VoIP Technology » Voip Voice Over Internet Protocol

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

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 Technologies in the Philippines

admin — Sun, 07 Mar 2010 08:27:07 +0000

In today’s global change in technology, a lot depend on how to make everything possible and easily done in a fastest and effective way of communication. Choosing good equipment tool in a call center industry is something that will be given a top priority. If you want your call center business to be on top of the competition then you have to check the kind of tools for you to stay on this business.

This article will discuss about VoIP (Voice-over-Internet Protocol), its importance and how its work to your contact center industry. Many are still do not have sufficient idea how this technology help you in maintaining quality calls overseas. I have to say that the company I work for is known to be expert in providing pieces of information to any form of services like in an off-shore business. Based on the article wrote by Beau Rudd, chief executive officer of Unique Interaction, he outlined the straight definition of VoIP. Mr. Rudd is a wizard in a call center arena since he had been working in call center at the age of 17. I admit that I am not pretty much “knowledgeable” about this technology nor how is this work but Mr. Rudd’s idea helps me a lot to fully understand this technology.

It is no doubt that the Philippines is one of the leaders in using VoIP services, as the country is known to be the key leaders in outsourcing. Call center owners are very particular when it comes to the money they spent for their business to succeed. Venturing to call center is a serious matter. This is not just spending money and losing it in such a careless way. Better solutions to the concerns of the customers is a way of proving to your clients that they are important.

WHAT IS VoIP?

Let me start first defining VoIP – it is the ability of an IP network to carry telephone voice signals as IP packets in compliance with International Telecommunications Union Telecommunication Standardization Sector (ITU-T) specification H.323. VoIP enables a router to transmit telephone calls and faxes over the Internet with no loss in functionality, reliability, or voice quality. Another translation of this term is a category of hardware and software that enables people to use the Internet as the transmission medium for telephone calls. Voice data is sent in packets using rather than by traditional POTS circuits. One advantage of VoIP is that the telephone calls over the Internet do not incur a surcharge beyond what the user is paying for Internet access, much in the same way that the user doesn’t pay for sending individual e-mails over the Internet.

HOW IT WORKS?

Majority of the telecommunication companies in the Philippines are using VoIP to streamline their networks through routing the phone calls from a circuit switch and into an IP gateway. Once the call is received by a gateway on the other side of the call, it is decompressed, reassembled and routed to a local circuit switch. Today, more and more companies particularly call centers are installing VoIP system. IP telephony just makes sense, in terms of both economics and infrastructure requirements. With VoIP, you can make a call from anywhere you have broadband connectivity. Since the IP phones broadcast their info over the Internet, they can be administered by the provider anywhere there is a connection.

Mr. Rudd, on the other hand, disclosed that his company offers attractive package to any of the interested investors who will venture in a call center. He said that VoIP is one of the backbone for the contact centers industry because it is guaranteed that many software developers believe that this service have a great future in helping the industry survive from any possible changes of the technologies in the future. He stressed that with his predictive dialer, you have to capability to:

Do real time monitoring of your agents Do Outbound, Inbound and Blended campaigns Do predictive, progressive and power dialing Do Remote monitoring Do full and/or on demand recording Do call barging, conference and internal/external call transfer CRM IVR Voicemail Call Conferencing Your own phone extension Your own toll free number for your account

The effect of having quality service increase their sales and no complains from the clients who became his business partners when the company starts to outsource up to now. VoIP will help you save a lot of money particularly in telephoning to the mainland US. The benefits of this service is that international and long distance VoIP charges are much cheaper. Depending on the package or service that you select, you will either get unlimited or a set number of minutes for North America (US & Canada) long distance calling. It simply means, that any international calls are significantly lower from VoIP providers than traditional phone companies, although the differences between the providers are vast.

It is expected that within the next following years this technologies will continue to provide a great impact to the off-shore business in the Philippines and the rest of the world.

