Customer Reviews

USB Phone Adapter for Skype MSN Yahoo VOIP Interface

5 star:		(43)
4 star:		(19)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(12)
1 star:		(21)

 

 

I wanted an extra Skype phone near my easy chair where I do a lot of my work and where I have a laptop. But I didn't want to buy another Skype phone as I have two already. So I thought I'd try this cheap adapter.

I was blown away! I didn't hook it to the land line as I have a land line phone nearby. I also didn't want to take a chance on making LD calls on the land line.

So I hooked up a phone I bought at a garage sale for a quarter. I set the Skypemate software to recognize the USB port first, not the land line, which is the default.

It worked like a dream. I can make regular calls or use the software. When I pick up the phone, Skype pops up. Really neat. I haven't received a call on it yet so don't know how that will work. But I mostly use it to call out anyway.

The really "great" news is that when I made a call to a regular phone, the sound was above par --- better than a regular call. Unlike another reviewer, I found the quality of the call far superior to a cell phone and equal to or better than a regular land line call. Whether that was due to my Internet connection or PC or phone, I don't know. I do know I tried two phones before I used this one. The first phone didn't give good quality. So it could be you'll need to try a couple phones. This one I'm using is just a cheap old regular phone.

I highly recommend this adapter to anyone who uses Skype or any VOIP that it will work with.

I bought the phone from Cable4Less and I recommend you do the same. Their prices are the best and I can tell you from experience their help is above average and "very" fast. Customer support is an area I really rate on and if it's bad, I'll tell the world. There's no excuse for bad customer support. But if you buy from Cable4Less, you'll be happy. They'll do right by you. (I have no financial interest in Cable4Less.)

I highly recommend this product.

Update: I've not been able to get the adapter to work with both Skype and the Land Line as advertised. As a Skype phone only, it's perfect. But, at least in my case using a standard, basic telephone (not cordless) the landline won't work along with Skype. It may be my unit is defective. But that's my experience thus far.

Update: I switched phones to try and get the adapter to work on both the land line and Skype. Instead of using my trusty SW Bell desk phone, I used the quarter phone and hooked both up to it. And, it works fine.

So my conclusion is that the adapter is somewhat particular in the telephone you use. That said, I'm looking forward to really enjoying this. By the way, it's easy to tell which line you're on.

This type of USB to RJ-11 converter is a relatively new item (just the last few years). I've come to learn it takes at least 4 years for such new technologies to get the bugs worked out of them.

I purchased this device because I wanted to cancel my POTS landline (Verizon) and use Skype in my home exclusively. This adapter is designed to let you use Skype ALONG with a regular landline. The result is that if you don't have a landline to plug into this device (and try using only Skype) it will not work. The Enforcity adapter uses your landline dialtone as a foundation to make Skype calls... you pick up your regular house phone and hit "*" to switch to Skype calling. The problem is, if you don't have a landline that generates a dial tone, the device won't allow you to dial anything, let alone "*" in order to engage Skype. So basically, you still need landline service in order to make this thing work.

Another issue is receiving calls. When a call comes in via Skype, you don't hear it ring. The device does NOT generate a ring signal that will make your phone ring when a call comes in. So, if you're not near your computer, you won't know that a call is coming in.

There are also a few issues with "Skypemate" regarding sound settings. Once it configures Skype to work through your RJ-11 connection, switching back to regular- through your computer speakers & mic- is a pain. Unplugging the USB cord will not change this, you have to go into your sound settings, reconfigure them- and then restart your computer before Skype will work normally (through your computer speakers) again.

I did manage to get the device working after hooking up a POTS line and making all the configurations- and it sounded pretty good. Still, I doubt I will use this converter because there are just too many limitations for my needs.

An addendum to this review after having the unit for about a week:

DON'T buy this unit, it eventually becomes a paperweight (I tried reducing my rating to one star but apparently Amazon won't allow it). The software bugs are so problematic as to eventually make the unit worthless (sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't). I now understand what one of the other reviewers said about the device ceasing to work after a while. It comes from the basically useless software.

