Need Some Clarification on Google Voice and VOIP

[ButteredRum]

I'm a newbie at Google Voice and VOIP and I've been trying to understand more about this stuff. I got a Google Voice account, a sipgate phone number, registered it on SIP Sorcery, and downloaded sipdroid onto my Droid phone. I made an outgoing phone call and it seemed to work fine. However, I have a few questions and would GREATLY appreciate some clarification. Basically, I would like to make and receive free phone calls to people outside of my cell phone provider and/or not in my Friends and Family network, and yet not use my anytime minutes to do so. It seems like there are many ways to accomplish this using Google Voice:

1. Using the sipgate + sipsorcery + sipdroid method with a wifi/3G connection
2. Using a "callback" app like Google Voice Callback
3. Using an automated dialer app like GV Dialer or GV Mobile

My questions: Are each of the above methods free from anytime minutes usage? If so, which are the easiest to use (as far as dialing, etc) and most reliable? Also, would they all work equally well if I am driving and therefore not remaining in one location? Can any of them be used for free texting as well? Thanks for your help!

 

[mnpoker]

If you use a Google # you can just add your Google # to your friends and family group. When you call out using Google voice, it will be your phone calling the google # and will be free of airtime.

The other three options you have asked about I am not familiar with and can not address, but thought I would share what I do know.

 

[takeshi]

You actually need to add the access number (not the same as your GV number) for free outbound calls using the F&F approach.

If you have GV you already have free SMS if you use only the GV app and don't enable SMS forwarding or notifications.

 

[ButteredRum]

Yeah, I heard about this Takeshi. I also heard that Google changes the access number and so it's impossible to use one access number in the F&F. I'm curious how the auto dialers like GV Dialer work then. How are they able to avoid using airtime to call into GV? Or am I wrong about this and you DO have to use airtime to call GV even with GV Dialer? Does anyone know about this?

 

[Slipshod]

Yeah, I heard about this Takeshi. I also heard that Google changes the access number and so it's impossible to use one access number in the F&F. I'm curious how the auto dialers like GV Dialer work then. How are they able to avoid using airtime to call into GV? Or am I wrong about this and you DO have to use airtime to call GV even with GV Dialer? Does anyone know about this?

I've had the same access number for the last 6 months. I think the number is related to the geographic area you're in, so the only changes would be related to travel, and it's easy enough to add another number in.

Every time you dial it displays the access dial-in number on the screen in a bubble, so you can just memorize the number to tell if it's changed. On my in-car bluetooth it actually shows the number as a "second" dialed number, so it shows up in my call log, and as the currently dialed number.

I live in the east San Francisco Bay, and commute over 30 miles into Silicon Valley, so the area is at least that big. I think it even had the same number the last time I was in Sacramento as well.