Via LinksysInfo comes a link to a manual describing a forthcoming Linksys product, the WIP300. With it, you can “use the phone” over any open wireless Internet connection. The IP phone introduction page includes the following description:

Thank you for choosing the Linksys Wireless-G IP Phone. It will allow you to make phone calls using your broadband connection, whether you are at home, in your office, or at a public hotspot. How does the IP Phone do this? It connects to your wireless router or gateway, so telephone service is delivered through your cable or DSL Internet connection. You can also surf the Internet with its built-in web browser and backlit, full-color screen. But what does all of this mean? Networks are useful tools for sharing Internet access and computer resources. Your voice calls can share your high-speed Internet connection. You will be able to make phone calls using the account you set up with your Internet phone service provider, even while you’re surfing the Internet on your computer. So, networks not only are useful in homes and offices, but also can be fun.

Well, I don’t normally think of IP telephony as fun, but it’s certainly unique. We’ve been pretty happy with our E5860. And y’all caught my rant on Friday about wireless phone service. IP phones, however, are gadgets of a different color. First and foremost, you MUST have an Internet connection through which to place any call. And you thought cell service was spotty?! I’m sorry, but unless it’s far and away better than what we’ve currently got (Vonage, FWIW). Before too long, I’d love to have a single voice service - and that’s likely to be IP-based. We’re not there yet, though. Until open access is ubiquitous, IP phones as a comprehensive solution are nothing more than a novelty. I’d even go as far as to argue that if your POTS line ain’t broken, don’t upgrade to VoIP. My motivations to switch were based largely on my I-Hate-Qwest conviction.

[tags]phone,voip,ip telephony,vonage,linksys,ip,telephony,qwest,ip phone[/tags]