Archive for the ‘VoIP’ Category
VoIP is an abbreviation for voice over Internet protocol. It
is easy to confuse VoIP with broadband phone service. Though
broadband phone service uses the voice over Internet
protocol to send and receive phone calls, it is not actually
VoIP. As of now, VoIP basically comes in three forms,
PC-to-PC, PC-to-Phone, and Broadband telephone service.
You may have used the most common PC-to-PC or PC-to-phone
VoIP services without even realizing it. Have you ever used
Yahoo Messenger to call someones computer? If you have,
you’ve used Yahoo’s free PC-to-PC VoIP service.
Additionally, Yahoo Messenger allows you to call someones
home telephone from your computer for a small fee. This is
called PC-to-Phone VoIP.
Broadband phone service also uses VoIP but allows you to
make and receive calls on your home telephone the same way
you always have. While PC-to-Phone, and PC-to-PC only
require a software download to use the service, you’ll need
a broadband phone adaptor to be able to use your home
telephone with VoIP. Once installed, broadband phone service
is very much like a traditional land line with just a few
exceptions.
Now we know VoIP is the means of transmitting voice data
over the Internet, and PC-to-Phone, PC-to-PC, or broadband
telephone are the VoIP hardware and software solutions for
VoIP. Armed with that information, which is the cheapest
solution in VoIP for you? Free VoIP is not always the
cheapest solution in VoIP. Let me explain.
As mentioned before, PC-to-PC VoIP is often times free with
Popular Instant Messenger clients such as Yahoo Messenger,
MSN Messenger, and now, Google Talk. These messengers
provide an excellent free service which allows you to talk
to friends and family over long distances through your home
computer and speakers or headset.
What if you need to call someones home telephone or business
phone? That’s where PC-to-Phone Voip comes in. PC-to-Phone
allows you to call a telephone from your computer. Though
PC-to-Phone isn’t free it’s very cheap, sometimes around 1
cent per minute or less. Examples of Popular PC-to-Phone
VoIP services are offered by Yahoo Messenger and Skype.
Broadband telephone service allows you to make and receive
phone calls without the aid of you’re computer. Broadband
telephone is hyper popular since it cuts out the telcos and
dramatically reduces your phone bill. Some VoIP companies
offer unlimited local plus long distance calling for a flat
fee of less than 20 dollars per month.
As with anything else, the cheapest solution for VoIP is
going to be determined by your usage of the service. If
using your computer to talk with your contacts does not
bother you, by all means use PC-to-PC or PC-to-Phone. If you
want to reduce your phone bill, and enjoy the convenience of
talking on a normal phone, broadband telephone is going to
be the cheapest solution in VoIP.
Daymon Hoag is the Editor for Cheapest Service and provisioner of Cheapest-Service.com VoIP Broadband Phone
VOIP or voice over Internet Protocol is the ability to transmit voice over the Internet to either a receiving computer, telephone or even a mobile phone. VOIP offers an inexpensive alternative to traditional telephones and keeps you away from huge bills. VOIP helps you save money, especially for long distance calls. It also enables you to talk to several people simultaneously. It offers different services with developing technologies. VoIP enables you to send any type of data at higher speeds of Internet.It is increasingly becoming a great choice for residential and business customers.Many providers offer unlimited plans, that will give the subscriber unlimited long distance, free calling with VOIP.
VOIP promises cost savings over traditional phone lines and thus allows you to save on your monthly phone expenses.VOIP is one of the coolest advancements you’ve ever been blessed to experience. VoIP allows you to make phone calls over the internet, using your computer, to pretty much anywhere on the planet. the technology with VoIP has yet to progress to the point where you will consistently experience crystal clear sound over slower internet connections.If you currently live in an area that hasn’t been wired for broadband, you shouldn’t have to wait too long for the technology to progress to where you can enjoy a quality conversation over a slow internet connection.
However, the quality can suffer without a high speed internet connection. VoIP services cost less than residential phone service and much, much less than most monthly cell phone plans.If your broadband internet company just happens to be one of companies that currently offers VoIP services, then its better because it would cost you higher if used an independent or outside company for your VoIP phone service. If your internet connection goes down you wouldn’t be able to make or receive phone calls.Due to lack of signal strength,your calls can also get dropped.Although it has some drawbacks, but once you use it, you’ll not want to loose it, especially with your bills getting lower each month.
With many people discovering the benefits of VOIP by switching from using their land line telephones to VoIP service, VoIP phone service providers are increasing in popularity. People are now aware that VoIP phone services costs significantly less than standard phone service.In today’s advanced technology world, VOIP is expected to have a great future ahead.
