P for Positive

I finally got a chance to install Eforcity Skype adapter. This is not a Skype gateway. It is an adapter that lets you use your regular phone set with Skype. It comes with a software called Skypemate which hooks into Skype software. After some googling, I found the latest version of Skypemate at Von-Phone site (version 3.0.2.47 as of 08/14/07). I found it a bit strange that all links from within the Skypemate software (About etc.) point to Skype’s website.

In any case, software installation was a breeze. The unit comes with a USB cable and a phone cable. I plugged one end of the USB cable to my computer, the other end to the Eforcity box, the phone set to the phone port and the phone line to line port. I dialed via Skype and SkypeOut and received calls via Skype. The voice quality was excellent. I made calls for over 20 minutes without any problem.

This unit is suitable for those who do not care about the gateway features (toll bypass etc.). It lets you use your regular phone set for Skype calls. An added benefit is that you do not have to deal with the issues and bugs of gateway software.