VoIP Technology » Internet Connection

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

Disadvantages and Advantages of VOIP

admin — Mon, 15 Mar 2010 21:00:03 +0000

VOIP (voice over internet protocol) has been making a lot of noise in the market today. It is getting its share of popularity and some say that VOIP may even replace traditional phone services in the future. Like any other form of technology, it is valuable to know the present advantages disadvantages of VOIP.

One of the advantages of VOIP use is its low cost. One who owns a computer and has fast internet connection can make unlimited PC-to-PC calls to anybody anywhere in the world, most for a cheap price and some for free. They are usually very helpful when making overseas calls as such calls can be quite pricey if you use traditional phone lines.

Another advantage of VOIP is that it is portable, as the connection isn’t limited to the conventional baseband links. Wi-Fi hotspots have increasingly increased nowadays and they enable portable computers to receive and make calls. With that, a person then just needs to sign-in to his/her VOIP account. This is very efficient if one wants to connect with business partners or a family member while traveling.

There are however, a few disadvantages to using voice over internet protocol at the moment, though they are being addressed. One is that VOIP services, unlike regular phone lines, go down when there is no hint of electricity. So when blackouts occur, VOIP is offline as well. Backup batteries can help, but only for a limited time. Another concern is that most VOIP services cannot be used for emergency calls because internet phones do not have locations. Traditional phones are available on these occasions, as locations for each telephone are fixed, and they do great help when they are needed the most.

By: David Patullo

VOIP – The Disadvantages

admin — Sun, 14 Mar 2010 18:46:59 +0000

Public Switched Telephone Network or PSTN is currently aside away as the regular phone that now is being replaced by the new technology of VoIP, voice over internet protocol, where making a phone call over the internet broadband access. The revolutionary of this technology is very good, but there is also some disadvantages or barriers that come along this existence. Major flaws in VoIP are on its reliability. Therefore, we can say that the disadvantages of VoIP are on its reliability, its accessibility.

VoIP is a voice over internet protocol. By using internet connection means the use of this technology is dependant to the wall power. Normally, when the power goes down or low, we still can make a phone call over the regular phone. But this is not happen in VoIP. If there is no power, here means internet connection, we can make a phone call over VoIP. Therefore, using VoIP technology, beside internet connection, we should also have to have a stable power. In regular phone, we can integrate our home secure such as digital video recorders; digital subscription TV series also home security systems over the regular phone by connect it with the phone line. If we are using VoIP, this could not be happen. VoIP can not integrate with these products. However there are some related companies who are going to work on it, but it is still taking sometimes.

Emergency call of 911 also is the challenge of VoIP. With regular phone, we can call anytime 911 operators, but it could not happen with VoIP. In VoIP, we are using the internet protocol access that is not associated with the geographical location. Therefore we can not make a phone call to the 911 operator if we are having an emergency condition, because VoIP using internet connection and computer, it will be very susceptible to worms and other viruses.

By: Dita Nadia

VoIP is Here to Stay

admin — Thu, 04 Mar 2010 18:04:32 +0000

Just a few short years ago most of us could not have provided the name of one Voice over IP provider. Now, after much technological advancement and with the hard work of Internet developers, there are many IP-Telephony providers popping up all over the place. Voice over IP is the newest phone technology allowing users to call over the net, much in the same way that email is sent from one PC to another.

Cheap calls like we have never seen

Voice over IP is revolutionary because it has lowered the cost of long distance and international telephone calls to rates that we have never seen before. For example, if a IP-Telephony user in Italy has signed up with the same vendor as a family member in Mexico, they will be free to call each other at absolutely no cost without limitation. Suddenly there is no distance!

Now this does not matter if the two people are located in the same country.

There are many ways to make IP-Telephony calls

People tap into IP-Telephony in many different ways. Phone Calls can be made from a phone that has been connected to a router with an Internet connection. People can make phone calls through a pc that has a software installed or there are telephone cards available that vendors offer to allow users to use normal phones to access a Voice over IP phone line for lower calls.

There are many positives with VoIP

One of the reasons that vendors enjoy almost guaranteed success is that there are many advantages to Voice over IP phone service and not many negatives. People only have to hear about the great rates that are involved and the simplicity of getting connected to this technology and they are ready to convert their phone service to a vendor.

Do the research on Voice over IP

Some vendors will charge for some services and not for others and so if you are looking for the most economic deal, you will have to shop around a bit and do some comparing of rates.

If you have been hearing talk of VoIP vendors but are unsure what vendor to contact for service, try doing a little research on the Internet before committing to anything. The only variety that I have found between the various vendors are the rates that they charge.

By: Jim Francisto

How Does VoIP Work? Understanding The Basics

admin — Sun, 28 Feb 2010 05:17:01 +0000

How does VoIP work? Like many people, you may have already heard of VoIP. If you weren’t born in this decade, you may still wonder what it really is. What can VoIP do for you and how exactly is it useful?

