VoIP Technology » Data Packets

VOIP – Talk Easy, Without Worry About Money

admin — Mon, 29 Mar 2010 06:40:51 +0000

Those were still the early days of the entry of VOIP in the market. Still an esoteric term to many of us. Not so much today. Once feared and revered as an elite technology that only the experts could make head or tail of, it has of today, become an organic mass system of means of communication. It would not be an overstatement to say that VOIP is leading the way in digital communication.

To cut through the rhetoric, what we know is that VOIP refers to Voice over Internet Protocol. This technology converts spoken sounds into digital signals. This allows the voice to be transmitted over a network such as the internet. Your voice is transmitted as sound data packets across the internet to the receiver at the other end. The internet should be broadband or high speed connection. Apart from this, you will require a cable modem or other means of wireless services, a phone equipped with this facility or a special software inside it for this purpose.

There are also a few minor problems with these services such as failure to function during a power outage, especially as when your service provider may not offer backup power for these situations.

VOIP technology has revolutionised the way calls are being made and billed around the world.
It has made talking to anyone around the world as easy as surfing the internet. and this means of telephony often costs you nothing more than than the rate of a local phone call.

Certain things to be kept in mind while using this service: Your service provider may charge you for calls outside your area, so make sure to check the terms of service for the same. You may also avail these services at flat rates as offered by some providers to be able to make long-distance calls at the lowest rates you would have ever imagined. These services may be availed with either your traditional handset phone or with a microphone over the Internet.

Accessibility at economic rates is no more an issue with VOIP.

By: Dennis Jaylon

VoIP Tutorial

admin — Mon, 08 Mar 2010 08:47:49 +0000

VoIP or voice over protocol is one of the latest innovations in communications technology. The main difference it has with the old telephony system is that it uses data packets while the old telephony system uses switch boards.

In case you are not familiar with switchboards, imagine your call being routed to an operator before it reaches the person you are calling. That illustrates how a switchboard works. VoIP uses data packets that are sent and received via the internet. Hence, the basic equipment you will need to enable VoIP is a modem because this is the main device that allows you to get an internet access.

VoIP products come as trunk or hosted. If you are still wishing to use your old telephone device while utilizing VoIP at the same time, you will need to purchase a gateway from VoIP vendors. The gateway comes in a data packet that looks like a box. You would have to connect this to your conventional telephone or fax machine to enable VoIP. However, if you have an IP enabled system, there is no need to purchase the gateway.

There are four ways by which you can make the calls using the VoIP. These include internet-internet, phone-internet, internet-phone, phone-phone. If you are making a call towards a phone, it can be a regular, non-VoIP phone. Otherwise, the recipient of your call also needs to have a VoIP-enabled device. If you are making a call through a computer, you need to have a head set and a VoIP software program. If you are making an internet-internet call, the computer you are calling to must also have the same software as you have. Examples of this software are Skype, that of Yahoo, MSN, etc.

By: Elija James

How To Choose A VoIP Broadband Phone Service

admin — Tue, 16 Feb 2010 12:44:17 +0000

Internet technology is constantly introducing new and better ways to communicate with others around the world, and making telephone calls using VoIP technology is one of those advancements. VoIP stands for Voice over Internet Protocol, and it allows a computer user who is connected to the internet through a high-speed terminal to make telephone calls to another computer or telephone without using a standard telephone company.

Essentially, there are two kinds of VoIP applications to consider, either hardware or software based. If you choose the software solution, you’ll have to have your computer turned on in order to both make and receive telephone calls, but the only equipment you’ll need is a microphone and speakers connected to your computer.

If you choose the hardware solution instead, you’ll be using a converter box called an ATA that will be attached to your high-speed internet connection. Your telephone can then be plugged into the ATA. The converter box takes the analog signal from your phone and converts it to a digital signal to be sent over the internet in data packets, which are then reassembled on the other end of the telephone connection. By using a hardware VoIP solution, you computer does not have to be on in order for you to make and receive telephone calls, although your Internet connection will have to be active. Many VoIP service providers are including the ATA at very low cost or even for free in some cases.

In order to make use of VoIP technology for placing internet telephone calls, you will need to subscribe to a service plan provided by one of the major VoIP companies in business today. The service plans are usually very inexpensive, often providing for unlimited long-distance telephone calling for as little as $25 per month. You can even save more by choosing a calling plan that places a limit on the amount of minutes used each month, bringing your total cost down to as low as $15 a month.

