Without going into any technical terms I will explain to you what VoIP is and how you can benefit from it. I answer your questions and at the end of this article you will fully understand why you ought to have it.
Once you understand about what VoIP is you will be really keen to use it.
The first and very last bit of a hint of technical terms is what the letters VoIP mean. It means Voice over Internet Protocol. Wow, now we have got over that we can talk about just what it is all about. Basically, all this means is that, instead of your voice being sent down a line in the old way down landlines, it is now being sent down an internet connection.
There are a couple of differences between these but basically the internet way is very fast and you voice is sent in little data packages which is converted back to your voice at the other end. The old way was slow so not as economical cost wise. Hence, although you may not have realised it your phone companies have been converting your voice messages to VoIP for some time now. They can handle thousands of conversations at the same time down the same line whereas previously they could not. However, they have been reluctant to reduce prices until the pressure has been put on them recently by new VoIP companies springing up.
So… There we have it. VoIP is just anther way to have a conversation between two or more people. How hard is that to understand?
Now we come to the bit where you have a choice. Do you stick to paying a high price to phone all over the world or do you look for someone to use that will give the same – if not better service much cheaper. I know what I do!
This is where most people start to panic asking the questions – How do you do it? With whom do you do it? Do I need to have some special phone line? Do I need a special telephone? It's still a mystery to me, who will help me? And so it goes on. Yes, all these and many more questions are quite understandable. These changes are very new and like anything new, we fear the unknown until we get some of the answers.
So let us tackle some of the questions here and you will see that there is really nothing over complicated at all. After all, at the end of the day you are going to save a lot of your money. Afford to be more in contact with your friends without worrying how much the call is going to cost you.
I have written a lot of published articles that are reproduced around the world so I can give you the guidance that you may need. Let's find the answers to some of those questions.
How do you do it? First you need to decide on a VoIP service to go with. There are a lot around, some based on original VoIP platforms and have developed an impressive array of web facilities. Such a Skype, Verizon and other well known's. But there are a number of new VoIP service providers that are pushing forward the VoIP technology. These are patenting these new platforms /features. Check my resource at the end.
With whom do you do it? Sounds the same as the first question; however what you want is someone to guide you in both your choice and in understanding how to use the VoIP features. Better a service that provides you with a personal helper.
Do I need to have some special phone line? No. You will be using just your normal cell phone or telephone line.
Do I need a special telephone? No. Not necessarily so unless you wish to have an I P telephone. This all depends on how far you want to go in ease of use. Alternatively to are able to use an adapter to which you plug in your normal phone. However, the service can be used without special setup, using your ordinary landline, computer, or a cell phone. You do not even have to have a connection to the internet with companies such as Global1touch. You simply dial a special number, disconnect. You will get a call back asking which number you wish to call. You enter it and you are connected via VoIP. There is no cost involved with your normal landline or cell phone service provider. In fact on a cell phone you will not even lose any ‘free' time minutes.
It's still a mystery to me? Well I hope that you now see that it is not really something beyond anyone to use. Now if you had a person to assist you, you would find your worries disipate. Did you know that VoIP customers worldwide are doubling year on year, so it cannot be that hard.
I recommend VoIP to all and particularly to families where a huge saving can be made. Small to medium business are taking up VoIP rapidly, realising the massive savings they can make, plus now that VoIP communications are becoming mobile and no longer chaining you to a computer it is even more appealing. Contacting personnel via cell phones locally and internationally runs up large communication accounts, sometimes on top of actual cell phone package deals. Using VoIP slashes the costs dramatically.
I am convinced that now you have read this article you will feel more comfortable in considering bringing onboard VoIP in your communications as a package.
Article Source: http://www.superfeature.com
By: Michael Moore
Showing posts with label VOIP. Show all posts
Showing posts with label VOIP. Show all posts
Monday, July 23, 2007
4 Things You Need To Know Before You Switch To VOIP Services
VOIP Service for making and receiving phone calls is probably the most cost effective way to communicate, and is showing the phone companies that their "cash cow" of home telephone service may be coming to an end on the horizon. Still, VOIP service is not for everyone, and here are some things that you need to verify and feel good about before you consider switching to VOIP service.
1. Your High-Speed Internet Connection is critical.
Almost any VOIP service that you choose is not going to include high-speed Internet service. The VOIP provider assumes you already have that, and would have that whether you decided to implement VOIP or not, which is probably true in most cases.
However, what the VOIP service provider does not tell you is that your high-speed Internet connection needs to be fast, stable, and reliable. Depending on where you are and what high-speed Internet provider you have chosen, this may not be a given. The VOIP provider has ZERO control over this – if you have a lousy Internet connection, VOIP will be lousy, it is a one-to-one relationship.
There are various online sites that allow you to do a speed test on your connection so you can get a feel for how fast it is. The problem is that these tests do not tell the whole story – it might have been fast at the moment you did the test, but is slower than molasses an hour later. Do you notice it stopping when you are using it or having significant time delays? This could be a sign that VOIP will not work well on it.