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It is no secret that communication is key to survival for small business. The advantage to small busineses of using a VoIP solution is that the market is very competitive. While there are relatively few companies from which to choose for normal phone service, many VoIP providers will gladly offer VoIP phone service at a very competitive rate and with unlimited long distance.
But….you need to do your homework first.
Phone service features indispensable to your business, such as voicemail, conferencing and call waiting, allow business to flow smoothly and efficiently. So….how do you decide if a VoIP solution is best for your business?
One of the first steps when analyzing your current service is to decide what features your business needs. Does it need multiple lines to accommodate the sales force? What about a toll free number for customer service? Make a list of all the features your office uses and think about others you might want to try.
The next step is to make an estimate of all intrastate (in- state), interstate (state-to-state) and international calls. An easy way to estimate these numbers is to view a recent phone bill. You might be surprised at how large or small your call volume actually is. If you rely heavily on fax machines, consider the number of incoming and outgoing faxes. As you review these numbers, remember to consult growth projections for the rest of the year.
Once you’ve done all this…you’re ready to go comparison shopping.
Here’s some resources to help you do that:
VoIPReview does a good job comparing feature sets from each of the providers. Its user reviews seem a bit skewed, but otherwise the site looks good.
ZDNet usually has objective reviews. Read through its commentary on any of the providers you are considering.
Broadband reports has a specific area for review by users…with a regularly updated scoring system. It’s often skewed with a tad bit of emotion….and reviews are mostly residential. But it does give you an idea for business use.
I’m sure most of you already do this, but once you’ve figured out what you’re looking for, perform a search on companies on Google to see what others have said about it.
If you’re willing to do a bit more work, contact various providers and create your own comparison chart. You can begin your research by visiting voipreview.org. The site offers VoIP facts and reviews of various broadband phone service providers. Compare the business plans for different providers and research the various features offered with each plan. Also, make sure your current Internet connection can handle VoIP calls. The Web site testyourvoip.com will evaluate and score your Internet connection. You’ll know if it makes sense to run your phone traffic over your broadband connection.
Here is a list and description of the top ten (supposedly) VoIP providers (includes home plans for telecommuter staff).
- Axvoice
Axvoice has many plans for you to sign up. Unlimited call to USA/Canada plan costs $ 18.99 per month. Unlimited international & USA/Canada plan costs $29.99. Axvoice also has business plan starting from $ 39.99 per month.
- INVIVNI
INVIVNI has three plans, Residentials, Small Office, and Business. The Residential plan costs $24.95 per month. The Small Office plan costs $32.95 per month, and the Business plan costs is negotiable.
- VCInetwork
VCInetwork has three plans, Unlimited Long Distance :Home, Unlimited Long Distance: Business and 500 minutes to USA/Canada and Europe. Unlimited Long Distance : Home plan costs $28.95 per month. Unlimited Long Distance : Business plan costs $49.95 per month and 500 minutes to USA/Canada and Europe plan costs $14.50 per month.
- Skype
Skype is famous for their slogan, “The Whole World can Talk for Free”. Skype is a free download and users can make free calls via, Skype to Skype. For a fee, you can advance your Skype to Skype Out and make calls to landline phones. Skype In will let your choose your area code and phone number. This way, friends and relatives can call you locally, if you select the same area code. Skype is compatible with Windows, Mac, Linux, and Pocket Pc operating systems. Not really a good business solution.
- Vonage
Probably the most well known VoIP providers, you may be surprised to discover that Vonage is also one of the more expensive providers. Vonage offers two plans, residential and small business. Residential users may choose between the Basic 500 plan and Unlimited. The Basic 500 plan offers 500 minutes of talk time for $14.99 a month. The Premium Unlimited residential plan costs $24.99 per month.
The Small Business Basic plan costs $39.99 per month and allows 1500 minutes. The Small Business Unlimited plan costs $49.99 a month and provides unlimited calls throughout the United States, Puerto Rico, and Canada.
- Dialpad
Dialpad and Yahoo have merged services. Currently, Dialpad offers three plans- Dialpad Monthly 300, Dialpad Monthly 500, and Dialpad USA. The cost for Dialpad Monthly 300 is $7.50 per month, Dialpad Monthly 500 costs $9.99 per month, and Dialpad USA costs $11.99 per month.
- Broadvox Direct
Broadvox Direct offers residential and small business services. Their residential services include the Residential Choice Plus plan for $9.95 per month. The Residential Choice Plus plan includes 100 outbound minutes and unlimited incoming minutes. Their Residential Unlimited Plan costs $29.95 a month and includes unlimited calling anywhere in the US and Canada. The SoHo Small Business Regional Plan costs $34.95 per month and includes 1500 monthly minutes in the US and in Canada. The SoHo Small Business Unlimited Plan costs $44.95 per month and includes unlimited calls in the US and Canada and also includes a free fax line and Yellow Page listing.