In addition to domestic long-distance phone calling, many VoIP providers also allow you to make international telephone calls to persons outside of their subscriber base for a per minute fee, sometimes as low as $.10 to $.15 per minute. Some providers even allow free long-distance telephone calling as long as it is carried out between individuals in their own subscriber base.

If you choose to use a hardware VoIP solution, you can expect to spend some time on the phone with customer support in order to get your system up and running correctly, but most likely you’ll be able to experience uninterrupted service from that point on. Also you can expect voice quality to be excellent in most cases, often rivaling that of land line telephones.

When you consider all the advantages of using VoIP technology to place telephone calls over the internet, it’s no wonder that so many consumers are turning to VoIP for their long-distance telephone calling needs.

By: Steadman Issenburg

Growth of Business with VoIP

admin — Thu, 11 Feb 2010 01:41:16 +0000

Competition is the key word driving businesses the world over. And in the current context, the competition is increasingly becoming more and more intense. Business houses are doing all that it takes to emerge ahead of others. Most of them are employing the latest and the best in technology to enhance their profit margins and reduce their infrastructural costs. VoIP, for one, is increasingly being used to streamline communications within several organizational contexts. The importance of VoIP business services can be understood in this context.

Voice over IP (also know as VoIP) came forward as a solution of telecommunication whereby it is possible for people to make low cost calls. As voice over IP works on the principle of transferring digital voice over the Internet, it thus paves the way for wireless transmission of data packets in contrast to the traditional means of telephony where long wires are required to complete the connection.

This has led to a cost effective way of achieving telephony services. The technology has ushered in a new revolution in business with VoIP business services. Now, it has become possible for people to go for existing broadband connections and start availing voice call along with other facilities such as video chats and recordings of a conversation. The installation of this technology is simple; and this is enhanced by the technical expertise of service providers.

These calls are not restricted to any particular country or nation. It means that one can make calls to a person living in the same country or to in a different Nation at the same tariff rate. The VoIP service does not recognize national or continental barriers. All this technology does is that it converts “voice” to digital packets and sends them over the Internet. The receiver on the other end gets the calls after it has been reconverted to analog form from digital packets. Moreover, the technology is feature-rich with options such as auto-attendant, advanced call forwarding, integrated fax support and outlook options.

It can be installed very easily with certain extra gadgets such as Analog Telephone Adapter (ATA) and Analog-to-Digital Converter (ADC). There is a central office(CO) that determines the voice paths. Moreover, with the presence of wholesalers and resellers, the VoIP phone service sees no boundaries and brings the services to people around the globe. The carriers at the lower tiers lease services from the ones at a higher tier and resell them to their targeted customers. Thus, call termination to international gateways is a reality with the Voice over IP. It is this phenomenon of acceding to international calls that has led to the flourishing of the business VoIP service. Businesses have really seen a new light with the coming of VoIP service. Call centers have their foundation stone laid on such services.

The service providers have improved upon the VoIP business plans and made it suitable for a lot of organizations. There is no doubt about the fact that the providers are offering a platform that is simple and easy for their customers to carry forward an interaction, improve upon a business team’s efficiency and also overcome any frustration of customers. This has really led to the growth of organizations that completely rely on this high-end technology for their day to day business. The VoIP services are thus a unique means of achieving that which was never possible before.

By: Kristen Kiya

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

Free VOIP Phone Calls – VOIP Technology is Explained in Detail

admin — Tue, 29 Dec 2009 18:22:40 +0000

VoIP is a break through invention which lets you make free or very cheap local, long distance and international calls. You may have a few questions in your mind such as how VoIP works, what are the benefits of VoIP.

VoIP relationship with Computers and Networks.

Put VoIP aside for now and lets start learning about computer networking, you may have heard about computers, networks, switches and wireless networks. Computers communicate with each other via a set of copper wires, fiber optic cables and wireless spectrum waves. Computer communication takes place in the form of data. For example if you are sending an email to someone that email is converted into data packets which are transmitted over the network of computers, switches and routers and when transmitted packets arrives at destination these are again converted back into email. This whole process takes less than few milliseconds to complete. That is how a computer network communication takes place.

VoIP is very similar to computer data communication in nature therefore it is important that you understand how computer data network works.

How VoIP works and how a VoIP call is transmitted over data networks?

Now since we have discovered how computer data network functions therefore it will be easier for us to grasp how VoIP works. VoIP stands for (Voice over Internet Protocol), VoIP calls feel and sounds no different than a standard PSTN call. The only difference is that the VoIP calls are transmitted over computer data networks rather than PSTN exchanges.

