VoIP Technology » Telephone Adapter

The Different Stages That Lead to VoIP Service

admin — Mon, 29 Mar 2010 01:46:44 +0000

VoIP service is an ideal means of sending telephone calls over IP networks. The Voice over IP works on the principle of converting analog signals to small packets of digital data and then sending them over a broadband internet connection that ultimately connects the users with the service providers. There are several advantages of using this service. The main reason why people acquire this connection is quite straightforward; the expenses incurred while making long distance calls using such a service is low as compared to the traditional phone line connections.

As VoIP service is based on the transfer of digital data, so the service provider can actually do a lot with this technology. Among the most prominent of the services that a service provider can provide are storing of incoming voice mails in the mailbox, sending of email attachments and 3 way calling. Let us consider a scenario in which the user is busy and wants not to be disturbed by any telephone calls. In such situations, the incoming calls can be stored in the voice mail of the subscribers. A person can also send a voice mail as an email attachment which can be accessed on a computer. Then there are plans where up to three people can involve themselves in conference calling. In fact, calling through Voice over IP is far from restricted. The service allows the user to talk to the entire family in one call. Then there are also the options of sending images, videos and voice to people with whom a person is conferencing.

The internet does not differentiate between calls made to a person living next door from calls to people living in another part of the world. The call charges remain the same; such is the benevolence of the VoIP phone service. It is the benefit in price rates that makes people opt for this service in the first place. Moreover the technology is simple and one only requires some simple tools to access the service. An Analog Telephone Adapter (ATA) is provided by the VoIP service provider. This tool helps to convert analog voice to digital samples by use of Analog to Digital Converter. These digital samples are then compressed by the digital signal processors (DSPs). The DSPs make use of codecs for compression and eventually segment ‘voice signals’ to frames that are then stored as ‘voice packets’. The final process involves transfer of these packets in compliance with Voice Communication Protocol or Session Initiation Protocol (SIP).

When these packets arrive at their destination, they have to be decoded; the entire process is carrier out, albeit in a reverse order. The IP packets are decapsulated in compressed data forms. These data are then decompressed to retrieve the original data making use of the same codec that was initially used to perform the compression. The data is then sent through a digital to analog converter that converts it to the original analog voice format for the listener to hear the voice distinctly. So, VoIP service is actually based on a very simple format but requires fast internet service to ensure an effective and soothing calling experience. This becomes all the more important in the context of business VoIP service, wherein the quality of calls becomes a yardstick in determining the expertise of a particular organization.

By: Kristen Kiya

How Does VoIP Work With Your Current Phone?

admin — Sun, 21 Mar 2010 01:53:18 +0000

Technology is growing and changing everyday. Consider phone service; at one time when people made telephone calls they did so with their phone attached to a jack in the wall and literally “dialed” the number they were calling. Then came the push-button phones; it was great to quickly “dial” the number by pressing the key pad. Soon the cordless phone jumped on the technological scene. This was wonderful; now people could walk around their house and talk without being limited to the phone cord attached to the wall, or worse tripping over the one hundred foot phone cord that they used to walk all around the house and talk on the phone.

Just as people were getting used to the cordless phone, soon came the invention of the mobile phone. It was cumbersome at first but what a thought – being able to use a phone in your vehicle. Now the cell phone is sleek, compact, and can do much more than simply make a call. Enter Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) – Internet phone service, how does VoIP work with your current phone?

With this technology, instead of the signals going out over a public network the voice signals travel over your high-speed broadband connection. You do not need to buy a new phone for this service, and you can enjoy substantial savings as you combine both the Internet and phone service into one low monthly rate. The amazing concept of VoIP is that it combines one technology to operate two different types of service; your phone and Internet. Making a call with VoIP technology can occur one of three ways:

* Analog Telephone Adapter (ATA) – With the use of this device, you simply plug in your current phone into the adapter and then connect the adapter to your broadband service (possibly a modem). That is it you can now make calls. The way this system works is by taking the analog signal and changing it into a digital signal sent out over the Internet.