- Galaxy Voice
Galaxy Voice offers two plans, Residential and Business. Their residential plan costs $19.95 a month and includes unlimited calling, Voicemail, Caller Id, Call Waiting, Call Return, Three Way Calling, and Call Forwarding. Their business plan costs $39.95 per month and includes unlimited calling, Free Voice Mail, Free Call Transfer, Free Call Forwarding, Free Repeat Dialing, and Free Caller ID block.
- Voice Pulse
Voice Pulse has three plans, America Unlimited, Local Unlimited +200, and Business Unlimited. The America Unlimited plan costs $24.99 per month. The Local Unlimited +200 costs $14.99 per month, and the Business Unlimited costs $45.99 per month.
- VoIP American
VoIP American has three different plans. These are the VoIP American PBX plan, the VoIP American Voice plan and the VoIP American bVoice plan. The VoIP American PBX plan cost $19.99 a month for a private line and $44.99 a month for unlimited calling. The VoIP Voice Residential Basic plan costs $14.99 per month and the VoIP Voice Residential Unlimited plan costs $29.99 per month. The bVoice Business plan costs $34.99 per month.
- Packet 8
Packet 8 not only offers phone plans, but they also offer videophone plans. Their residential plans are the Freedom International and Freedom Unlimited. Both of these plans cost $19.99 per month. [note: currently they're running a special for $9.95 per month for your 1st 3 months.] The Videophone plan is the Freedom Unlimited and that too is $19.99 per month. Their business plans consists of three different plans. These are the Virtual Office service plans, the Virtual Attendant Service plans, and the Business Phone Service plans. The Virtual office phone plan costs $39.95 per month, the
Virtual Attendant service plan costs $14.95 per month, and the Business Attendant service plan costs $34.95 per month.
- Sun Rocket
Sun Rocket offers their signature service for either $24.95 per month or $199.00 per year.
- Speakeasy
Speakeasy offers many different plans ranging from Home Office, Small Office I, Small Office II, and Small Business. Their Home Office plan costs 79.90 per month, the Small Office I plan costs $560.00 per month, the Small Office II plan costs 1,039 per month and the Small Business plan costs $2,349 per month.
Analyzing phone service is often a real headache. However, unreliable line quality, which results in poor customer service and huge monthly bills are even worse. In the end, doing your research will pay dividends for your business. Personally, I have no reservations recommending Packet8 for your business VoIP solution right now. However, go through the above steps first for your own peace of mind…..you’ll likely reach the same conclusion.
Michael is the owner of FreedomFire
Communications….including Business-VoIP-Solution. Michael also authors Broadband Nation where you’re always welcome to drop in and catch up on the latest BroadBand news, tips, resources, and insights.
Everyone can Benefit from this Technology! Voip will be next communication tool in the world. Below are just a few of the most common uses of the ICON Communicator
Business Applications
Conferencing between two or hundreds of participants.
Board meetings and Committee meetings (meet quorums more easily).
Reduce travel and telephone budgets.
Sales team encouragement and motivation.
Product and services sales meetings.
Live Web site “click to talk” options and Live customer support.
Document construction and collaboration.
Financial report presentations.
Construct and review blueprints, drafting, and other technical applications.
Software and equipment training.
Always-on flat-rate makes it affordable to connect offices and departments in multiple locations, anywhere worldwide, just like an interactive intercom.
Personal and Family Use
Communicate with family members and share photos.
Talk with children in college.
Call friends and relatives in other countries and talk as long as you wish.
Create community rooms with people who share your interests.
Schools
Distance learning and home school applications.
Teacher-moderated after-school homework sessions.
Students can study together without being together.
School board meetings and Teacher training.
Academic intramural contests with other schools.
Always-on flat rate connection lets it become a high-tech intercom for large or multi-location campuses.
Charities, Organizations, Clubs, Alumni’s and Churches
Interact with members and constituents.
Remote study and exchange groups.
Bring church services to those who can’t attend.
Hold Board meetings and aways get a full quorum.
Fundraising campaigns (be sure to ask about our Affiliate program).
Planning sessions, Remote counseling, and peer support interaction.
Reduce travel and long-distance telephone budgets
Your possibilities, applications and cost savings are endless!
See you soon and Happy Marketing
Syed Akram was Independent Affiliate with Market Depot Inc. U.S. With 5 years experience in online/offline marketing. He now actively in helping people who want to succeed work at home with free coaching and traning with Voip software which also free to download at http://www.mdi365.com/futurebiz
VoIP is set to revolutionise home communications. With VoIP you can make telephone calls over your broadband connection for free! Well in some cases you can, in other cases you might need to pay a monthly subscription to a VoIP service provider.