When we make a VoIP call, a communication channel is established between caller and called party over IP (Internet Protocol) which runs on top of computer data networks. A telephony conversation that takes place over VoIP are converted into binary data packets streams in real time and transmitted over data network, when these data packets arrive at the destination these are again converted into standard telephony conversation. This whole process of voice conversion into data, transmission and data conversion into back voice conversation takes place within less than few milliseconds. That is how a VoIP is call is works over data networks. I hope that now you understand basics of how a VoIP call takes place.

What are speech codec’s and what role codec plays in VoIP?

Speech codec play a vital role in VoIP and codec determines the quality and cost of the call. Let me explain you what exactly VoIP codec’s are and how they work. You may have heard about data compression, or probably you have heard about air compressor which compresses a volume of air in enclosed container, VoIP codec’s are no different than a air compressor. Speech codec’s compresses voice into data packets and decompresses it upon arrival at destination. Some VoIP codec’s can compress huge amount of voice while maintaining QoS which means use this type of codec will cost less because it will consume just a fraction of data network. Some codec’s are just not capable of encoding huge amount of voice they simply consume huge amount of data networks bandwidth hence the cost goes up.

Following is a list of VoIP codec’s along with how much data network bandwidth they consume.

* AMR Codec

* BroadVoice Codec 16Kbps narrowband, and 32Kbps wideband

* GIPS Family – 13.3 Kbps and up

* GSM – 13 Kbps (full rate), 20ms frame size

* iLBC – 15Kbps,20ms frame size: 13.3 Kbps, 30ms frame size

* ITU G.711 – 64 Kbps, sample-based Also known as alaw/ulaw

* ITU G.722 – 48/56/64 Kbps ADPCM 7Khz audio bandwidth

* ITU G.722.1 – 24/32 Kbps 7Khz audio bandwidth (based on Polycom’s SIREN codec)

* ITU G.722.1C – 32 Kbps, a Polycom extension, 14Khz audio bandwidth

* ITU G.722.2 – 6.6Kbps to 23.85Kbps. Also known as AMR-WB. CELP 7Khz audio bandwidth

* ITU G.723.1 – 5.3/6.3 Kbps, 30ms frame size

* ITU G.726 – 16/24/32/40 Kbps

* ITU G.728 – 16 Kbps

* ITU G.729 – 8 Kbps, 10ms frame size

* Speex – 2.15 to 44.2 Kbps

* LPC10 – 2.5 Kbps

* DoD CELP – 4.8 Kbps

What are VoIP Devices, VoIP Phones and VoIP PBX?

VoIP device are mini computers, they contain CPU, Memory (RAM), ROM, Software, Operating Systems, Speech Codec’s and they are customized to work as VoIP device. These devices are responsible for converting voice conversation into data streams, data compression, decompression, transmission, ring tones, bells and etc,. In order to use VoIP devices you will need to connect your standard PSTN, or a cordless phone to make and receive calls.

VoIP phones are no different than a VoIP device, they contain VoIP device plus a built-in phone, as explained above VoIP phone also contains CPU, Memory (RAM), ROM, Software, O/S and codec’s. Some VoIP phones also contain a LCD screen which you can use as a internet browser.

VoIP PBX (Private Branch Exchange) are mini telephone exchanges, VoIP PBX are full computer server type hardware which contains OS, FXS, FXO, T1, PRI, E1 and various other telecommunication interfaces. Many VoIP PBXs also contains all the above mentioned speech codec’s which can be selected as a preferred codec. VoIP PBX can provides hundreds of features and extensions. To find out more about VoIP PBX read the last paragraph of this article.

What role a VoIP Provider plays?

VoIP providers play a vital role with provisioning your internet phone service. They are responsible for terminating your voice calls to different VoIP and PSTN networks. VoIP providers have agreements and arrangements with other VoIP service providers all over the world in different countries for exchanging, terminating and origination of VoIP and PSTN calls. Some VoIP providers will let you make free unlimited calls for a fixed amount of money.

To find out which VoIP service provider is best suited to your needs please visit following website. VoIPBazar.com

What features are available with VoIP Technologies?