Also, do people in your household also use the computer when you would be talking on your VOIP phone? If so, your connection may not be capable of handling both connections at the same time. Typically this is more of a problem for DSL than for cable, but it can represent a problem with a cable connection as well.
Is your only option a satellite high-speed Internet connection? Forget it. You are not going to be happy with the results of VOIP service on a satellite connection.
2. When your high-speed Internet connection goes out, so does your phone
Despite the fact that they have over-charged us for years, you need to give the telephone company credit, since when you pick up the phone, you almost always can hear the comforting sound of a dial tone, ready to make your call.
With a VOIP phone, you are depending on your Internet connection to make and receive phone calls. If your high-speed service goes down, then your ability to use your VOIP phone also goes down until the internet service comes back up. This again goes back to the reliability of your high-speed Internet connection and provider.
3. Be sure 911 is supported
All VOIP providers are supposed to be setup so that they support 911 (or E-911) services in case of emergency. You see, with a traditional phone line, if you call 911, they can tell where you are calling from. But this same ability does not exist with a VOIP phone, so you need to register your VOIP phone with the service so that if you call 911 from your VOIP phone, the emergency responders will know where to go.
4. Be ready to save money and have tremendous flexibility.
There is no doubt about it, VOIP service is significantly cheaper than traditional phones from the phone company. At no extra charge, you typically get the features you would pay the phone company extra for, like caller ID, call waiting, voice mail, and call blocking. You also typically get unlimited or high-usage local and long distance calling throughout the country at no additional cost with VOIP.
If you travel, you can take your VOIP phone with you. If you are traveling to visit your friends in Denver or cousin in New York, just plug your VOIP phone into their high-speed modem and you can continue to make and receive calls just as if you were at home, using your same phone number. If you are in a hotel in Chicago, again plug your VOIP phone into the high-speed connection in your hotel room, and you are making and receiving phone calls as if you were at home.
Article Source: http://www.superfeature.com
By: Jon Arnold
1. Your High-Speed Internet Connection is critical.
Almost any VOIP service that you choose is not going to include high-speed Internet service. The VOIP provider assumes you already have that, and would have that whether you decided to implement VOIP or not, which is probably true in most cases.
However, what the VOIP service provider does not tell you is that your high-speed Internet connection needs to be fast, stable, and reliable. Depending on where you are and what high-speed Internet provider you have chosen, this may not be a given. The VOIP provider has ZERO control over this – if you have a lousy Internet connection, VOIP will be lousy, it is a one-to-one relationship.
There are various online sites that allow you to do a speed test on your connection so you can get a feel for how fast it is. The problem is that these tests do not tell the whole story – it might have been fast at the moment you did the test, but is slower than molasses an hour later. Do you notice it stopping when you are using it or having significant time delays? This could be a sign that VOIP will not work well on it.
Also, do people in your household also use the computer when you would be talking on your VOIP phone? If so, your connection may not be capable of handling both connections at the same time. Typically this is more of a problem for DSL than for cable, but it can represent a problem with a cable connection as well.
Is your only option a satellite high-speed Internet connection? Forget it. You are not going to be happy with the results of VOIP service on a satellite connection.
2. When your high-speed Internet connection goes out, so does your phone
Despite the fact that they have over-charged us for years, you need to give the telephone company credit, since when you pick up the phone, you almost always can hear the comforting sound of a dial tone, ready to make your call.
With a VOIP phone, you are depending on your Internet connection to make and receive phone calls. If your high-speed service goes down, then your ability to use your VOIP phone also goes down until the internet service comes back up. This again goes back to the reliability of your high-speed Internet connection and provider.
3. Be sure 911 is supported
All VOIP providers are supposed to be setup so that they support 911 (or E-911) services in case of emergency. You see, with a traditional phone line, if you call 911, they can tell where you are calling from. But this same ability does not exist with a VOIP phone, so you need to register your VOIP phone with the service so that if you call 911 from your VOIP phone, the emergency responders will know where to go.
4. Be ready to save money and have tremendous flexibility.
There is no doubt about it, VOIP service is significantly cheaper than traditional phones from the phone company. At no extra charge, you typically get the features you would pay the phone company extra for, like caller ID, call waiting, voice mail, and call blocking. You also typically get unlimited or high-usage local and long distance calling throughout the country at no additional cost with VOIP.
If you travel, you can take your VOIP phone with you. If you are traveling to visit your friends in Denver or cousin in New York, just plug your VOIP phone into their high-speed modem and you can continue to make and receive calls just as if you were at home, using your same phone number. If you are in a hotel in Chicago, again plug your VOIP phone into the high-speed connection in your hotel room, and you are making and receiving phone calls as if you were at home.
Article Source: http://www.superfeature.com
By: Jon Arnold
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