Short Version: If you’re looking for an alternative to using your computer’s built-in mic and speakers or a wired headset for use with Skype then Ipevo’s handset could be right for you. It has one simple purpose and works quite well. Battery life is fairly good and call quality varies based on signal strength. Compared to competitors like Belkin, the Wi-Fi Phone for Skype performs admirably at a lower cost.
Long Version: Truth be told, I rarely use Skype and, as is, I hardly even use my cell phone. Landlines are a foreign concept and I haven’t had one of those since the mid-90s. VoIP just makes sense these days since we’re all paying for Internet access anyway. Now that I think about it, I probably don’t use Skype as much because wired handsets and the built-in protocols are a hassle. What if I need to use the little boy’s room while I’m on a call with granny? A wireless handset just makes sense, no?
Features
- Skype ready
- Supports WEP/WPA/WPA2 network encryption protocols
- Supports 802.11b/g
- Up to four hours talk time
- Up to 30 hours standby
- Works over DHCP and Static IP network protocols
Like I do with all my gadgets, I charged the Ipevo handset overnight just to be sure the battery gets a good charge the first go-around. A charging cradle is provided with the Wi-Fi phone, but it can also be charged via the miniUSB port located on the end of the handset. When you turn on the device for the first time, you’re greeted with a white sun on a yellow background. Why? I have no idea. The Skype logo then appears for about 10 seconds. The device immediately searches for all networks and asks you to connect to your preferred network. Assuming your network of choice is security enabled you’ll input the password and then be prompted to sign into Skype or create a Skype account. Creating a Skype account on the device is pretty painless. Just pick a username, password and then agree to the terms of service and voila, you’re ready to roll. Otherwise, you need only input your username and password. You have a choice as to whether the device automatically logs you in or you can choose to input your password each time you turn the handset on.
Ipevo’s Skype phone supports all Skype features except chat and video chat. You can view your history, update your status, add contacts, or search for others. It also supports Skype In and Skype Voicemail, but you’ll have to add those services along with credits from your desktop. Call forwarding is also enabled in case you step away.
When viewing your contact list you can call, send a voicemail, or view their profile. Under an advanced option, you can rename your contact, remove them, or block/unlock them.
Call quality is about as good as you’d expect from a VoIP call. That’s not to say it’s bad. Skype to Skype calls were clear and Skype to landline phones were also crisp and clear. Users on both ends hardly noticed any discernible characteristics that made the calls unbearable other than our boring conversation about how good the quality of the call was. Overall, I was quite pleased with the call quality.
The hardware itself is nothing to write home about, but it’s small, lightweight and gets the job done. It actually looks exactly like my old beloved Nokia 8210. The whopping 1.8-inch LCD is plenty bright and big enough for even the geriatric crowd to make out what’s what. The 900mAh Li-ion battery managed to get me a few minutes shy of the rated four hour talk time. And it sat idle for a good day and a half off of one charge. On the left side of the handset are volume controls and the right side has a 2.5mm jack for wired headsets in case you need the use of both hands.
Like I said, the device works well but the $130 price tag is a bit much for a single purpose gadget. However, it’s cheaper than the alternative from Belkin by $40 based on MSRP. But times are tough, so we’re giving our review unit away to one lucky winner. Sure, it’s used, but it’s in mint condition! To win, leave a comment and be sure to use your real e-mail address. We’ll pick a winner at random on Wednesday at 12PM ET. Good luck!
Nice. In these hard times it’s a cheap way to make calls to family and friends.
Great review. This phone would help me out on the road! Thanks for the giveaway!
Good to hear there is a cheaper Skype phone available. However I need the freebie giveaway phone since the calls to Holland are adding up in a huge way.
Good for calling the family in Maine.
I will win
Thanks for the review Peter. Would like to see more of the same as similar devices come out (even if I don’t win the draw).
Can I has Skype phone?
I have been planning to get rid of my landline. This would come in handy.
Always like Skype
I was just yesterday looking up IPEVO for the Skype phones they offer. What a coincidence to see this on CG today.
Good review. Would love to win the phone.
I’d say it’d be worth it for maybe $50… or, I’ll gladly take one for free…
Skypetastic
I’d love to win it! I just started my own business and this would be a great alternative to my expensive charter phone.
cool.
i will win!
I wish I had someone to call.
I know what to do with it.
A WiFi Skype phone? That doesn’t use USB? And this competition is open to us cannucks too (Unlike some other sites I could mention)? Where do I sign!
Sign me up, my douche friend from college just moved to Korea, and I could certainly use that skype-tastic phone to keep in touch.
My wife would be all over this if it was $70 cheaper. I bring it home for $130 and it will be thrown at me!
Glad to see a cheaper Wifi Skype phone. I really believe that Wifi SIP/Skype handsets make all sense for consumers.