There are a few different ways you can take advantage of VoIP at home.
PC to PC
The simplest and most cost effective way to get into VoIP is by installing some free software on your PC and invest in a telephone headset( you can also use a microphone and your PC speakers). Once you have this set up you can talk to other people using the same software from your PC to their PC.
Sounds good? Well yes and no, you both have to be sat in front of your PC’s to communicate, which is not particularly convenient. Though if you are making a lot of international calls this can be a great way to speak to relatives overseas completely free of charge.
PC to Phone
You can take phone calls over broadband a step further by setting up a ‘PC to Phone’ VoIP system. This is similar to the ‘PC to PC’ method outlined above. You need to have a headset and download specialist software too, though with this method you can contact any phone you like.
However, via this method the calls are not free and you will need to prepay for your calls. The supplier of your software will require you to add money to your phone account much like the pre-pay system for mobile phones. When you choose your service provider you will need to carefully check the rates they offer. Some have great deals for landline calls, but are expensive if you wish to call a mobile phone – so do your research.
Phone to Phone
This is the most exciting incarnation of VoIP for the home, you can either buy a VoIP ready phone or an adaptor that connects your phone to your broadband line, and from there contact any phone over your broadband connection.
You will need to sign up with a VoIP service provider to accomplish this. Usually you will be charged a monthly fee, and typically get all your UK landline phone calls free. There are additional deals for international calls and contacting mobile phones.
Whatever option you chose to connect to at home, you are sure to take advantage of the future of home telecommunications – VoIP!
The author runs a
site about UK VoIP Service Providers
at http://www.speakonline.co.uk
My world got smaller, my business grew five times over, and I got talking
I’m a web designer and I work wacky hours, push buttons on a computer, talk to a lot of people, send out email, drink coffee, like the Discovery Channel and enjoy running my own business. My business consists of working with people, helping businesses out, generating ideas, communicating with others, creating reports, talking to people. Sometime I talk about business, sometimes about the internet and sometimes I talk about nothing. If you catch me in an espresso moment, you’ll probably want to stop talking to me after a while.
My business has clients that are everywhere in the world. My clients need me at all hours at times, hence the cappuccino moments. My clients want things done yesterday. My clients like good work, good communication, and good results. My clients can be demanding, abrasive or reactive. I put out fires to keep my clients happy, its part of my business. Sometimes my clients can’t wait for me to call and sometimes I can’t wait to not talk to them at all. My business relies on me being in touch with my clients. These days, who do you know that does not need to be in touch with someone out there?
At the end of the day, I need to keep in touch with my business customers, because if I don’t, I won’t see any steak or cake next month.
I have a cell phone, a computer, a scanner, a printer, a telephone, a pda, a new iPod, a digital camera, some speakers, headphones, a wireless mouse and various other gadgets to keep my life simple and keep my business running smoothly. Little did I know that there is this something new out there called VOIP. Voice over Internet Protocol. Sounds high tech huh?
With all the phones, cell phones, internet phones, pagers and everything that is out there to communicate with, why would I now need VOIP?
Do I really need another device on top of another device? Do I really need to figure out how to use another gadget? Do I need to download more software to my computer? What all do I have to buy now? I pride myself in being up to date and with the times and on top of all that is new out there, but this thing surprised me, because it’s been out there already for a while. The more I looked in to it, the more I found there to be people subscribing to this technology of getting free, or shall we call it, unlimited long distance. I’ll explain more about the technical parts of the technology a bit later.
Here’s my most recent scenario of why I chose to even consider VOIP.
I recently moved to a community where for some reason I am out of the local calling area for the district that I live in. That’s not exciting when all my clients live in the city and now it costs me money to make a simple phone call. Long distance during the day is not cheap yet. So I decided to look at my options.
Do I use my cell phone and make long distance calls? If I did that, I run the risk of using up my valuable daytime minutes. It turns out, long distance on some cell phone plans are almost double the rate the normal landline rates. I can just see my bills now running close to a thousand a month.
Second option was email to stay in touch with everyone. Email is great, but when you need that answer right away or a simple yes or no, somehow it just did not work out for me. I’d heard the common feedback, “Sorry, I was away from the computer”, “My computer has a virus”, “What email?” Don’t get me wrong, I rely on email daily, but for some matters it just was not there for that instant touch.
I called the phone company and they gave me a few options. Would add a bit extra on to the phone bill, but I was limited to time and to when I would be able to make call. Sure I can make call during the day, but guess what, climb that money tree and shake some more coins out of it.
