Voice Over Internet Protocol (or VoIP for short) is the latest technology many people are using in addition to, or as an alternative for, their traditional phone service. There are many reasons why customers are flocking to VoIP service providers and away from traditional phone companies. One of these reasons is the lower cost. But before taking advantage of all the benefits that come with VoIP, it's good to know how Voice Over IP works.
How It Works
Voice Over IP uses your existing Internet connection to place and receive phone calls. Instead of your calls traveling out of the phone line, your voice is turned into "packets" which are then transmitted over the Internet in the exact same manner as your regular Internet traffic. On the other end of the call, the "packets" are converted back into regular voice sounds just like a normal phone. The person on the receiving end will likely not even notice the difference.
What Equipment Is Needed
VoIP calls can be made from your regular phone if you have an adapter (provided by the VoIP phone company). You can also use a special VoIP phone or specialized software on your computer to make calls. The software feature is particularly attractive to people who work on the road or travel a lot since you can make and receive calls from anywhere you can access the Internet. So you can be sitting in your local coffee shop or waiting at the gate at the airport and as long as they have a connection to the Internet (usually wireless in these cases) then you're still able to access your phone system.
Advantages of VoIP
Typically, VoIP offers more features and services than your local phone company offers. In fact, some features might not be available from your local phone company at all, but instead, might be specific to VoIP service. Most of these features are built right in to the calling plan so you end up paying a flat rate rather than a monthly fee plus per-minute charges. This makes your phone calling more affordable and more predictable, as opposed to trying to time each long distance call. Who is disciplined enough to do that? And how many times have you been surprised by the bill you got from the phone company? Not the case with VoIP service.
Things to Watch Out For
The biggest thing to watch out for is to make sure your VoIP service supports 911 calling. Most of the larger companies are tied in to 911 now so it shouldn't be an issue. But if you choose one of the smaller companies, a little due diligence is in order. As an alternative, you could maintain your existing telephone line and use that for emergency calls only and use your VoIP line for everything else, but whether or not that is cost-effective depends on the monthly fees and how much calling you do from month to month.
All in all, VoIP is a great option for consumers looking for an alternative to more expensive local telephone service. Check out your VoIP options and see if Internet telephony might be a good solution for you too.
VoIP is probably something you have heard about if you are keen of new computer technologies. VoIP allows telephone calls over the Internet and due to the constantly improving Internet connections it is starting to replace traditional phone networks. VoIP is mainly used by businesses as they are more likely to have access to fast Internet connections, needed by this type of telephony.
Although the initial use of VoIP systems was to allow communication between computer users located in different places, the idea was developed even further and is now on its way to becoming a stand alone telephone network. VoIP has made calling any phone in the world as well as receiving phone calls from users connected to Local Area Networks or the Internet possible.
History
The idea dates back in 1995 and it was started by an Israeli computer enthusiast who managed to establish the first phone call between two computers. Later that year a software package called Internet Phone Software was developed and released and it was essential for a VoIP connection. VoIP users needed this software, a modem, sound card, microphone and speakers in order to be able to use the Voice over Internet Protocol.
The Internet Phone Software was responsible for the digitalization and compression of the audio signal prior to sending it over the Internet. It was also needed for its decompression and therefore VoIP communications were only possible between people using this software. Due to the fact that the whole system was at its beginnings, the sound quality was very poor and far from that of traditional telephony.
The potential behind this idea was easily understood so the technology was developed further in the following years. Gateways that allowed PC-to-phone connections were established as well as designated VoIP connections later that year. Calls using this protocol were even possible from standard phone sets once the connection had been established from a computer.
The protocol today
Quite a few VoIP services are available today, suiting any type of needs. While some are still computer dependent, phone-to-phone and PC-to-phone services are also available.
Although special USB compatible Internet phones were developed, the computer can be completely bypassed by Internet phones that link directly to a cable or DSL broadband connection via a modem.
The principles behind VoIP
In order to be able to send your voice over the Internet, it has to be transformed into digital data. The digitalization process is called 'sampling' and involves 'breaking' the sound into very small pieces that can be characterized by a number value. After this process has ended, the digital result is compressed and divided into small 1500 bytes packets that will be send over the Internet. Packets contain not only the voice but also data regarding their order needed for a correct reconstruction and data about their origin. Once the packets have reached the destination they will be reconstructed and the resulting digital data will be transformed back into analogue sound and played by the speakers.
A broadband connection is required due to the large amount of data that has to be transmitted over the Internet in a short time to avoid noticeable delays. This is the reason why the system is more popular among companies that already use and can easier afford such connections.
Both Kevin Nelson & Dave Markel are contributors for EditorialToday. The above articles have been edited for relevancy and timeliness. All write-ups, reviews, tips and guides published by EditorialToday.com and its partners or affiliates are for informational purposes only. They should not be used for any legal or any other type of advice. We do not endorse any author, contributor, writer or article posted by our team.
Kevin Nelson has sinced written about articles on various topics from Information Technology, Fitness and Acne Treatment. Get more tips on choosing the ">best VoIP phone and find money-saving links to the latest s. Kevin Nelson's top article generates over 33100 views. to your Favourites.
Dave Markel has sinced written about articles on various topics from Home, tax and Used Car. Dave Markel is the owner of a Voip Services Blog. Visit it at . Dave Markel's top article generates over 5400 views. to your Favourites.