What Is VoIP?
Voice Over Internet Protocol (also referred to as
Internet Telephony) is the transportation of
telephone calls over the Internet, connected either
via an Internet Adapter that connects your telephone
and/or fax to your high speed Internet modem, or by
a telephone handset which you purchase that is
especially designed to handle IP calls, or by
multimedia PCs using PC-to-PC, or PC-to-phone
software.
How Does It Work?
VoIP converts your analogue phone
conversation into packets of digital data
that are sent across the Internet (just like
email or a web page), and then reassembles
them into sound at the other end for a
crisp, clear telephone experience.
Does It Save Me Money?
Yes. PC-to-PC software solutions are usually
free because they function much like an
Instant Messenger application by connecting
you to other users of the software, and
never terminate calls beyond the Internet,
although they do charge for calls that are
made to regular phones.
When you call a regular telephone number,
although much of the call still travels over
the Internet there remains a connection to
the regular telephone network to complete
the call at the other end, and since the
telephone carriers charge the VoIP Service
Providers for this, they have to charge you
too.
The good news is that since most of your
call still travels across the Internet,
these calling rates are either much lower on
a per-minute basis, or in the case of some
plans are already included with unlimited
calling for one flat monthly fee.
How Good Is The Call Quality?
Technology advances in IP telephony
transportation have made Internet calling as
good or better than normal PSTN connections.
This is mostly true for high speed Broadband
connections, whereas dial up services have
some way to go before delivering the quality
of PSTN calling.
Can I use High Speed Or Dial Up Connections?
We recommend that you only use VoIP services
if you have a high speed Broadband Internet
connection since the quality of the calls is
only as good as your connection speed. Tests
of VoIP using dial up services have produced
dropped calls, call lagging, and other call
quality issues.
Does VoIP Replace My Telephone Line?
It can, but we recommend that you keep your
telephone service because if you lose power
to your computer or your Internet connection
goes down you will not be able to make and
receive VoIP calls.
It’s better to look upon VoIP as a way to
reduce your long distance telephone charges
as well as utilizing many of the new
advanced features that are available through
this technology.
What Do I Need To Make It Work?
There are several configurations for VoIP,
and all require you to have an account with
a VoIP Service Provider (which are sometimes
free, read below).
Computer-to-computer. If you only want to
make calls from your PC to another PC (these
are free regardless of where you are calling
including international destinations) then
you can download free software to do this
from several providers. The most popular
service is Skype. Add a telephone headset
and/or speakers and a microphone and you are
ready to go.
Computer-to-phone. These services work just
like the PC-to-PC but also allow you to call
any number in the world, usually for a
per-minute fee that is much lower than
traditional calling fees.
Phone-to-phone. You can also get an Analogue
Telephone Adapter (ATA) that connects your
home phone to your high speed modem and then
onto the Internet. Many Service Providers
supply this adapter free or bundle it into
their first month’s fee by charging e.g. a
Service Activation Fee.
Telephony manufacturers are also producing a
whole range of IP-enabled telephone handsets
and systems for the home and office now that
do away with the need for the additional
adapter.
Be Careful! Be sure when you are purchasing
either an adapter or an IP-enabled phone
that it will work with other Service
Providers than the one that you are signing
up with in the event that you decide to
switch at a later date.
What Advanced Features Does VoIP Offer?
Apart from saving you money, the best reason
for using VoIP is the host of new services
that are available. These include:
| • |
Add multiple new inbound area
codes for your phone, allowing you
to create a ‘virtual presence’ in
other cities, or provide a local
calling number to family members. |
|
• |
Conference call with multiple
people on the same call. |
| • |
Individual Call Filtering and
Blocking. Solves the problem of
Caller ID when the inbound call says
‘Unavailable’. |
| • |
Call Hunting/Find me. This calls
individual numbers that you specify
(either one at a time in sequence,
or all at the same time) to find you
wherever you are. |
| • |
Receive voicemail messages to
your email inbox or web page. |
| • |
Geographic mobility. If you use
an Internet Adapter you can take it
on trips and use it wherever there
is a high speed Internet connection. |
What Types Of Service Plans Are Available?