I tried downloading some of these free long distance internet software applications. Worked fine, but to have free calls, others would wither have to have the same software and they would need to be in front of their computers. Remember, their computer is still in the shop and they are away from it most of the time. Don’t get me wrong, for some people, these systems work great and productivity is greatly increased. My issue was I could not get everyone I wanted on board to download the software without me having to troubleshoot and guide through the usage.
Then I talked to a friend and she told me about the service she was using for all her long distance needs. Somehow I do recall her calling me from Toronto and us talking forever about nothing. Then the following week she called me from New York and we talked again. I began to wonder what her phone bill was like every month. So I asked her.
It turns out she was and still is paying a flat rate per month and gets unlimited long distance calling anywhere in North America.
What? Run that by me again? Unlimited, there’s no such thing as unlimited. There has to be limits. Even on some of these advertised cell phone plans where they tell you that it is unlimited, if you read the fine print, somewhere in there it says you are limited to ten thousand something or another.
I asked her for more information. She basically told me that she signed up with this company, they sent her an adapter, she plugs any home phone in to it, plugs the adapter in to the internet and starts calling. That’s it. Any software downloads? Anybody else to call to set it up? Turns out, she simply went online, chose the package the wanted, the unlimited one of course, selected her phone number and within days had her phone adapter arrive in the mail. After that, wherever she traveled to, she would take the adapter with her, plug it in to the internet and start making calls. Best of all, people would call her on her local number and no matter where she was in North America, she would be able to take the call. If the was away from her phone, voicemail would kick in. If she decided she wanted to go mobile, she would call forward the calls to her mobile.
I called her a couple of times on her local number and instead of asking where she was in the city; I’d have to ask where she was in the country right now. Quality of the call was the same all the time. Unlimited means unlimited. Does not limit you to the city you are in, does not limit you to how many minutes you want to talk. Does not limit you from what device you want to talk from. That’s this new thing called VOIP.
When she told me the price she was paying per month, I was immediately on the computer looking up the website and signing up. Obviously I ended up taking the unlimited plan for only $15 a month. This I had to try out.
So I go on with my day. I go on with my next day. Pushing buttons, sending emails, making calls when all of a sudden the mail dude finds my doorbell.
The package arrives.
The unlimited phone deal thing arrives. My answer arrives. The box arrives. The box with the thing inside arrives. You get the point.
Now what?
Eagerly I open the box only to find a small silver device within it. It’s called the Sipura! Exciting.
I see it has some places where I can connect things to, so being the type of person that does not read manuals, I start plugging things in. One connection is obviously to my high speed internet connection. Another connection looks like a phone connection. Last one would be the power to give it juice. Done.
Now what?
I look around the box looking for software, but see none. Something is wrong. Now I dig out the manual and look to see what I do next. Apparently nothing, start making calls. Ok, this is way too simple. I pick up my phone receiver and hear a dial tone. Now, I could get in to what that meant to me and how it made me feel, but we won’t go in to that right now. I call my friend only to find I have a connection and I can communicate. It’s that simple. I call another friend who is 3 hours in a different time zone, works just perfect. I more people and my workin
g day is now corrupted calling friends and family with whom I haven’t talked to in ages. Another new wonder in my life.
What I did find out after the fact was that I also had all these cool features included in the price of my plan. Voicemail, caller ID, call forwarding, 3 way calling and more. Yikes, I would be paying how much extra with the phone or cellular companies just to have them. When you do you research, you find that most, if not all, VOIP service providers have these features included in their plans. Another benefit and star for VOIP.
Something I did like right away was that the adapter is about the size of my wallet. I can easily stow it away in my laptop bag and take it with me wherever I go out of town and still make call without paying long distance – day or night.
On to the technical part … we’ll keep this brief.
VOIP is short for Voice over Internet Protocol. Some companies will call this technology broadband phone service, digital phone service, voice over IP, internet phone service and other variations on this name. Basically what it means is that is allows you to send and receive audio, such as your voice, back and forth over the Internet. IP is the acronym for Internet Protocol and is the standard for sending and receiving information over the Net. The adapter that you receive from you VOIP company in most cases is called the ATA adapter (Analog Telephone Adapter) and this will convert your analog audio signal (which is your great voice) and to a digital signal so that it can be transmitted via the internet. By doing this, you are bypassing the local telephone company and making and receiving call over the internet. Hence the name Voice over IP. For most providers, it’s as simple as taking the ATA adapter out of the box, plugging your phone in to the device and start making phone calls. There are also IP phones which are dedicated VOIP telephones. Instead of having the standard RJ-11 connections, they have a RJ-45 Ethernet connection. Once again, take the phone, plug it in and off you go.
