VoIP is a means of telephone service made available through the ever-expanding popularity of broadband internet service. VoIP (or “Voice over Internet Protocol”) services enable users to call extremely long distances over the World Wide Web without accruing large conventional long-distance telephone fees. In order to use VoIP, customers must have an existing broadband internet connection in place. The VoIP carrier provides a new phone number, access to the service, and for an additional fee, the phone equipment as well. While companies such as Vonage and Skype helped pioneer the industry by making people more aware of the technology, large conventional telephone carriers are also stepping up in order to offer their own VoIP services, proving that the technology is maturing. However, despite the large backing of major telephone carriers, VoIP still isn’t perfect.
The most notable of existing VoIP problems is the lack of an adequate infrastructure and effective back end system. Though as the companies and divisions that are devoted to VoIP services implement increasing usable standards in place this aspect grows less worrisome. However, in the beginning, billing issues as well as IP concerns had some companies, particularly those that specialized in conventional phone services, reeling.
Another large weakness that VoIP exhibits when compared to traditional home phone service is that VoIP is reliant on a broadband connection (dial-up internet is too slow), service up-time, and power, whereas a traditional phone service combined with an older, powerless phone needs none of them. While broadband internet service has become much more reliable in recent years, it is still not as dependable as conventional telephone lines. This means that if there is a problem with internet service, there will be no telephone service as well. While this can be very inconvenient for home use, it can be downright devastating for businesses that find themselves in a situation with no phones. Additionally, the unavailability of telephone service during a power interruption can leave people stranded with no phone service during emergencies, which can have life-threatening consequences.
Finally, the quality of phone calls that VoIP services offer can range from very good to very unacceptable. While many customers rave about their clear service, others regularly complain of dropped calls, strange sounds, delays, and echo. Delays are commonplace in VoIP phone calls and many expect the problems to become worse before they get better because, as with anything else on the internet, VoIP calling is subject to hacking. Therefore, companies will be scrambling to implement security patches in place, possibly at the sacrifice of quality, at least at first.
However, even though VoIP may not be as reliable as traditional telephone communication just yet, there really should be no surprise. Traditional telephone services have had the better part of a century in which to perfect their networks and it still isn’t perfect, either. For the cost, VoIP cannot be beat if you have a contingency line in case your power or broadband goes out. If you already have broadband internet service then the equipment and monthly VoIP service fees should be affordable enough to utilize the service in spite of its flaws – which are only going to become minuter as the technology matures.
By: Dave Goldstein
Posts Tagged ‘Long Distances’
VOIP Problems
March 1st, 2010VOIP Services Offer Numerous Advantages
January 1st, 2010
You may have heard of a new technology called Voice Over Internet Protocol, or VOIP for short, but you may not be aware of the potential that it has to change the way you use your telephone. That’s because until relatively recently, VOIP has been relatively obscure and not particularly easy to use. That’s not the case now though, thanks to the efforts of a number of companies that have refined VOIP technology and adapted it for everyday use.
In its simplest form VOIP is a technology that takes advantage of the fact that data can be transmitted long distances over the Internet without the fees that conventional telephone companies charge for long distance voice communication. This technology essentially converts speech into data that can be streamed over the Internet and then converted back into speech on the other end. The process goes both ways and is compatible with existing telephone networks.
The newer VOIP services have refined the technology to the point where it’s easy for everyone to use and offers plenty of bonus features that make it convenient for local calls as well as long distance calls. For example, when VOIP technology first became available, a computer with a microphone and speakers was necessary to use it. You could generally call someone using another computer for free, but if you wanted use it to place a long distance call to a normal phone line there was a small per minute fee. Now, all you need is a high speed Internet connection and a special router that your normal phone can be plugged into. While you can still use a computer to place calls using VOIP technology, calls can still be made without your computer being on, and you really don’t need a computer at all!
One great way that most VOIP services provide more value is by including all of the convenient features that are offered by conventional phone companies in there service plans at no extra charge. This alone saves you money above and beyond what conventional phone companies would charge for the same services. These services include voice mail, caller ID, call waiting, call forwarding, and a lot more. Best of all, you can control how you uses these services just by making changes to your account on the service’s website. You can use your computer to access voice mails, determine how you want to be informed of new voice mails, block the phone numbers of telemarketers, deny your caller ID information to people who you’re calling, block calls from numbers that don’t provide caller ID information, and much more.
There are also extra features that VOIP service can provide that are worth paying a little extra for. For example, you can get extra lines added to your account. These extra lines can be business and personal lines just for you, or one line for each member of your household. Each line can also be assigned a different ring tone, so that when they all ring though to the same handset, it’s easy to tell which line is being called just by the way it sounds. Your phone lines can also break the rules of how phones work by each having different area codes. That way if you have friends, family, or business clients concentrated in area codes other than your own, you can make it cheaper for them to call you. If you have a business, it might also be worth considering adding a toll free number.
There are so many options when it comes to VOIP technology and services, the only way to learn about them all is to go ahead and sign up.
By: Julia Hall