* IP Phones – these types of phones look exactly like analog phones the difference being they have an Ethernet connector instead of the standard phone connector and come equipped with the software and hardware needed for VoIP service built into them. You connect directly to your modem and begin enjoying exceptional quality with your next phone call.

* Computer-to-Computer – All you need for this service is high-speed Internet connections, sound card, microphone, and speakers. Typically, you pay a monthly rate from your Internet service provider.

By: Mike Singh

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

Hardware and Software Requirements for VoIP

admin — Mon, 08 Mar 2010 10:58:21 +0000

Voice over Internet telephony has changed the way we communicate. The innovative, flexible and scalable solutions have engineered a revolution of sorts in the present day world. The concept of virtual area codes can be mentioned in this context. VoIP users can opt for this service and select an area that is distinctly different from where they live. They can then enjoy facilities such as unlimited long distance calls to friends and family members living in that area code. This way, they are able to save money while connecting at different levels with the people who matter. This is another area wherein the VoIP solutions have scored over the traditional phone services.

Businesses can also make the most of this high-end technology and use it to their advantage. They can, for instance, think about enhancing their scope and areas of operation, by floating local numbers in potential markets. It is quite evident that they would be getting more leads due to the low costs of local calls. When the number to be called is a local one, more people from target market segments are expected to call in.

The point is that the VoIP market is more than ready for the best of products and services. The only thing is that certain conditions need to be met for the successful implementation of this innovative technology. For instance, a computer with a high speed Internet access is a must-have. The computer should be updated with audio and video codes. This ensures that the persons using the VoIP products and services are not disappointed with the quality of the audio as well as graphics. Another pre-requisite is that the digital video compression format should also be present in the computer that is being used.

Moreover, another important requirement is the telephone adapter, which is often delivered by the voice over IP service providers, as an integral part of VoIP packages. As a matter of fact, this VoIP hardware is indispensable for converting the household phone into one that can be used for making Internet enabled calls. Most important, the hardware and software of VoIP that are needed for the successful running of IP solutions have to be implemented properly through a proper procedure of software installation and hardware activation.

Quite a few service providers are currently present in the market which can help end users to get initiated. As a matter of fact, due to the many choices that are available, it often becomes difficult for potential users to zero in on particular service providers. In this context, a VoIP requirements list becomes indispensable. It is preferable that potential users should go for VoIP wholesalers or resellers that have established themselves well in this domain. The quality of services also becomes important in this context.

It is quite natural that potential users would want to get the most for the money that they spend. So, it is quite evident that they would check out the features and costs of the VoIP solutions and services on offer. They would then be able to match the same with their requirements and select solutions that best satisfy their needs. Certain parameters that need special attention include the financial stability of the company, the technical support that the company offers, and last but most important, the overall voice quality.

By: Kristen Kiya

An Overview of How VoIP Works

admin — Fri, 05 Mar 2010 16:33:34 +0000

Voice over Internet Protocol is the newest way in which people are making phone calls today. Though the technology for VoIP has only been available for a relatively short time, it is already gaining worldwide popularity. VoIP is the use of a broadband internet connection for the purpose of making telephone calls. This has many benefits, most notably not having to put up with the outrageous taxes and fees that come with getting telephone service through a company.

There are three main methods in which to set up your VoIP, all of which even a layman can do. First, and most popular, is the simple computer-to-computer VoIP. Users merely download or purchase a “soft” phone (a computer program that acts as a phone) from the Internet that can be used to call any other computer with a similar program. In addition to the soft phone, a person needs speakers, a sound card and a microphone to complete a call.

The second option for VoIP is to purchase an analog telephone adapter. The adapter, once hooked up to both your Internet connection and your phone, can convert normal phone signals into signals that can be sent over the Internet. This has proven to be the simplest and cheapest method of setting up a VoIP. Popular companies such as Vonage are starting to bundle analog telephone adapters with low priced service agreements. The third method of setting up a VoIP is the use of an IP phone. Instead of regular connector cables, IP phones have Ethernet cards that are designed to be hooked into broadband Internet connections.

