Calling from the Road

I quick tip about making calls from the road and out of Country

Also shout out to Google! THANKS

I live in the US and traveling through Canada is an expensive PHONE CALL proposition, when you want to keep in contact with loved ones on the road.

I will be using my I-Pad (WiFi only) to make and receive calls from/to  BC/US while on the road

(You can also do the same with your I phone, make sure to turn off all the phone services in settings while in BC)

There are many options to make and receive calls on the road

• Rooming with your current plan (expect a bill above $100, more like $200)
• New calling plan for Canada (don’t forget a data plan) they are expensive
• Buy a new simm card for your phone when you arrive in BC, (still may have to consider long distance out of BC)

I found a better option

Google Voice and Talkatone:

1)      I created a Google Voice account

2)      I Installed Talkatone on my I-pad (this integrates with Google Voice and allows your I-pad to act as your phone over WiFi (no simm card required)

a.       I have all my phone number ring to this new number (you can use an existing number as well) its an easy setting in the application, just add your numbers to a list and confirm them with one call.

b.      I will use my i-pad to make all calls in BC

c.       Phone calls to all my numbers will now will ring to my I-pad, when I am connected to WiFi and all voice mail is available on my I-pad in Voice and text form!

Nearly every Gas station, restaurant, hotel and Camping area have free WiFi in BC, and  I won’t be talking while I’m riding so this option works well for me. And best of all its FREE…. Such a nice Price!

I-Phone (If you are using your I-phone you only need Google Voice for I-phone, just make sure you turn off your phone services while in BC)

How this works:

Most modern phone services are now voice over Internet protocol or VOIP. True land lines are quite rare these days, if you have a Land Line in our home it is likely transferred to VOIP substation you’re your local vender (Comcast, ATT, and many more)

Your phone communicates to a modem and translates your voice in to a Data Stream and sends it just like a text message to another modem that in return translates it back to a Voice communication and your voice is heard on the other end and same in return, simple! (for you techies yes this is an over simplification and the actual process does vary from this explanation, but I think it get the point across in a simple manner)

 So now let’s look at this from a practical side: If you have an internet connection you can make calls anywhere the internet can reach, yes anywhere!

You need software to do this (there is a standard for the protocol used by service providers and your voice data package must match that protocol exactly)

Google makes this easy and handles all the details including voice mail and voice to text so you can read you voice mail as well as listen to it. Talkatone installs on your I-pad enabling Google Voice on your I-pad its simple straightforward and the install process guides you through the set up and use of the application with Google Voice. (set up your Google Voice account first)

The technology and ability to do this has been available for a very long time, I have used this method through OOMA as my home and business lines for about 6 years with no phone bill!