New Skype user finds it useless

With a daughter going off to university where she has an internet connection in her room but no phone line, I though it would be a good oportunity to try VOIP.

As the Uni's ISS literature said that they allowed skype through thier network I decided to go with skype.

She is set up with a 3GHz 1Gbyte P4M laptop running vista with a USB Phone and a RJ45 connection to the Uni network badwidth limited in both directions to 1Mbit.

At home I have a WiFi Skype phone Speedtouch 685 and ADSL with IDNET with a 3 or 3.5Mbit profile.

She has now been there nearly 2 weeks and despite trying daily we have not yet had a fully successful skype call.

This evening is a typical example

I called her skype and my skype phone says ringing but no answer. I then call her mobile and she says that her skype phone did not ring.

She reboots her PC.

I try her Skype phone again and we have a good 3 or 4 min conversation then the audio from her end breaks up so that she is completely incomprehensible. - We give up and go back to using her mobile.

My qustion is - how do we diagnose where the problem lies? It sort of works but not reliably enough to be useful.

Both ends currently have Skypeout capability.

Tim

is the USB phone and its software Vista compatible ? Have you tried it with a wired rather than wireless device at your end ? Those look to be the weakest links from your description.

Did her Skype app report the incoming call but not ring ?

I would suggest you try PC-to-PC Skype to see if this works. Obviously you will need a web cam with built in microphone or speakers and microphone on your PC. Most laptops (but not some Dells) have built in microphone. If this works OK then the problem lies either with your Skype phone or maybe the Uni connection.

Have you tried another Skype user?

If your daughter doesn't have a phone line then I guess she doesn't need Skype out.

I have found Skype calls and video very good and much better than normal SIP VoIP providers.

Edited by Nick_Russell (Fri 28-Sep-07 13:43:52)

You should both try calling echo123 which is the Skype testing service. The service replies with your spoken message. I use Skype regularly and apart from the odd dropped call, it works fine. There is minimal delay between UK and Australia, around 400 mS, which is great.

Dave