By: Roberto Bacasong

Voip New Wave Of Internet Telephony

admin — Fri, 05 Mar 2010 04:25:14 +0000

Since the last few decades the field of technology has seen an incredible development. Talking about the technology, the latest technology nowadays is the VoIP (voice over internet protocol). It provides you a combination of conventional phone services and high speed internet. A single broadband connection through the Speakeasy along with an adapter is all that required for enjoying the services provided by the VoIP. In other words VoIP has quiet a simple setup and thus it makes VoIP worth spending money on. The VoIP phones are well known for their excellent features and qualities.

VoIP allows you to make and receive all your calls without any hurdle once you have setup your VoIP services. Tackling problems of VoIP is quiet easy as the customer service is incredibly good, as nowadays one has to go to many people to get the problems related to their gadgets solved. This is one advantage that VoIP has over other similar services. Voip has generated much publicity with its application in the ITES industry. Quality of voice on this platform is much better especially in the case of long distance or international calls, where the routing of the call through sattelite infected the call with delays.

The feature of VoIP wifi phones.

The technological advancement has introduced a new dimension in the field of communication. For instance the WirelessIP5000 wifi VoIP phone is one of the most popular among the wireless IP phones. It provides an IEEE 802.11b wireless IP network which gives the user access to clear voice communication. Call center industry catering to the consumer based markets, have found this tool as very useful. The ease of interacting with the person sitting at different part of the world, without compromising on the quality, has generated new markets for it.

Along with the various features and functions of a regular phone, the VoIP wifi phone also has the capability to put together the various qualities and features of an analog IP phone over the data communication system.

ZyXEL Prestige 2000W v2 WiFi VoIP phone is another most sought after VoIP wifi phones. Like the former one mentioned above this phone also has great features and benefits. It provides a low cost of the calls made and received along with high voice quality. It also provides mobility with IEEE 802.11b wireless standard compliance. For its easy use it also provides Support Auto Provisioning. As mentioned above earlier its communication costs are low as compared to the others and also have an excellent mobility. In order to increase the accessibility for the mobile users, there is also a travel charger design which proves to be of great help.

It is without any doubt the most reliable, it is fun to use and also is cost effective. Your search for the best phone will now become easier as these kind of phones are easily accessible and can be found in any of the electronic outlets or retails.

By: David Faulkner

Who’s Afraid Of The "Big Bad VoIP"?

admin — Tue, 02 Mar 2010 22:21:57 +0000

So many people today are still afraid of the ever elusive VoIP — Voice over Internet Protocol. What makes them afraid? It’s new technology; technology that might make them step out of their comfortable little boat called POTS — Plain Old Telephone Service into new uncharted waters. No matter what the fear, new technology can be, and has proven to be, a great thing.

Take a look at the history of cell phones. According to Mike Singh’s Ezine article, The History Of Cell Phones — How Did The Cell Phone Come About?, the concept of cell phones started in 1973, by a scientist named Martin Cooper. People were initially apprehensive about cell phones. What? Use a phone while I travel? Preposterous idea! It couldn’t possibly work! But guess what…it does, and now cell phone usage is almost the main source of telephone contact that people use. According to Andrew Clogg in an accuconference blog, “cell phone usage in the US has increased from 34 million to 203 million in the last ten years.” Consumers are now riding the wave of cell phone technology. They can’t live without it, and most people feel naked without their cell phones. Even now if you look, you can see consumers in their cars or walking down the street appearing to converse with themselves, but if you look closely, you will see a little device attached to their ear. What is this device? It is new cell phone technology that allows the consumer to have their hands free for other activity.

How does VoIP compare? VoIP has proven to be a new technology that can make lives even more simple, and consumers are catching on. VoIP News, has stated, “…NPRG [New Paradigm Resources Group] estimates that there are approximately 6 million VoIP users in the United States. It is expected that this number will climb to 9 million users by the end of 2006 and 24 million by the end of 2008.”

VoIP technology was developed in 1973 through ARPANET, the Advanced Research Projects Agency in the Department of Defense. Then, a company called Vocaltec produced the first VoIP phone software that could be used by consumers in 1995 called “Internet Phone.” How does this new technology work? Voice packets run over a consumer’s high speed internet connection to any phone whether it is a call to a VoIP line, cell phone, or POTS line, anywhere in the world.

