Frequent Calls to the US from DR

WRM

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Aug 9, 2015
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So far these are the solutions that I have found. Any suggestions or advise?

a) The Vonage World plan

b) If you have an iPhone or iPad, you can download Magic Jack for free and all calls to US and Canada are FREE.

c) WIFI calling from your smart phone.

Thank you in advance.





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Dolores1

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May 3, 2000
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WhatsApp Calling lets you call your friends and family using WhatsApp for free, even if they’re in another country. Currently, WhatsApp Calling is available on Android, iPhone, Windows Phone and BlackBerry 10.

WhatsApp Calling uses your phone’s Internet connection rather than your cellular plan’s voice minutes. Data charges may apply.
 

WRM

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WhatsApp Calling lets you call your friends and family using WhatsApp for free, even if they?re in another country. Currently, WhatsApp Calling is available on Android, iPhone, Windows Phone and BlackBerry 10.

WhatsApp Calling uses your phone?s Internet connection rather than your cellular plan?s voice minutes. Data charges may apply.

Thank you Dolores. I have tried WhatsApp Calling and I would rate it 5 out of 10 because I have experienced many dropped calls.

I am looking for a more efficient way since most of the calls that I will be making are business related.


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Eleutheria

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Jun 23, 2015
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Are you a visitor or a resident? If you get a basic internet package/phone line with Claro, they include 200 free minutes per month(I think) to the USA. I opted out of this option but find Skype calls are pretty good quality for me (to Canada and the USA).
Hope this helps.
 
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WRM

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Eleutheria,
I live in Florida, but I am planning to go there for 45-60 days to test if I can work from there. But in order to perform my job well, I must have access to excellent internet connection and a phone to make calls to the US.


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Eleutheria

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I work online, have internet service through Claro and it has been fine. I do not need the phone and do not have a land line, so maybe others can respond to that aspect.

Eleutheria,
I live in Florida, but I am planning to go there for 45-60 days to test if I can work from there. But in order to perform my job well, I must have access to excellent internet connection and a phone to make calls to the US.


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Serge1960

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Apr 2, 2014
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I use OOMA, works fantastic, I own two one in NY & one in the DR, I have my local area code and when someone calls me there or I call home it has great call quality, the last OOMA is now taxed at about $4.60 USD, my older OOMA has no taxes.
 

ramesses

Gold
Jun 17, 2005
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So far these are the solutions that I have found. Any suggestions or advise?

a) The Vonage World plan

b) If you have an iPhone or iPad, you can download Magic Jack for free and all calls to US and Canada are FREE.

c) WIFI calling from your smart phone.

Thank you in advance.





Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


I use Magic Jack on my Android phone with the app....works great.
 

Cdn_Gringo

Gold
Apr 29, 2014
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Claro's fiber internet service with it's included VOIP telephone that includes 400 minutes of calling to a bunch of countries has worked well for me. More phone minutes are billed at a nominal fee.

The trick is to reside in an area that is serviced by fiber. I cannot comment on any other Claro internet/phone option as I have no experience.
 

Riva_31

Bronze
Apr 1, 2013
2,533
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63
San Pedro de Macoris
Google phone has better conection than Magic Jack, I stoped using magic jack because when I have poor conection on my phone Hangouts from Google works much better and clear. If you phone is from USA you can get a local number from USA, if you phone is from Dominican Republic you can only make free calls to USA, Canada and PR.
 

amp

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Oct 5, 2010
730
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While in the US sign up for Google Voice.

Get Google Hangouts and Hangouts Dialer on your phone.

Enjoy your free calls to the US.
 

arturo

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Mar 14, 2002
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All the services (Skype, vonage, viber, whatsapp, googletalk, wechat/weibo, voxer, etc.) use the same underlying technology. Some extra features (video, interoperability with Telco services, desktop versions, etc.) distinguish them from one another. Skype is still the most widely used but whatsapp is in second place and gaining. It's only its lack of video calling that holds whatsapp back. China based wechat/weibo has a preponderance of users from Asia and the developing world, and it is by far the most full featured of the lot. Think of it as a combination of facebook, Skype, twitter, and whatsapp...with a full featured desktop version. For business use, it's helpful to have several of the services available since the quality will vary by service from time to time. You can switch services as conditions dictate.

