netTALK DUO WiFi VoIP Review
netTalk DUO is a VoIP service device that allows you to maintain your home phone without paying a fortune in telephone fees on top of your already expensive mobile phone bills. The netTalk DUO WiFI will cost you $19.95, $39.95 annually, No contracts, No computer necessary. The value of Free calls to US and Canada and free DUO to DUO calls worldwide makes it hard to ignore!
The netTalk DUO WiFi makes it easy to save money on your home phone bills with good call quality and the convenience of being able to take it with you anywhere you go! The netTalk DUO WiFi will work anywhere you can grab a WiFi signal. Setting up and Activating your netTalk DUO device is quick and easy. VoIP or Voice Over Internet Protocol utilizes your internet connection to transmit and receive voice instead of conventional phone lines.
Included Features and Setting up
With the purchase of your netTalk DUO WiFi, you’ll get 3 months of service included along with all of the familiar features your traditional phone company offers. You get a free phone number with the option to transfer your number. You’ll also get all of the familiar features like Call Waiting, Caller ID, 3 Way Calling, 411 Directory Service, Enhanced 911, Visual Voice Mail, Fax Friendly, Conference calling, Transfer your number…
Wired Ethernet Connection
The netTalk DUO device fits in the palm of your hand and is super easy to setup and use. Just use the supplied power adapter and attach your home phone using a conventional telephone cable to the netTalk DUO. Use the supplied flat Ethernet cable to attach the netTalk DUO device to your home’s router. You will see a few flashy red, amber and green lights as the device establishes connection and once it’s solid green you’re good to go. Our service was up and running making calls within seconds of completing the hardware connection. You can always tell when your ready to go as the netTalk DUO will ring your phone when it’s in a ready state after reboot.
WiFi Connection
Once you’ve connected via Ethernet you can then opt to configure the device to your routers WiFi signal. Once you’ve established a wired connection, simply use a paperclip to hit the reset button on the netTalk DUO WiFi and it will begin to flash amber, green, red. As it’s flashing, press the WPS button on your router, the device will reboot and will light solid green and will give you a jingle when your ready to make calls.
Our Experience
Call quality in our testing was acceptable but not completely clear. Our tests displayed some white noise when speaking. The White Noise did at times resemble Bluetooth earpiece type quality phone calls. Perhaps due to some of the noise canceling attributes. We did experience a few dropped calls, with no conversation really making it past 20 min or so before we were faced with dead air or just dropped the call all together. I guess it’s just par for the course. But low bandwidth and network hiccups can also play into your experience.
We opted for a wired connection which did seem to produce slightly better audio results but the presence of white noise was still there. Using a wired connection also seemed to resist being knocked offline a bit better. To the netTalk DUO’s credit however there was zero noticeable lag in calls in either the WiFi or Wired connection testing. At no time on any call was anyone talking over anyone else due to lag which can be very annoying. Your internet speed and network reliability can play into your experience so a hiccup in the network or an outage and you’ll run into issues. You’re mileage may vary depending on your network speed, network congestion and router performance.
Our tests were performed over a 50 mbps down/25 up connection, The D-Link AC3200 Ultra WiFi Router DIR-890L/R, netTalk DUO WiFi, AT&T Connect to Cell Home Phone device.
Conclusion
What’s great about the device is that you get dirt cheap phone service, portability and the convenience of cutting some cords. Free calls to US and Canada with Free DUO to DUO calls worldwide in a convenient value driven device that you can take with you anywhere. The netTalk DUO WiFI seem to exhibit some small quality and reliability issues but far seems to be one of the better less expensive VoIP solutions available. The original netTalk DUO wired version is $14.95 but why not have the added convenience and option to take it with you when you are on the go. The netTalk DUO WiFi will run you $19.95 and comes with 3 months of phone service, annually the service costs $39.95.
netTalk DUO WiFi
www.nettalk.com
