Help for a new user

[Sally]

Hi

 

I'm a complete newcomer to all this so my apologies if my questions seem simple or obvious.

 

I have downloaded Express Talk for mac and want to use it purely for incoming calls. I can get a free number from uknumber.co.uk and would like to use that to connect to my Express Talk. Am I able to do this and how do I go about it?

 

Any advice would be gratefully received.

 

Many thanks

[pythonpoole]

The service provider uknumber.co.uk is not a VoIP service, it simply forwards calls from the UK number they provide you to any other land-line or mobile number of your choosing.

 

So in order for you to interface this with Express Talk, you will first need to sign-up for a (SIP compatible) VoIP service that has a DID (incoming phone number) which your UK number can forward to. I wouldn't recommend doing this, there are UK VoIP providers out there that will give you a free incoming number in the UK with unlimited inbound minutes without charging callers per minute fees. These services can also directly interface with express talk and overall will lead to a much better solution.

 

Try http://www.sipgate.co.uk

 

 

Also note: uknumber.co.uk is not a "free" service. Your callers will be charged per minute while calling you, and you will not receive any percentage of the profit.

[Sally]

Hi Python

 

Thanks for your advice. I'll be following it soon.

 

I don't actually need to make calls, just receive them - so for me, uknumber.co.uk is free I guess! And it's not a problem that the people calling me are charged.

 

I've signed up now with sipgate who have assigned me a telephone number. However I can't find any explanation of how to configure my express talk so that that number connects to the express talk software on my mac. This is probably a stupid question but if anyone could guide me through the process I'd be very grateful!

 

Best wishes

Sal

[pythonpoole]

I don't have an sipgate account, but you can try this configuration:

 

In express talk's Line Options,

 

- Set "Full 'Friendly' Display Name" to anything of your choosing

- Set "Server (SIP Proxy or Virtual PBX)" to sipgate.co.uk

- Set "SIP Number (or User Name)" to Your SIPID (You can find it under 'My Data' / Connection information at sipgate)

- Set "Password" to your sipgate password (You can find it under 'My Data' / SIP-Password at sipgate)

 

Click ok to apply the settings. Within the next few seconds, Express talk's log at the bottom of the window should either indicate the account was successfully registered or give an error if there was a problem.

[Sally]

Thanks so much Python for explaining that all so clearly. That's all working brilliantly!

 

I notice there isn't a voicemail option on NCH - is there any way I can set one up?

[pythonpoole]

Sipgate provides their own Voicemail option (I believe it's free). This can be activated by logging into your sipgate web account and then clicking the "Voicemail" tab. There should be an option to enable voicemail.

 

Alternatively, if you want more control over your voicemail or want your own voicemail system at your end rather than at sipgate, you can purchase IVM (from NCH). The price varies from time to time right now it is at $28 USD for the basic voicemail setup, and up to $250 USD for more complex usage (eg. for up to 64 phone lines and an automated attendant with press 1 for this type menus).