posted by admin on Sep 5
Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) is a revolutionary way to make phone calls. It allows you to make phone calls using your Internet connection. Like any emerging technology, VoIP comes with advantages like being able to make free calls and computer to computer phone calls along with disadvantages like being unable to call when there’s no wall power or being susceptible to computer problems like viruses and hackers.
VoIP refers to the method or process of taking audio signals and converting them into digital data to be transmitted over an Internet connection. In lay man’s terms, that will simply boil down to being able to place phone calls using your Internet connection rather than through your regular phone system.
A New Way to Make Free Calls
Voice over Internet Protocol is a revolutionary move in modern day telephony. How would you react to getting the chance to place phone calls for free? How about getting to place long distance calls without long distance charges? To those who have discovered VoIP, it is quite a useful tool that came along with Internet technology.
New Technology?
Voice over Internet Protocol may sound new but it really has been around for quite some time now. In fact, there are VoIP providers today that have shown steady growth through the years, like Vonage. As you would expect, major phone carriers today follow suit. These major phone service carriers have now offered VoIP plans that current customers can take advantage of. The Federal Communications Commission is looking into the possible effects of Voice over Internet Protocol in today’s phone service/telecommunications industry.
Three Ways to Call
ATA: This stands for Analog Telephone Adaptor and is the simplest ways in which to use VoIP. With this adaptor you can connect a telephone in your house either to your computer or directly into an Internet connection. An ATA converts the analog signals from your phone into digital signals that can be transmitted over an Internet connection.
VoIP providers may offer to bundle their service with a free ATA. All you have to do is to take your ATA out of the box and plug your phone into it instead of going into the wall. It might ship with some software you have to install if you’re using your ATA in conjunction with your computer.
IP Phones: These phones look like your regular telephone at home only that the jack at the end is kind of bigger than the regular phone jacks. It uses an RJ-45 for a connector instead of an RJ-11. These phones connect directly into your router. There are also Wi-Fi phones that won’t need the jack and can make calls where there’s a Wi-Fi network available.
PC to PC Calls: With VoIP you can make calls using your computer. All you need is software that allows you to make these calls and a headset for your computer. Some offer free computer to computer calls while others have very minimal charges and don’t charge long distance rates.
Advantages of VoIP
Other than being able to place free phone calls there are other advantages that can be gained from Voice over Internet Protocol. For instance, VoIP uses packet switching instead of circuit switching that regular phone systems use. With this technology a 10 minute phone call will only require about less than half the regular transmission time. This gives about more space to make other phone calls.
Another advantage is that phone companies can easily migrate from the current phone technology into what is used in VoIP. Telephone networks can immediately gain capability to communicate the same way computers do.
Disadvantages of VoIP
Along with such advantages come disadvantages to Voice over Internet Protocol. It may take several years before today’s phone companies to switch to this emerging technology. Another disadvantage is that if you don’t have wall power you can’t make phone calls. VoIP is also susceptible to the same computer problems such as hacking, worms, and viruses.
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