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About GoTrek VoIP
What is GoTrek VoIP?
GoTrek VoIP is a VoIP Softphone; that's just a fancy way
of saying Internet telephone. A softphone is essentially an
Internet telephone that allows you to make free phone calls
to other people who are also running GoTrek VoIP on their
computer.
How does GoTrek VoIP
work?
Traditional telephones use phone lines that run back to your
local telephone exchange to make phone calls. When you make
a call using GoTrek VoIP, your voice is first turned into
digital packets which can be used by your computer. These
packets are then sent over the Internet from your computer
to the computer of the person you are calling, where the packets
are turned back into voice. Using GoTrek VoIP creates a cheap
alternative to making traditional phone calls.
Why is GoTrek
VoIP Free?
GoTrek VoIP is free because the call travels all the way
via the Internet and incurs no charges from a traditional
phone exchange.
My ISP charges
for traffic, so is GoTrek VoIP still free?
Like all Internet based applications, GoTrek VoIP is going
to use some of your Internet traffic - mostly when you are
making or receiving calls. When you use GoTrek VoIP your computer
is downloading data which your ISP may charge for so it is
important if you are on a usage based plan which has excess
data charges, that you monitor your data usage on a regular
basis. If you aren't sure whether you are charged for Internet
traffic, check with your ISP. A GoTrek VoIP call uses only
10MB per hour of conversation.
How do I login to
my account?
Login
to your account at http://vphone.vobphone.net.au/account/
and enter your GoTrek VoIP number and password. If you have
forgotten your GoTrek VoIP number and password refer to the
next question for help
I can't remember
my username or password!
If you have registered a GoTrek VoIP number and can't remember
your username or password just click on the "Retrieve
Username and Password" button found on the right hand
side menu of the GoTrek website, http://www.gotrek.com.au,
and follow the instructions.
What will my GoTrek
VoIP phone number be?
You will be provided with a phone number once you have registered
for and downloaded GoTrek. If you have already downloaded
GoTrek and can't remember your GoTrek VoIP Number then just
use your username and password to login to GoTrek. Once you
login the GoTrek VoIP number will be displayed in the GoTrek
VoIP software.
Does GoTrek VoIP
have a phone directory?
Yes, GoTrek VoIP has a phone directory that lists GoTrek
VoIP users all over the world.
How can I list my
number in the GoTrek VoIP directory?
Not all GoTrek VoIP users are listed in the directory. To
be listed you must check the 'publish details' box on your
account. You
can edit your account details here.
Is there any adware,
spyware, spam or any other nasties?
No, GoTrek VoIP does not contain any adware, spyware, spam
or any other nasties
Do I really
get Voicemail?
Yes you do. When you register for a GoTrek VoIP phone number
you also get access to our Voicemail system for free! You
can collect your Voicemail when you're next online by dialling
123 from your GoTrek VoIP phone.
Can I use GoTrek
VoIP in my business?
Yes you can. There are many people using GoTrek VoIP for
business. It's a great way to stay in touch with the office
whilst working from home or on the road.
Off-net calls
What are off-net
calls?
Off-net calls are made when you use GoTrek VoIP to call a
traditional phone or mobile phone, whether it is a local,
interstate or international call. The great benefit is that
you will pay far less than a long distance call, because the
call has travelled most of the way via the Internet. For example;
you are in Germany and are using GoTrek VoIP to call someone
in Australia. Your call travels over the Internet all the
way to Australia, and when it gets there goes to one of our
servers where it is crossed over to the traditional telephone
network to reach its final destination. GoTrek VoIP also allows
you to receive calls from off-net locations,
for more details click here.
How do I make off-net
calls?
Making Off Net calls with GoTrek VoIP is easy.
Once
you have downloaded GoTrek it's as simple as logging into
your account and adding credit. You can login to your account
at http://vphone.vobphone.net.au/account/
and it's a good idea to bookmark the account login page. From
then until your credit runs out, you can call whoever you
want, wherever they are! For instructions
on dialing off-net phone numbers, please click here.
Click
here for the current National and International call rates.
How do I receive
calls from off-net locations?