Man this could come in handy. With a 4 year old in London that loves to talk to daddy for hours it would certainly be a bill saver. Never say ciao again Giovanni!
Perfect for the day that SKYPE announced SIP access
I wouldn’t mind something that will give me that classic “crick in th neck” when making skype calls!
I love skype and use it each day. A portable device makes total sense.
good to see more of these devices in the market
Man, I would love this to keep in touch with overseas family!
Me want one still…
Glad to see this device, I’ve been tracking for Skype phones for a while. This seems to be a good unbiased review, trying to make a up my mind to get one of this over those of Belkin or Netgear. I’d love this one !
Jaime, I have a suspicion that many of the Skype phones are internally very much the same, possibly based on a reference design by Skype. For example my Netgear SPH200D, Linksys CIT400 and GE 28310 have just the same user interface, firmware, and insides. With the WiFi Skype phones similarly, the Netgear SPH200W, the Belkin F1PP000G, SMC WSKP100, (maybe the Benq E72) and Ipevo here all seem to be different only in packaging. (All these turned up in an eBay search for “skype wifi”). If my hypothesis is correct, then they should all be pretty much the same.
I wonder if it’s possible to get it to get it connected at public wifi spots like panera?
As long as you don’t have to log in from a browser or go through some sort of authentication then the Ipevo handset will work with any open wireless network.
Is it bad that i wish that the entire device was that neon green, to make it stand out from the rest of my phones?
This would sure cut down on some cellphone usage minutes.
congrats, great review. but i have one question. they say in tech spec on product webpage that the unit have “Voice codecs: G711 and G729AB”. is it selectable between them ? because i prefer g729 low bandwith…
Yeah, a tad bit expensive still, but nice none-the-less. Wouldn’t mind being able to give it a whirl myself.
It would certainly help reduce my landline bill
Looks interesting, but a bit pricey.
I could use one. Please.
I hope I get it!
Thanks for the excellent review. I’ve tried the Belkin, didn’t really like it. This one sounds much better. Hope I win it.
I’ve been looking into these, it sounds like it would work really well. Thanks for the review.
I hope more of this kind will come out at affordable prices.
Sounds like a good phone, decent size too; I’m looking for one for my father.
Nice review, great to learn more about these things, they just need to come down in price now. I could sure use one, I use Skype all the time to keep in touch with far flung family members.
Nice review. A PC-free Skype phone is great for people who don’t leave their computer on all the time, but still might want to receive calls. I’ve tried the IPEVO SOLO Desktop Phone with decent results. A few times it required setup again, but other than that it’s been pretty reliable. It was a refurbished model for about 160$ – a bit too expensive. For that price it should have video as well.
Before last year I had never heard of Skype, now I can’t imagine living without it. I had heard about Skype as one of a handfull of competing similar offerings (incl. from YahooIM, AIM, & Google) that I looked into when my wife had to live in Canada for work. I expected the free computer-to-computer voice calls, I didn’t expect decent quality video-conferencing, text-chat, and too-good-to-be-true connectivity to the telephone network. For $3 a month I signed up for “SkypePro” which gives me unlimited calling-out to telephone numbers un the US and _Canada_! For $3 a month more, I get a local (303) area code “SkypeIn” number which rings my Skype, or forwards to my cell phone if I don’t answer. (Also, when I call Hong Kong for business its just 2.1cents a minute).
One of the really great skype-related accessories are these “Skype-phones” like the Ipevo WiFi unit reviewed here. We bought a Netgear SPH200D, a wired ethernet router-sized base-station tiny computer running Skype, and a DECT (cordless phone) handset. It lets my wife chat with me for hours at a time while she roams around the house with a headset without being chained to a computer. The Ipevo is just the same, just with WiFi instead of the base station, and nicely mobile.
These devices are all so liberating — I just don’t know what I would do without my Skype phone.
I did have one question:
How do the WiFi Skype phones deal with free, public WiFi hotspots, such as coffee shops, which intervene with a web page to type a password?
Looks great!
I have a Philips Skype phone that uses DECT 6 to talk back to a base station. The base station runs Linux as an OS and Skype as an app. It works great. With the Skype In number, my friends can call me locally even though I’m moving (along with the Skype phone) half way around the world.
Generalized SIP is the way I’d go today, though–there’s a lot more options for connectivity. But I’ve had and used this Skype phone for two years and it’s served me well and made up for it’s initial cost (on sale for $120) in phone bill savings.
Skype has been great for international student. Skype phone really comes handy for that, as you are most covered by wifi on campuse.
Just what I need. Father of 7 daughters here and I bust my ass to make sure they get what they need. Needless to say there isnt much left over to buy me any toys. This would fit in nicely since I am looking to cut some things from the budget like my landline or my cell phone. Anyway, you wont find this on Ebay if I am chosen the winner.