VoIP Technology » Bandwidth

Small Business Telephone System with VoIP

admin — Sun, 28 Mar 2010 13:41:46 +0000

If you are changing your small business telephone system from a traditional dedicated fixed landline to the newer VoIP technology, there are some things you need to have in place to change successfully.

1. Internet Connection

To route your calls over the Internet instead of over the existing telephone fixed landlines, you need to have a powerful Internet connection and equipment to connect and communicate with.

If your small business is using a DSL or cable modem for your Internet connectivity, you need to research the bandwidth needed for of VoIP communications (Voice over Internet Protocol).

If you are one of 1-2 employees, then DSL or cable should work fine to meet your needs. DSL and cable modems are not ideal for VoIP, but they do work acceptably well for a very small office of just one or two people.

If your office grows to more than 2 users, your small business telephone system needs to grow also. It is time to consider a more robust Internet connection.

The standard DSL and cable modems offer you a quicker download than upload speed. This generally works fine for general computer usage, but it won’t work so well for voice communication.

So, you will need to make sure that your Internet connection can support both the upload and download speeds that you need to have clear and consistent voice communication.

2. How Much Bandwidth?

The industry standard is enough bandwidth for about 1/3 rd of your employees to be on the telephone at the same time … so if you have 30 lines, you should then have enough bandwidth for 10 to be used at any one time. With a business of this size, your small business telephone system will usually require a T1 connection to the Internet.

One of the best things you can do is to work with a provider who can support both your VoIP and Internet connection needs. This will insure that you have the bandwidth necessary to get both your calls and data needs taken care of.

3. Hub vs. Switch

In addition to bandwidth to the Internet, internally you should be using switches on your network rather than hubs. While hubs are fine for electronic data transmission, the transmission of voice over your network necessitates the need for switches to be used.

4. Media Gateways

If you already have a small business telephone system in place, such as a small PBX system, you can purchase a device called a “media gateway” to connect your existing phone system to the Internet without having to replace all of your phones and equipment.

This will save you money from the equipment that would have to be replaced to upgrade to VoIP services.

Moving your small business telephone system over to VoIP requires some pre-planning and consultation with an Internet provider. An experienced provider can offer the equipment and the know-how to make your move to VoIP quickly and without any inconvenience for your employees.

By: Andrew Stratton

VOIP Cell Phone For Bandwidth on the Move

admin — Fri, 26 Feb 2010 09:22:11 +0000

If you want to connect away from home, the usual answer to the ring that you want is through a cell phone. However, there is now more than one option that can be used in order to connect over a distance. Not only can you use the regular options of cell phone service, but can also dial into VoIP cell phone options. Knowing what to look for and how you can use this new technology will allow you to make the right choice when you are beginning to connect.

The most important part to remember with the VoIP cell phone is how it works. Even though it is in a cell phone packet, it will also be connected to the Internet. When you are looking into the options for the cell phones, you will want to make sure that there is enough bandwidth available on the cell phone that will allow you to travel, even if you are only connected to the Internet. This part of owning a cell phone is one that continues to grow with technology and with the system types that are available.

As you move into the options for VoIP, not only will you want to understand how the cell phones connect, but will also want to ring into information about the extra features in the phone. These are ones that continue to be enhanced with the new technology, allowing for a combination of ways to talk to be available. This is based around stronger connections as well as plans that will allow for better connections. With newer VoIP cell phones, there are also more Internet connection options available. This includes things such as video that can be watched on the phones, text messaging, checking e-mail on the phone and other Internet capacities that are directly tied into the phone.

When you are looking into a potential provider for a VoIP cell phone, you will not only want to see which providers have this option, but will also want to combine this with the best packages that are available. You can expect that the VoIP services will be some of the cheapest options that are with cell phones. These options will include lower prices in long distance, international calls and other connections, simply because they are coming through the Internet instead of a regular phone, allowing for better options to connect. If you want an example of these options, you can look into areas such as Packet8, a combination pack that offers a variety of the services combined on a cell phone. This includes everything from virtual offices to video, unlimited long distance calling and large discounts for additional features.

If you want the best of functionality, price, packaging and new technology features, it starts with a VoIP cell phone. Once you begin to gather information and prospects on the different deals that are available as well as the ways in which you can take advantage of the newer features, you will be able to talk and go with your cell phone in a new and innovative way.

By: Dean Forster

VOIP Telephony – The Benefits and Limitations

admin — Mon, 25 Jan 2010 01:55:57 +0000

Previously we explored the history and technology that gave
rise to VOIP Telephone service (*see footnotes). Today we will examine
some of the benefits and also the drawbacks of this new opportunity.

