What do we aim to do?
We aim to make free international calls and there is nothing illegal
in this set-up, not to my knowledge.
How?
Google has introduced Google Voice and allows free calls to all US
numbers. This can be done using their google talk plugin in the gmail
browser.
Pre-Requisites:
Gmail account - Preferably a new one and not the one you use for your
day to day usage.
Ability to install X-Lite 4.0 which will require a machine running
Windows PC directly or on virtualbox.
Ability to install Hotspot Shield if residing outside of USA.
An Android device at both source and destination of the call.
Steps:
1. Get a SIP number.
If outside of USA, install hotspot shield on windows machine by going
to this site - http://www.hotspotshield.com .I am not sure how safe
this is from spyware and all security perspective. I am not really
worried about it as I carry out these things on virtualmachine using
virtualbox and there is no real threat to my actual machine which
runs on Linux. So if Windows is your primary machine you do it on
your own risk.
Once installed, open the site www.sip2sip.info.Register on sip2sip
using your new gmail account. Ensure that you select US Central as
your region.
You will get an email from sip2sip on the new gmail account giving
your login details which will be something like:
SIP address: 2233xxx...@sip2sip.info
Password: abcdabcdabcd
Open the email and click on the link provided for lgging in. Enter the
login details provided and goto settings tab (3rd from left).
In the first field under SIP Account, enter a new easy to remember
password and click SAVE.
This completes Step 1 and you have successfully created SIP number for
yourself.
2. Get a US phone number using ipkall.
Go to the website http://www.ipkall.com and click on sign-up.
On the sign-up page complete the following details using the email
from sip2sip:
SIP username: 2233xxxxxx
Hostname or IP address: sip2sip@info
Email Address: Preferably the email address you used to register at
sip2sip
Password: Prefereably the same password as what you changed on sip2sip
in Step 1-5.
Enter the human verification codes and click "Submit".
You will receive a mail with in your email account with a new US
number with text of something to following effect:
Thank you for signing up. Your IPKall phone number is: 253-XXX-XXXX.
SIP Phone Number: 2233xxxxxx
SIP Proxy: sip2sip.info
Email: abcd...@gmail.com
Password: qwerty
This completes Step 2. You have now received a US phone number that is
linked to your sip2sip account.
3. Set-up Xlite / softphone to receive calls made to US phone number.
In order to activate Google Voice account, it is important to be able
to receive call on the new phone number that we have created in Step 2
so install Xlite v4.0 from here - http://download.cnet.com/X-Lite/3000-2349_4-10547103.html
Once X-Lite is installed, open it and click on Softphone -> Account
Settings.
Now fill the following fields:
Account Name: Fill your gmail username.
User ID: 2233xxxxxx
Domain: sip2sip.info
Password: sip2sip password (qwerty for this example)
Click OK at the bottom of the window.
This completes Step 3.
4. Activate Google Voice for this Gmail account.
Log into the google voice account - https://www.google.com/voice.
Provide a user pin to retrieve voicemails
Now provide the US phone number obtained in Step 2-4 (253-XXX-XXXX)
A window will be shown with two numbers and a button call now.
Click on Call Now and you should receive call on Xlite phone.
Accept the call on Xlite and enter the two numbers shown in google's
window.
You will get confirmation that the numbers are correct and will be
asked to set-up voice mail greeting or hang-up.
Hang-up now as you can set this up later.
Google Voice account is now set-up.
5. Configure Android to receive calls using Google Voice.
If you are using nexus S, good news, it has inbuilt capability to get
the SIP calls though this can be also be done using SIPDROID on other
android devices. For Nexus S you can follow the steps below:
Goto Settings -> Call Settings and under Internet Call Settings click
on "Accounts".
Untick receive calls.
Click on Add Account.
Now in username enter the 2233xxxxxx provided by sip2sip
Enter the password used for sip2sip account in password field. (qwerty
in this example)
Enter sip2sip.info in server.
Untick the "Set as primary account" field.
Click on Optional Settings and in Outbound proxy address enter
proxy.sipthor.net
Press back button till you are back to call settings. Now under
Internet Call Settings click on "Use Internet Calling" and select
"Only for Internet Calls".
For SIPDROID once you have downloaded and installed it from android
market, follow the steps below:
Open SIPDROID, and goto Settings ->SIP Account.
In Authorization Username enter: 2233xxx...@sip2sip.info
Enter the password used for sip2sip account in password field. (qwerty
in this example)
In Server or Proxy enter - proxy.sipthor.net
In Domain enter sip2sip.info
Now save and exit. SIPDROID will register the VOIP and turn green.
Now from gtalk plugin in the browser from some other gmail account try
to call US phone number obtained in Step 2-4 (253-XXX-XXXX). Your
phone should ring and so should the Xlite.
If step 4 did not happen as expected, you need to review the
configuration and once it does happen as expected, your set-up to
recieve calls is completed.
6. Configure Android to make calls using Google Voice.
Download and install Google Voice Callback on android device -
https://market.android.com/details?id=com.xinlu.gvdial&feature=search...
Provide the gmail credentials for the application. This will perhaps
explain my recommendation for a new gmail account. You will be giving
login credentials to a third party application but since it's a new
account with no confidential info, it should really be safe.
In the settings for when to use callback select "Ask Everytime" if you
are outside of USA.
This is it. Try calling one of your USA contact and this application
should make a call back and you should be able to talk for free to
your US friends.
This is happy ending for those who don't have sight of our aim - make
free international calls. For free international calls though you have
reached a point where you will have dependency on person you are
calling. Following 3 options will be possible:
If the person you are calling also has android device and they follow
this tutorial they will have a US number which you can then store in
your contacts against that person's name and from thereon you both can
call each other absolutely free.
If your friend has a SIP enabled device, they can follow this tutorial
and replace the set-up of Android device to setting up their own SIP
device.
If above two are not viable options, you can ask your friend to call
you on your international number through googletalk plugin in their
web browser. Unfortunately this takes away the flexibility of you
being able to call them but given the constraints this may still be a
good option to talk for free.
Final words - I know it's a long post and looks complex but believe me
if you do it right it takes roughly 20 minutes.
Hope you find the post helpful.
