VoIP Technology » Caller Id

How Does VoIP Really Work?

admin — Sat, 30 Jan 2010 21:49:30 +0000

VoIP stands for Voice over Internet Protocol. By using a VoIP phone and VoIP technology you can effectively use the internet to make phone calls. VoIP does this by placing the voice calls on network which encrypts the voice in data packets at one end and encrypts it in voice calls at the other end. In VoIP, encryption and decryption is from a analog signal (i.e. your voice call) into digital signal (data packets) and again into the analog signal.

You can make VOIP calls by a regular phone with VOIP adapter or even from your computer using a simple microphone. VoIP applications can generally be used with a simple microphone and computer speakers, but IP telephones or VoIP boxes can also be used, providing an experience identical to normal telephoning. Many VOIP manufacturers are designing phones which are specially meant to work with this technology, called SIP phone, and now extensively used by growing VoIP users.

In the past year, the quality and reliability of VoIP technology has improved to the point that vast numbers of users have abandoned their standard telephone contracts entirely, in favor of VoIP. Local as well as long distance calling is available for VoIP. Rates and plans can vary from one VoIP service provider to another VoIP service provider.

Advantages of using VOIP

Using VOIP you can effectively cut down your phone bills, since you just pay to your regular internet connection and small fees to your VOIP service provider. Setting up conference calls with VOIP is very easy.

You can even set up your own VoIP network and don’t need any special equipment like PBX etc. You can call to any local telephone, mobile, long distance number or any international number through VoIP phones. More importantly, the person you are calling by using VoIP technology does not need any special equipment; just a regular telephone.

Many additional features like call forwarding, call tracing, reminders, caller ID are readily available in VoIP Phones. You can even assign a local telephone number to your VOIP phone set, and just need a fast internet connection to use your VOIP service anywhere in the world.

VoIP Dilemma

VoIP applications and services require data transfer in real time. During a call an interactive data voice exchange takes place. Unfortunately, TCP/IP is not well suited for this purpose. Sometimes you have to wait for a few seconds, to hear the other side answering. But with recent developments streaming the flow of voice signals has improved. PC-to-PC and PC-to-phone calling quality is still not as sharp as regular PSTN calls. However, with SIP phones and a reliable high speed internet connection there is little or no difference….and sometimes the quality is even better.

SIP Phones

SIP Phones are the phones which are specifically designed to work as VOIP phones. SIP phone can be considered as a network endpoint routing voice via its IP address. This allows a DID (direct inward dialing) number to move with a user. With SIP phones you can use advanced features like voice mail to email etc. Using a SIP phone also closely resembles a regular analog phone in look, feel, function, and ease of use.

FCC and VoIP

The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) regulates VOIP Services in the USA. They are in charge to create and promote telecommnuication regulations….such as VOIP services….to benefit consumers. In November, 2004 FCC ruled that individual States do not have the jurisdiction to impose taxes on VoIP services, which made the cost of VOIP services even more attractive in relation to standard PSTN phone services.

By: Michael Lemm

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 Tutorial – Understanding How VoIP Can Work For You

admin — Sun, 10 Jan 2010 13:47:41 +0000

VoIP, Voice over Internet Protocol is the future for phone service. While virtual an unknown technology a few years ago, VoIP is becoming common place. With new technology appearing here is a VoIP tutorial on the different types of VoIP.

There are several different setups for VoIP. The basic setup is a free service, normally. It is computer to computer. This is where you use your computer to call another computer and you talk with a headset and microphone connected. Think Skype, MSN and Yahoo.

These services have been around for years, but have improved greatly in their technology of computer to computer VoIP. As long as the person you wish to speak to has the same software and a high speed internet connection, you can speak with them. Next door or around the globe the call can go from your computer to someone else’s.

IP Phones are the next step. These phones have the ability to plug into the router that you use. They look like a traditional phone. They have software built in and are able to use the technology of VoIP to send and receive phone calls. Another up and comer in this category are WiFi phones. They use the technology of wireless to provide phone service. There is usually an installation fee and a monthly service charge.

