In order to use the Conversant service, you will need the following:
To start using the Conversant service you need to:
You don't need any particular system, software or hardware to use the Conversant service. However there are different requirements depending on how you will access the service.
If you use a softphone then you need a computer to run the softphone on. The specific requirements for the computer depend on the softphone you use. There are softphones for most commonly-used computer platforms including Windows, Linux and Mac.
If you use a VOIP phone or an ATA then there are no system requirements. You can connect the phone or ATA directly to a router provided the router is connected to the internet.
Alternatively you can connect the VOIP phone or ATA to your computer and have your computer connected to the internet. This alternative is useful if you have an ADSL modem that doesn't have an Ethernet connection e.g. a USB modem, or if you have a wireless connection to your network. To achieve this you would use internet connection sharing or network bridging.
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You don't need to keep your existing phone line to use the Conversant service. However you may want to keep your phone line for the following reasons:
There are a large number of softphones available that will work with the Conversant service. Provided the softphone supports the SIP protocol, it should work. We recommend the following free softphone:
There are a large number of VOIP phones and Analogue Telephone Adaptors (ATAs) that will work with the Conversant service. Provided the phone or ATA supports the SIP protocol, it should work. We recommend and have tested the following equipment:
Your ISP is probably the most important factor in determining call quality - if there is a significant degree of latency or packet loss then call quality will diminish.
Typically, fixed-line based services such as DSL, ADSL or cable provide excellent call quality. Results on other services e.g. satellite or wireless WAN technology varies from satisfactory to unacceptable. Note that this does not include wireless LAN technologies (e.g. 802.11).
The best way to find out is to try the service. You can do so for free and with no obligation. Back to Top
We've tested a lot of software phones, hardware phones and analogue telephony adaptors. The ones we recommend and how you can configure them manually are listed here.
In addition, some devices can be automatically setup (provisioned) by us. Contact us for more details.
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We support G711, G729, GSM and, on request iLBC (30ms frames) for our PSTN interconnect. For direct SIP calling between customers (not involving the PSTN) then codec support is limited only by the devices being used.