Use Your Broadband Connection as a VoIP Phone Service
VoIP has become a promising technology that grants you to have a telephone conversation over the net without actually having to use a conventional telephone line. It has become available by a combination of the right gadgets and a Voice over IP service provider.
VoIP, also known as IP telephony, works by converting sound waves, like your voice (which is an analog signal), into a digital signal that can be converted and sent via the web. The person you are talking to on the other end hears the re-converted digital signal to sound. Since the exchange should happen almost instantly, it is almost required to use a high speed connection.
As it is with a technology like VoIP, that changes rapidly, it is important for you to know what it is about as well as the latest developments concerning voip. Being familiar with these concepts become useful when deciding what phone setup and voip company to select.
A VoIP service has a wide variety of options that depend on what kind of service and equipment you pick. Among these you will have
(1) being able to call only people who use the same service provider
(2) dialing long distance and even international numbers and mobile phones
(3) dialing from a pc using a microphone or VoIP telephone
(4) using a conventional telephone that is plugged to a device called an ATA (analog telephone adaptor).
Required equipment
Since you need access to the net, it goes without saying that having an Internet connection is required. Other devices you will need depend on the kind of VoIP service you avail of. It can be as simple as a microphone and speaker set to a VoIP-enabled telephone. Sometimes, an ATA may be necessary as well.
Communicate for free
It is possible for you to use VoIP without actually paying for the service. The best known software that allows you to do this is Skype. Users who have installed the software on their pcs can make calls to people who have the same program installed in their computers. It is also possible to calls land lines and mobile phones but a fee is charged for that.
The only limitation lies in the fact that if the person you wish to call does not have Skype on their system (if they have a pc at all), you won't be able to make that free call. Nevertheless, this option is widely popular among people who need to try out this new technology without having to pay a service charge.
Voip Providers
If a more comprehensive service (such as being able to call land line and mobile phones) is what you require, then you would need to secure a subscription from one of the many service providers available. Among the major service providers are Vonage (Who apparently will be going out of business after the jury hearing the case granted Verizon $58 million in damages and announced that the VoIP company must pay royalties of 5.5 % to Verizon if it wishes to continue using Verizon's IP as of March, 2007) and AT&T as well as other voip providers. Some of them are shown below:
• Net2Phone
• AOL Internet Phone Service
• BroadVoice
• Dialpad
• GalaxyVoice
Whether you choose a free service or subscribe to a service provider, getting in touch with someone in the neighborhood or across the planet has become not only easier but cheaper as well. All you need is to know what you want and the amount of money you’re willing to spend to avail of it – there is bound to be service that will address your requirements. Once that is taken care of, it’s just a matter of reaching out and touching someone.
VoIP, also known as IP telephony, works by converting sound waves, like your voice (which is an analog signal), into a digital signal that can be converted and sent via the web. The person you are talking to on the other end hears the re-converted digital signal to sound. Since the exchange should happen almost instantly, it is almost required to use a high speed connection.
As it is with a technology like VoIP, that changes rapidly, it is important for you to know what it is about as well as the latest developments concerning voip. Being familiar with these concepts become useful when deciding what phone setup and voip company to select.
A VoIP service has a wide variety of options that depend on what kind of service and equipment you pick. Among these you will have
(1) being able to call only people who use the same service provider
(2) dialing long distance and even international numbers and mobile phones
(3) dialing from a pc using a microphone or VoIP telephone
(4) using a conventional telephone that is plugged to a device called an ATA (analog telephone adaptor).
Required equipment
Since you need access to the net, it goes without saying that having an Internet connection is required. Other devices you will need depend on the kind of VoIP service you avail of. It can be as simple as a microphone and speaker set to a VoIP-enabled telephone. Sometimes, an ATA may be necessary as well.
Communicate for free
It is possible for you to use VoIP without actually paying for the service. The best known software that allows you to do this is Skype. Users who have installed the software on their pcs can make calls to people who have the same program installed in their computers. It is also possible to calls land lines and mobile phones but a fee is charged for that.
The only limitation lies in the fact that if the person you wish to call does not have Skype on their system (if they have a pc at all), you won't be able to make that free call. Nevertheless, this option is widely popular among people who need to try out this new technology without having to pay a service charge.
Voip Providers
If a more comprehensive service (such as being able to call land line and mobile phones) is what you require, then you would need to secure a subscription from one of the many service providers available. Among the major service providers are Vonage (Who apparently will be going out of business after the jury hearing the case granted Verizon $58 million in damages and announced that the VoIP company must pay royalties of 5.5 % to Verizon if it wishes to continue using Verizon's IP as of March, 2007) and AT&T as well as other voip providers. Some of them are shown below:
• Net2Phone
• AOL Internet Phone Service
• BroadVoice
• Dialpad
• GalaxyVoice
Whether you choose a free service or subscribe to a service provider, getting in touch with someone in the neighborhood or across the planet has become not only easier but cheaper as well. All you need is to know what you want and the amount of money you’re willing to spend to avail of it – there is bound to be service that will address your requirements. Once that is taken care of, it’s just a matter of reaching out and touching someone.
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