To most people, Voip, or Voice over Internet Protocol was just another technology buzzword among many until the Vonage IPO a few months ago. While that didn't quite work out as planned for them, it certainly doesn't mean that Voip technology is going by the wayside. In fact, Voip is gradually becoming more and more popular, and now the "big boys" are starting to get involved. It wouldn't be a stretch to say over the next 5-10 years that many households will have a Voice Over IP phone system setup. It's simply too cheap compared to local and long distance phones to be discounted. The question now is what do you need to know about Voip to get started with it? This article will hopefully help you get a better understanding of Voip technology.
In a nutshell without getting into too many details, Voip technology will take the voice sound waves and covert it into data that can be read by a computer. That data is then transmitted via a high speed connection to the other end, and the data is then "re-formatted" back into analog sound which is pretty close to the original. While it's not as clear as a normal phone, it works surprisingly well and it continues to get better. The best part is that many Voip services give you additional features like caller ID that come with the normal service. Please note, this explanation is not very scientific at all. Its more of a Voip 101 for people who wouldn't understand technical terms.
If you're interested in going the Voip route, then for starters you'll need a broadband connection, which is mandatory. If you don't have broadband it simply won't work. In addition to this you'll need a router for your new IP phone since the phone will be sharing the broadband connection with your computer.
Once you have all these things, you're pretty much ready to go, once you choose a provider. And choosing a provider will pretty much come down to who you feel most comfortable with. This article is not going to get into the different Voip providers. What I would suggest is doing a search on Google for Voip provider reviews and go from there. Try to find a service that has a lot of favorable reviews. Almost every service will probably have some negative reviews, but the key is to find one that has the majority of positive reviews. And obviously if there are a ton of negative reviews for a provider then forget about it!
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More About Ben Peterson: To learn more, visit What is Voip to learn more specific details about all of the items discussed in this article, as well as additional information on Voip technology. |
