VOIP Basics

If you are sick and tired of ridiculous telephone bills, perhaps there is a solution for you that will help with the year’s budget. The good news is that you do not need to transform your entire phone system to utilize the benefits of VoIP. Start small and learn its potential. Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) is the concept for managing the delivery of voice information in digital format through the Internet rather then conventional voice telephone lines. In the simplest form, VoIP turns any computer into a telephone.

To understand how VoIP works, you should familiarize yourself with the underlying concept behind regular analog audio communication, since this is the precursor for VoIP. Analog phone calls are actually made through fiber optic networks by digitizing your voice communications for sending the signal across thousands of miles, but once it gets to the final destination, the signal is once again converted to analog. During these calls, the switches remain open even while there is dead air and no conversation is taking place; the circuit is also open in both directions even when only one party is talking and the other is listening. This is not terribly efficient, and slows down the communication of information considerably.

There are some simple, nearly free ways do use VoIP on the personal level. All that is required is a broadband Internet connection of some type. Now I am not here to advertise for any single organization selling VoIP equipment or services, but just to let you know, there are some that offer very nice package deals with equipment, Internet phones, headsets and all the fixings of standard enterprise phone systems. There are also software-based systems that operate like your everyday chat systems and require only computer speakers and a microphone.

One major advantage of VoIP and Internet telephony is that it avoids the tolls charged by ordinary telephone services that use the standard public switched telephone network. Sure Pac Bell and ATT do not like the sounds of that, not unless they figure out how to join the cause and capitalize on this somewhat new form of technology. Actually, VoIP has been around for a while, yet it is starting to pick up speed now as an alternative means of communication. In addition, the primary reason is that it will save you money.

Back to Main Articles

Request a Quote

VoIP Services for Business:

VOIP Basics