VoIP for Dummies Articles | VoIP

By: Darren Williger

If you’re one of the people who aren’t too smart when it comes to technology, then VoIP may just be another communication device out of Star Trek. In reality, its actually a phone service that can be used easily and which can save you a whole lot of money. In order to take advantage of the opportunities of VoIP and what it can do for you, you need to understand the service better, this way you can make a smart decision on how to make your short and long distance phone calls.

Well, what is VoIP? It simply stands for Voice over Internet Protocol. It’s all about transmitting voice in digital form. Traditional telephone systems use wires and fibers to transmit voice. When you dial a number your call is taken through a series of switches until you reach the intended destination that you have called. A wire connects the two ends. The father this wire is the higher the cost of the call. On the other hand VoIP sends the necessary audio over an IP based telephone network. The data packets are broken down in pieces and sent to the receiver. On the receivers end the data packets are reassembled back into place. Because this data connection is made through the Internet no fixed cost is charged for telephone calls.

One way you can use VoIP is by using an ATA or Analog Telephone Adaptor. This adaptor hooks up to your phone which in turn is hooked up to the Internet through your computer. What it does is that it turns analog signals into digital signals. It’s a simple affair to install one of these and the only thing you need is the adaptor. You can also use VoIP by using an IP phone. The Ip phone looks like a regular phone but the difference is that it uses an Ethernet cable connector and not a phone jack. The Ethernet cable plugs right into a router and eliminates the need for a computer or any form of additional software. Another way to use VoIP is from computer to computer. Using this means you don’t need a VoIP provider and you can simply start by downloading the required software on the Internet. The only cost here is your regular Internet fee.

Quite unlike your traditional telephone, VoIP makes no use of the Public Switched Telephone Network. In PSTN networks both the caller and the receiver are constantly connected. Packet switching technology is employed in VoIP which only requires the parties to be connected when a packet is being transmitted. This allows the packets travel the most efficient packet and does not need any dedicated line.

Now that the basics of VoIP have been established, how does VoIP become an attractive package to the subscriber? Well, you can save on costs by using VoIP since it offers lower cost and long distance plans and bundles added features into the basic plans. It also allows for flexibility and portability since your phone can be taken anywhere you go and used anywhere a broadband Internet connection exists. You can then simply use the phone as if you were at home.

VoIP is becoming more commonplace nowadays; people subscribing to the service are forever on the increase. A lot of major telephone companies have started offering VoIP today. You may not have known what VoIP was before but the chances are that you have used it at one point or the other while making your last phone call.