The main issue in wi-fi calling is whether the cell phone you are using is recent enough to have that feature. If it does, you can make a free call anywhere there is a wi-fi signal you can access....not just from home, but from/to anywhere in the world.

Snidely: your link is the first post I read and failed to understand and still don't see how it applies. I don't want or need to MAKE calls from home. I have a real phone. However, I would like to Receive the occasional incoming call. kudzu9, what is the name of the feature needed? Does it receive?

It's a feature you enable in your settings named "wi-fi calling." Your phone functions just like normally, making or receiving calls. But Instead of the calls occurring using the wireless signal of your cell phone carrier, they occur over your Internet connection. You need the right phone and you need to enable the feature in your settings. Other than that, you wouldn't know the difference since it's business as usual and there are no extra things to do when placing or receiving calls. When I am at home, my phone automatically picks up my router and all calls occur over the Internet. This is nice if you are limited to a certain number of minutes a month on your wireless plan, since calls over the Internet don't count against your plan.

Not all phones can do this. For example, you need the newest iPhone (6 or 6s), or a pretty new Android model. And a few carriers do not yet make this available to their customers regardless of what phone they have. What phone do you have and who is your carrier?

Here's a quote:

"Instead of using your carrier's network connection, users can make voice
calls through a Wi-Fi network. That can include a Wi-Fi connection you
have set up at home, or whatever Wi-Fi hotspot you happen to be on when
you're out and about, such as a cafe or library. In most ways, it's like
any other normal call, and you still use regular phone numbers."

Forgetting apps for a second, if you have a phone (from a carrier) that offers this feature, then when the phone has a Wifi connection, phone calls come and go over the Wifi connection, not over the cell tower system. Whether the call is incoming or outgoing doesn't matter, the same in both cases. If I call you and the phone has a connection with your home wifi, the call gets routed over your good wifi system and the phone will ring and offer you a very clear and reliable signal.

Does that help? Try reading the article again.

Chas

What brand and model is your phone? That would help others help you.

Ooma is one that provides this service -- brother uses it:

http://www.ooma.com/

No, that's something entirely different bengt2. The OP's question is about using a data link for a cell phone call.

The Ooma service is VOIP (voice over IP), using old style cordless or analog home phones and providing a "landline" using the internet and without phone company involvement. Like Vonage, or getting phone service from your cable TV provider. It has nothing to do with mobile phones. I know, I use Ooma myself.

Ooma has a subsidiary called "Talkatone", which allows a mobile phone to send and receive phone calls over the data link of the phone, or wifi, whichever it's connected to. An example of its service, I have a kid living overseas who has a local US phone number from Talkatone with my town's area code. When you call the number, her phone rings using, as I said, either her data package or Wifi (when home and so connected). It's a local US call for the caller and free to her to receive.

I think the OP has gone away, but there are lots of solutions to his question.

I could be mistaken, but I think the OP wants to receive calls via WiFi when the someone calls the number assigned to her cell phone. Obviously there are plenty of way to make calls and receive them but I think they all require a different phone number. I think she needs a carrier supported phone, plan, etc.

Another option would be to sign up for something like Google Voice and use that number as a contact number. Then calls can be routed to a land line, cell phone, or both.

A femtocell (basically a mini cell tower that uses an Internet connection) would be another option. Then tend to be a little pricey unless you could convince the carrier to give you one.

I didn't go away. I doubt there is a solution from what you all are saying, although I am going to hop on the phone to wife's carrier right now. I suspect that even if there is a solution, that they won't know it because their help is usually basic only. Wife's phone is a two yr old Samsung Galaxy Exilarate. I don't see a 'wifi calling' feature. I also didn't see it on my cheap Nokia Windows Phone.

Our carrier is Consumer Cellular. It now supports (sort of) smart phones, but it was designed for basic phones for old folks who often do better with flip phones. Consumer Cellular rides along on the ATT network, but as far as I know, att doesn't give them all of att options or help etc.

UPDATE

It's a good thing I called our provider. I now see that 'wifi calling' is a provider service. It turns out that Consumer Cellular is working on it right now and will likely have it available in a month or so.They will email me when it becomes available.

Thanks, Snidely -- you're right. BTW, I used to watch Dudley Do-right....

I loved Rocky and Bullwinkle as a kid and still enjoy watching an episode here and there when I come upon one. It was so campy and full of puns, ones I even understood as a kid.