Devices Based on VOIP Technology Provide Plenty of Communication Options

admin — Wed, 16 Dec 2009 07:13:48 +0000

You may have heard about VOIP technology- after all, it has been around for almost a decade- but if you haven’t taken a good look at the services that provide it these days, you probably aren’t aware of the benefits that it can offer you. That’s because there have been a whole slew of companies that offer VOIP calling plans with lots of extra features that are designed to save you money.

For the uninitiated, VOIP stands for Voice over Internet Protocol and it takes advantage of the fact that there aren’t any long distance fees placed on data as it moves across the Internet. VOIP technology streams telephone conversations back and forth across the Internet without any loss of sound quality or even a noticeable increase in time lag. In fact, conversations using VOIP technology can be clearer than those using conventional telephone technology. As a result of this set up, you can make local as well as long distance calls for free. Even international calls can be made with sharply discounted rates.

One of the major ways that modern Voice Over Internet Protocol services have improved upon their forebears is in the equipment that they provide to their customers. It used to be that the only way to make a VOIP phone call was by using a virtual telephone on a computer that was hooked up to a high speed Internet connection. Now, while the high speed Internet connection is necessary, and phone calls can still be made over computers, the computer itself isn’t really necessary. That’s because modern VOIP services can provide you with special routers and adapters that can plug into your high speed Internet connection. Once that’s been done, you can then plug your conventional telephone into the adapter and use it exactly like you would with a normal phone line. Because most of these services give you the option of logging onto their web site to make changes to your account- like initiating call forwarding, blocking numbers, accessing voice mail, and the like- a computer is very helpful to have with this service, but by no means necessary.

Other types of equipment that are out there and will allow you to take better advantage of your VOIP service include special phones that combine adapters and the actual hand sets of the phone. One company even offers a model that consists of an adapter/router, two charging bases, and two cordless hand sets. Once the adapter/router is plugged into the Internet connection, the charging bases for the handsets can be placed by any outlet in your home or office without having to worry about the location of phone jacks.

There’s also equipment available that will allow you to make your VOIP service portable. For example, most adapters are small enough to travel with you in your luggage and can be plugged into any high speed Internet connection so that you can make and receive phone calls using your own number no matter where you are in the world! If you want even more portability, you can get a key chain USB device that can plug into any Windows computer with a high speed Internet connection and turn it into your phone. It even comes with a microphone and ear piece. There’s also a handset that can be used to make and receive calls in any wireless hot spot.

These are just a few of the types of special devices that can make subscribing to a VOIP service more practical and flexible.

By: Julia Hall

Raising The Bar: Continuing Advances In Voip Technology

admin — Fri, 16 Oct 2009 23:13:36 +0000

VOIP technology has advanced to a stage where VOIP is no longer an interesting start up, but a strong and valid technological force that offers so many benefits, not the least of which is huge savings in long distance phone calls. Many businesses have gone from expensive and complicated intra-office phone systems to switching to a VOIP system because of the increase in efficiency and strong decrease in cost. The continuing advancement of VOIP technology is what makes this possible.

Residential VOIP refers to the software that allows you to download the technology onto your computer and then communicate with family, friends, and acquaintances in the same way you would on the telephone, but your computer is used as a telephone instead. Because the technology is based on phone communication through the Internet, anyone you want to contact will also need to download the same technological software on their computers, but don’t worry, this is actually very easy!

What if you still want to call people who don’t have VOIP? One of the smartest technological advances by the companies encouraging the development of VOIP technology was creating an adaptor. An adaptor hooks up to a regular phone, and hooks it up to your VOIP so you can still use the residential VOIP to call any phone, whether it is a VOIP phone, a landline, or even a cell phone! This little piece of equipment allows you all the benefits of VOIP without any of the potential restrictions that could make people hesitant to invest in this service.

With the advancement of portable VOIP phones (Vonage is perhaps the best known company that provides this service), the question has been brought up of whether or not VOIP phones will be able to ever replace cell phones, and what would the difference be? While the technology is there for this to happen, the infrastructure isn’t there yet; though it is getting closer with each passing day.

The advantage of this would be that VOIP would be far cheaper, since long distance wouldn’t cost nearly anything and there would be no restriction on minutes. A wireless VOIP phone is also referred to as a “Wi-Fi VOIP phone,” and needs networks in the same way wireless internet needs networks, to work, but more are popping up every day, and many cities plan to increase the number of hot spots, which would make this a more and more viable option.

Many cell phone companies, sensing ahead of time what this could mean for them if they refuse to adapt, now design phones that not only work as regular cell phones, but also have features that allow the user to switch to their VOIP account if they are close enough to a hot spot. While complete VOIP is a long ways off, the beginning structures are there, and as the VOIP technology improves, it would not be surprising to head towards the day where VOIP isn’t a side game, but the main choice available to all phone users.

By: Candice Sabrina

Voip Technology » Telephone Technology

Devices Based on VOIP Technology Provide Plenty of Communication Options

Raising The Bar: Continuing Advances In Voip Technology