Still calling friends and family using the old phone that Mr. Bell invented long time ago? Well it might not exactly be Stone Age technology but it is not state of the art anymore. Maybe you are one of the many people that are moving from ordinary phones over to the use of VoIP technology which is the used of the internet to phone other people. Some people might refer to it as broadband phones.
Broadband phones are great for both home and business usage. However if you are thinking of implementing it in larger business then sufficient bandwidth will be an issue that you need to consider upfront.
To use the VoIP technology you will only need the computer that you already have, the internet connection that you already have and then a set of headphones and a microphone (or a headset with build in microphone). Secondly your internet connection will need to be broadband, Cable or DSL in order for you to have the high quality (amount of transferred data) that is voice conversation requires.
The internet connection you have is the single most important aspect affecting the quality of your VoIP calling experience. It doesn't matter nearly as much what VoIP provider you have. Using a 56k modem will give you an extremely poor performing quality of sound and it will result in you having a negative VoIP experience. The second most important issues are the configuration of the hardware for VoIP, but if you make sure to follow the guides that is provided (or call technical service for help) you should be just fine.
There are a few things to keep in mind when choosing a DSL or similar internet service so that you are able to enjoy the high quality of online phoning.
First important thing
To the question "Do you need to keep a landline for your DSL to work?", there is a really simple answer and that is that if your provider says that you don't then you don't. Now that was easy wasn't it?
Second important thing
Second thing is that you need to be sure that you are not being ripped off. Browse Google or Yahoo to see what the available providers are offering in terms of service, extra features and naturally price. You might even be lucky to find sites that actually compare the prices of the different DSL providers which will make your task so much easier.
If you can find a provider that delivers "naked DSL" then that would be the optimal solution for VoIP because of its stability but other services will do just fine as well. In order to test the internet connection that you already have go to the site called TestMyVoIP.com. This simple test will show you what the line performance is and the call quality as well (they go together).
A third suggestion for you is to visit a few forums or bulletin boards where VoIP topics are discussed. You will be able to get any questions that you might have answered fairly quickly and that will help you go for the best possible solution.
Luckily the available broadband solutions keep getting better and better (and at a lower and lower cost) and we will soon see a huge boosts in subscribers of VoIP. No doubt about it!
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