Cellular Services

Building a Dirt-Cheap Communications Platform with VoIP

Building a Dirt-Cheap Communications Platform with VoIP

Monday, July 10, 2023

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There are literally thousands of options when you finally ditch your landline and stagger into the VoIP world. We’re often asked, "What would you recommend if price was the major criteria?" Our response goes something like this. You get what you pay for and our recommended providers continue to be ClearlyIP and Skyetel in no particular order. Having said that, if price is your primary consideration, here’s our Plan B which we use regularly. First, a word of explanation. This… Read More ›

A New Incredible PBX 2027 Image for the Raspberry Pi

A New Incredible PBX 2027 Image for the Raspberry Pi

Monday, June 26, 2023

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Are you looking for a powerful and affordable VoIP phone system for your home or small business? Incredible PBX 2027 is the perfect solution especially when tied to an inexpensive platform such as the Raspberry Pi. Earlier this year we introduced a new Incredible PBX 2027 installer for the Raspberry Pi. But we heard from many of you that it was simply too time-consuming to go through both the installation of the Raspberry Pi OS and then the Incredible PBX… Read More ›

The Ultimate LTE Modem Router: Introducing Cudy LT500D

The Ultimate LTE Modem Router: Introducing Cudy LT500D

Monday, June 19, 2023

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It’s hard to get too excited when talking about routers, but the Cudy LT500D is something special. That’s because it’s not just a router. It’s also a 4G LTE modem. That means, when you snap in a SIM card from your favorite cellular provider, it becomes an always-available Internet connection regardless of where you happen to be. Yes, you can get too far out in the wilderness and lose connectivity. But the router requires an electric outlet to work so… Read More ›

Our Favorite All-You-Can-Eat Deals in Cyberspace

Our Favorite All-You-Can-Eat Deals in Cyberspace

Monday, May 15, 2023

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Let’s begin with a mea culpa. We’ve been wrong on a few all-you-can-eat deals over the years including the CloudAtCost switcheroo, the Google Voice fiasco, and a few other cloud provider implosions. But our overall track record has been pretty good over the past decade, and today we have some fresh deals that are worth a careful look. We, of course, would encourage everyone to perform their own due diligence and at least acknowledge the cautionary note: "If a deal… Read More ›

2023 Mobile Telephony: Fresh, New Ways to Skin a Cat

2023 Mobile Telephony: Fresh, New Ways to Skin a Cat

Thursday, February 16, 2023

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We’ve covered many interesting mobile telephony solutions over the years including our most recent experience with Visible. But, as has been true with the Bell Sisters for decades, Verizon has continued to move the goal posts with Visible. The bottom line is the cost of Visible service is now virtually identical to the cost of Verizon. So today we’re putting on our creativity hat to consider some other options. For those in the United States that pay a monthly fee… Read More ›

An Electronics Home Makeover for the 21st Century

An Electronics Home Makeover for the 21st Century

Saturday, October 23, 2021

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It was a sad day when we finally sold our Bozak Concert Grand speakers this year after enjoying them for over half a century. They were a graduation present from "Papa Gene" Newsom of Newsom’s Music Center when I graduated from law school in 1971. The sale got me thinking that I really needed to write about what has changed in home entertainment now that we’ve turned the page to another century. Back then, there was no Internet or Spotify,… Read More ›

Is SIP Trunking Safe & Reliable in the DDoS World?

Is SIP Trunking Safe & Reliable in the DDoS World?

Monday, September 20, 2021

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Since last Thursday when VoIP.ms suffered (and continues to suffer) one of the worst Distributed Denial of Service (DDOS) attacks in the VoIP era, we’ve been asked a thousand times whether any SIP trunking provider can provide a safe and reliable platform under circumstances similar to the VoIP.ms outage. We obviously cannot vouch for every trunking provider but, based upon our discussions with two of the major carriers that support Incredible PBX, we are confident that either of them could… Read More ›

Taming the Condo Call Box with a Raspberry Pi & Asterisk

Taming the Condo Call Box with a Raspberry Pi & Asterisk

Monday, April 5, 2021

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If you live in an apartment complex or condominium with a call box to let visitors gain door access by calling your apartment, then today’s column is for you. The way almost all of these call boxes work is the management company programs your name, phone number, and apartment number into the call box after which a visitor can look up your name or enter your apartment number and the call box will call you. When you answer the call… Read More ›