VoIP FAQs

VoIP stands for Voice over Internet Protocol.

In a nutshell, using Netspace VoIP to make phone calls is just like using your normal phone except that your calls go out over your internet connection rather than your normal phone line, bypassing much of the traditional telephone network, saving you big dollars on call costs. Please note that the Netspace VoIP service is currently only configured to make outgoing VoIP calls and is not able to receive incoming calls.

At this time a Netspace VoIP account is available to all customers with a Netspace residential broadband account.

Most of the time you won’t be able to distinguish between the quality of a VoIP call and a standard telephone line call.

Call quality using Netspace VoIP can be affected by a number of factors. The most likely being that your internet connection is particularly busy or, (when using a softphone) if your PC is running particularly slow or is busy.

The Netspace Phone Adapter has a fail over feature so if there is no power to the adapter or for some reason your broadband connection is not functioning, your phone will automatically go back to using your standard phone line.

No. You should make calls to 000 using your standard telephone line. If using the Netspace Phone Adapter with your standard telephone line and a standard handset connected according to our instructions, calls to 000 will automatically use your standard telephone line instead of Netspace VoIP.

When using the Netspace Phone Adapter, with the exception of some special numbers, all calls are connected using Netspace VoIP by default. If you wish to make a call using your standard telephone line from the handset connected to the Netspace Phone Adapter, pick up handset and press '#' then '9'. You will hear the dial tone change from the Netspace VoIP continuous dial tone to the traditional "pulsing" dial tone of your standard telephone service. Dial the number you wish to call. The call will be connected using your standard telephone line.

In short, when using the Netspace Phone Adapter all calls will be connected using Netspace VoIP. To make a call using your standard telephone line pick up the handset and press '#' then '9' followed by the number you wish to call.

Unless your adapter/ATA or softphone has been configured to deal with certain prefixes or specific numbers in a special way, with the exception of some special numbers, all calls will be connected using Netspace VoIP.

You cannot use Netspace VoIP to make calls to the following numbers; 1800, 1900, 0055, premium call services and calls to emergency service numbers.

If using the Netspace Phone Adapter with your standard telephone line connected according to our instructions, calls to these numbers will automatically use your standard telephone line instead of Netspace VoIP.

Yes. You can use Netspace VoIP to make calls from almost any broadband speed internet connection anywhere in the world. Please note that the Netspace VoIP service is currently only configured to make outgoing VoIP calls and is not able to receive incoming calls.

To make calls using Netspace VoIP you will need to use one of the following:

A Netspace Phone Adapter – (or other compatible adapter/ATA) that attaches to your existing phone line, standard phone handset (or cordless telephone base station) and ADSL broadband modem, or

A softphone – A software program that allows you to make VoIP calls from your computer using a headset or inbuilt speaker and microphone. A softphone looks and works much like a regular phone, just that it’s on your computer screen, or

A VoIP phone – A telephone handset designed specifically for connecting to the internet to make VoIP phone calls.

With Netspace VoIP there is no monthly service fee or minimum monthly spend. You will only be charged for calls made using the Netspace VoIP service.

You will be charged for the calls you make each month, on the date that you activated your Netspace VoIP account. This is your Netspace Phone anniversary date. e.g. If you activate your account on the 10th of the month then you will be billed on the 10th of each month. You will receive an invoice by email including a summary of the call charges.

However, if you have also been using the Netspace Long Distance service then your VoIP account will have the same anniversary date as your existing Netspace Long Distance account.

You will be billed by Netspace for VoIP and Long Distance services on the same invoice.

Yes. You can view your call records via MyNetspace. Call records for VoIP calls will usually be available immediately after the call.

To see the call records associated with a particular invoice, view that invoice in the MyBill section of MyNetspace. To see the call records for calls made since your last invoice (calls that have yet to be invoiced) see VoIP Account Details in the MyPhone section of MyNetspace.

At the moment, Netspace internet and VoIP service is invoiced separately. You can however easily view and identify both your Netspace internet and VoIP invoices in the MyBill section of MyNetspace

No matter how far you are over your Netspace Broadband plan download quota, Netspace VoIP traffic will not be shaped by Netspace.

The minimum speed internet connection required is a Netspace 256 Home or SOHO Broadband connection, or a similar speed and quality broadband connection when using Netspace VoIP while away from Home. Latency problems may be encountered using the minimum speed (256k) broadband connection. A 512k or higher speed broadband connection is recommended for optimal performance.

To use the Netspace Phone Adapter (or other compatible adapter/ATA) you’ll need a broadband modem that connects to your PC via ethernet. The default connection method of the Netspace Phone Adapter is Ethernet, plugged in between your broadband modem and your PC.

To use the Netspace supported softphone you’ll need a PC (running Mac OS 10.4 or Windows 2000/XP) with inbuilt or external speaker/headset and microphone.

For FAQ’s and help with using the Netspace Phone Adapter or softphone see VoIP Support