Android WiFi VoIP with Sipdroid
| by Rob Jackson on March 31st, 2009 |
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When Skype Lite launched on the Android Market back in January, it came as a mixed blessing. While it was a great solution for making international calls with your G1, it cannot use WiFi and forces you to use your minutes/data plan quota, essentially double charging you since you’ve got to pay for the Skype fees as well. But what about folks who want to make WiFi VoIP calls?
A clever reader (thanks Nikotttin!) pointed us to an application called Sipdroid. While it started as an open source project, it since has moved to closed development in the Alpha Stage, leaving non-sherlockes hopeless. But a little digging reveals a lot, for example this Sipdroid demo on YouTube published last week:
As you can clearly see, the And Dev Phone 1 (or rooted G1) he is working on is utlizing the Internet connection from the computer in the background to call the second phone he is holding, all with the Sipdroid application. Furthermore, comments on the YouTube video indicate that Sipdroid should be hitting Android Market by the end of May at the latest!
Of course there ARE still a bunch of question marks. First off is the fact that this morning, we learned Google banned tethering apps from the market. And while a VoIP app using WiFi isn’t related to tethering it DOES have something in common: the potential to piss off carriers. Using a VoIP application over WiFi means less mobile minutes used by customers which means less income from the carriers.
It still remains to be seen whether Google will ban apps only on certain carriers or if there will be carrier targeting or what, but VoIP apps like Sipdroid could certainly fall victim to the priorities of carriers. Seeing as how Android follows the “open” mantra, you would HOPE this would find a home on the market, especially since you can now get Skype over WiFi on the iPhone – a traditionally more closed platform.
Of course Skype could surprise us and launch a full version of Skype on the Android Market well before Sipdroid releases and we wouldn’t complain. We just wanted you know that options are on the way.
1. mime wrote on March 31, 2009
can this app be downloaded somewhere for testing or is it just a work in progress at this stage?
2. Rob Jackson wrote on March 31, 2009
work in progress
3. Gav wrote on April 1, 2009
It’s weird that they would make you use on 3G when Apple’s policy is the exact opposite; they are fine with VoIP over Wi-Fi but not over 3G.
I assume that Apple’s providers don’t want their customers making free and/or very cheap calls over an unlimited connection.
4. Miguel wrote on April 2, 2009
T-Mobile’s restrictions have nothing to do with making less money because user’s use less minutes. It has more to do with the Skype service competing with T-Mobile’s @Home service which is essentially the same type of service, but for which you pay T-Mobile $10 per month. All of which benefits T-Mobile because they make their $10 a month and they lessen the load on the towers.
5. Sam wrote on April 7, 2009
This just means I buy an I-phone instead of a G1.
6. Mike wrote on April 23, 2009
“This just means I buy an I-phone instead of a G1.”
Why? An iPhone doesn’t do what my G1 does, and Skype VoIP, which one has to pay for anyway, will not change that.
7. Dinah wrote on September 3, 2009
We’ve been using Skype for a few months and love it! We have enough confidence now and disconnected our Wired service. Lovely to save that $50 a month. We do have cable internet and I think this is a must for reliability. I’d love to make voip calls on my cell but free is better.
Dinah, SIP
8. StarLog wrote on September 28, 2009
Unfortunately the website at PBXes.org does not work, as it constantly gets INVALID CAPTCHA while registering. What a waste of code.
9. M4ce wrote on October 8, 2009
Unlike with iPhone, it doesn’t really matter so much if Google’s market bans an application, because the market is not the only way to get apps. Anyone is free to set up an alternative market (there are some good ones already) or to host app downloads on their own site.
Market is just a Google-provided convenience.
10. alexk-il wrote on November 14, 2009
November 14th – the “Invalid captcha” error is still preventing from registering (more then 2 months). I guess they are not interested in new users, otherwise they would have fixed it long time ago.
11. kurt.hewett wrote on November 23, 2009
Why is it always about the carriers?
Phones aren’t the only thing with android you know,
12. doug wrote on January 6, 2010
PBXes.org still does not work, as it constantly gets INVALID CAPTCHA. Is there a work around? This has been reported since September.
13. Call Over Wi-Fi With TruPhone 3.0 | Android Phone Fans wrote on January 10, 2010
[...] like to use his Wi-Fi to call out. Typically users would be pointed towards an application that launched in February 2009 called Sipdroid, but as you can see by the XDA Developers tutorial on the app, it’s anything [...]
14. C wrote on January 11, 2010
Works great with my Google Voice and Gizmo5 accounts for incoming calls. Still working on the outgoing solution.
15. Martin wrote on February 8, 2010
In order to avoid the “INVALID CAPTCHA” error, just don’t use Internet Explorer.
16. Phil wrote on March 10, 2010
I use Sipdroid on my HTC Hero with a Luxembourg number via a Luxembourg VOIP provider through WiFi and 3G/EDGE in Tallinn, Estonia. It works beautifully. I recommend this package unreservedly.
17. Tom wrote on March 13, 2010
Phil
Some details would be much appreciated! I would like to make this connection as well
Thanks!!!