by: Mike Bromley
by: Mike Bromley
What is VoIP?
First things first, VoIP stands for Voice over
Internet Protocol. At a base level that means phone calls over
your broadband connection. You really do need a high-speed connection to take
advantage of VoIP to get
phone calls comparable to a normal landline phone. Traditional "dial-up"
connections are not really sufficient.
VoIP works in a different way to your home
phone. Your home phone is based on an analogue network,
whereas VoIP is based on a digital one. Essentially when you speak into a VoIP
enabled phone or headset
your voice is converted into digital packets; it is then compressed to help your
Internet connection run more
efficiently and then it is transferred down the connection much like an email.
Once it reaches its destination
the process is reversed.
Why might I want to switch to VoIP? It’s a good
question. We all have a working phone in our homes or
business, why should we change? Lets look at the advantages and disadvantages of
VoIP
Advantages
Well to put it simply - cost. VoIP makes calls significantly cheaper. And
(Depending on your package) for a
low cost monthly subscription local and national calls can be made for free, and
international calls made at a
significantly lower rate. When you subscribe to a VoIP service it is possible to
get a phone number for life.
You will be able to take your number with you whenever you move (or even travel)
with obvious benefits.
The contract packages that companies who are offering the service contain for
the most part all the features
and more that your current phone service supplier offers. You are likely to find
most VoIP companies offering
free voicemail, call forwarding, caller ID, call waiting, call waiting ID, 3 way
calling, speed dialling and much more.
VoIP is very much in it's infancy; the
technology is progressing all the time. Future benefits that we may not be
able to envisage yet are certain to appear, you current analogue phone system
will not be able to compete.
Disadvantages
Your VoIP phones system will be exclusively
based on your broadband connection, if you ISP has a period of
service downtime then you will not be able to make calls. Additionally if your
electricity supply has a power out
then you will not be able to make any calls, this includes calls to the
emergency services. Some providers have
already got a work around with the emergency calls, so make sure when you decide
on a supplier they provide
this. A further disadvantage currently is the set up of the VoIP is not the
simplest procedure to undertake, though
many suppliers will assist with installation. The quality of the call via VoIP
can be slightly less than your current
analogue phone, but the technology is steadily improving, and before long you
will not be able to tell the difference
in call quality between the two mediums.
About The Author
Mike Bromley runs a site about VoIP Service Providersat www.speakonline.co.uk.