDP packets on Port 5060 to your PC's IP address (Port 5060 is used by the Session Initiation Protocol [SIP] to set up your calls). If you can successfully makecalls, but cannot hear any audio, you may also need to forward UDP packets on Ports 10,000 and 10,999. Upon account activation, you will receive direct contact links to our U.S. based customer service and tech support departments. top AIT's Home Page