Where to get this voip unlimited long distance service?
There are a number of voip providers out there from offering various services, deals and promotions. Explore your options, determine your needs, and ask questions.
At the end of the day, I ended up getting a few of my friends and clients signed up with VOIP. They’re happy, especially when some of them opted for the service provider that offered 2 months free unlimited plans.
Anyways, it’s getting late here and I should be off to bed. Then again, someone out in New York is just getting up and really deserves an early morning call from me to let them know I’m thinking of them.
Article written by Michael Anthony Jones who manages various websites, one of them being http://voip.shopbuydeals.com/ deals on VOIP products and services.
Shop VOIP ShopBuyDeals for current deals on Voice over IP services.
Over 90% of computer phones (VoIP) are not secure because they use a public known codex (publicly known encryption of sound packets) and a publicly known protocol to transport voice conversations. Therefore, users of these type of services are unknowingly exposing themselves to anyone who wants to listen in or access their confidential information. In addition, because of the public openness, the user’s computer’s vulnerability can result in a costly computer crash and total loss of all information.
Peer-to-peer computer phones are on unsecure lines.
There are five areas to address when checking for Security when looking for a VoIP Service Provider. Here’s how a VoIP Service should protect your security, whether on dial-up, wireless, satellite, or cable connections.
1. Call Security: A VoIP service’s audio (your voice) should compress your voice into proprietary encryption packets to travel across the internet, and return back to voice at destination. That particular VoIP service should host proprietary software, and as such, the only one that can interpret the voice and data contained in those packets.
2. Computer Phone Identity: When your first download and install a VoIP provider’s computer phone, a confidential phone number and password should be given to protect against unauthorized installation. To protect against unauthorized installation, your computer phone’s setup process should combine the phone name and hardware data from the PC on which it was installed to create a unique ID string known only to that VoIP’s own server. Because of the association between the unique ID with that particular PC, it prevents one person from reconfiguring their VoIP service’s computer phone to spoof another. It also prevents someone from copying that VoIP service’s software to another PC and then using it without having gone through the password-protected installation process.
3. Client Server Model: The VoIP service should follow a client-server model. The client is the softphone offered by a particular VoIP service. That particular VoIP service’s Server should be behind a highly secure proprietary firewall hosted in a professional facility. Any information shared should therefore only be between the client and server of that particular VoIP service. This means, that unlike some peer-to-peer solutions, private information about “buddy” lists or call patterns, etc., remains entirely confidential.
4. Softphone Setup: Firewalls vary widely and each network configuration may be quite different. When a VoIP service’s softphone first initializes, it discovers its ability to reach that VoIP’s service server, as well as a variety of ports and protocols for placing calls, depending on the results of its discovery. In a strict environment, the VoIP service’s softphone uses the same path the proprietary firewall already permits for web browsing (typically TCP ports 80 and 443). This allows users to make calls from anywhere without compromising or reconfiguring their own firewalls.
The VoIP service’s softphone should be able to initiate conversations with that VoIP service’s server and keep the server updated as to its status. By doing this, no public IP address needs to be setup for the PC running the computer phone. It also enables user flexibility without concern about security or privacy when moving from network to network. The VoIP service’s computer phone should be compatible with Network Address Translation (NAT) and Port Address Translation (PAT), and the kind of dynamic addressing that is found in wireless “hotspots”, hotel internet access, and dial-up.
5. Monitoring Capability: A strong security model should include an auditing mechanism to monitor usage and activity. This means that each computer phone should include its own usage log, enabling users to look through their own personal history of inbound, outbound, and missed calls. In addition, the VoIP service’s website should provide users the ability to view all individual phone call charges using the already set up confidential number and password.
Dee Scrip and her close friend Andy Murray operate the website http://www.whypay4calls.com. Where you can experience a 7 day free trial with a secure line on patented technology. NO contracts, obligations, or hassles!
VoIP Phones are all the rage. These Internet phones are
becoming increasingly popular with the general public as
well as among the technologically gifted avant-garde i.e. geeksRus.
Chances are high you know someone who uses one or you may even
use one yourself.
But did you know it can cost you your life?
We will get to this life-threatening issue later but first you
should have a basic understanding of what a VoIP phone is and
how it works.
VoIP stands for Voice over Internet Protocol. These phones
are also commonly referred to as Voice over IP or Voice over
Internet. VoIP, or Voice over Internet Protocol is a way of
using analog audio signals, like on your regular phone, and
turning these signals into digital data that’s transmitted
over the Internet instead of over conventional phone lines.
How does it Work?
