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VoIP Overview |
What is Voip?
Put simply, voip, or Voice Over IP, is a technology that allows phone signals to be transmitted and received via the internet.
Sounds new-fangled. How does it work?
An analogue telephone signal (the kind an ordinary phone transmits over copper wires) is sent to a translating device which can be an ATA (analogue telephone adapter), media gateway, or voip gateway. This device converts the analogue signal into digital format that computers can understand, which is then sent out via a router to an internet service provider (ISP), in much the same manner as an email. The process looks like something like this:
Ordinary phone ==> ATA ==> Router ==> Internet ==> ISP(Voip Service Provider)
Many companies also sell IP Phones, which simply incorporate the digital translation into a phone and simplify the process.
Wait just a darned minute. This sounds suspiciously like some crazy reverse dial-up internet. Does using the internet interrupt my phone?
No. On the contrary, while it may sound similar in concept, the key difference is that voip phone systems share the signal, the router apportioning out bandwidth to internet and phones separately, just as it would with computers on a network. Additionally, most routers made since the advent of voip are designed to give preference to phones when in use in order to ensure better quality of service. Kudos to you, though, for drawing that neat parallel.
Who can use voip?
Why, anyone can! Anyone, that is, with internet service, the funds necessary, access to a voip service provider, and a rudimentary knowledge of telephone usage.
I'm not convinced that voip is for me. Why should I use it?
- Lower costs. First and foremost, voip phone service costs less than paying for your highspeed internet and conventional phone line separately. Not enough for you? Try this on for size...
- Free long distance. Does it cost anymore to email the consulate in Nairobi than your co-worker down the hall? Of course not, and with voip it doesn't cost a penny more to call there either.
- Convenience. Voip service is obtainable anywhere there's already an internet connection.
- Uses the power of science to blast speech across the globe at the speed of light. Copper wiring and switchboards simply can't compare.
- Consolidates your internet and phone bill into one single debt. You pay enough different people every month as it is between power, water, sewage, garbage, and rent. Why have any more debtors? Consolidation of the companies that provide your essential services can only be a good thing.
- Dazzles your friends and confounds your enemies!
Wowza! Are there any drawbacks to this miraculous technology?
Sadly, yes. Some voip service providers either do not offer 911 service (scary) or require you to pay an extra fee in order to obtain 911 access locally.
Also, voip is a relatively new technology, and some companies have not yet worked out the kinks in their service. This can lead to low sound quality and/or intermittent service. The key is to investigate potential providers before signing up.
Finally, there is likely to be an increased initial cost in the way of either “set up fees” from your voip provider or simply having to purchase new equipment as opposed to conventional phone systems. The silver lining of course is that the low cost overall will fairly quickly balance out the initial investment.
But, love or hate it, in the final analysis, voip is almost certainly the wave of the future.
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Definity Systems
