Voice over IP has become very popular in the last year. Almost everyone has heard of Vonage and thousands have dumped their old lng distance provider to go with the new internet revolution

1. Price - This was the primary reason that I switched to Vonage. It immediately reduced my long distance phone bill in half. This is the primary reason why most users made the switch.

2. Convenience - Face it, when you only have to worry about paying one bill instead of two that is just easier. However it isn't just having one bill to pay that makes VoIP more convenient. I really like the way I can log into my account and customize all the features that come with my voice over IP package. With my old long distance provider I would have to buy all 10 of the features they offered even though I only need two or three. The most convenient aspect of the features is the online voicemail. Simply login and download the message and play it on you PC.

3. Flexibility - With Voice over IP I never have to change my phone number again! I simply take my VoIP router with me and boom I am back in communication with my friends and family. I don't have to worry about telling all the people I know that I have a new number.

I can also get a second line that allows me to have a number from a different area code. So, if I have a friend in Vancouver that calls me in Toronto regularly I can get a second line with a Vancouver area code. My friend now can call a local number and talk to me without paying any long distance charges (my friend doesn't have VoIP).

Important Facts

To make your VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol) work good enough you need to have broadband internet connection. Internet broadband connections are represented with cable or DSL modems with bandwidth of 56 kbits and higher.

The main idea of VoIP is voice connection using computers. All you need is appropriate software installed on your computer and microphone with a headset or speakers connected. Do not forget that using such software is free and easy to download.

Unlike computer-to-computer calls which are free of charge VoIP software is also used as simple trunk-line. But even so such calls are still cheaper then phone-to-phone ones.

Remember- to make computer-to-computer calls you should run the same software at both sides. But in case of making cellular or land-line call via VoIP no extra software or equipment is needed.

How Does It Work

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.