57 of 62 people found the following review helpful:
An Exceptional, Useful Skype (VOIP) Phone Adapter
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...
34 of 40 people found the following review helpful:
Very buggy & poor software makes this product useless.
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...
This review is from: USB Phone Adapter for Skype, MSN, Yahoo, USB VOIP Interface connects your home phone to network
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.
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This review is from: USB Phone Adapter for Skype, MSN, Yahoo, USB VOIP Interface connects your home phone to network
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).
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This review is from: USB Phone Adapter for Skype, MSN, Yahoo, USB VOIP Interface connects your home phone to network
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.
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This review is from: USB Phone Adapter for Skype, MSN, Yahoo, USB VOIP Interface connects your home phone to network
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.
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This review is from: USB Phone Adapter for Skype, MSN, Yahoo, USB VOIP Interface connects your home phone to network
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
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This review is from: USB Phone Adapter for Skype, MSN, Yahoo, USB VOIP Interface connects your home phone to network
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.
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This review is from: USB Phone Adapter for Skype, MSN, Yahoo, USB VOIP Interface connects your home phone to network
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.
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This review is from: USB Phone Adapter for Skype, MSN, Yahoo, USB VOIP Interface connects your home phone to network
This is a great product ! Easy setup, small enough to be portable but not tiny.
Much improved sound quality which is great, and you can hook up any phone to this adapter- cordless or corded phone.
This is my 4th attempt to buy the right product to maximize Skype's system. I have a great computer, but the sound card isn't great, and this helps a lot
Also, good transaction with this seller !
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This review is from: USB Phone Adapter for Skype, MSN, Yahoo, USB VOIP Interface connects your home phone to network
This is a USB modem that accepts a phone line input and has a phone line output and a USB port. I use it with no phone line and Skype. It comes with SkypeMate software. I'm not sure who wrote/provides the software but maybe Skype because when you choose 'About' on the program's menu it takes you to the Skype website. The device installs on Windows XP upon plugging it in. Then you install SkypeMate software. It updated on install. You plug in the phone and get a dial tone. When you pick up the phone you can see Skype go active. Hang up the phone and Skype goes back to the tray. This program thus takes over and controls Skype via your phone, but you can still use Skype from the computer if you choose. In operation it works fine. To dial a number in the US, you dial 001+area code+number+#. Then you hear the skype dial out music tones and the phone starts ringing. Likewise, if you have a Skype-In number, when someone calls it you see Skype go active and the phone you have plugged into the modem rings. Overall I'm pretty happy with it. It's not the same quality as a regular phone but is probably equal to the quality of most cellular phones. You get a glitch now and then, but hanging up just resets. Also I've had some difficulty at times with DTMF detection on the other end, and also with speech recognition systems. But again, overall I'm pretty happy with it.
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This review is from: USB Phone Adapter for Skype, MSN, Yahoo, USB VOIP Interface connects your home phone to network
I received this device in the mail today and overall am happy with the purchase. It does what I wanted it to do; it allows me to make outgoing calls via Skye with a normal phone. Sound quality is ok but for me it is not crystal clear like skype usually is.
I did have troubles getting calls to go through until I brought up the skype window and let it stay on top. For whatever reason that fixed the problem of calls not being sent.
HOWEVER... I had a problem with the device. I was maybe 20-30 minutes into an outgoing Skype call when I started hearing loud music in the phone. I couldn't hear anything the other person was saying. I tried to disconnect by "hanging up" the phone but the music was still there when I pushed the "on" button again. Realizing that the music sounded familiar, I brought up Pandora, which had been running in a Firefox tab, and realized that the music playing in Pandora was the music playing in the phone!!! What the heck?!? I disconnected, shut down pandora (the firefox tab) and called back the person I had been speaking to. The other party had heard the music also.
Keep that in mind if you are on calls using this device. If you have "adult" movies running on your pc you might want to pause them if you are using this device for phone calls. I can't imagine the humiliation one would feel if on an important business call and suddenly both sides could hear sensual moaning.
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