VoIP Technology » Speed Internet Connection

Voice Over IP (VoIP) Phone Systems

admin — Sun, 21 Mar 2010 00:36:48 +0000

With business firms searching for alternative ways to reduce their costs in business communications, the technology called VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol) can be highly beneficial, both economically and functionally for small, medium and large business firms alike. The Voice over IP (VoIP) phone systems work the same way as a regular Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN), but differs in the fact that here the medium of the internet is used as the backbone for signal transmission.

One of the key advantages of the hosted VoIP PBX system is that all the services of a regular phone system such as caller ID, voicemail and conferencing are all available at much reduced costs. Here in VoIP, both the voice and data transmissions are incorporated within the same system and hence telephone communication and digital data transfers can be done almost simultaneously along the same medium, with no high costs involved for the process.

The Voice over Internet protocol phone systems are highly versatile in their operations. The system can help companies to stay connected with their employees by setting up live Ethernet ports around their company. Companies can also connect all their global offices together with these IP telephony systems and thus save huge amounts in all long distance calls made to their offshore offices in remote locations.

For companies, Voice over IP (VoIP) phone systems can also be set up using their existing computers by using headsets and installing telephone dialer softwares. Here the headset acts as the handset of your office phone and the dialer software can emulate the functions of a regular IP Phone system. This arrangement is helpful for traveling business persons as they can easily convert their laptops into a dedicated Internet protocol phone system to keep in touch with their clients, irrespective of their location. The only external requirement is to have a high speed internet connection for the communication to take place.

Today, a number of Voice over IP service providers are offering their services in a customized manner with packages suitable to varying client requirements. For starters in business, hosted PBX phone systems are also available. These systems can save huge amounts for clients as they do not require business firms to buy and maintain in-house equipments. In hosted Voice over IP systems, all the necessary equipments for the service will be hosted by the provider of the VoIP. Thus whatever hosted PBX IP phone systems are chosen, they are sure to prove highly beneficial for companies in the long run.

By: Alen Smith J

VoIP – 3 Ways to Make The Call

admin — Sat, 13 Mar 2010 17:39:42 +0000

We’re hearing a lot about Voice Over Internet Protocol (VoIP) these days. I for one am a big fan of this technology. Did you know that you could actually use VoIP in 3 different ways? That’s right! There are really 3 different ways that you can ‘make the call’. Ok, you can actually receive the call 3 different ways as well.

First up is probably the most popular. I use this way myself and most of the residential providers out there today use this as well. What is it?

ATA – Analog Telephone Adapter

Your normal phone plugs into an ATA that you received from your VoIP provider. This is the most common way to get hooked into VoIP. This device takes care of all the magic that occurs when you make and receive your calls over your broadband connection. Your analog phone signal must be converted to digital to be routed through your broadband connection and this ATA does the job.

IP Phone – Internet Protocol Phones

As the name would imply, these are ‘special’ phones. You wouldn’t know it by looking at them. They look like normal phones. What is different about these phones is the electronics inside them and the fact they don’t take a ‘regular’ phone cable (RJ-11). Instead these phones take an Ethernet cable connection (RJ-45) and also come equipped with the necessary electronics to plug directly into your router.

Computer-to-Computer

This is the oldest and possibly the easiest way to get plugged into VoIP. Here instead of using your normal phone or IP phone to make calls through your broadband connection, you use your computer itself! (You could do this over dial-up, but broadband is certainly better) There are a number of services available that offer no cost or low cost service. You’ll need the software and a microphone to speak into and speakers to hear from and of course your computer and a high-speed internet connection. Some providers offer this service for free when their software is being used on both ends of the call.

Watch out for Wi-Fi (using IP phones) and other advancements in VoIP technology. We truly are on the verge of a major breakthrough in telecommunications. So, what are you waiting for? Make the call!

By: Michael Weaver

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

Long Distance Calls With VoIP

admin — Sun, 14 Feb 2010 08:54:16 +0000

VoIP or voice over Internet protocol is a technology where the voice data is being transmitted over the Internet connection. It is a phone call technology using the connection or access of Internet. This technology is being growth rapidly these days. It is because of VoIP unlimited services that can reach the unlimited call. VoIP is also known as the IP telephony or VoIP broadband phone service. VoIP unlimited service offers the unlimited calls that can reach to the world wide access. By using your high speed Internet connection, you can save your time and money with making unlimited calls with VoIP. This technology also can reach you to the long distance calling.

VoIP or sometimes called as broadband telephony may reach the long distance call from anyone to everyone in the United States, Canada, Puerto Rico, and other countries. The quality of the phone call is as good as your previous or existing phone service. Keeping your phone number to wherever you will go, you are still able to make the USA long distance calls by choosing the area code. If you are tired of paying too much on your phone bills because of your long distance phone calls, VoIP is the proper answer for your problem of phone bills. The best deal is with minimum fare of $19.99, you can make phone calls wherever you want. You do not need to worry when you are in state or around the world. The cost of this voice over internet protocol is very cheap. Besides making the long distance phone calls, you are also able to make a local phone call with VoIP.