A Voip Phone Service can work on any computer that has
broadband connectivity. If you have a headset/microphone,
along with a Voip phone system set-up or software program
installed on your computer, you can place calls from your
computer or laptop to anywhere in the broadband-connected
world. Assuming that your friends have the same software
set-up or have a Voip Phone Service from many of the commercial
providers, you should be able to communicate, i.e. talk to
each other.
It basically works by sending small packets of data from one
computer to another over the Internet. And since it uses the
Internet, the route these data transfers take is as varied and
as wide as the Internet itself. You call a phone number and the
data is sent to your VoIP company’s call processor. The call
processor connects you to your friend’s phone and a session is
formed between your computer and your friend’s computer.
Your call can now be handled as if it were an e-mail or a web
page but each system must have the same protocol in order for
you to communicate or talk.
This may be over-simplifying things a bit, but this method is
less expensive than a conventional phone system.
Many VoIP companies offer many services that a traditional
phone company will charge you an arm or leg for! These include:
Caller ID, Call transfer, Call waiting, Return call, Repeat
dial, and Three-way calling. And because it is over the Internet
you can check your voicemail via the Web – you may even attach
messages that’s sent to your computer or handheld.
VoIP Phone Services have many advantages over the traditional
system, mainly its cheap price and availability or access. As
the broadband world increases, VoIP phones may become even
more popular.
So what’s the Problem with using VoIP Phones?
There are some major hurdles Voip Phone users should be aware
of and it is where the life saving advice comes in.
The VoIP Phone is only as good as the Internet system or computer
you’re using. There may be down times, for example, if you lose
your power, a Voip phone will not work, whereas a regular wall
phone or conventional phone will. In many natural disasters, be it
a blizzard, tornado or hurricane, the power is sometimes the first
utility that fails. Communications often become critical in these
situations and being stuck with only a powerless VoIP phone may
pose a problem. Assuming, of course, you don’t have your VoIP
Phone hooked up to a portable Wi-Fi battery operated laptop!
You must also keep in mind that your laptop or computer must be
able to handle the phone calls, other programs running on your
system may disrupt or distort your voip signals if your computer
is overloaded or not powerful enough.
Next, perhaps the most important concern, Emergency 911 calls
are a real challenge with VoIP. VoIP phones uses IP-addressed
phone numbers and not NANP phone numbers. There’s no way to tell the
geographic location with an IP address; thus routing the emergency
call may pose a problem for 911 operators. Obviously, this is not good
in an emergency of any kind!
No doubt this hurdle will be fixed in the very near future as Voip
Phones become more commonplace and integrated neatly in the wireless
Wi-Fi systems/networks around the world. But for now, it is something
every VOIP Phone user should be made aware of and prepare for in the
case your VOIP phone becomes your only lifeline.
Another challenge, as more and more voip phones come online, there is
no world-wide standard in place. This would include hardware and
protocols that would make this system work anywhere in the world.
Despite these hurdles and challenges, many believe VoIP Phone Services
will eventually replace the traditional phone lines over time. But the
revolution is just starting! According to the Forrester Research Group
only 5 million U.S. households will be using VoIP phones by the end of 2006.
However, it doesn’t take a Crystal Ball or even the Forrester Research
Group to tell us we are becoming more and more of a ‘wireless world’.
VoIP Phones will find themselves ‘center stage’ in our ever increasing
technologically enhanced universe. No doubt, neatly blended into some
fully loaded portable, Video/VoIP Phone, XM radio, Search Engine, Wi-Fi,
GPS Emergency Beacon, Computer Handheld Contraction. As long as we can
keep our ‘heads attached’ until this technotopia item comes along, we
should be ok.
Hey, when Google finally decides to build that Google Box, maybe someone
should suggest they load it up with a few extra goodies. Can we talk?
…..
The author runs a modest website on Bizware and Business Solutions
– including a section on VoIP Phone Services.
VoIP Phone Services
Get a few Free Marketing Tools
for your business. Titus Hoskins Copyright © 2006. This article may be freely distributed if this resource
box stays attached.
To set up a business VoIP system, you need several components. A central device to manage the calls, the way a private branch exchange (PBX) or key system unit (KSU) does in traditional phone systems is one of them.
This can be a dedicated piece of hardware such as an IP PBX, a regular PBX that has been IP-enabled, or a server running specialized software. You will also need phones and a data network. In many cases, you may be able to use your existing digital phones and computer network, although you may need to upgrade some of your network hardware.
VoIP Benefit
The most prominent benefit of an IP PBX is for businesses with multiple locations. With the advantage of VoIP, all the offices on a LAN or WAN can get the profits of having a common office phone system. The profits are – extension dialing, seamless call transfers, and other features.
