What is VOIP?
Confused about VOIP? Join the crowd.
It's not as difficult as it sounds and we are
going to make VOIP simple for the average
person.
VOIP simply means Voice Over Internet
Protocol. Now you don't need to know anything
about the protocol so basically it is using
the Internet to make phone calls.
All you need is a high speed internet connection
to make a VOIP call. There are many companies
that offer VOIP service and offer the
telephone with it. Many will even set it up
for you. Even local cable companies are offering
to set you up. Once it is set up, you don't
need to worry about anything. You can simply
make telephone calls just like normal. Now you
will be making calls through an internet company
and not your phone company.
Why should I use VOIP and are there
any disadvantages?
Advantages
The main reason most will want to use it is
to lower their phone bills. You will normally
pay a flat fee and you will get long distance
to the US and Canada with it at no extra charge.
You can keep you phone number that you have
now.
No matter where you move you can take your
phone number with you even if you move to a
different area code. My daughter moved to Bermuda
and she kept her home phone number.
When you move and your phone moves with you
there are no extra setup charges as there is
with your local phone
If you are travelling you can set it up to
use your laptop or wireless connection, as long
as it is high speed. Most hotels these days
accomodate this.
No longer will you have to pay for extra features.
With VOIP service providers these usually
come as standard. Features such as:
1. Caller ID
2. Call Waiting
3. Call Transfer
4. Repeat Dialling
5. Return Call
6. Three-Way Dialling
Advanced call filtering features. These features
allow you to decide how calls to a specific
number are handled by using caller ID information.
They allow you to:
1. Forward the call to a particular number
2. Send the call directly to voicemail
3. Give the caller a busy signal
4. Play a "not-in-service" message
Disadvantages
Sometimes the quality is not as good as phone
lines. It's close and will continue to get better.
I suspect that within a year you will not be
able to tell the difference.
Set up can be very challenging. If you are not
a techie, there is always someone you can hire
to do it for you. With the financial savings
you will get from it, it's worth it to pay someone
if you are at all squimish about it.
It does not work well with fax machines and
alarm systems. It works and in short time this
will also improve.
If your internet access goes down then your
phone will also go down. For most with high
speed access this rarely happens.
If the power goes off the phone will not work.
For most of us, this is also a rare occurrance.
You can get backup batteries to resolve this
issue if you are in a rural area and it happens
often.
Currently the government does not apply taxes
to the service. If that changes VOIP
may not be price effective anymore.
VOIP is the future and more and more
people are coming online with it every day.
This may also effect a lowering of the cost
in time.
That is it in a nutshell. It's not nearly as
scary as you thought.
Jean Sutherland is a technical writer for the
popular website http://www.voip-place.com/
where everything VOIP is discussed. She is also
the owner of the successful website The Company
Newsletter at http://www.thecompanynewsletter.com
where you will find loads of free software,
articles on marketing and common computer questions.
