Now that I am working out here in UAE, I want to use my laptop to make cheap/free calls to my home phone.

What hardware / software am I likely to need.

Tks

jeff skype is pretty good for most things. I also use voipfone which can be configured with a software phone on PC although i dont use it like that.

jeffie: Skype is your best bet. You can even get a Skypein number which is a London number, complete with answering service, for Skypeless persons to call you. Get a decent headset (I recommend Sennheiser) and remember to put your clothes on before making video calls.

You could try one of these and there are many similar

www.voipcheap.com


www.internetcalls.com

If you are calling from abroad then calls to UK are FREE

just

plug in a headset and add some credit to your account and then the calls are free.

http://www.internetcalls.com/en/calling-rates.html

http://www.voipcheap.co.uk/en/rates.html

Thanks for those suggestions, I will look at them now.

Are you sending me to dodgy sites H. Access to both of those is blocked by the ABU Dhabi authorities. I will try Skype

Jeff,

Did you notice my and DelBoy's comments in the cafe the other day about proxy servers? Try going through NinjaCloak.com or HideMyAss.com.

If they're blocked by the authorities, do you have a VPS? You could open a browser on your VPS to access the sites in question. Otherwise, do you have a machine elsewhere that's running 24/7 as you could open an RDC to it.

Any help re my post of 21st.

Appreciate any answers, even if they say, 'Can't help' as then I will get rid of Spybot although I have been a fan of the site for many years.

Strange but my Spybot has suddenly started to refuse to clear/fix any problems that it finds as 'I am not the administrator'.
I have changed nothing on my PC and as I am the only users, surely I am an administrator.
Any ideas, gratefully received.

Hils
Dis some googling and in UAE until recently VOIP is banned. They have just licenced the 2 local telcos but they are not offering it as yet. There are a number of solutions on the internet using proxy and VPS so will take a look. Probably easier to do when back in UK in a couple of weeks.

greekman, presumably you are running Vista? My guess is that you have downloaded an update from Windows which has changed the settings. XP doesn't usually ask for administrator permissions. Regret Spybot is not one I use, but would be very surprised if it's Spybot asking & not Windows. If it is Windows then go to Control Panel > Administrator settings.

Greek
read your post with interest but didn't reply as am not able to contribute anything useful.
As mentioned above you don't say which system you're using. I've left spybot off win7 as it doesn't like more than one security device working at a time.
However like you I am baffled by the constant need for administrative authority to do the simplest tasks when I thought I'd set this up during installation for a sole user.

greekman.
Re-install it. I had a similar problem many many moons ago. Never got to the bottom of it. I just deleted the old (use Revo uninstaller in full clear out mode - I don't like the Windows un-installer) & then re-installed. Everything worked fine then.

Greekman

Since AV Programs are legendary for slowing your machine down to a standstill and also being so damned difficult to set up and use, my advice is to kick all your existing AV programs into touch and start using just use one. The one I'd recommend is SuperAntiSpyware Professional.

There are discount codes about to buy it advantageously and you can purchase it for more than one machine at a further discounted slightly extra price and also purchase lifetime updates advantageously too.

Actually, simply use the Code: FRIEND and you can purchase one version of 'SAS Pro' for less than $15 including the lifetime updates.

It can be set up to do its updates every 8 hours and there is also good backup service , although I've never had to use it myself.

There is a Free version which does sweeps but it doesn't give you live protection like the Professional version. You can also trial the 'Professional version' if you want for Free for 30 days.

http://www.superantispyware.com/

Obviously, you will still need to do the Microsoft Updates.

I'd also recommend you use Piriform's CCleaner on an almost daily basis to clear out all the junk you accumulate and to keep your machine running at it's optimum.

That's about it really. If you do the above you'll be fully covered and you won't need to bother using SpyBot Search and Destroy, Avast, McAfee, Norton or any other such similar stuff.

jeffmack

This might be of interest. It explains why VOIP is not allowed!

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-10761210

BlackBerrys pose 'security risk' say UAE authorities

The United Arab Emirates (UAE) has said that it could move to restrict or monitor BlackBerry mobile phones, as they pose a "national security risk".

The region's telecoms regulator said "BlackBerry operates beyond the jurisdiction of national legislation" as it stores its data offshore.

It said it was concerned that misuse may have "serious social, judicial and national security repercussions".

Critics branded the moves as "repressive".

The media freedom watchdog Reporters Without Borders told BBC News that while the UAE was playing a "technological leadership role in the Arab world" this was backed by "repressive laws" and a "general trend of intensified surveillance".

"Last April, the daily Emarat al Yaoum reported on an interior ministry plan to check the identity of anyone using the internet in public places," said the organisation's Lucie Morillon.

Many mobile phones are already monitored, she said.

etc.....................

Hi H
Saw that on the front of the newspaper here this morning. I dont have a blackberry so didnt really take much notice of it.

The underlying reason that BlackBerry is targetted by the UAE is that it uses triple-DES encryption for its email. So they just can't read it. It's got sod all to do with data being offshore.

The encryption scheme used for voice on GSM is deliberately weak (at the original insistance of the French, wouldn't you know) so eavesdropping over-the-air on voice is possible. But rarely bothered with when there are back-doors in at the cellular stations anyway.

Skype VoIP is encrypted but it is said that those who need to crack it have cracked it - or have been given access to the scheme.

It always makes me smile when you see the crap written by people trying to justify snooping, I don't see why they just cant be honest and say they want the ability to look at the data, everyone knows that's what they want and anyone who wants to avoid them looking knows how to stop them accessing the data, its a silly game.

Sometimes its not spying they want its just a blatant attempt to support a local PTT monopoly by trying to stop people using alternative and lower cost routes like VOIP. I have come across it a number of times in IT projects where all network equipment has to be checked by the government to ensure it cant be used for VoIP, again its a game because it can (technically but not legally) be used for VoIP.

Travelled on a US Airways internal flight the other day - they offer in-flight internet but also ban VOIP.

I have just added an Edimax Range Expander and set it up along with my Netgear ADSL
Modem/Router & all was working fine until the power tripped in the house.

Now the Router connection is fine & connects to the internet but the Edimax does not.

The router is identified as being in the home network, but the Edimax is now shown as connecting to an "unidentifed" public network & will not connect to the internet, whereas it was on the home network earlier.

How can I switch it back to the home network? I cannot find in the help how to do it.

I am on Win 7 home premium,

Thanks

Go to http://www.amazon.co.uk/Edimax-EW-7416APN-Wireless-802-11n-Access/dp/B001HW0JVU and look at the Reviews at the bottom of the page. Particularly the first one.