ATA is the standard. ATA stands for analog telephone adaptor. When you sign up for this service you are sent a special router. This router enables you to plug in a traditional phone. The router is able to route your phone calls using the internet service you have.

There is usually a setup fee and a monthly service fee. You get many of the same service you get on traditional phones, such as caller ID and call waiting. Plans often include unlimited calls and cheaper international rates.

Whichever method you choose, ensure you read the fine print. Many of the subscription service have a contract of one or two years. If you find that it is not the service for you, you will have to pay a disconnection fee.

VoIP is the technology for the home phones of the future. Many traditional companies are starting to use high speed internet to route their calls, as it is more efficient and less costly than phone lines. Finding a provider and plan will become more competitive and technology improves.

By: Benjamin Wise

VoIP 101

admin — Wed, 23 Dec 2009 23:11:44 +0000

VoIP is a relatively new type of telephone service that has been gaining more and more popularity in the past few years. VOIP is short for voice over Internet protocol, which basically means your phone calls are made through an internet connection, rather than through regular phone land lines. The rise of it’s popularity could mean that it will be the way of the future for most home phones. What is it that has all these people so excited about VOIP technology? Well, with VOIP you save quite a bit of money, when you compare it to standard land line telephone service. VOIP providers usually have unlimited calling, as well as free added features like caller ID and call forwarding, which would cost you extra with a standard phone service.

Those combined savings can add up to a savings of hundreds, or even thousands of dollars for many people. The biggest group this appeals to, and that stand to save the most, are larger companies or corporations that make a large number of calls on a daily basis. That doesn’t mean it won’t save money for those who only need it for their home phone, just that the more you use your phone, the more you’ll be saving.

Some might tell you that using the internet for voice chat can be choppy or get an echo, thought this can be true, VOIP uses RTP (real time protocol), which greatly limits and often completely eliminates such problems.

VOIP is not just useful for making and receiving phone calls either, it can also be used for other things, such as sending and receiving other types of data. File transfer is possible through a VOIP service, so you can share pictures with friends, or even send important documents instantly. Video chat and instant messaging can also be done through VOIP, when teamed with the right program, such as Google Talk or Skype.

With all these great features and the savings included, many people are making the switch. So much so, that even some standard telephone companies are starting to offer VOIP service to their customers, a sure sign that it’s here to stay.

By: Joanne Greco

What is VoIP Technology?

admin — Sat, 28 Nov 2009 14:32:51 +0000

You may have heard the term Voip used a lot in the media, but are not sure what everyone is so excited about. Here you will find the answers to your most sought after Voip technology questions.

What is Voip technology?

Technically, VOIP is Voice Over Internet Protocol, or voices traveling over internet lines and wires like other information would. So, what does this mean to you? A lot. Even if you don’t have a clue what Voip technology is, you may still be utilizing it everyday if you have a digital phone line or if you use a microphone hooked into your computer to speck to others while you are connected to the internet.

What is Voip technology going to do for me?

Digital phone and services like it keep costs down for the company, which is passed on to the
consumer. It is usually much cheaper then a traditional land phone line, especially if you want extras such as caller ID and call forwarding.

What is Voip technology going to lack?

As great as Voip technology may be, there are some drawbacks that one using it for your phone service should realize. First, most digital phone companies do not provide access to emergency assistance numbers, such as 911 for those in the US. This may leave your household vulnerable if you use digital phone. Some consumers overcome this by keeping a basic plan with there traditional phone company provider or have a cell phone available in case of an emergency.

Another drawback to Voip technology in the form of digital phone is that if your power goes out, so does your phone. When you have a service through a traditional phone company, you can still access your line even during power outages as long as you do not need a second power source to run it (ex: cordless phones need a second power source to run, so when the power goes out so does your phone). This is not so with digital phone. However, once again having a basic plan with your traditional phone company or having a cell phone on hand may remedy this problem.

What is Voip technology overall?