The complication for the business user is the party you want to reach must be a subscriber to the service you use. This is why I normally recommend Skype for business use. Now that Microsoft converted its widely deployed "Lync" messaging platform (formerly known as "Office Communicator Service") to "Skype for business" and opened it to directory queries with the consumer side of Skype, it is easier to find and connect to business contacts. Happy communicating!

So far these are the solutions that I have found. Any suggestions or advise?

a) The Vonage World plan

b) If you have an iPhone or iPad, you can download Magic Jack for free and all calls to US and Canada are FREE.

c) WIFI calling from your smart phone.

Thank you in advance.





Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 

arturo

Bronze
Mar 14, 2002
1,336
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Mobile phone calls to the US are not expensive. Check the Claro and Orange web sites for rates. You will find the cost of calls to the US on many plans is the same as the cost of national (within the Dominican Republic) calls. Unfortunately, mobile service may not always address your quality and reliability requirement but it will generally be better than the IP voice alternatives described in my other reply. Happy communicating!

Eleutheria,
I live in Florida, but I am planning to go there for 45-60 days to test if I can work from there. But in order to perform my job well, I must have access to excellent internet connection and a phone to make calls to the US.


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WRM

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Aug 9, 2015
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Thank you all for the great tips and suggestions.


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Drro

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Mar 22, 2006
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I find MJ works best on my phone, my laptop and my tablet. It uses less bandwidth than Skype. I use it for business and am very happy with it. I have my own number so can receive calls on the MJ also.

I also occasionally use Google Hangouts - but prefer MJ - been using it for 8 years! I also use it in the States b/c I use my cordless headset and it's more convenient.
 

SKY

Gold
Apr 11, 2004
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I find MJ works best on my phone, my laptop and my tablet. It uses less bandwidth than Skype. I use it for business and am very happy with it. I have my own number so can receive calls on the MJ also.

I also occasionally use Google Hangouts - but prefer MJ - been using it for 8 years! I also use it in the States b/c I use my cordless headset and it's more convenient.

I concur on this one. MJ connection is actually better for me than my Claro landline. But you do need a fairly decent Upload speed. Also using a real phone is a pleasure.
 

Drak

Member
Jul 7, 2015
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I do most of my calls through Skype and happy with the results, as long as the internet co-operates.

Occasionally use Whatsapp calling now too, and had similar issues.

However it is fairly new with the calling feature, so I imagine it will improve with a bit of time.
 

Jaime809

Bronze
Aug 23, 2012
1,152
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I did the exact same thing in 2013, here's what I found:

2.5-3mb internet is the bare minimum for reliable VoIP calling. Anything significantly less and the service will echo or drop on you
Claro's basic service is enough for basic VoIP. You'll want 5mb+ for video calling on a regular basis
WhatsApp is indeed unreliable for work, I would not trust it
Ooma is a decent alternative if you have to provide it yourself. I've never used Vonage. Bring a phone from the US if you use Ooma, my DR phone does not dial properly
For a short-stay, you cannot set up a contract with Claro, so find an apartment or condo that has DEDICATED internet to the unit. Shared wifi across the complex is not fast enough
Your other option to a dedicated internet link is a wifi hotspot from Claro or Orange. You'll get 3g pretty much everywhere, and 4g whereever they have coverage, for the price of a prepaid plan

Hope all that helps.
 
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KyleMackey

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Apr 20, 2015
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Magic Jack to Magic Jack, free
Whatsapp to Whatsapp, free
You can also use calling apps like Groove IP Lite. I am going to guess if you call another Groove IP # it might be free
also.