On Tue, Mar 29, 2011 at 02:17:58PM -0400, ken wrote: > > On 03/29/2011 01:21 PM Stephen Harris wrote: > >> phone line. Indeed I just wrote up a process :-) > >> http://sweh.spuddy.org/gvoice/ > >> > >> But I think that's getting a little off-topic :-) > Just read your webpage. It answered my one question and a couple others > I didn't ask. > > It's not what I'm looking for right now, but way cool enough that I'll > have to check it out anyway. I didn't know a VoIP <-> POTS appliance > could be had for $30. Last I checked (some years ago) just a card was > something like $1000. How much is an actual phone number these days... Line cards for PCs are still pretty expensive. They tend to be bespoke and modular (eg the PCIx card is essentially a carrier, with 4 or more plugin components). Also some of these cards need telecoms approval because they may plug into POTS, which adds to the cost. Simple ATAs are network-only equipment and so may not need regulatory approvals and so are cheaper. > if I don't care for google voice? Normal phone numbers? Depends on your provider. Verizon may charge up to $50/month, depending on the service you get. VOIP providers such as Vonage charge $10/month (200 minutes/month) to $25/month (unlimited). -- rgds Stephen