Voip technology can be an asset to anyone. It keeps the cost of having a land phone line cheap while still allowing us to communicate verbally without having to rely solely on cell phones. The next time you are taking a look at your high-price phone bill from your phone company, take another look at digital phone and Voip technology in general. You may rack up savings that you never even knew existed.

By: Sandra Stammberger

VoIP Technology is Packed With Extra Features

admin — Fri, 27 Nov 2009 18:09:34 +0000

If you’ve been looking for a way to reduce your monthly phone bill without sacrificing features on your phone service, you might want to look into companies that offer phone service based on Voice over Internet Protocol technology- or VoIP for short. Voice over Internet Protocol technology is offered by several different companies including Vonage, Lingo, and SunRocket. While they all have different service plans, prices, and features; there are also a number of general features that they have in common. For example, all of them offer lots of extra features included in there service plans at no extra cost, and those service plans are generally competitive in price with what you’d pay for a normal land based phone line from a conventional phone company.

VoIP technology, as implemented by these companies, includes as standard features many of the things that you’d pay extra for in order to get from a conventional phone company. Voice mail, caller ID with name, last number dialed calling, call transfers, call forwarding, call waiting, and a lot more are all included among these features. Not only are all of these features included, but they’re also made enormously more flexible because their settings can be changed and used from anywhere by accessing your account online. For example, you can use any computer with an Internet connection to initiate call forwarding. This is a great feature for situations where you need to have calls to your home or office number forwarded to your mobile phone, but forgot to do it before stepping out the door. You can also often do things like turn off the ability to dial international calls or directory assistance from your online account in order to save money. Some services also allow you to access your voice mail through your online account or have it forwarded to your email. When one service forwards voice mail to your email account it does so with the actual voice mail message attached as a WAV file so that you can listen to the message right there on your computer. At least one service will let you block phone calls from certain numbers and or calls from numbers that don’t offer any caller ID data. Either of those two features are great ways to fend off telemarketers or admirers who are just too aggressive for your comfort.

While all of these features are extremely valuable, one thing that all VoIP services have in common, and the feature that was really the whole point of them to begin with, is the ability to make long distance phone calls without any long distance rates. This is possible because of the “Internet” in Voice over Internet Protocol. Essentially, VoIP technology streams phone conversations in both directions over the Internet in real time. This means that those phone conversations are treated just like any other media that’s sent over the Internet. Just like MP3’s, digital photographs, emails, and other types of document that inhabit the Internet, there aren’t any long distance charges for phone conversations using VoIP. Best of all, it’s completely compatible with the conventional telephone network so you can still talk to people who don’t use VoIP.

When it comes to saving money and providing the maximum number of extra features, VoIP technology is definitely worth looking into.

By: Julia Hall

VoIP – The Technology That Keeps You Talking

admin — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 18:53:40 +0000

For quite some time since its inception, the Internet was nothing more than a virtual platform for people to meet and communicate with each other in a non-verbal fashion. Apart from bringing the whole world closer through chat rooms and emails, there wasn’t much that the Internet could do to connect users verbally. This scenario changed with the entry of the VoIP technology that gave users a much needed verbal communication platform.

As far as the development is concerned from a manufacturer’s point of view, it is just another usual turn of events. However, users have a different story to tell about the VoIP technology, which has actually narrowed the distance between them and their friends to a great extent. Internet users can now talk to their friends and relatives over Internet telephones or VoIP phones, to be precise through this technology.

The VoIP technology works on the calculation of transmitting voice calls over the Internet or through an IP based network. Through this technology, two kinds of phone services are available in the form of regular telephone adapter based VoIP phones and software based VoIP phones. The former can be used to make and receive calls to and from any phone, while the software based VoIP phones need a computer to transmit the voice signals.

To enjoy the benefits of the VoIP technology, all you need is a broadband Internet connection or your regular telephone that is connected to an Analog Telephone Adapter (ATA) given by the provider to get going. With several impressive options laid out through this technology in the form of voice mails, caller ID, call forwarding, etc., VoIP phone users stand to gain a lot.