Basic Concept

VoIP stands for voice over internet protocol. These days, it is considered an alternative to the typical method of communication involving telephones. Instead of using telephone sets that transmit analog signals, VoIP converts these signals to digital chunks. These are reconverted to audio data when it reaches the recipient. The entire transmission happens over the internet. Although VoIP technology is still far from being preferred and considered standard, some people think that VoIP will eventually replace telephones. It could very well be the next step in communications technology.

The Specifics

So how does VoIP work exactly? VoIP is best understood by understanding typical phone calls first. Regular phone calls make use of what is called circuit switching. When you make a call, your call is passed through a series of switches starting from your phone carrier. Once the other party answers the call, the circuit between the two of you is opened.

Instead of circuit switching VoIP uses packet switching. In this technology, your voice is converted to little packets of data. These packets of data come with their instructions of where they should be sent. They are then sent through a variety of possible routes. They take the nearest router and are passed on to succeeding routers until they reach the recipient. When the packets are received, they are reassembled into a form that can be understood.

Advantages of VoIP

VoIP can offer all the features and benefits of a phone service. Its advantage over traditional phones is that VoIP calls can be made from almost any part of the world. Wherever there is an internet connection, you can have VoIP. The technology can provide cheaper calls than standard telephone technology. This is mainly because VoIP does away with costly circuit switching.

Disadvantages of VoIP

VoIP can be fast, convenient and cheap. It has, however its own disadvantages. These disadvantages are basically due to: (1) the current reliance of present systems on telephone technology; and (2) the shortcomings that plague computer technology.

Telephone Connections – Such services for example as security and cable still rely on telephone connections. Unless the whole country or world agrees to switch to VoIP, these services are likely to stick to their old methods.

This is not the biggest concern though. Since VoIP relies on internet technology, it is also susceptible to the problems that confront the internet and computers. You can therefore expect such problems as viral attacks, crashes and stolen packets.

Now you know the basic answer to how does VoIP work. In reality, this piece of technology does hold a lot of potential. Like everything else, the old ways of communicating over long distances can change. VoIP is the first logical shift that can be taken. It may take a long time however, before VoIP can become a fully integrated and snag free system.

By: Torrie Cantor

VOIP – Cheap and Unlimited Phone

admin — Wed, 17 Feb 2010 15:25:42 +0000

If you have a good connection and access of Internet, then you can make a digital quality of a cheap, and sometimes free, phone with unlimited access. Introducing VoIP, a voice transmission over Internet access technology that is brings you an unlimited call. To start making and using this technology is very easy. All you need to have is a computer with Internet access and a headset or microphone. With those tools only, you can start to make the unlimited call with VoIP. Using this technology, you will save more cost for phone and calling, also you are taking the advantage of Internet telephony revolution today.

The VoIP technology is able to transmitting the voice to all over the world. However, the telecommunication providers in the world are sometimes not able to transmitted voice over the world wide, but certain countries only. But, there are several providers that are able to transmit your voice. It is an unlimited technology, but it will cost you with certain value of fare or cost. Having an unlimited calls, and even unlimited international calls, with lower cost and sometimes free is very attractive. But the question is what VoIP is? VoIP is a voice over Internet protocol. A technology that is able to transmitted voice over the internet connection. The technology of VoIP is carrying the digital radio signals, therefore people using the speech data compression techniques to reduce the data rate.

This technology also can be adapted by using the public switched telephone networks, or also known as PSTN. Even though it will cost some, but the connection between VoIP to PSTN is also perform good access. The demand of telecommunication today is very high. Therefore, add your own knowledge and be experienced with the technology of VoIP.

By: Dita Nadia

Voip What To Expect

admin — Fri, 05 Feb 2010 16:28:46 +0000

VOIP – stands for voice over ip. This basically means that you can communicate by voice over the internet. This is an amazing technology that I use myself. My initial concern with this technology was the reliability. I had questions like what happens when you drop an internet connection. What is the sound quality like? Is there a time delay between communications?

I can tell you when I first started to use it I was a little frustrated as I was familiarizing myself with the phone and phone settings. As I mastered the settings and knew how to trouble shoot or make changes when I needed to, things got a lot better.

The phone I use is an eyebeam Phone which you can get for free. The software provides you with all the necessary information to help you when starting out. In actual fact it is not that hard, even for somebody who may not be that savvy with software or computers.
With this phone I use a headset. This I find a godsend, especially since I can talk hands free and continue doing other tasks on the computer, I am sure you know what I mean, especially if you like to multi task.

You are not limited to a headset either and there is wireless technology you can use to enable you to move around. You can also use a traditional style phone that can plug into a box, and make calls like you normally would.

My suggestion to you like anything else is try it out. Keep your regular phone, and if you do not like it stay with what you got.

By: Benjamin Wise

The Use of VoIP at Home

admin — Thu, 21 Jan 2010 14:02:19 +0000

It would be silly to say, that most individuals have not heard of VoIP by now. VoIP technology is being widely advertised both on the Internet and television. If your still wondering what VoIP is or how it works?VoIP allows the user to communicate by phone over the Internet which is becoming hughley popular with both businesses and people at home.

