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Home / Technology / VOIP
The Real Basics Of VoIP
By:Neil Day
If you haven't been on a trip to the moon or have been lost in the deep dark depths of the amazon rain forest, then you MUST have come across the term VoIP? VoIP stands for Voice over Internet Protocol and it is the ability to transmit voice over the Internet to either a receiving computer or telephone.
VoIP uses what is referred to as the Packet Switching Network. Standard landline telephones use the Circuit Switching Network. The entire landline telephone system uses what is known as PSTN (Public Switched Telephone Network).
Are you confused? Here is a simple explanation. The main difference between Packet Switching (the system used by VoIP) and Circuit Switching (the standard telephone system), is that Packet Switching makes use of sending (data) or Packets over the Internet while Circuit Switching uses electrical circuits to enable telephones to make a connection. If you can picture the old switchboard operators, wearing headsets frantically trying to connect the right caller with the correct receiver then this is what Circuit Switching is like. Packet Switching is used to transfer data at high speeds all around the Internet.
Packet Switching converts audio formats into small byte sized data packets and transmits them at high speed over the Internet. It then reassembles them on the other person’s phone or computer in real time.
A simple form of VoIP is used with many free Instant Messaging programs. Instant Messaging programs have been utilizing the science of VoIP technology for years. A computer user can download an Instant Messaging program, connect their computer speakers and a microphone, and make a free long distance (or international) call to another pc user. Many Instant Messaging programs are incorporating VoIP services. You can use Yahoo Messenger, AOL, Skype, ICQ, MSN, and Google to make pc-to-pc free phone calls.
Believe it or not, VoIP technology is NOT relatively new it has been around for a while now; it is just becoming more and more popular as day to day computer users are discovering how easy it is to use. In the late 1990’s, programs were springing up across the Internet offering some form of free VoIP technology. Most of those are either no longer existent or now charge a standard monthly service fee for the use of their product. But one thing remains certain, VoIP is producing higher standards of quality every day, and it has certainly proved that it is a viable force for telecommunication needs for the future.
Many telephone companies are expanding to allow for monthly VoIP services. Companies such as Sprint, Verizon, and AOL are all offering VoIP plans.
VoIP is also prized for its ability to integrate many forms of telecommunication applications into one package. VoIP can handle data, audio, video, E-Mail, and web based applications simultaneously. Just imagine - with your voice enabled Instant Messaging program, you can hook up a web cam and use video, while you are speaking with your buddy on your microphone and listening to them with your speakers, and you can type back and forth with your chat program. You could also write an email while you are doing all of these other tasks at the same time.
This makes VoIP extremely viable to businesses. It is also a cost effective choice of telephone service. The potential for VoIP’S use is nearly limitless.
VoIP telephone service providers are becoming more popular as well. Many people are now starting to realise the benefits available to them by switching to VoIP. First, VoIP costs significantly less than the standard telephone service, and this is a great attraction for bringing in new customers. Many VoIP service plans will let you make unlimited long distance calls or provide you with a plan for very inexpensive rates.
Many of the paid for features that are often included with traditional PSTN land line telephone services are often included free of charge with VoIP services. These include features such as Call Waiting, Call Forwarding, Call Block, Three-Way- Calling, Voice Mail, and more.
Here is another great benefit to VoIP services which is proving very popular with customers. Many VoIP service providers will let you keep your existing phone number, or at the very least, will allow you to select a new area code. This option has great appeal to many people. Just think, now you can select an area code for the same town where most of your friends or family live. By choosing this area code, not only are you still getting a great deal with your VoIP services, but now your family and friends will save money whenever they call. For them, all calls to you will be billed as a local and not a long distance call.
VoIP has proved that it is a viable force in the field of telecommunications, we can be sure that VoIP is here to stay.
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Article keywords: voip, voice over ip, voice over internet protocol, internet telephones, skype, internet telephony
Article Source: http://www.articles2k.com
For more information, news and resources about VoIP, Skype and Internet telephones, please visit How VoIP Works
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| Top VOIP Articles |
- 1). VoIP Problems? By : FullService Broadband Provider
Well of course there's VoIP problems, although I think problems is too strong of a word. Instead I would call this VoIP issues. (Just semantics? maybe, read on!)
Some may be old enough to remember making long distance calls where there was static or crackling on the phone line connection. Maybe you remember having to speak LOUDER in order to be heard on the line.
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- 2). Skype - A Victim of their own success By : Danny Wirken
With Skype refusing to answer emails promptly or even to update their ad-hoc customer service style, Danny Wirken ponders the paperless world of Skype.
Ah, Skype. Time was, my father would often say, that one could correct most problems if you found the right paperwork. While I don’t share my father’s passion for record keeping (I enjoy paying my bills online and doing my bit for the environment) I must agree that the old man had some sense.