By: Dennis Jaylon

VOIP Technology – the Next Step in Phone Industry

admin — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 16:52:13 +0000

Most likely, voip will replace telephone service in the near future. VOIP is becoming very reliable and thus, receiving acceptance. Phone companies are already taking advantage of the technology to provide inexpensive long distance rates.

Voip generally has low costs, which is one big indicator of its growing popularity. You can sign up with a voip service provider for a monthly fee and get unlimited calls within a specified geographic area. There are some voip services in the United States that allow connections for no extra charge.

There is another benefit of having voip as opposed to a regular form, and this comes in the form of portability. You can make and receive phone calls wherever there is a broadband connection by simply signing in to your voip account.

When you are traveling, you simply pack a headset or Internet phone. Internet phones are small and light enough to take anywhere. When you sign up with a voip service provider, the Internet phone or adaptor used by that service is assigned a unique number. This ‘phone number’ remains valid, even if your voip service is in San Diego and you are connected to the Internet in Spain. When plugged into a broadband connection, anywhere in the world, you can make and receive calls as though you were at home.

Call forwarding, call waiting, voicemail, caller ID and 3way-calling, are included with Internet telephone at no extra charge. While you are talking on the phone, you can send pictures and documents at the same time.

Although there are many attributes to a voip phone, there are also some things to consider that could fall on the negative spectrum. For one, services are not useful in emergencies. Traditional phone equipment can trace the locations of calls. Emergency calls are diverted to the nearest call center where the operator can identify your location, in the event you can’t talk. With voip, there is no way currently to determine where Internet calls are originating.

Standard phone service continues by the current supplied through the phone line during a blackout. This isn’t possible with Internet phones. When the power goes, there goes voip service. Battery backups and power generators that provide electricity are solutions to the problem.

In addition, you should keep in mind that voip has sound quality and reliability problems. Data sent across the Internet usually arrives at its destination scrambled. E-mail and documents can be reassembled in the correct order when it arrives. Voice data also arrives scrambled, but it’s more complicated because of the real-time nature of VOIP. Some data packets may have to be dropped when they don’t arrive in time, in order to make voice connections with the least delay. Distance and speed of the connection determine the amount of data lost. Some networks receive more traffic and thus are more likely to cause audio dropouts.

By: Groshan Fabiola

VoIP – Pros and Cons

admin — Sun, 11 Oct 2009 00:00:23 +0000

VOIP is short for Voice Over Internet Protocol, what that means is that your phone calls will be made through an internet connection, rather than through standard telephone land lines. Though it’s relatively new, many people have decided to switch over to VOIP phone service for a number of reasons.

One of the biggest advantages of VOIP is that no matter where you are, if you can connect to the internet, you can make and receive phone calls. In many cases, service providers will offer a package that allows local calling from anywhere in the world. What this means is that if you call any phone number in your local home phone area, even if you are across the world, it will be charged as a local call. This is the same if anyone in your local home area calls your number, even if you’re somewhere else, it’s a local call.

Another advantage of VOIP is that most providers include extra features, such as caller ID, call forwarding, 3 way calling and auto redial. These features can be costly with standard phone service. VOIP also works with many instant messaging programs like MSN, Google Talk and Skype. It can also be used for file sharing, video conferencing, voice conferencing and other internet based applications.

VOIP providers often offer unlimited calls to and from your phone number, even if you’re calling overseas, which can save you a great deal of money every year. For those who call distant relatives often, VOIP is definitely the way to go.

The biggest disadvantage is that, if you lose your internet connection, your phone will not work. Also, if you have a slow connection or any interference, you can get an echo or dropped calls. VOIP phones need electricity as well, so if your power goes out, so will your phone.

VOIP service is not the most secure way to communicate, because they are sent over the internet, it is possible for someone with the right know how, to listen in on your calls. Another problem is with caller ID, VOIP phones will not show up on the call ID of people you call.

So VOIP might not be something you want to rely on completely, but teamed with something like a prepaid cell phone, it can definitely save you some money on your phone bill.

By: Joanne Greco