"Skypemate" is VERY buggy. Sometimes it lets you dial directly from your phone, sometimes it stops working and only lets you dial from your computer (probably because of glitches with your PC's sound settings). I really should return the unit, but frankly I'm too lazy and will just eat the $30 I paid. Don't make the same mistake I did.

Plugged this into my USB along with my GE 2.4ghz cordless phone for use in Skype and works awesome! I no longer have a landline, just my cell but wanted to ease the burden of my minutes usage. Even though Skype doesnt assign you your own number you can still outdial anywhere for $35 yr. Using this thingy in my puter and Skpye AND SkypeMate (free d/l from the net) you can use your home line to dial out anywhere. Although you MUST set speed dails to be able to call out without being at the computer (the phone/Skype wont let you dail normally like your used to, you have to either use the computer to dial or use speed-dial codes via the phone). But clarity is great (just so long as im not cloggin my bandwidth in downloads when im calling).

I ordered this product on Dec 29th, 2009 and received it Jan 2 from CE Compass. This was shipped normal shipping through USPS and was quick. The product was super simply to setup and from start to finish took about 15 minutes. In my configuration I DO NOT have a PSTN phone line and I have the unit connected to a Panasonic 4 handset cordless phone system. I downloaded and installed the latest version of SKYPE for my PC running MS Windows XP Professional, I hooked up the USB to RJ11 device (USB port to my PC and Telephone jack to my Panasonic base station), I installed the SkypeMate software from the included CD. I told SKYPE to allow SkypeMate to control it, I right clicked on SkyeMate and under Advanced->DeviceOptions I set adapter default channel to "USB", Under Skype Tools->Options->Audio Settings for Microphone I selected "USB Audio Device" and for Speakers "USB Audio Device" and for Ringing "USB Audio Device", then gave it a try and everything seems to work perfectly. I can send and receive calls without any problems and voice quality is good. So far I have done a couple dozen calls (in and out) over 1.5 days so I have probably not experienced all of the nuances yet. However so far I am extremely pleased. A couple of early observations: 1) While caller ID shows up on my computer screen it does not show up on my Panasonic handset even though it is caller-id capable. While I suspect this may simply be an option I need to enable I have not taken time to look into it yet. 2) I notice when I logoff my PC that incoming calls come through fine but I am not able to make outgoing calls. Again this might just require a little research to figure out a way around this but in both cases these are minor nits that I can easily live with if I do not resolve. In fact they are to minor for me to take the time to chase after at the moment.

We have been using the eforcity phone adapter for skype for about 2 months now and we can tell you this: it does what it's supposed to do, but is far from perfect. Sound quality is pretty good, you hook up your regular phone to the device and you can use it for Skype calls. Set up was fairly easy, there is a small program that runs on your computer that interfaces with the device to allow you to connect to Skype.

The bad part is, whoever designed this wasn't a very good engineer, as there are occasions where the adapter stops recognizing the phone, and you hear no dial tone and can't make any calls. Unplugging the device from the computer and plugging it back in fixes the issue, but this happens nearly once a week, so it is quite annoying.

Another issue with this device (and apparently all other devices such as these), is that if you are on the line with a woman with a high pitched voice, or are someone who has a high pitched voice, certain words and sounds you or the callee make are interpreted by the adapter as key pad entries - resulting in a beeping sound, as if you are pressing the keypad. This is a known issue with all adapters, and is apparently better on some adapters than others. This one in particular is pretty bad - whenever my wife is on the phone, she or the person on the other end of the line always hears the beeping sound, as if someone is pressing a button on the key pad! You can find more information about this issue here: http://unofficialmagicjack.forum2u.org/post8424.html

The other issue is that it does not easily switch between the Skype and landline - if you want to use this primarily for Skype, you must set the default line in the SkypeMate software on your computer!

