Your local phone service provider is looking over their shoulder at what is coming up fast behind them. VoIP – Voice Over Internet Telephony – is gaining ground and is no longer considered a fad, but a strong and viable alternative to traditional phone service. By routing conversations over internet broadband lines, VoIP calls can be made quickly and cheaply thereby saving you, the consumer, plenty of money compared to traditional phone service. Recent improvements in VoIP technology have prompted more and more consumers to switch to VoIP, permanently altering the way many phone conversations are handled around the globe. Let’s explore the growing trend of VoIP telephony and what this technology has to offer to you.
In its early days, VoIP telephony was considered by some to be a technologically unreliable fad, one that was shunned by mostly everyone who had long relied upon their traditional phone service company to provide them with dependable, if not costly, telephone service. Today, much has changed and VoIP telephony has not only vastly improved, but has attracted millions of new customers thanks to technological advancements and smart marketing.
Initially, voice quality with VoIP telephony was suspect, as conversations between users was often accompanied by crackling sounds and echoing. Indeed, drop offs due to connection problems was common, causing many to avoid making the switch. Still, as with virtually all emerging technologies, kinks have been worked out as newer, vastly improved versions are introduced. VoIP, for one, has undergone rapid transformation from fad to fixture in many homes and offices as quality levels have picked up while prices remain exceedingly low.
Indeed, price is a huge factor contributing to VoIP’s rapid growth. Many VoIP telephony providers offer comprehensive unlimited local and long distance calling plans that start at less than $25 per month. Compare VoIP prices to those charged by most traditional phone service providers – typically $70-80 per month – and the potential annual savings is well over $500!
Yes, you have to shop around to find a high quality VoIP telephony provider, but all of the top companies offer similar deals with packages usually containing the following important features:
- Free local and long distance calls.
- Portable phone numbers, meaning you can take your existing phone number wherever you move; certain restrictions may apply.
- Special services offered at no extra charge including: caller ID, call forwarding, 3-way calling, call return, call transfer, voicemail, and more.
- Low, fixed monthly rates. No worrying about fluctuating phone bills!
In addition, most governments are taking a decidedly hands off approach to VoIP telephony and are not levying anywhere near the same high level of taxes on VoIP service as they have been on traditional phone service. Yes, take a close look at your current phone bill and you will see that double-digit fees really push up the monthly balance. Not so with VoIP telephony as it is treated in the same way as internet service.
There has been some concern about power outages and the loss of VoIP telephony service during these interruptions. Indeed, most people understand that if your home loses electrical power, then their traditional phone service would continue to work as phone lines are powered separately from electrical lines, while VoIP telephony phone service is stopped when the power goes out. To get around the problem, many VoIP telephony providers now give users a control panel where they can program their VoIP server to automatically reroute calls to their cell phone in the event of a power outage. So, there is no longer any excuse for you to not make the switch to VoIP telephony and begin realizing big savings today!
By: Michael Brito
Archive for October, 2009
The Growing Trend Of VoIP Telephony (VoIP)
October 30th, 2009Learning the Basics of Voip
October 29th, 2009If you have been paying large long distance phone bills, it’s time to introduce you to the VOIP basics. Voice over Internet Protocol (VOIP or VoIP) is the latest telecommunications internet technology.
It will allow you to make long distance calls over your internet connection, bypassing most, or all of you your long distance provider’s charges.
However, several large telecommunications companies have caught on to the growing trend for consumers to bypass their charges, and have reacted by offering packaged services that include your regular, local phone line service and the VOIP service that will let you place calls over the internet.
When discussing VOIP basics, it’s important to realize that there are actually 3 types of VOIP technologies that are currently in use. The first is called ATA or Analog Telephone Adapter technology. The ATA technologydoes exactly what it sounds like; it takes the analog signal on your regular telephone line and translates it into a digital signal. T
hat digital signal is then sent via the internet. This is the type of service that the large telecommunications providers are offering. They will mail you the ATA and you can set it up easily on your own.
Another of the technologies that is necessary for understanding VOIP basics still has to do with the phone itself. Instead of using an adaptor to change a regular phone into a VOIP compatible one, you purchase a phone that is designed for making VOIP calls. But that phone won’t plug into a regular phone jack (RJ-11). It will have to be plugged into an Ethernet connection (an RJ-45 jack or a spot on your router).
The necessary hardware and software to make a VOIP call is included in the phone itself.
The third technology involved in learning VOIP Basics is the most exciting for the average consumer, as it doesn’t require a monthly service charge from a provider in order to make free business long distance calls. It is computer-to-computer VOIP service. In this case, you download free or purchase low-cost software that turns your computer into the phone.
In addition to the software, you’ll need speakers so you can hear the other party, a microphone so you can speak to them, a sound card in your computer, and a preferably high-speed internet connection so the signal can travel fast enough to avoid delays in what you or the other party hears.
The person you call doesn’t need to be talking to you over a computer; a regular phone will work just fine. You can use the service on your end to make calls to anyone, anywhere without a charge.
Now that we’ve looked at the VOIP or also know as voice over internet protocol, you might be interested in trying it for yourself. But what you don’t realize is that you most likely already are.
Telephone companies have been using the technology for several years in order to route the mass number of calls they receive more efficiently over their networks.
But to try VOIP at home, download software at sites such as skype site. If you already have the needed items mentioned above (speakers, microphone, sound card and high-speed internet connection), you can be making calls in as little as 5 minutes.
By: Van Theodorou
Cut Call Cost with VoIP
October 29th, 2009Be it in office or at home, telephone is one of the fastest and reliable means of communication. If you are looking for an economical, but effective means of communication, then VoIP is the ideal choice. They are widely preferred for not just cost-reduction, but also for the technological advancements. VoIP works beyond a telephone, and provides you with innovative services that you have never experienced with standard telephones.
Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP), otherwise called as broadband phone service or digital phone service, is the transmission of voice information over IP-based networks. You just need a broadband internet connection to avail the service. With the VoIP service, you can call over any distance, be it a local, mobile, or international.
You need not to be a tech-savvy to use VoIP phones. Depending on your convenience, you can employ an ordinary phone or a computer-based headset with microphone to enjoy the benefits of VoIP technology. The important criterion in telephone communication is the voice clarity, and VoIP will not disappoint you. In addition to IP, VoIP service also uses the real-time protocol (RTP) for seamless transmission of audio, video, and other data.
One of the most important VoIP advantages when compared to traditional phones is the reduction in call cost. Distance is no more a concern to talk to your loved ones. You can call any long-distance or international number at a surprisingly low cost. Portability is other notable advantage of VoIP phones. You can stay in touch with family and friends anywhere you go. Call forwarding, call waiting, voicemail, caller ID, and three-way calling are other advanced features of VoIP phones.
If you don’t have a VoIP phone, then it’s the right time for you to choose one. No matter what your preference is. Be it a stylish phone to go with the interior décor, or a phone with innovative features, like message waiting indicator, speaker, and call history. To cater to your specification, Tupelo Super Store stocks a wide range of VoIP phones, like MT202/PCO Duet VoIP Speakerphone, 275700-VIP-PAK VoIP Phone BLAC, and 274701-VIP-PAK VoIP Phone BLAC. The MT202/PCO Duet VoIP Speakerphone offers high quality conferencing by suppressing unwanted noise and annulment of echo. These VoIP phones are plug and play models, requiring no drivers or professional expertise for installation. The 275700-VIP-PAK VoIP Phone BLAC has both WAN port and PC port for optimal connectivity. So, don’t wait, go pick your choice to enjoy the benefits of VoIP technology.
By: aurembs