There are many issues that surround a VoIP including privacy, security and reverse phone lookups [http://www.instantphonelookups.com]. Though VoIP is a big money saver, it is always wise to research all of the facts before abandoning your traditional phone service.

By: Susan Mona

All About VoIP

admin — Sat, 20 Feb 2010 21:55:24 +0000

Voice over Internet Protocol or the VoIP, is basically the process of sending voice through internet protocol, making it convenient for a consumer to make phone calls at cheaper price. VoIP is used not only when using the internet protocol to send or receive calls, but it is also useful when you want to avail the service of traditional phone lines that guarantee better quality & allow bigger space for calls.

When the quality of audio and frequency in VoIP is high, it is very hard for customers to notice the difference between it and a normal telephone. Even the person who is receiving the calls from a VoIP will not be able to guess that the calls are made from a VoIP Network. Transferring PSTN (Public Switched Telephone Network) to VoIP/SIP Session Initiation Protocol) allows VoIP users to send and receive phone calls as done in ordinary phone lines.

Now, enough about VoIP from the scientific point of view. Let us now proceed to the benefits of using VoIP compared to using conventional phone lines. Basically, consumers care mostly about the rates so they would like to know how much can be saved when you purchase a VoIP service. This is one of the advantages of VoIP. It became popular because of its cheap call rates as compared to any conventional phones. It gives you the ability to make unlimited phone calls, long distance calls and low international calls charges with low monthly subscription rate. This is value added service for any consumer.

VoIP can be used in different ways. One possible way is through ATA or Analog Telephone Adapter. ATA is connected between a telephone jack that is already existent and an IP network in order to provide VoIP service. This type of service is generally offered by broadband internet providers such as cable companies and telephone companies.

Simply check the company that provides you with internet cable service or the company that provides your home phone service to see if they offer this service. If you want an easier way, just check the internet out for low rates companies. There are a lot of new companies that are just providing this service and they are concerned about giving the best service with lower rates.

Finally, a VoIP is a better & more economical way of making long distance as well as short distance calls by simply using an internet connection. You can use it for local, nationwide and international calls. You can even make calls to residential phones or cell phones.

By: Joanne Greco

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

Learning the Basics of VoIP

admin — Sun, 10 Jan 2010 02:21:24 +0000

If you have been paying large long distance phone bills, it’s time to introduce you to the VOIP basics. Voice over Internet Protocol (VOIP or VoIP) is the latest telecommunications internet technology. It will allow you to make long distance calls over your internet connection, bypassing most, or all of you your long distance provider’s charges.

However, several large telecommunications companies have caught on to the growing trend for consumers to bypass their charges, and have reacted by offering packaged services that include your regular, local phone line service and the VOIP service that will let you place calls over the internet.

When discussing VOIP basics, it’s important to realize that there are actually 3 types of VOIP technologies that are currently in use. The first is called ATA or Analog Telephone Adapter technology. The ATA technologydoes exactly what it sounds like; it takes the analog signal on your regular telephone line and translates it into a digital signal. T

hat digital signal is then sent via the internet. This is the type of service that the large telecommunications providers are offering. They will mail you the ATA and you can set it up easily on your own.

Another of the technologies that is necessary for understanding VOIP basics still has to do with the phone itself. Instead of using an adaptor to change a regular phone into a VOIP compatible one, you purchase a phone that is designed for making VOIP calls. But that phone won’t plug into a regular phone jack (RJ-11). It will have to be plugged into an Ethernet connection (an RJ-45 jack or a spot on your router).

The necessary hardware and software to make a VOIP call is included in the phone itself.