Pros
- easy to setup
- works as expected
- use corded/cordless phone with Skype/VOIP
- affordable (when buying from other sellers)

Cons
- Beeping sound as if someone presses dial pad when on the phone with a person that has a high pitched voice
- Occasionally phone / adapter stops working with Skype - you need to unplug it and plug it back in to get it working
- If you are using it primarily for Skype, you need to switch the line via the software, and cannot use the way they say in the instruction manual (pressing one of the key pad buttons)
- No tech support, driver fixes for any of the issues mentioned above

Instructions were easy to follow which made the installation process very easy as well. Audio of skype communications was improved after installing the adapter. A public phone line is not required. I have attached a cordless phone to the Eforcity Phone USB Adapter and now it is like having a regular phone line at home. Eforcity's delivery time was excellent. 100% satisfied with this item and with this vendor.

I've been using this adapter for a month as a Skype-only "land line" and am pleased with the performance. But you must do several things others have mentioned in the reviews. Remember, I am not using it with a regular land line so I can't comment on that.

Here's how to set up Skype to receive phone calls and allow you to call phones. You may want to do this before you buy this unit:

1. Go to skype.com and sign up for a subscription to call phone numbers. Do not buy Skype Credit because you won't need it if you get a monthly subscription. The subscription costs $2.99/mo and includes long distance to US/Canada. This lets you use Skype to call out to phone numbers.

2. If you want to be able to receive calls from phone numbers, get a Skype online number. (Don't get "Skype to Go.") Since you already have a subscription, the phone number will cost $[...]/year--half off the normal price. So your bill will come to $[...]/year.

Once you have everything working, buy this unit. Then:

Uninstall Skype if it's newer than version 3.8 and install version 3.8 from [...]. As others have reported, newer versions of Skype will call the last number you dialed unless you go to your computer and close the call window. Skype 3.8 solves this problem.

Set Skype Mate to USB for the adapter device channel: 1. Right click the Skype Mate icon and choose "Advanced" > Click on the DeviceOption tab and choose USB from Adaptor default channel." If you have caller ID, choose FSK in the next drop-down. Caller ID doesn't always work, but my phone does identify callers that are in the phone's directory.

I use 4 cordless phones and am able to place calls using the phone directory on each phone and redial. You must always dial the area code with the number. When I make a call, I hear the phone dial the number and then Skype dials the number. The box will make clicking noises when you place a call, receive a call, during the call, and at random times when you're not using the phone. I have Skype set up to only ring the phones and not the PC speakers.

I also use a Google Voice phone number and have it set up to ring both my Skype number and cell phone number.

Skype Mate is a bit quirky at times and I've run into some software conflicts when using a Java application.

Avoid this product if you're intending to dial out from your phone/handset. This device has an issue with the current version of Skype that does not allow it to properly dial out.

On the positive side, setup and configuration are pretty straightforward. Everything actually works well once you're dialed out, you just have to dial out directly from the Skype client itself instead of from a phone.

The problem is that Skype doesn't 'reset' properly after a call is terminated and doesn't clear out the previous number dialed. As a result, when you go to dial the next time, the previous number is still there and gets dialed instead.

Upon research, this is a common problem and the only solution seems to be to revert back to a very old version of Skype (not ideal).

As background, I had to quickly set up a home office a few weeks ago and was looking for a way that I could let my wife (actually, her business) have our more-reliable landline. I got a Skype-in number and set up my Google Voice number to forward to it. However, I lamented that I wouldn't be able to use my nice Plantronics headset with my PC. Or could I?

I Googled around to see if I could find some sort of adapter and that led me to a USB to RJ-11 (the standard phone jack) adapter. So it looked like that adapter would connect my cordless phone (with my nice headset) to my PC and I could then take calls from anywhere in the house, instead of being tied to the PC. Awesome.