ADSI On-Screen Menu System

Alarm Receiver

Append Message

Authentication

Automated Attendant

Blacklists

Blind Transfer

Call Detail Records

Call Forward on Busy

Call Forward on No Answer

Call Forward Variable

Call Monitoring

Call Parking

Call Queuing

Call Recording

Call Retrieval

Call Routing (DID & ANI)

Call Snooping

Call Transfer

Call Waiting

Caller ID

Caller ID Blocking

Caller ID on Call Waiting

Calling Cards

Conference Bridging

Database Store / Retrieve

Database Integration

Dial by Name

Direct Inward System Access

Distinctive Ring

Distributed Universal Number Discovery

Do Not Disturb

E911

ENUM

Fax Transmit and Receive (3rd Party OSS Package)

Flexible Extension Logic

Interactive Directory Listing

Interactive Voice Response (IVR)

Local and Remote Call Agents

Macros

Music On Hold

Music On Transfer:

- Flexible Mp3-based System

- Random or Linear Play

- Volume Control

Predictive Dialer

Privacy

Open Settlement Protocol (OSP)

Overhead Paging

Protocol Conversion

Remote Call Pickup

Remote Office Support

Roaming Extensions

Route by Caller ID

SMS Messaging

Spell / Say

Streaming Media Access

Supervised Transfer

Talk Detection

Text-to-Speech (via Festival)

Three-way Calling

Time and Date

Transcoding

Trunking

VoIP Gateways

Voicemail:

- Visual Indicator for Message Waiting

- Stutter Dialtone for Message Waiting

- Voicemail to email

- Voicemail Groups

- Web Voicemail Interface

Zapateller

VoIPBazar proudly promotes VoIP Technology and provides information how to make free or cheap calls to over 10,000 cities across the globe.

By: Imran Khan Malik

VoIP Requirements List – What You Need to Know Before Setting Up VoIP

admin — Wed, 14 Oct 2009 06:33:15 +0000

VoIP which stands for Voice over Internet Protocol refers to the audio routing conversations via cyberspace or any other network which are IP-based. VoIP communications protocols or Voice over IP Protocols is used for carrying audio signals over information processing networks.

VoIP alters the whole perspective of people concerning long distance calls. In this technique, the Voice analog signals are being changed to digital information which are transferred through the Net. The basic connection of the Net becomes a way in putting telephone calls free of charge. Using VoIP software system for free is the practical way of saving money and getting around telephone companies and their whole charges.

VoIP is an advanced technology with an ability to retread the telephone system absolutely everywhere in the world.

Using VoIP for testing is not a problem because there are a lot of VoIP software systems available in the Net free of charge. All you have to do is to download and install it which takes around 3 to 5 minutes. To trial run it, you may ask a friend to do the same and check it if it’s really working. This is an excellent way.

VoIP are used by almost all telephone companies in streamlining their networks. They’re routing calls via IP getaway and circuit switch bringing down the bandwidth they’re using for long hauls. As soon as the getaway gets the calls, the other side would route, reassemble, and decompress it locally in a circuit switch.

This would take time however the current networks of circuit-switched are substituted by a technology known as packet-switching. The information networks simply retrieve and transmit data if the user requires it. It doesn’t let routing of data thru dedicated line as an alternative it lets moving of data packets through disorganized networks supplied with several possible courses. It only opens brief connections to send the packets (small piece of data) from systems to systems. This technique is really effective since packets flow through the cheapest and minimum congested lines whilst still letting both communicating computers to accept data.

VoIP technology truly makes sense both in infrastructure and economics necessities. A lot of businesses are setting up the VoIP systems and this technology can and will grow more in popularity making its way for home use. VoIP is an amazing find in bettering conventional telephone system to become really efficient and a dependable way of communication.

By: Kamran Chy

VoIP and Packet Switching Technology

admin — Wed, 07 Oct 2009 18:34:09 +0000

One of the reasons VoIP is so successful and advantageous is it uses packet switching technology rather than circuit switching technology to provide phone services. Most phone companies use circuit switching technology. Packet switching technology is different in that it allows multiple phone calls to occur within the same space a single phone call would occupy using a circuit network.

This means less transmission time is used and less expense is incurred for the same phone call placed using packet switching versus circuit switching technology. How does packet switching work? Basically you pick up the receiver or initiate a phone call, which sends a signal. After dialing a phone number the tones are converted into digital data your computer can read and stored temporarily until the VoIP company sends the phone number you punch in to their call processor. The processor maps the phone number to an IP address. That is nothing more than someone’s computer address, then connects the two computers together using a soft switch device.

Your Computer and VoIP

Your computer is basically acting as an intermediary, passing voice messages much like it would an e-mail to another user. You can talk for any length of time necessary, and all the while your computer and VoIP software will be transmitting data packets of information from one computer to the other, translating analog information into digital virtually automatically. The entire process takes just seconds and allows a higher volume of calls than a traditional phone line would.

By: Frank Owen