Why use VoIP? The real question is why shouldn’t you? VoIP is technology that you can take with you anywhere you go and can be used in conjunction with a cell phone or landline. You just plug your VoIP adapter or router into a high speed internet connection, and you’re ready to make calls. You can even take your phone number with you wherever you move to. That is something you cannot do with your traditional landline phone service. Other perks: the monthly cost is so much cheaper than a normal landline or cell phone, the features are better, you can forward all your calls from home or the office to your cell phone or any other phone when traveling so that you don’t miss any calls, there are little to no per minute long distance charges, there are no exorbitant taxes because the service runs over the internet, international rates are extremely cheap, and the list goes on.

There is no need to fear the “Big Bad VoIP.” Just grab hold and enjoy what this new technology can do for you.

© 2008 Mconnect, Inc.

By: Lisa Evanock

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

Common Questions About VoIP

admin — Mon, 08 Feb 2010 03:41:25 +0000

Unless you live in a bubble, you have probably been hearing alot of buzz lately about something called Voice Over IP (VoIP). Perhaps you have heard that you can use VoIP to get cheap or free long distance calling, even Internationally. The good news is that this is true!

VoIP, which stands for Voice Over Internet Protocol is an exciting synergy between computers and telephony, but don’t let that scare you. VoIP is just as easy to use as any ordinary telephone. So, you have heard the buzz and perhaps you are curious about taking the plunge and getting set up with VoIP service. Being so new, VoIP is still somewhat shrouded in mystery. Help is here! In this article we will answer several common questions most people have about VoIP Service and help clear up the confusion about the technology and how it can work for you.

What Exactly is VoIP (Voice Over Internet Protocol)?
VoIP is a new technology that makes use of your broadband connection to route your telephone calls over the internet, rather than using the traditional analog telephone lines. This has proven to be a very efficient and cost effective way to place phone calls to anywhere in the world.

Who Can I call?
This depends upon your service provider. There are a few different flavors of Voice Over IP Service. Most of the larger VoIP service providers you see advertised to the consumer market (such as Vonage, BlueSky, etc..) work just like your existing phone and enable you to call any phone, anywhere.

What’s It Going To Cost?
The cost for this service varies depending on the provider and the service plan you select. Currently, most service providers have plans that cost in the $10 – $25 monthly, which is considerably cheaper than ordinary phone service. Keep in mind that this service includes long distance calls. Usually, you can choose from several plans that vary in cost depending on the level of usage you desire. Most companies also offer an unlimited plan that includes unlimited long distance calls.

You will also be plesantly surprised to find that many services such as caller id, call forwarding, call waiting, three way calling, and even voice mail features often come standard with most VoIP plans. Another great benefit is that as it currently stands (in January 2006), the Government does not apply a tax to your VoIP service, unlike the additional taxes and fees that are applied to your standard phone bill. This can amount to a substantial savings alone, but this may only be a temporary benefit. As VoIP gains in popularity, it is more than likely that the Government will find a way to tax that as well.

Do I Need “Special Stuff”?

This depends on the provider, once again. One thing that you must have is an always on broadband internet connection. This means DSL or Cable Internet, for home users. Depending on whom you get service with, you will likely have to connect just regular phone to an adapter, or maybe purchase a special phone to use with the service. Check for specials before you sign up, sometimes the equipment is given away for free to encourage you to sign up. Regardless, the investment in hardware for home users of VoIP is very minimal, if it costs you at all.

Can I call 911?

You need to check with the provider to ensure that they do indeed provide this functionality. That said, in May 2005, the US Government ordered all interconnected VoIP Providers to provide 911 functionality to their subscribers.

Sounds… Too Good, What’s the Catch?

Well, there is a minor catch which is that if your internet goes out, so does your phone. This isn’t usually too big of a problem, however as most modern broadband ISPs do a great job of maintaining reliable service.

Where Do I Find VoIP Providers?

