Author Topic: Setting up simple VOIP on Ting  (Read 5228 times)

ultros1234

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Setting up simple VOIP on Ting
« on: January 31, 2015, 03:00:35 PM »
Just switched my wife, myself, and our friend from Sprint to Ting. I didn't realize I would lose Sprint's Google Voice integration when I moved, so I'm floundering to figure out the most efficient way to route usage over wifi. I'm hoping folks can de-mystify some of this for me.

Goals:
- Get all text messaging to happen over data, so we can turn text messaging off entirely.
- Have the option of both making and receiving calls via wifi
- Not have to give all my friends a new phone number

Background:
- Wife and I use Samsung Galaxy S3's; friend is on an iPhone. Concentrating on my getting my phone set up first.
- I've had Google Voice for years, but integrated with my Sprint number. When we left Sprint, my Voice number ceased to exist.
- Currently able to use Hangouts to make outbound wifi phone calls, but otherwise not routing anything over wifi.

With Sprint GV integration, I was able to do all this wifi calling and data-only SMS through Hangouts using one phone number. I gather that the standard way of doing Ting efficiently on Android is to use GV and GrooveIP, but it seems I would need to get both a new GV number and a RingTo number, then route one of them to the other, give all my friends my new phone number, then... I start to lose it on how I would set all this up. Also wondering if I should port my existing number to somewhere, but that comes with fees, so I want to know what I'm doing before pulling the trigger on that.

It seems quite complicated, and it also seems like the offerings in this space are changing constantly, so that the best solution in three months may be radically different.

Any advice on how to accomplish my goals with minimal hassle?

shitzmagee

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Re: Setting up simple VOIP on Ting
« Reply #1 on: January 31, 2015, 05:45:56 PM »
I'm on Ting with a Nexus 5 and GV works great. All my inbound and outbound texts are via Hangouts over data. Incoming and outgoing calls are done via Hangouts also over data. No extra apps other than Hangouts, GV, and Hangouts Dialer and no one knows my actual Ting phone number. This month I used 1 min, 0 texts and about 300 MBs of data.

I have occasional quality issues with VoIP, but I can always still make normal calls via GV too. The one thing that's still missing is full MMS support. I only get MMS messages from Sprint users. When I first switched to Ting, Hangouts and GV hadn't been integrated yet, but everything slowly came together. The device settings I use in Ting are:
Call Forward on busy to GV # - Enabled
Call Forward on no answer to GV# - Enabled
Can use voicemail - Disabled
Can receive text messages - Disabled
Can send text messages - Disabled

Then on Google Voice (online) I have all calls forwarded to Google Chat and NOT to my phone.
Settings for the Hangouts app include Send SMS from Google Voice.
Google Voice app settings include Making calls - Use GV to make all calls.

With this setup, when you want to make a VoIP call you dial using the Hangouts Dialer app and when you want t make a normal phone call using your GV number, you use the normal dialer.

Hope this helps.

pminkler

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Re: Setting up simple VOIP on Ting
« Reply #2 on: February 01, 2015, 10:18:18 AM »
I love this setup because I can have a super cheap, $6/mo phone...and still be able to use it in an emergency (that would just kick me onto the next tier if I used some mobile wireless to get myself out of a jam).  I wrote about this "Wifi-only setup" and how to still keep most functionality away from Wifi over at http://spendlessmakemore.com/2015/01/spend-less-making-free-calls-texts-wifi/.

Side note, wow...your GV number disappeared when you moved from Sprint?  I had the same setup (GV integrated with Sprint, had the little Sprint icon in google.com/voice) and moved to Ting and did not experience that.  As far as I remember, Ting just took over my "real" number which still forwarded to my GV number.  How do you know your GV number stopped existing?
« Last Edit: February 01, 2015, 10:24:54 AM by pminkler »

ultros1234

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Re: Setting up simple VOIP on Ting
« Reply #3 on: February 01, 2015, 10:00:39 PM »
Thanks! I think shitz' setup makes sense. All I'd need to do is port my number over to GV and then use texting and VOIP calling through hangouts. This makes sense to me. Thanks also for all your settings -- that will make life easier when I pull the trigger on this.

Pminkler, when I switched to Ting, my previous phone number (which was Sprint/GV integrated) became my Ting number, and I no longer have a GV number. I could get one for free, but it will cost me $20 to port my now-Ting number back to GV. I think I can do it, though, and then just have a brief interruption in my Ting service while I get a new number assigned.

Two follow-up questions:
-- The friend on our account uses iOs. But he should also be able to use GV/Hangouts to accomplish incoming/outgoing VOIP calls and 100% data texting, right? Or perhaps there's an easier way in Apple land?
-- Wife's situation is more complicated: she never integrated GV and her Sprint (now Ting) number. She's a therapist, and she uses the GV number for clients and the Ting number for personal life. She can currently do outgoing VOIP calls through Vonage (for personal number) or Hangouts (for GV/work number), but I don't see where she'll be able to move all texting to data or receive personal incoming VOIP calls while preserving the separation between those numbers. Right?

shitzmagee

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Re: Setting up simple VOIP on Ting
« Reply #4 on: February 02, 2015, 04:55:21 AM »
I can't speak for iOS. For quite some time though it appeared (from and anxious Android/GV user's point of view) that Apple actually had better integration with GV services. So I wouldn't be surprised if it's relatively easy to setup.

What I would like to suggest for your wife is to get a 2nd GV number, port her Ting # to her 2nd GV account, and have both numbers setup on her Ting phone...BUT I know GV doesn't support forwarding 2 GV numbers to the same cell number (although I've seen some workarounds floating around online). However, since you wouldn't be forwarding GV to her cell (because you're going for an all data solution) and Android does support having multiple Google accounts on one phone...just maybe this kind of setup would be possible. I'm just spit-balling here so I don't know if this would actually work.