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What's The Story With VoIP?
Unless you've been residing in a cave for the last couple of
years, you've probably at least heard the word "VoIP" even if
you didn't realize what all the excitement is about.
VoIP stands for "Voice over Internet Protocol" and it's going
to change the way you think about making long distance phone
calls. Basically, VoIP technology turns analog audio signals
(like the sounds you hear when talking on your regular
telephone) into a digital signal (which is then transmitted over
the Internet.) So why is VoIP revolutionizing the industry?
Because it means that by acquiring your hands on some of the
free software that's available right now, you can totally bypass
your telephone company, and start making long distance phone
calls for free!
Here's what's got the phone companys buzzing: This revolutionary
technology has the ability to completely change the phone system
of the entire world! Maybe you've seen television commercials
for one of the pioneers of VoIP - Vonage. Vonage brands itself
as the "broadband telephone company", and offers enticing perks
to customers who switch to its service, like low-cost 800
numbers, very cheap international rates (fees are waived from
the American to Canada, and how about .03 cents a minute to call
Paris?) But Vonage isn't the sole company who is interested.
AT&T is setting up VoIP calling in many areas of the U.S. and
there are more major players on the scene as well, such as
Skype, who is relying on viral advertising to get the word out.
One of the really interesting thing about VoIP is that there's
not just one way to make a call. There are actually three:
ATA - is the most commonly used VoIP method right now. Using the
ATA (analog telephone adaptor), you connect your regular
telephone to your computer or Internet connection. The ATA is an
analog-to-digital converter and it takes the analog signal from
your phone and converts it into digital data and transmits it
over the Internet.
This is how Vonage does it, and AT&T 's CallVantage will be
doing it. The ATA is free with their services. And utilizing an
ATA is so simple that anyone can do it. Open the box, plug the
cable from your phone into the ATA instead of the wall socket,
and you're set. Based on your computer, and where you live, and
what type of Internet connection you have, you might have to
also install the software onto your computer, but even my
grandmother knows how to do that these days.
IP Phones - They look just like the phones we're used to. They
have a handset, cradles and buttons. But an IP phones use an
RJ-45 Ethernet connector instead of the standard RJ-11 phone
connectors. It connect directly to your router and all the
hardware and software is already built inside to handle your IP
calls. Look for Wi-Fi IP phones to be available in the near
future, which will allow you to make VoIP calls from any Wi-Fi
spot. (Can you see the power of that? Just take your IP phone
with you when you travel, and stop in at any Internet café,
hotel or other location where you can use your Wi-Fi laptop, and
you can "phone home" wherever home happens to be!
Computer-to-Computer. This is arguably the easiest way to use
VoIP. Not only do you not have to pay for long distance calls,
there are several corporations that are offering free or
low-cost software right now for you to make use of the VoIP
technology. All you need is the software, a microphone, speakers
a sound card and a broadband or cable DSL Internet connection,
and your loved ones sound as if they're in the next room. And,
except for your normal monthly ISP fee, there is no charge for
any computer-to-computer call...no matter how far.
And guess what? Chances are, you've already been using the VoIP
technology without even being aware of it, any time you've made
a long distance telephone call recently. Many of the major phone
companies are already applying VoIP technology to reduce their
own bandwidth . It's a simple matter of routing thousands of
phone calls through a circuit switch and into an IP gateway.
Once received on the other side of the gateway, the calls are
decompressed, reassembled and routed back to a local circuit
switch.
IP telephony is the wave of the future. It makes sense in terms
of ROI, from both an economic and infrastructure point of view.
It may take some time, but sooner or later all of the current
circuit-switched networks that are in use now will be replaced
by packet-switching technology. More and more businesses are
already installing VoIP systems. And as the technology makes our
way into our everyday language our lives, and our homes, it will
continue to grow in popularity.
According to Forrester Research, they predict that nearly 5
million U.S. households will have VoIP phone service by the end
of 2006. The 2 biggest benefits for home users so far are price
and flexibility.
There are some advanced features that make VoIP something worth
looking into. With some carriers, you can set up call-filtering
options, and actually have some control over how calls from
certain numbers want to be handled. For example, you can: •
Forward the call to a particular number • Send the call directly
to voicemail • Give the caller a busy signal • Play a "not in
service" message • Send the caller to a funny rejection hotline
With most VoIP services, you can also check your voice mail on
the Internet, or attach messages to an email that is sent
directly to your computer or handheld. (By the way, if you're
interested in any of these features, not all VoIP companies are
created equal, so do a little looking around first, because
prices and services do vary).
The second benefit that makes VoIP so attractive for home and
small business users is the flexibility. Using VoIP you can make
a call anywhere you can get broadband connectivity. Since the IP
phones or ATAs broadcast information over the Internet, they can
be administered by any provider. For business travelers, this
means they can take their phone or ATA with them on the road,
and never miss a home phone call!
In a way, VoIP is just a "better mousetrap." But it looks like
it's one mousetrap that's here to stay.
About the author:
James Johnson the author of this article discovers and presents
information so you can become more knowledgeable in the subjects
you are searching for. I hope you find this article helpful.
More information on VoIP is available athttp://1st-in-voip.info VoIP Service Provider
or http://1st-in-voip.info