I'll apologize in advance for the long review here, but I want to make sure that anyone who cares to know exactly what they're intending to buy doesn't make the same mistake that I made initially. (And this is actually my first review on amazon.com, but I was so happy that this inexpensive device let me do exactly what I wanted that I felt the need to share that with others who might be in the same boat that I was.)

Here's the mistake that I made: I read the "...it works with Vista, you just need to install the latest SkypeMate..." review here and assumed that the reviewer's comment about it working with Vista applied to *all* similar USB/RJ11 VOIP adapters, so I went ahead and ordered the other *non* USB Telbox adapter from another site for a couple bucks less.

Well, I got that *non* USB Telbox adapter, connected it to my Vista PC, and after an hour or so of trying everything I could think of, wasn't able to make it work. (That vendor has live chat tech support and the tech support guy's conclusion was "it doesn't work with Vista".) Great.

I then realized my error -- the review here about it working with Vista only applied to the USB Telbox adapter.

So I crossed my fingers that even though this USB Telbox adapter also says that it's for XP and 2000 only, that it would really and truly work with Vista, trusting the reviewer's comment. Order was placed.

Okay, on to the actual review. Standard shipping (via USPS, it turns out) was nice and fast; I expected a longer trip time, given the holidays, but I was very pleasantly surprised when I got it today. The brief manual is written in some choppy English, but is easily followable, so I connected the USB/RJ11 adapter to my PC (with the included USB cable), connected the adapter to my cordless phone (with the included phone cord), and did not connect it to my home phone line (since that belongs to my wife's business). Shortly after the USB connection was made, Windows alerted me to the need to reboot my PC and I did so.

I downloaded the latest SkypeMate program I could find (it's version 4.something) and after rebooting, that installation went fine. (I figured that the CD which came with the adapter would only have SkypeMate version 3.something on it, so I skipped it entirely.)

The SkypeMate system tray icon wasn't showing that it was ready for action, so I opened Skype and at the top, saw that it was asking for my okay to allow SkypeMate to work with my Skype installation (similarly, I'm running the latest version of Skype). I gave it the thumbs-up and headed over to Google Voice to make a test call. (If you don't know how Google Voice works, it doesn't really matter; it's just a service that I use to make calls and have incoming calls ring on multiple phone numbers.)

Since calls to my Google Voice number would heretofore ring my cell and my Skype number, I was very pleased that the arrangement was still functional (as opposed to that *non* USB Telbox adapter I bought earlier, where I simply could not answer a call on Skype), but I was a little disappointed that my cell was ringing a couple of rings before my cordless phone was.

Anyway, I pressed Talk on my cordless phone and sure enough, I was connected with the party that I'd called (via Google Voice)!

I had my wife test it by calling my Google Voice number and I was able to answer her call by pressing Talk on my cordless phone.

To be crystal clear, to pick up the incoming call, I did not have to do *anything* on my PC like I would have had to do if I was answering a normal Skype call. (Skype's normal Accept/Decline dialog box still pops up like always, but when I press Talk on my cordless phone to pick up the incoming call, the dialog box disappears -- I believe that is a (proper) function of the SkypeMate software.)

I dug around in Skype's Options and realized that the option which tells Skype which device(s) to ring when a call comes in was set to ring "Speakers (USB audio device)" which, as I understand it, is the cordless phone. I don't know if that's why my cell was ringing before my cordless phone was ringing, but once I changed it to "Ring on All Devices", they now both seem to ring at about the same time.

I knocked off a star on features for no caller ID. As it stands, I have to glance at my cell phone to see the caller ID. It would be nice if CID also showed up on the cordless phone's display and I'm not sure if that's a Skype limitation or something missing with this adapter, but I'm not complaining. Well, not a lot, anyway.