In addition to making it easier to communicate, this sharing of features can enhance collaboration as employees at different locations can truly feel like they are part of the same organization. Plus, if they are on the company network, the phone calls are free – even if your offices are located thousands of miles apart. It is an advantage in saving money expended on calling between two branches of the same office.
VoIP Conversations
Computer networks are designed to handle messy data: packets arrive out of order and some are even lost, but in most cases the data being sent can easily be reconstructed when it is needed. Voice conversations, though, are not as tolerant of these kinds of disturbances. Each packet of sound has to arrive in the correct order because they are being sent in real time – if packets are lost; the conversation sounds distorted, choppy, or falls off all together. This is why VoIP services that rely on the Internet to transmit calls can have uneven phone quality.
The selection of a business VoIP solution is a major decision. Voice service is critical to the operation of the business, so no one wants to implement a technology that will compromise call quality or reliability in any way. On the other hand, the cost savings and value-added functionality available with VoIP makes it a compelling investment.
LANs & WANs
The VoIP phone system is beneficial for companies having multiple locations branches, telecommuters and remote sales offices. And the locations are connected with a company’s Local Area Network (LAN) or Wide Area Network (WAN). In that case the companies are suitable for using a VoIP system.
You can share the full features of your phone system across all your locations. In addition, even if you have one office in one place and one in different place, VoIP allows calls between them via extension dialing, making it a zero cost call. For businesses with hefty monthly long distance charges due to calls between far off locations, is an attractive reason to upgrade.
VoIP Process
A VoIP phoning process requires a regular phone, an adapter, broadband Internet service, and a subscription to a VoIP service. When you place a call, it is sent over the Internet as data until it nears the recipient’s destination.
Then the call is translated back into a more traditional format and completes the trip over standard phone lines. Also known as Internet telephony, this allows for extremely cheap long-distance and international calls.
VoIP Drawbacks
The main drawback of VoIP systems is the network requirements.
In VoIP telephony the greatest challenge is the bandwidth. It requires high bandwidth for clear messaging.
Michael is the owner of FreedomFire
Communications….including Business-VoIP-Solution and
DS3-Bandwidth.com. Michael also authors Broadband Nation where you’re always welcome to drop in and catch up on the latest BroadBand news, tips, resources, and insights.
Since we’re using computers all the time to do our work, let’s make it easy and add the phone to the pile. VoIP also known as (voice over Internet protocol), Internet telephony, IP telephony, and Internet voice is catching on and is expected to grow in the next few years. The technology has been around for about a decade, but it isn’t till now that we have the supporting technology to handle it and an market reaching critical mass (hate using jargon, but there isn’t a better way to say it).
VoIP requires users to have broadband connections. With 22 percent of Americans connected to the Internet by broadband, the numbers are large enough for making money with Internet voice and big telecoms are already in the game.
How VoIP works
VoIP works like email. TCP/IP networks consist of IP packets with a header for controlling communication and information for transportating data. VoIP uses the IP packets to send the human voice across the Internet using IP packets to its destination.
It digitizes a voice into data packets, sends them through the network and converts them back to voice when arriving at the destination. Digital format can be compressed, routed, and converted to other and better formats.
When calling someone using VoIP, you use a phone with an adapter. Just like we use a telephone to make phone calls on POTS (plain old telephone service), the adapter is a device to connect the phone to the network. The VoIP phone has its own phone number for callers to dial.
The good and bad things
An advantage of VoIP is it can avoid charges typically found on PSTNs (public switched telephone network). For customers, there is less worry about how long or how often they make phone calls. Calling another state costs the same as calling another country even on the other side of the world. IP-based boxes are cheaper than analog PBXes.
However, service reliability is an issue. How many times has a download or connecting to a Web site faltered? That may not be such a big deal, but it is more disruptive to phone calls. Network issues are complicated by customers getting broadband from one company and VoIP from another. When a call gets switched from network to network, it impacts quality.
When the Internet is down, so is VoIP. Traditional phones aren’t affected by power like VoIP since they have its own power and work during blackouts.
Money and regs
Companies make their money by selling features and services. Connect anytime and anywhere there is an Internet connection or while in Wi-Fi-enabled hot spots. It’s also exempt from traditional regulations and taxes, but that could change tomorrow though telecoms are working to keep it unregulated. This exemption is keeping prices down, and current prices are anywhere from $20 to $65 a month.
Meryl K. Evans is the Content Maven behind meryl’s notes, eNewsletter Journal, and The Remediator Security Digest. She is also a PC Today columnist and a tour guide at InformIT. She is geared to tackle your editing, writing, content, and process needs. The native Texan resides in Plano, Texas, a heartbeat north of Dallas, and doesn’t wear a 10-gallon hat or cowboy boots.