If you would like to receive calls on your GoTrek
VoIP from off-net locations such as a friend's mobile phone,
you will need to purchase what's called a GeoNumber. GeoNumbers
are associated with your fixed land line at home, meaning
that calls from PSTN networks (mobile, interstate, international)
can be terminated right at your GoTrek VoIP on your computer.
GeoNumber's are available for a monthly fee, and provisioning
for these will begin shortly. So contact
us now to register your interest for a GeoNumber.
How
much does it cost to make off-net calls?
By using your existing Internet connection,
GoTrek VoIP has the ability to save you a bundle on all your
phone calls. With extremely competitive call rates to just
about anywhere in the world, the GoTrek VoIP is the perfect
solution to stay in touch with friends and family, wherever
they might be located.
To call land lines and mobile phones, check
out our current calling rates.
GoTrek VoIP
Interface
The main GoTrek
VoIP interface.
Message
window interface.
Making calls
with GoTrek VoIP
How
do I call other GoTrek VoIP users?
To call friends who are
also using VPhone (refer to the image below)
1. Type their number
on the dial pad.
2. Press Call, located
above the dial pad, to the left.
For example if your contact's
VPhone number was 60000000, type in 60000000 and then press
Call.
Calling from your contact
list If you are calling a person on your contact list, either:
1. Double click their
name
2. or, click their name
in the list once and then press Call.
How do I
call off-net phones?
To call Off-net phone numbers (refer to the image below).
1. Ensure you have credit in your VPhone
account.
2. Dial + (The * key on VPhone dial pad).
3. Then the country code. Find country codes
at the Wikipedia.
4. Then the area code - ignore the first
digit if it's a zero.
5. Enter the phone number.
6. Then press Call.
For example, let's say you want to call a number in Melbourne,
Australia. First dial + then 61, the country code for Australia.
Next is the area code 03. As the first zero is ignored,
simply dial 3. Lastly, enter the number to call - 9000 0000.
The completed number would be +61390000000 You can save
contacts with international numbers to your contact list,
using this simple numbering standard.
Technical
Questions
Will I
need any hardware?
If you are using GoTrek VoIP and your PC or laptop does not
have a built in microphone or speakers, then you will need
additional hardware
to make on-net and off-net calls with GoTrek VoIP.
The hardware required includes a microphone device to speak
into, such as an external microphone, and a set of speakers
so you can hear the person on the other end of the call. You
can also get hardware devices that will do both, such a headset
with a microphone, or a USB Handset. If you dont have the
required hardware, we can help there too. To
view the list of hardware available through GoTrek please
click here.
What if I have a NAT
modem/router?
No problem. GoTrek VoIP will work with almost all NAT (Network
Address Translation) servers. In fact, we have never had a
problem with any of them. If you experience any NAT issues
then please let us know!
I am behind a firewall, what
ports need to be opened?
If your Internet connection is
blocked by a non-NAT firewall (such as some business environments)
then you will need to open up port 4569 in order to allow
GoTrek VoIP to work.
How much
bandwidth does GoTrek VoIP use?
A GoTrek VoIP call uses about 3KB/sec
(three kilobytes per second) inbound and outbound. This translates
to a little over 10MB per hour. This is based on a single
call using the standard codec (iLBC - internet Low Bitrate
Codec).
What
codecs does GoTrek VoIP support?
The base codec used by GoTrek VoIP
is iLBC (internet Low Bitrate Codec) which is a speech codec
suitable for robust voice communication over the interne at
a variable ratet. However GoTrek VoIP supports GSM (Global
System for Mobile Communications) which is commonly used for
mobile phone conversations and G.711u/a which is the international
standard for encoding telephone audio.
What
protocols does GoTrek VoIP support?
GoTrek VoIP uses an enhanced version
of IAX (Inter-Asterisk exchange) by default, IAX provides
control and transmission of streaming media over IP (Internet
Protocol) networks, however GoTrek VoIP also supports standard
IAX and SIP (Session Initiation Protocol).
What
is different between your enhanced IAX and normal IAX?
They are actually the same on the
protocol level, however we make heavy use of the IAX message
packets in order to communicate with the GoTrek VoIP server.
This is used for checking who is online, sending text messages,
and things like that.
Will
GoTrek VoIP work with Asterisk?
Sure, we use GoTrek VoIP with Asterisk
all the time in our office and it works really well. Just
remember to use standard IAX or SIP as the protocol.
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