The unlimited local and long distance calls of VoIP is able to reach several countries around the world, such as Australia, United States of America, Taiwan, France, Germany, Canada, United Kingdom, Moscow, including Mobile South Korea, and other more countries.

By: Dita Nadia

How Does VoIP Service Work?

admin — Wed, 10 Feb 2010 16:28:03 +0000

VOIP technology is a one way of sending a voice signal also known as an analog signal in a medium which is digital, i.e, the internet. In practice, the process works like this when you have a standard analog telephone attached to your high speed internet connection with VOIP service. There will be an analog telephone adapter or ATA between the phone and the computer.

In order to place what would normally be a long distance call to a person who doesn’t have VOIP service you key in the number you want. The analog telephone adapter converts the touch tones into a digital format. The digital phone number is sent by the analog telephone adapter to the VOIP routing system at the service provider’s location. The VOIP service provider is located on the internet as well.

The VOIP service provider’s routing system identifies the recipient’s location and sends the call to the Public Switched Telephone Network (PTSN) at that location. The phone rings at the other end and the conversation can begin. Each time you speak, the analog to digital converter in the analog telephone adapter changes the voice tones into packets of digital information that can be transmitted across the internet. When the VOIP service meshes with the Public Switched Telephone Network at the recipient’s end, the digital packets which are the voice tones from you get turned back into an analog signal so that you recipient of your call can understand what you are saying.

The reverse process, i.e. the transmission of what the other person says to you is a mirror image of the first process. Their voice is transformed from analog to digital when it gets to the PSTN/internet connection. The digital packets are sent to the analog telephone adapter at your location where they are converted back into an audible or analog signal to be able to perceive the voice as that of your caller.

The technology to do the conversion from analog to digital and back again has been around as long as digital electronics. For example, your PC sound card converts digital CD information to analog signal needed by the speakers on your computer. The difficult part of the VOIP technology is the necessity to smoothly transmit the digital data over the internet and reassemble it in a continuous stream. This is know as the protocol.

When listening to voice transmission, there can be no gaps in the stream of digital packets or the voices will not be understandable. This part of the technology has only recently been available, but is actually equal or better in quality than you get with standard telephone networks.

The equipment available today that uses VOIP technology can be an analog telephone adapter for your head set through the computer. There are a few VOIP phones that act like a regular analog telephone but have the ATA incorporated into the phone. It’s actually a small dedicated personal computer in your telephone. These VOIP phones can be plugged into the computer with high speed internet connection or into the router.

By: Simon Ahtung

What You Need To Know About VoIP Broadband Telephone Service

admin — Thu, 28 Jan 2010 13:09:38 +0000

If you haven’t heard much about VoIP before now, you certainly will in the future due to its rapid emergence as a major communications technology. VoIP stands for Voice Over Internet Protocol, and it basically is the ability to make telephone calls over the internet to either a receiving computer or telephone.

For years standard telephone lines have used a circuit switching network to transfer telephone calls, but VoIP technology uses something called packet switching instead where audio is converted into packets of data that are sent over the internet and reassembled on the other end by the person’s computer or telephone. If a high-speed internet connection is used, a conversation can take place that easily compares to a regular telephone call in sound quality.

All of this may sound like a very new technology, but in reality it’s not. Programs that make use of VoIP technology were springing up on the internet more than ten years ago, although they were much less capable than those that are available today. Also every year continues to bring higher standards of quality for VoIP applications, and it will no doubt be a viable technology for many years to come.

A good example of the use of VoIP technology is instant messaging programs. If you have used an instant messaging program that is voice enabled, where you can communicate by audio, video and chat, it is in large part due to VoIP. This is because VoIP is able to integrate audio, video, data, e-mail, and more simultaneously. Although most consumers will use VoIP for telephone calls initially, many businesses are already finding expanded uses for VoIP technology.

Several telephone companies are realizing the potential for VoIP services and so companies like Sprint, Verizon, AOL and others are now offering VoIP plans to consumers. One of the distinct advantages of buying a VoIP solution is that it costs significantly less than most standard telephone services. In fact, most service plans will allow you to make unlimited long-distance telephone calls on your VoIP plan for very inexpensive rates. And the subscription rates are usually free of many of the taxes and regulatory fees that often accompany your local telephone bill.

Another major advantage of many of the current VoIP subscription plans that are available is that they often include extra features such as call waiting, call forwarding, three-way calling, voice mail and much more. Quite often, these extra services cost more when included by your local telephone service, but VoIP plans usually include them at no extra charge. Another interesting side benefit is that many providers will allow you to select a new area code and phone number for your VoIP calls, so if you have family or friends in a distant town, they can call you for free on a number that is local to them.