The third technology involved in learning VOIP Basics is the most exciting for the average consumer, as it doesn’t require a monthly service charge from a provider in order to make free business long distance calls. It is computer-to-computer VOIP service. In this case, you download free or purchase low-cost software that turns your computer into the phone.

In addition to the software, you’ll need speakers so you can hear the other party, a microphone so you can speak to them, a sound card in your computer, and a preferably high-speed internet connection so the signal can travel fast enough to avoid delays in what you or the other party hears.

The person you call doesn’t need to be talking to you over a computer; a regular phone will work just fine. You can use the service on your end to make calls to anyone, anywhere without a charge.

Now that we’ve looked at the VOIP or also know as voice over internet protocol, you might be interested in trying it for yourself. But what you don’t realize is that you most likely already are.

Telephone companies have been using the technology for several years in order to route the mass number of calls they receive more efficiently over their networks.

But to try VOIP at home, download software at sites such as skype site. If you already have the needed items mentioned above (speakers, microphone, sound card and high-speed internet connection), you can be making calls in as little as 5 minutes.

By: Van Theodorou

What Exactly is VoIP?

admin — Sun, 03 Jan 2010 18:03:53 +0000

VoIP, acronym for Voice over Internet Protocol, is a common term used for a group of technologies involving transmission. This protocol is used to deliver voice communications across the internet protocol networks such as various packet switched networks like the internet.

VoIP is often referred to as Internet telephony, or IP telephony, and even voice over broadband. This protocol basically is a type of communication service that involves facsimile and voice messaging techniques and applications that are transmitted via the internet. These do not take help from the public switched telephone network (PSTN). The voice signal that is actually in analog form is first converted into a digital format and then the signal is translated into a format compatible with the internet protocol so that they can be successfully transmitted via the internet. This is the technique used at the transmitting end. At the receiver end these internet protocol packets that are received as digitized signals are converted back into analog form and sent to the receiver.

VoIP is a widely used technique of modern times. You can get connected to VoIP service providers by three primary ways: by an Analog Telephone Adapter, by using the Ethernet or Wi-Fi technique and by means of a softphone or a digital phone. VoIP has many advantages which have made it a successful service. It has high bandwidth efficiency and the cost of transmission is quite low. It also enables the performance of tasks and provides such services that are difficult to be implemented using PSTN making them highly flexible.

However VoIP is prone to internet attacks or what we commonly say that data can be hacked by experts and hence it is not a very secure technique. This problem has been taken into consideration and the government and certain military organizations are now using Voice over Secure IP (VoSIP) to protect data which is a modified version of VoIP

By: Joanne Greco

Ways to Use VoIP Technology

admin — Sun, 27 Dec 2009 11:09:00 +0000

Voice over Internet Protocol, or VoIP, uses your broadband internet connection to place phone calls. By converting your voice (or analog) signal into a digital signal, this makes for a more efficient way to talk on the phone and can save you money.

There are three ways you can use VoIP. You can either connect using your regular phone and an adapter, a special internet phone, or download software and use your computer. Here are the methods, in greater detail:

Using your home phone. If you would like to switch from your regular phone line to VoIP, many people opt to continue using their home phone. To do this, you must use an analog telephone adapter, or ATA. This device converts the analog signal (your voice) to a digital signal. Once the signal is converted, it goes through the internet connection. When shopping for a service provider, ask them if they include this adapter with their packages. Most do.

Connect using an IP phone. When using a special IP phone, you don’t need a separate ATA. Everything you need to use your broadband internet connection as your telephone service is included with the hardware. Instead of using a regular phone jack and connector, it uses an Ethernet connection to plug into your router.

Connect using your computer. If your computer has speakers, microphone, a sound card, and a high speed internet connection you can use your computer for VoIP. Companies offer free or low cost software downloads which allows you to use your computer to make phone calls. Using this method is either free, costing only the price of your internet connection, or nearly free. Earthlink’s Vling software is both free to download and free to use. The only hitch is that you can only talk with other Vling users.

By: Michael Bell