Usually, it is not important that you find a local provider just as long as the provider you choose is based in the same country. Therefore, the internet is a very valuable resource for finding and comparing VoIP providers.

Which one Do I choose?

The VoIP provider that you choose is a personal choice, as they all tend to work slightly differently. What sounds the most feasible for your setup and usage requirements is the best choice for you. Do keep in mind that this is a rapidly maturing technology and that changes are occurring all the time. You will want to choose a company that you feel will be able to provide you reliable service in the future.

By: Amber Lowery

Myths and Facts About VOIP

admin — Sat, 30 Jan 2010 22:50:28 +0000

Voice Over Internet Protocol (VOIP) is still a foreign term to many phone users, but as the technology continues to improve, and the prices keep falling, this new-way-to-phone stands to make big noise in the coming years as customers continue to give up their land line phones in search of better, more cost-effective options.

What follows are some common myths about the VOIP technology and the real information you need to know.

Myths and Facts about VOIP:

Myth: The sound quality is poor.

Fact: The first generation of VOIP technologically did have its share of issues, but all these services have since upgraded their technology significantly in the past two years. Now, VOIP customers can enjoy crystal-clear conversations that are on par with any traditional carrier.

Myth: You can only save money by calling other VOIP phone numbers

Fact: One of the biggest VOIP selling points continues to be free user-to-user calling over the network, however there are also considerable savings to be found in calling packages with VOIP service providers. In fact, many are competitively priced well below the large long-distance carriers.

Myth: The service is unreliable.

Fact: Individuals using VOIP for the calls reports no more dropped calls or service gaps than those using traditional cell phone or land line services.

While some companies experienced a rough start in this regard, additional testing and better hardware/software has helped make the service run smoothly.

Myth: Setting up a VOIP system is too complicated

Fact: For most VOIP systems, setting up is as easy as “plug and play.” In fact, if you have been able to get your cable TV or wireless in-home Internet working properly you should have no problem getting the VOIP system set up as well. Also, VOIP providers have spent time expanding their customer service departments. Customers who felt intimated by the technology can count on round-the-clock service and support centers to help answer their questions about VOIP installation, troubleshooting or general use.

Myth: Nobody is using VOIP for their calls.

Fact: On the contrary, more and more people are switching to VOIP for their personal and business use. According to industry sources, VOIP users are expected to grow in number by over 21% in 2008 with addition growth projected for 2009.

Myth: You can’t use a cell phone with VOIP

Fact: Initially, one of the biggest challenges facing the VOIP industry was giving people the ability to use their own phones when accessing the technology. Seeing that any real growth would be tied to this issue, VOIP providers are now offering dual handset capability which allows the user to seamlessly switch between their cell phone’s network and a wi-fi network carry the VOIP service.

By: Mark Etinger

Reducing Costs – VOIP – Can it Really Save You Money?

admin — Wed, 20 Jan 2010 19:05:33 +0000

Voice Over IP is often cited as a cost-saving technology. But will it really save you money?

What is it?

VOIP (Voice over Internet Protocol) is a protocol used to make voice conversations over your organisation’s private data networks and internet connections.

How does it work?

VOIP services convert your voice into a digital signal that travels over the Internet or network as data. At the destination it is converted back to an analogue signal for use with traditional telephony services.

Ready For VOIP?

For organisations with multiple offices, whether it be in the same town or a different country, the answer is ‘Yes’.

How much do you currently spend on calls between your own offices? Using IP handsets or by linking your communication platforms to each other can offer considerable savings. Other scenarios that would indicate benefits from moving to VOIP include:

- Voice recording. If you are required to record voice conversations, VOIP together with a digital recording system is a very cost-effective and flexible solution .

- Remote office reception. Due to the flexibility of VOIP systems, remote office reception provision is easy and cost-effective.

- Re-cabling your building. Eliminating the cost of renewing your voice cabling – and just re-cabling the data network – can be justification for a VOIP deployment.

However, if you are a more centralised organisation VOIP may well not be for you. Where your office to office calls are minimal, or non-existent, the pure cost argument for VOIP will fail.

By: Annabelle Ross