Hopefully this information on VoIP technology will help you understand more about how it works and how it can be beneficial for you.

By: Steadman Issenburg

VegaStream’s Introduction to VoIP

admin — Wed, 13 Jan 2010 11:25:31 +0000

Internet Telephony is used to describe a service that enables people connected to the public Internet with a suitably equipped PC to have voice conversation; examples of Internet Telephony providers include Skype. VoIP is the generic term for the technology that enables phone calls to be made over networks running the Internet Protocol, be that the public Internet or private IP networks. It is also the term that is used to describe the technology in a business to business context. One could say that the consumer will use Internet Telephony while businesses use VoIP.

Voice over IP (VoIP) converts the analog signals of sound when using a telephone to a digital format for transmission across a data network and then back into analog when it reaches the receiver. In a VoIP network, digitized voice data is highly compressed and carried in packets over an IP network. The phones can be purpose-built devices for the IP network (e.g. SIP phones) or standard everyday analog telephones. VegaStream core product range allows users of existing phones to take advantage of VoIP networks.

What’s all the hype about?

The reason for VoIP’s popularity is a simple matter of physics. You can put more traffic over the same physical network using IP than you can with traditional telephone technology, Time Division Multiplexing (TDM) as used by the public switched telephone network (PSTN). This simple law is driving many PSTN network providers to migrate their existing TDM networks; that have served them well since the invention of the telephone, to the new IP technology. BTs 21st Century Network is a classic example of this migration.

With VoIP, IP allows us to use a single high-speed Internet connection for all voice, video, and data communications. This is known as convergence and is one of the primary drivers for corporate interest in the technology. The benefits of convergence are obvious. By using a single data network for all communications, it is possible to reduce overall costs.
Furthermore, the business model for data networks, including the Internet allows the customer to remain permanently connected at a fixed price. Meanwhile, when using traditional PSTN, the meter starts running every time you pick up the phone.
The idea of VoIP communication dates back over 20 years however, a greater interest in the applications of VoIP emerged in the 1990’s, with the growth of the Internet. The Internet made it possible to interconnect every home and every business with a packet-switched data network, this saw a rapid growth in VoIP technology. Today, with broadband connectivity the norm not just in business but also at home and even over the mobile, the platform is set for an explosive growth in VoIP.

VoIP Changing the Way We Communicate

VoIP offers a great deal more than cost savings in telephone calls. VoIP technology allows devices to recognize and communicate with each other as if they were connected over a dedicated wire (like the TDM model). It therefore enables video, instant messaging and data conferencing as well as voice. Furthermore all these communications techniques can be used simultaneously allowing people to share images and information as well as hear each other speak – all on the same call.

VoIP communication therefore allows us to actually change the way we communicate with each other. Communicating over the phone with VoIP will be more immediate, collaborative, visual and cost lest. No wonder the market for VoIP equipment and services is the fastest growing sector in the IT industry.

By: Helen Upsher

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 Services Offer Numerous Advantages

admin — Fri, 01 Jan 2010 23:07:37 +0000

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

Let The Wave VoIP Technology Sweep Away Your Communication Costs

admin — Mon, 28 Dec 2009 05:34:39 +0000

“Make telephone calls anywhere in the world absolutely free of charge.”

Does this sound as an exaggerated claim? A promotional gimmick?

Well, today, it is actually possible to talk to your near and dear/ your customers and business associates absolutely free (or with a nominal calling charge). With the latest VoIP technology sweeping the arena of telephony, talking free of cost is no longer a long-cherished dream. It is a hardcore reality!
VoIP is indeed a revolutionary technology that will eventually change the face of the existing telephony system.

What is VoIP?
VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol) is a technology that is used to transmit voice or audio files over the Internet via a packet-switched network. The voice/audio files can be received by:
a computer a VoIP phone a standard telephone

The VoIP technology enables the transmission of voice/audio data as digital data over the Internet.

A number of practical applications based on the VoIP technology are gaining popularity among people as a means of economical communication. They are:
VoIP phones dedicated instruments to make calls over the Internet ATA sets telephone-like boxes that connect to a computer and convert the analog voice data into digital signals computer to computer calls need a computer system, headsets and Internet connection

VoIP phones are slowly gaining foothold in the market due to their efficiency in meeting the financial and infrastructure needs of corporate houses. These phones are also known as ‘broadband phones’ as they can be used to make calls over the high-speed Internet connection.
A VoIP phone converts voice data into digital data so that the data may be transmitted over the Internet. You need to connect the phone to a computer to enable voice communication.
VoIP phones look just like the standard telephones with the cradle, the buttons and the handset. So, you can make calls in the usual way…but with better sound quality and in an economical manner!

By: Dennis Jaylon