VoIP Beginners Guide - Crash Course

If you have never heard of the term "VoIP", don't worry. You are not alone. Many people are unfamiliar with the changing technology that comes to us in the form of Internet-related products. VoIP is one such product. VoIP is an Internet phone service that can save people a lot of money. Let's give you a short course in what VoIP is and how it can be beneficial to you.

So what is VoIP? VoIP stands for Voice Over Internet Protocol. It involves transmitting voice in digital form. The traditional phone system transmits voice over wires and fibers. Once you dial a number, through a series of electronic switches, you reach the intended designation you called. The connection between the two ends is a wire. The farther away the person you called, the longer the wire, the higher the cost. In contrast, VoIP sends audio over an IP based network. The data packets are broken down into pieces and transmitted to the receiver, where the data packets are reassembled back in order. Since the data connection is through the Internet, there is one fixed cost for phone calls.

One way of using VoIP is through an Analog Telephone Adaptor (ATA). This adaptor would hook up to your phone, which is hooked up to your computer and Internet. The adaptor turns the analog signal into a digital signal. It is easy to install, requiring just one additional piece of equipment, the adaptor. Another way of using VoIP is through an IP phone. The IP phone resembles a regular phone. The difference is it has an Ethernet cable connector instead of a phone jack. The Ethernet cable would plug right into a router, eliminating the need for a computer or additional software. The last way to use VoIP is computer to computer. This requires no VoIP service provider and the software required can be downloaded for free from the Internet. The only cost involved is the monthly Internet fee.

Unlike the traditional landline phone, VoIP doesn't use PSTN (Public Switched Telephone Network). With PSTN, the caller and receiver are always connected. VoIP uses packet switching, which requires the parties to be connected only when a packet is being transmitted. This allows the packets to travel the most efficient path and does not allow for a dedicated line.

Now that we have established the basics of VoIP, how does it become an attractive option for you? There can be significant cost savings using VoIP, since they offer lower cost local and long distance plans, as well as, bundling added features into the basic plans. It also allows portability and flexibility since you can take your phone with you anywhere there is a broadband Internet connection available, and you would then use the phone as if you were home.

VoIP is fast becoming a common word in our world today. Subscribers to this new technology are increasing. Many telephone companies today are even utilizing this service. You may not have known what VoIP was and may not be a subscriber, but you may very well have used it when you made your last long distance phone call.