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- 3). Voice Over Ip – What Is It And What Are The Choices? By : Steve Armstrong
Voice over Internet Protocol. First was the telephone. Alexander Graham Bell had a vision. He saw people communicating over long distances with their own voice, not trough beeps and squeaks. Then came the Internet. A few students and the US military had a vision, somewhat similar to Bell’s. They saw people communicating over long distances, but this time in writing.
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- 4). How To Set Up A Business VoIP System By : Michael Lemm
To set up a business VoIP system, you need several components. A central device to manage the calls, the way a private branch exchange (PBX) or key system unit (KSU) does in traditional phone systems is one of them.
This can be a dedicated piece of hardware such as an IP PBX, a regular PBX that has been IP-enabled, or a server running specialized software.
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- 5). Why VOIP? By : Gayathri
Voice Over Internet Protocol delivers the service of converting the analog line into a digital signal so that voice could be transferred through the internet and this proves to be a lot cheaper than the PSTN (public switched telephone network). Voip is the best for making long distance calls in, inexpensive rates.
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- 6). VOIP against the traditional phone services By : Tom Pisarski
VOIP (Voice over Internet Protocol) - allows you to make telephone calls using a computer network in very simple way . It converts the voice signal from your telephone into a digital signal that’s why you can speak to anyone with a regular phone number. You can change the way you think about long-distance phone calls. People generally like to use the new technology because its costs are less than traditional phone Below are listed some of the advantages and disadvantages of using VOIP .
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The meshing of old analog telephone connections and VoIP service means that there has to be something that sort of brings the two together so that customers don’t have to spend a lot of money to get the new devices needed for VoIP service. A VoIP gateway acts as a bridge between the old and the new, allowing customers to use their same phone lines, their same phones, but still enjoy the benefits of modern technology.
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- 8). How to Choose the Best Small Business VoIP Solution By : Gobala Krishnan
Copyright © 2006 Gobala Krishnan
Telecommunication cost is always an obstacle for small business owners, especially if you need to call domestic or international long distance. The long distance cost factor alone, depending on the type of business you're in, can make the difference in the success of any small business.
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- 9). How To Use Broadband Phone Service By : Gaston Collins
Depending on the service, one way to place a BroadBand Phone call is to pick up your phone and dial the number, using an adaptor that connects to your existing high-speed Internet connection. The call goes through your local telephone company to a BroadBand Phone provider. The phone call then goes over the Internet to the called party's local telephone company for the completion of the call.
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- 10). Tell Your Phone Company to VoIP Off! By : Michael Brito
I don’t know about you, but I am sick and tired of being ripped off by my local phone company. For years, I have been held captive by this monopolizing regime with no hope of moving on to something better. It’s been a financial struggle that has caused me to seek counseling numerous times throughout the years. Why? Because my phone company charges me for everything: I want to add voicemail, they charge me.
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- 1). VOIP Broad Band Phones By : Justin Brown
Voice over Internet Protocol (VOIP) Phones are referred to as just Broad band Phones. The main function of a Broad Band phone using VOIP is to convert voice data (analog) into digital data for transmission over the Internet. They are connected to the high speed internet through computers to enable voice communication. By this innovation VOIP Broad Band Phones have turned the internet into a carrier for free phone calls, by going around the normal phone companies.
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- 2). VoIP: A Wise Investment for Small Business By : Michael Brito
Small businesses are always looking for ways to increase their competitiveness by cutting costs, improving their value proposition and requiring their staff to work more efficiently.
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- 3). The UK Finally Embracing VoIP By : Michael Brito
VoIP in the UK has started to take off just as it has all over the world. It is an amazing break through technology and is changing the face of telephone communications. According to a study conducted by research firm Harris Interactive, during the last nine months, the percentage of British adults who have heard of VoIP or already use it has increased from just a little over one-third (37 percent) to nearly half (46 percent.
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- 4). Make Free International Phone Calls - Voice Over Internet Protocol (VoIP) for Beginners By : Andrew Johnson
VoIP or Voice Over Internet Protocol is an emerging technology that with the right equipment and a provider, enables voice communications or the audio content of a phone conversation to be transmitted in digital form over the internet. The advantage of this is that a standard telephone line is not required for VoIP.
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The Australian.
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Many internet users have recognized that using the Net for voice communication is far cheaper than using the conventional telephone. Enter VoIP, or Voice over Internet Protocol, which is used to carry voice signals over the IP network. Vonage is one of the several players in the category. Sprint, Verizon, BroadVoice and AOL are some of the other names synonymous with VoIP.
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- 8). Businesses And Individuals Save With VOIP, But What IS It? By : Donovan Baldwin
Copyright 2006 Donovan Baldwin
VOIP is a hot topic these days, but what exacty is VOIP and VOIP service? It is a method of using the internet to carry phone calls. The term, "VOIP", stands for Voice Over Internet Protocol.
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- 10). VOIP FOR ENTERPRISE By : San
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