Need info/help re: Skype for techno idiot

[JonInMiddleGA]

Yeah, I could go to their website but considering that I absplutely thought today was Thursday instead of Friday until about 10 minutes ago, I'm thinking it's safer that I see if FOFC can just idiot proof me instead. Clearly I'm not operating at anywhere near 100 percent.

As I vaguely understand it Skype is a service that allows you to use a computer to make voice phone calls, basically turning your internet connection into a phone & is especially useful for international long distance.

My question is that if somebody calls me using Skype, is my regular telephone going to ring or do I have to install/download/sign up/whatever with Skype & I'd be receiving that call on my computer? In other words, do you both have to be on Skype somehow or is that a part of one end of the call?

The reason I absolutely do not want to risk screwing up or being stupid is that our friend currently deployed in Afghanistan aka pretty much my son's idol/best friend/favorite person in the world just Facebooked my wife & said he'd be Skyping us sometime Sunday and I don't want to miss that call for any reason & especially not because I screwed something up by being stupid.

So somebody please set me straight on this deal. Thanks a ton in advance.

[Coder]

I only have experience with the free version of Skype, and it works like this.

First you need an account. You register at their site with your email-address, which is then used by the other party to try and reach you.

Then it basically works like any instant messenger service, like MSN Messenger. You get a small notification that someone's trying to call you and you use a headset (microhphone and headphones) to communicate.

I know that for the premium version though, you are supposed to actually be able to call someone and talk to them on their landline. This means that your friend might have actually gotten a premium account, calling your home phone from his computer.

[cartman]

The answer is "it depends". Skype is an app that allows you to either text chat, place voice calls or video calls. Text chat works like any other IM client, where both sides needs to have Skype installed to send messages back and forth. Same goes for video calls. Both sides need Skype installed and have web cams. For voice calls it can diverge a bit. If both sides have Skype installed then you can use the mic and speakers on your computer to talk. However, it is possible for someone using Skype to place calls to regular phone lines if they purchase pre-paid time from Skype.

If you install Skype, the guy in Afghanistan will need to know your Skype account name to connect via the Skype native methods. If he has bought time on Skype (called SkypeOut) to allow the calling of regular phone lines, then he will call your house phone.

[JonInMiddleGA]

Sounds like I need to get us signed up & d'load the app, etc for us here then, just in case he's using the headset/speakers version instead call-a-regular-phone version.

Thanks to you both, I really appreciate it a ton.

[Apathetic Lurker]

I have it and its virtually idiot-proof. I usually use my comp to call my folks in europe. I paid 10 bucks into skype and 3 months later still have some time left.

[knolysis]

Let me qualify this by saying I do not have Skype, but you should not need Skype to receive phone calls on your regular phone (as I understand the original question). Somebody using Skype will need to dial your regular phone number and it will call you as normal (and they will be billed appropriate charges). I think that is what you were originally asking.

Now, if you are trying to avoid/get cheaper long distance or international calls, yes you will need to sign up for and use Skype as well to get the full benefit. However, not having Skype will not prevent a someone with Skype from calling you.

[JonInMiddleGA]

Originally Posted by knolysis

Let me qualify this by saying I do not have Skype, but you should not need Skype to receive phone calls on your regular phone (as I understand the original question). Somebody using Skype will need to dial your regular phone number and it will call you as normal (and they will be billed appropriate charges). I think that is what you were originally asking.

That is what I was asking & what you said is how I basically understood it too.

I figure I'll sign up for the free version & install whatever just in case he's planning to use that method & then we should be ready for whatever (assuming I can find a working headset for this computer)

[cartman]

Also, to fill in a blank, if both sides have Skype, then there is no charge to either party to use any of the services.

[Apathetic Lurker]

Even paying the basic so you can call internationally is worth it. I figure I saved over 400 bucks in about 3 months. I talk a lot. All my family lives in Europe while I hang here in Buffalo

[JonInMiddleGA]

Just to update this a little bit, we got the basic stuff d'loaded, installed, set up, etc no problem. We're still a little unclear on how he's actually using it but after missing him checking in on Facebook to see if we were around tonight, my wife ended up finally getting to talk to his wife for the first time since he deployed & she pointed us toward the cheapest calling cards for Afghanistan so we've now got another option for talking to him directly & have Skype as an option too.

Silly me, it never crossed my mind that you could actually call inbound to troops in a war zone. As my dad said earlier today, it's pretty much unbelievable what's technically capable these days from previous decades.

I just wanted to say thanks to all who tried to help, this was really really important to us and it was good to have somewhere to reach out for help to prevent me from screwing anything up by being stupid. Was almost paralyzing how bad I wanted to make sure I got this right on my end so letting you guys do the thinking was a good option to have.