Even though VoIP technology has been around for a fairly long time, it is not till recent that VoIP has matured enough to be able to replace everyday standard telephone use. As VoIP technology allows for cheaper calls between local and global networks businesses have started to use it to drastically reduce costs in call centers and to communicate by fax, video and other means of technology.

As VoIP is a technology that is benefiting the user, it is probably the case that at a household level you are now interested in embracing the technology for your own home. But like all others, there are many questions to ask. This article will hopefully be able to answer your basic questions on price, difficulty and necessity.

To use VoIP technology an Internet connection is needed. As explained in this article, the necessity of a good Internet connection for data transfer is vital. Though don’t worry, you don’t need some outrageous connection just to use VoIP. As I expect, most of you already have a broadband connection which is capable enough to handle your phone calls.

A Gateway is also needed to make and receive calls. Gateways act as a point between your phone and the Ethernet connection and also act as a point for your phone line to be plugged into. Gateways act as a safety point to your phone calls. As computers can often malfunction, it may be the case that you are in a phone call at the time. Gateways prevent computer malfunctions such as crashes from interrupting your phone calls.

As for home convenience, it is often best that you check with your VoIP service provider for functionality in the services they offer. At home, it is best that 911 emergency calls can be made and that some of or at least all of the services below are available.
Your own local VoIP telephone number Call waiting Voice messaging 3 Way Calling Online account managment Redial Caller ID identification

At VoIP we have generated a list of individual VoIP service providers for you. These are our recommended choices which we have all personally reviewed and written about for you.

By: Joseph Victory

Voice Over IP Phone Service

admin — Fri, 08 Jan 2010 13:07:23 +0000

The possibilities of Voip are endless even though we are still in the very preliminary phase of discovering how Internet telephony will change our lives. It primarily allows you to call over the Internet, instead through the land lines, which is the way that phone calls have been made for decades since the inception of the telephone.

How does Voip work

I am sure that you know that VoIP lets you make extremely cheap phone calls. Voip or Voice Over IP is a new technology that was discovered with the Internet and perfected over time.

What do you need to call with Voip

All you need is a fast Internet connection and headset or a microphone and a speaker.

Internet telephony makes life a whole lot comfortable not only for business people. It is no more necessary to have an answer service or a secretary while you are out of office. Only install a soft-phone or a software phone onto your laptop and get all of your calls directly through your laptop with Voice over IP.

VoIP is a mobile technology – Students, chat with your parents for free!

When you’re a student and study far away from home. than get a local phone number in the city where you’re studying and make phone calls home at cheap local rates.

We live in an increasingly mobile world. Technology continues to affect us into the future. If you are considering to use the Voip technology and it all sounds confusing to you, make the change in modest steps. Sign up with one of the large companies that will connect your regular phone, through a gateway to the Internet. Once you are comfortable with this, it will just be a matter of time before you are using more complex set ups. Search the Internet to find the service which best fits to your needs. There are a many Voip related site withs Voip provider reviews.

By: Jim Francisto

VoIP – International Phone Calls For Businesses

admin — Sat, 12 Dec 2009 13:45:15 +0000

You may have heard a lot of talk recently regarding VoIP as a cheap way to place international phone calls. Using an internet connection, the communication is instituted either via your computer, or with a jack that connects to a regular handset. But is this a viable option for businesses? Definitely.

Many business owners have been programmed to believe that internet phone service is somehow less reliable than that received from a traditional telephone company. This is simply not true. Read on for some of the advantages a company can realise by utilising VoIP to make international phone calls.

New Technology

Perhaps in the early days of VoIP there were problems experienced by some callers, such as poor quality, unreliability, and a lag in connection times. Much of this has changed recently due to the advancement of technology.

In fact, today’s internet telephony service travels at a high rate of speed, dependant, of course, on your internet connection. Most businesses utilise a Broadband connection or faster, so this should not be any issue anyway.

The hardware provided by a VoIP is usually plug and play, meaning it can be taken anywhere at any time and it is very easy to use. It also prioritises the call service over other network traffic.

The quality of the call has improved greatly, as well, with a rating of at least 95% and as much as 105% better than communications travelling over copper wires. Much of this relies on the calibre of phone service provider, so take care when shopping and ensure you find a company that received high marks from customers.

Benefits

Of course the biggest benefit to a business owner is in the cost savings. Compared to a traditional land line, international phone calls placed utilising VoIP can cost up to 75% less.

The capacity is greater. With a traditional phone system, you must pay for each line used in your business and usually a PBX centre as well. With internet-based calling, you merely have to purchase the jacks and ensure that your network capacity is sufficient to handle a high volume of voice communications.

For any business that already has a substantial computer network in place and a high speed internet connection in place, the move from traditional phone service to VoIP for making international phone calls is a wise one. If you’ve tried this option before and found it unsatisfactory, it is time to revisit the idea. Today’s advanced technology means that internet-based telephony can outperform systems of the past. And the rates cannot be beat.

By: Chris Jenkinson