In previous articles we discovered that traditional “Landline” type
phone service is set up much like a “Toll Highway”. Billing starts
when the “Circuit” is opened, and continues until it is closed.
Just like travelling down a Tollway, the longer you stay on, and the
farther you travel, the more “Toll Booths” you pass through. These
toll booths are the phone company’s switches, and you get charged
for every one that you pass through.

In contrast, VOIP phones use “Packet” switching. As the broadband
Internet connection is always open, digitized voice signals are
sent to the receiver in discrete packets. The result is that no
“dead air” exists on the line, as no traffic is sent when there is
a lull or pause in the conversation. This allows several two-way
conversations to use the same “bandwidth”, or space that previously
was tied up by ONE call.

This has resulted in great economy for VOIP providers who in turn
pass along the savings to the end user. Most top VOIP plans run
around 30 dollars a month, and the best include International calls
to many countries worldwide within that base fee along with a host
of features like Voice Mail, Caller ID, Call Waiting, Three-way
Calling, Online Access, Etc.

While most major traditional carriers have an “all inclusive” plan,
none that I know of include International calling, and most of their
“basic” plans are double the cost of VOIP. In my experience, the most
coveted features are also charged extra for. Add in the taxes and fees,
and all of a sudden you’re talking REAL money!

The other great benefit of VOIP is the ability to take your device
anywhere and make calls just like you were at home. The best services
are fully find-me, follow-me capable. This means that wherever you
happen to be, your phone number will find you and ring at THAT location.
I use mine with a Laptop, a cheap cigarette lighter a/c converter,
a wireless card, and an old “princess” phone in my truck parked outside
of hotspots all the time. That’s huge. You can have your office in
whatever hotel or airport or Starbucks you happen to be in at the moment.

Having covered most of the benefits of VOIP, let’s examine some of
the drawbacks. The major one is spotty 911 service availability. As
the device is portable, any call to 911 will result in emergency
crews being sent to the device’s address of record, which is set up
when you activate the VOIP device and service. Obviously this doesn’t
do you much good if you are in a hotel in Montana but live in Ohio.

One way around this is to change your address with your provider when
you travel, and then change it back when you return home. Of course,
this only works with domestic addresses, and you must remember to do it.

A better way is to ignore the issue entirely, and keep a very basic,
cheap, no frills service plan with your local phone provider. This will
still be cheaper by far than a full blown plan. Also, you avoid the other
main issue with VOIP- Power Outages. If power goes out, or you lose your
Internet Connection, you lose your phone service. Of course, you run
that risk with today’s cordless phones too, so it’s always a good idea
to have an old hardwired phone around the house, or at least a cell
phone available.

By: Glenn Grundberg

VOIP Disadvantages

admin — Fri, 15 Jan 2010 16:36:41 +0000

Voice over internet protocol (VOIP) is changing the way that the average consumer makes long distance phone calls. The technology is rapidly advancing because companies all over the world are now competing to be your VOIP provider. However, there are still some disadvantages of VOIP – especially when it comes to using the technology for functions beyond the one caller to one caller scenario.

The disadvantages of VOIP can be annoying, but are relatively limited for the consumer. The main complaints regarding VOIP have to do with providing the level of quality of service that customers are accustomed to with regular telephone technology. The reason for this is multifold. VOIP requires a large amount of data to be compressed and transmitted, then uncompressed and delivered, all in a relatively small amount of time. Problems develop in VOIP conversations when this process takes too long and the callers experience one of two problems; echo or over-talk.

Standard phone calls function with a delay of no more than 10 milliseconds. But one major disadvantage of VOIP is that there have been delays of up to 400 milliseconds, meaning that the callers won’t hear each other fast enough to make the conversation flow easily. They will either hear themselves talking or they will start talking again before they have heard the other person respond. Although these problems won’t necessarily happen every time a call is made, it can happen often enough to be annoying.

The disadvantages of VOIP are usually tolerable if the callers are using a free service and the calls are for individual, personal communication. But once a network of users, such as a business, wants to use VOIP, the problems become a little more complicated. Part of the reason is that most networks have a firewall; and most firewalls don’t know how to route a VOIP call once it is received – which phone does it go to?

Plus, multiple users create a problem when judging what amount of bandwidth can be and should be used at any time. If multiple users need to make VOIP calls, it can be difficult for the company to know exactly how much bandwidth to provide – especially if internet access, video conferencing or other data transmission services are using the same path.

Overall, the disadvantages of VOIP aren’t significant enough to dissuade the average consumer from using the technology; especially with the fact that they know that the calls they are making are free. But we can rest assured that the technology will only get more reliable as time goes by.

By: Van Theodorou