In the earlier days of the Internet communication was limited to typing text on a screen. Then with the advent of Instant Messaging and chat rooms, communication became more real-time, though still only text was the main venue used. Now the Internet has become so advanced that people can actually use their voices to communicate with individuals online. This technology is known as VoIP, (which stands for Voice over Internet Protocol).
It can allow people to communicate using voice either through the computer or on a telephone. But the best part of VoIP is that it is significantly cheaper than traditional phone lines. This is due to: the technology involved and the quality it offers.
The first reason why VoIP is cheaper than regular telephones is because of the technology it takes advantage of. Unlike the telephone VoIP simply takes advantage of the service that a person is already taking advantage of, which is the Internet. No new connections need to be made to use VoIP. Yet, with a traditional telephone service, a person must have their house wired with telephone lines. This in itself is expensive for telephone companies, who must help cover their costs through people’s phone bill.
The second reason why VoIP is less expensive than regular phones is because unfortunately, the quality is not as good. When a person uses a VoIP phone, the connection can often contain a lot of static, making the conversation hard to hear. Granted, the quality of one’s VoIP service will better depending on what company they use. For instance, free VoIP companies tend to have much worse quality than paid ones. Yet, neither can compare to the quality offered by the telephone, which is good 100 percent of the time. The only time there is ever an issue with telephone quality is if something is wrong with the phone lines. When this happens a person simply won’t be able to make a phone call until the problem is fixed. However, how often does this happen? Compare this to VoIP services which have worse quality and, (during the times when a lot of people are using the service), an inability to make calls quite often.
So, if the quality is so poor, why are people still raving about VoIP? It’s because even though the quality is definitely not as good as regular telephones, it’s good enough to allow for decent enough communication most of the time. In fact, sometimes the quality can be just as good as a telephone. So, while the technology won’t replace the telephone, it’s a good supplement when people want to save on their long distance bills and/or they want to have the advantages possible with a second telephone line without actually having one.
In conclusion, VoIP is a cheaper alternative to land lines because they do not require a separate technology to implement and quality-wise they do not offer as much as telephones. Perhaps as VoIP technology progresses, the quality element can be fixed enough so that people can use VoIP completely by itself.
By: Simon Ahtung
Posts Tagged ‘Telephone Service’
Why Is VOIP Is Cheaper Then Regular Phones?
March 15th, 2010VOIP Problems
March 1st, 2010
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
VOIP Telephony – The Benefits and Limitations
January 25th, 2010
Previously we explored the history and technology that gave
rise to VOIP Telephone service (*see footnotes). Today we will examine
some of the benefits and also the drawbacks of this new opportunity.
In previous articles we discovered that traditional “Landline” type
phone service is set up much like a “Toll Highway”. Billing starts
when the “Circuit” is opened, and continues until it is closed.
Just like travelling down a Tollway, the longer you stay on, and the
farther you travel, the more “Toll Booths” you pass through. These
toll booths are the phone company’s switches, and you get charged
for every one that you pass through.
In contrast, VOIP phones use “Packet” switching. As the broadband
Internet connection is always open, digitized voice signals are
sent to the receiver in discrete packets. The result is that no
“dead air” exists on the line, as no traffic is sent when there is
a lull or pause in the conversation. This allows several two-way
conversations to use the same “bandwidth”, or space that previously
was tied up by ONE call.
This has resulted in great economy for VOIP providers who in turn
pass along the savings to the end user. Most top VOIP plans run
around 30 dollars a month, and the best include International calls
to many countries worldwide within that base fee along with a host
of features like Voice Mail, Caller ID, Call Waiting, Three-way
Calling, Online Access, Etc.
While most major traditional carriers have an “all inclusive” plan,
none that I know of include International calling, and most of their
“basic” plans are double the cost of VOIP. In my experience, the most
coveted features are also charged extra for. Add in the taxes and fees,
and all of a sudden you’re talking REAL money!
The other great benefit of VOIP is the ability to take your device
anywhere and make calls just like you were at home. The best services
are fully find-me, follow-me capable. This means that wherever you
happen to be, your phone number will find you and ring at THAT location.
I use mine with a Laptop, a cheap cigarette lighter a/c converter,
a wireless card, and an old “princess” phone in my truck parked outside
of hotspots all the time. That’s huge. You can have your office in
whatever hotel or airport or Starbucks you happen to be in at the moment.
Having covered most of the benefits of VOIP, let’s examine some of
the drawbacks. The major one is spotty 911 service availability. As
the device is portable, any call to 911 will result in emergency
crews being sent to the device’s address of record, which is set up
when you activate the VOIP device and service. Obviously this doesn’t
do you much good if you are in a hotel in Montana but live in Ohio.
One way around this is to change your address with your provider when
you travel, and then change it back when you return home. Of course,
this only works with domestic addresses, and you must remember to do it.
A better way is to ignore the issue entirely, and keep a very basic,
cheap, no frills service plan with your local phone provider. This will
still be cheaper by far than a full blown plan. Also, you avoid the other
main issue with VOIP- Power Outages. If power goes out, or you lose your
Internet Connection, you lose your phone service. Of course, you run
that risk with today’s cordless phones too, so it’s always a good idea
to have an old hardwired phone around the house, or at least a cell
phone available.
By: Glenn Grundberg
