Curious about the making cheap or even free
telephone calls via your broadband connection? Read the following to find
out how!
What is VoIP?
VoIP, or Voice-Over-Internet Protocol, is literally a
phone call placed via an internet connection. VoIP has been a long time
coming and early internet phone calls were not that reliable and a bit
garbled. But they were free. Over the last decade, VoIP has increasingly
made its way into business and is now making its way into more and more
homes, as people find better, more affordable ways to communicate with
convenience.
An internet protocol is a way in which data is handled over networks. It
is typically a standard method for passing data from one point to another
point via network cable. Voice-Over-Internet protocol is the method by which
one's voice is translated from an analog signal to digital 1s and 0s then
transported over broadband network connections, often still for a fraction
of the cost of long distance phone calls.
Advantages
According to many experts VoIP is expected to be the phone protocol of
choice for the future, alongside the ubiquitous wireless calls. VoIP is
flexible, and affordable. As long as one has an internet connection, some
free or inexpensive VoIP software on their PC, and a microphone, VoIP is
viable. It is a simple communication method to setup. The major phone
companies already use the technology that makes VoIP possible. They must
move large bundles of long distance digital data known as packet switching
quickly and conveniently.
One of the most attractive advantages to VoIP is the ability to receive
internet phone calls anywhere you are, as long as you are accessible to the
internet. Like wireless technology, this frees you from the constraints
posed by a phone line connected to a wall jack.
What You Need
There are a number of ways to currently use VoIP. The easiest and least
expensive by far is the PC-to-PC connection. Requirements are a PC that is
connected to the internet, preferably with a cable or DSL connection; a
microphone, speakers, and VoIP software that can still be had inexpensively,
even free in many cases.
An increasingly popular method for VoIP is the use of the proprietary
VoIP phones that are becoming a standard for many businesses. Companies such
as IBM and Cisco Systems are well known for their VoIP phone systems that
are designed to become a seamless addition to any large or small business
network. Many bundle video along with them making long-distance conferencing
effective and affordable for business.
Disadvantages
Currently, the disadvantages to
VoIP are the
reliability of packet switching technology to seamlessly transport important
voice data streaming, real time conversations over the long haul of network
cable. Businesses that rely on such technology must be willing to accept the
risks involved with poor internet connections, lost signals, and dropped
data packets. The internet as a real time communication tool is still in
relative infancy in comparison to the technology behind the analog telephone
system that has been in existence for well over a century.
Sara Chambers is a marketing consultant and an internet content manager
for
http://www.voipweblog.com
Article Source:
http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Sara_Chambers
Facts
Menu