In conclusion, a week or two ago, I wanted the ability to connect my cordless phone (and nice headset) to my Skype account so that I could receive calls and it looks like the second time is the charm! :)

Oh, I must add that I do not have the ability to *place* calls via Skype, so when I pick up my cordless phone and press Talk, I get nothing. As I mentioned above, I *do not* have our home telephone line connected to this adapter, so I don't know if that's the cause of this inability or it's that I don't have Skype-out credits or what, but if *making* Skype calls through this adapter is important to you, you might want to read other reviews or contact the vendor or something else to ensure that it'll fit that need.

Update: I just (temporarily) connected my wife's landline to the "Line" jack on the adapter and when I pressed Talk, I got a dialtone. I then pressed ** (that's star, star -- I think it's just star for Windows XP or 2000) on my cordless phone and Skype was poised to do it's thing. (I did the Skype test call, which isn't really a true test of placing a call.) So I think that the answer to an inability to *place* calls via Skype is that you *must* have a landline connected to the adapter. If you don't, it seems like you'll need to use Skype on the PC to place your calls.

I got this setup and it's working great, but I'm only giving it one star because of all of the hassles I went though that I don't think an average customer will want to bother with.

Yes you can use this to make and receive phone calls from both Skype and your landline with the same phone, and if you want you can get rid of your landline and just use Skype with just a plain phone. However, you'll have to leave your computer on all of the time and you'll have to use an old version of Skype (based on an other reviewers comments, I'm using version 3.8.0.188).

Two problems previous reviews brought up:

1) "you have to connect it to your landline in order for it to work, so you can't just use Skype" (or something like that)

This isn't correct.

The device has two phone connections, one for your landline and one for your telephone. You use the * key on your phone to switch between landline and USB (i.e. Skype). The phone must somehow get its power from the telephone connection on the device, and if the device is configured to route your landline to your phone, it has to get power from your landline connection. If you don't have an active landline plugged in, the phone won't have power to send a * key signal and so you won't be able to switch over to USB/Skype. However, the program that the device uses to interface with Skype (the program's called SkypeMate) has a setting that allows you to choose USB as the default connection. So after you do that, the phone will receive power from the USB connection and it'll work just fine w/o any landline connection.

Took a bit to figure this out. The bare-bones manual was of no help.

I've got a cable phone-modem that connects to my house's phone wiring. So what I've done is to connect the cable phone-modem to the landline connection on the device and connect the device's telephone connection to my house's phone wiring. The device (along with the SkypeMate program) will automatically route incomming landline or Sklype calls to my phones, so my house phones ring when either Skype or a cable phone-modem call comes in. And when calling out, I've got USB/Skype set to be the default device, so I just dial whatever number I want (just like normal) and I call out on Skype. Or I can press * and the device switches to landline and I call out on my cable phone-modem. I'm going to try this for a few months and see if my family can live with just Skype. If we can, I'll get rid of my cable phone-modem and save a few dollars.

2) the $&%*@#$ SkypeMate program doesn't work with the latest version of Skype (5.0.0.152)

SkypeMate is the program that comes with the device and passes on phone numbers from the device to Skype when you place a call from your phone. You also use it to set the few settings available to you, and it probably does a few more things. However, it's not a program provided by Skype, but rather a third party program that is supposed to work with Skype. The bad news is that it apparently isn't well supported because I couldn't find any version of SkypeMate that works with my latest version of Skype. Based on a previous reviewers comments that he was able to get it to work with version 3.8, I installed version 3.8.0.188 on my house sever and got it to work. However, I wouldn't want to have done this with my main PC as you lose a lot of nifty Skype features by reverting to an old version. And I suppose there's a privacy issue with having a second computer with an active history of my Skype text conversations.

I'm only giving this device a 1 star because SkypeMate doesn't work with the latest version of Skype, which indicates to me that this product is no longer being actively supported. If you want to deal with the hassles of using an old version of Skype (one solution being having a 2nd computer dedicated to running the old version of Skype) and the potential problem of this not working one day for some unforeseen software compatibility problem, then this is a great device for a very cheap price. But if you want a bullet-proof easy to use product, this unfortunately isn't it.

Happy trails.