The industry is still in a shakeout phase
and Service Providers are offering different
combinations of:
|
• |
Unlimited Free Calling to other
software users anywhere in the world
(only for PC software solutions)
then lower per-minute fees for calls
to normal phones. |
|
• |
Unlimited Monthly Calling (e.g.
within the United States and to
Canada) for a flat monthly fee. |
| • |
Included Usage Calling, e.g.
1,000 minutes anywhere in the USA,
for a flat monthly fee 9more like
the cellular industry plans). |
| • |
A lower Monthly Fee plus cost
per-minute billing. |
| • |
Some plans charge an Activation
fee, while others do not. |
| • |
Some plans include a Telephone
Adapter while others charge for it. |
| • |
Some plans make you commit to a
fixed contract term but most do not. |
What Are The Limitations Of VoIP?
Very few VoIP services presently offer seamless
connections to 911 and 411 services.
The quality of your call is only as good as your
Internet connection. but for most Broadband high
speed Internet connections this is not an issue.
If you have a home alarm system it is
advisable to keep your regular phone service
in case there is a power failure. You can
also purchase a Universal Power Supply
(battery backup) if you want your VoIP phone
to keep working during power outages. You
can also plug your DSL/cable modem, your
router, your VoIP adapter, and your cordless
phone into the UPS. Do not plug power hogs
(anything that generates a lot of heat, like
computer monitors and halogen lights) into
the UPS, or when the power goes out, the UPS
will only last a minute or so.
If you are using a PC software solution
alone, your VoIP service will not work if
your computer fails or you are re-booting
it. VoIP software also shares CPU space with
other software that you are running, which
sometimes has a noticeable effect on voice
quality and can cause ‘call lag’. Switch to
hardware-based VoIP services for highest
voice quality.
The biggest potential problem for VoIP is
the voice equivalent of email spam, or
‘voice-spam’. Since VoIP is also being used
for applications like call centers, the
potential for voice-spam is profound but
still largely unknown.
How Do I Know If I have a VoIP Phone Call?
It will ring like any other call.
Can I Use My Computer While Making/Receiving
Calls?
Yes, you can use your computer for all
normal activities including browsing the
Internet, if you are using a high speed
connection.
Does My Computer Need To Be Turned On?
No, but your Internet connection needs to be
working.
Can I Transfer My Telephone Number?
Some service plans allow you to do this.
Can I Fax With VoIP?
Yes, if your Provider or equipment configuration
allows you to. This is also known ad Fax Over IP
or FOIP.
VoIP Telephone Adapters usually come with at
least 2 connections, one for your phone and the
other for your fax.
Some problems have been reported with FoIP,
mostly to do with the data transfer rate, and in
some cases you may have to adjust your fax
machine to operate at a slower speed.
Can I Go Wireless With VoIP?
Skype works well on 400 MHz Pocket PCs such as
the Dell X3i. So if you're at a few locations
that all have 802.11 wireless Internet access,
you can switch from $40/month cell phone bills
to no bill at all.
Other wireless providers are working quickly to
develop solutions for VoIP at Wi-Fi locations.
Does the FCC Regulate VoIP?
Historically, the FCC has not regulated the
Internet or the services provided over it. On
February 12, 2004, the FCC found that an
entirely Internet-based VoIP service was an
unregulated information service.
On the same day, the FCC began a broader
proceeding to examine what its' role should be
in this new environment of increased consumer
choice and what it can best do to meet its role
of safeguarding the public interest.
The FCC has organized an FCC Internet Policy
Working Group to identify, evaluate and
address policy issues that will arise as
telecommunications services move to
Internet-based platforms.
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