Does anybody know the benefits of VoIP technology?
Question by Geek: Does anybody know the benefits of VoIP technology?
VoIP phones are being preferred over land line phones. Just want to know whether these VoIP phones help in saving money on making cheap international calls?
Best answer:
Answer by Dovi
The benefits of Voip Phones is that you can use them as home phones and you can carry the same number on your smartphone. This means if you travel overseas you can get all your home messages. It also means you pay a lot less for your talk time and if you have relatives overseas you can call them for the cost of the call in there local area
What do you think? Answer below!
Categories: VOIP Questions Tags: anybody, Benefits, Know, Technology, VOIP
How do I know if a phone number in the UK is using a VOIP service to re-direct to another country?
Question by James: How do I know if a phone number in the UK is using a VOIP service to re-direct to another country?
I am trying to find out if a person that wants to place a large order with my company is legit. Is there a way of looking up a UK phone number to determine if it is a land line, cell phone, or if it is a VOIP re-direct service?
Best answer:
Answer by Shanavas
From the number you can obviously make out if it is a landline or a mobile number. However, if your customer is using VoIP, it will be extremely difficult to track this. Even if you get hold of someone in the telecom company, they generally can’t reveal this due to privacy laws.
Know better? Leave your own answer in the comments!
What You Should Know About VoIP Phones
VoIP phones are the phones used with Voice over Internet Protocol technology. VoIP is the technology used to transmit audio as data or Packets over the Internet to either a computer user or to a landline telephone. VoIP is increasing in popularity, as it is highly valued for its great quality, low cost, and incredible features. VoIP is gaining respect, as a viable solution for business needs as well. VoIP will allow long distance calls for either free or for just pennies compared to traditional phone services.
There are many different ways to use VoIP. For some services you will need a computer, a high-speed Internet connection, an Instant Messaging program, speakers, a microphone, a phone adapter for converting standard telephones into VoIP phones, or a VoIP phone.
When using VoIP services, you can simply use a microphone and speakers to communicate with your caller. You need a High Speed Internet connection to allow for your calls to be in real time, and you will also need a soundboard and computer that is up to date with VoIP technology.
You can also use VoIP technology by using Instant Messaging services that have voice options enabled. These include Yahoo Messenger with Voice, ICQ, AOL Instant Messenger, MSN, and even Google has started their own VoIP messenger. To use these VoIP messengers you will need a microphone and speakers connected to your computer.
VoIP phone adapters are another means of communicating with VoIP. A VoIP phone adapter will connect between your standard telephones, and your Internet modem. Your phone adapter will come with installation and user instructions. Generally, you will need to power off your computer, then connect the adapter to your Internet modem and then plug your telephone into the adapter’s phone jack. Power everything back up and you should be good to use your phone. You will need to make sure that you have VoIP service previously installed.
You can also purchase a VoIP phone, specifically designed for use with your VoIP service. VoIP phones come in both corded and cordless forms. VoIP corded phones come with many features. You can purchase a desktop phone that includes speakerphone, Call Waiting, Hold, Speed Dial, Transfer, and programmable keys such as Menu, Dial, Volume, Transfer, Cancel, and Headset or Speaker mode.
You can also purchase a 2 line VoIP corded telephone. Some of the features that come with a phone like this include Three Way Conferencing, phone to phone, or phone to PC, or phone to gateway direct dial. These phones are perfect for small businesses or for use in the home office.
Another popular choice in VoIP phones is the cordless VoIP phone. These cordless VoIP phones are not the same as VoIP wireless or VoWi FI phones. VoIP phones are similar to cordless standard phones. They will work in your house, but not outside, apart from your basic VoIP service.
There is another option and that is called VoWiFi. VoWiFi stands for Voice over Wireless Fidelity. This is the use of VoIP over a wireless connection. A VoWiFi phone operates by using a wireless network’s access point. The advantages of using VoWiFi, is that you can easily pick up network signals or “hotspots” for free. However, VoWiFi will not work if it is out of a wireless range, and immediately you will be terminated from your call. If you have a wireless network that you are local to, you will find VoWiFi to be a great advantage and extremely cost effective.
Because of issues with network connectivity, there are Hybrid phones available. A hybrid is a cross between a cellular phone and VoWiFi. A Hybrid will place your call when you are in your cellular network range, and then, to prevent roaming charges, can pick up free VoWiFi by entering a hotspot. This is a great combination of two technologies and time will tell where the hybrid phone will evolve in the future.
One thing is certain; VoIP is an advancement in telecommunications that is here to stay. Whether you use your computer, and Internet Messaging program, a VoIP phone adapter, VoIP cordless or corded phones, VoWiFi or Hybrids the future points to VoIP as the telecommunication method of choice.
Voice Over IP Companies – Key Things You Need to Know
VoIP technology is quickly becoming one of the most preferred telephone service providers for customers seeking a low-cost and high-quality alternative to traditional phone service.
There is one major issue that many customers have when changing from traditional phone services to a Voice over Internet phone service. There are just too many companies and services to choose from.
The first option to consider when changing over to a VoIP provider is the connection speed that you have available. Most voice over IP providers require a minimum DSL speed to provide quality service. This is due to the fact that the voice signal is traveling over the Internet, requiring relatively fast upload and download speeds on the customer’s end to be able to process the calls in real-time.
Generally speaking, having faster bandwidth will ensure a higher quality of any calls that you are making. VoIP from most providers will require a minimum of 38kbps upload speed and 128kbps of download speed.
It is important to know what transfer rates are required by the VoIP provider, as this speed will be an ‘overhead’ on your internet connection line while making a phone call, limiting other internet connection usage whenever you are making a call.
Price is the next most important consideration when searching for a good voice over IP provider. VoIP services vary greatly, depending on who is offering it. General packages are normally much less expensive than comparable phone company rates, and are typically based on the number of lines that you need.
A much more valuable aspect to VoIP is the inclusion of International Calling. Since the information of the call is being directed through the Internet and not through trans-ocean lines of the phone companies, the prices for these calls are very low. Bundled packages for International Calling can be as low as an additional .00 per month with no per-minute calling charges, which is far better than any price package that a traditional phone company can provide. Each VoIP company offers different packages with fairly similar pricing for comparably similar packages.
The next most important thing to look for in a VoIP service is the resilience of the service. Some companies can provide high quality audio and guaranteed uptime that rivals even telephone companies.
However, not all Voice over Internet phone service companies are the same and it is important to research the differences in both call quality and service up-time between the different providers.
Some customers who currently use Fax machines over traditional phone lines may be interested in VoIP services to reduce costs incurred when sending Faxes around the World. First generation VoIP was nearly incapable of transmitting faxes accurately due to the difficulty in transmitting the audio frequencies that fax machines utilize to communicate with one another.
Many services have upgraded the design of their networks to allow for the new T.38 protocol which enables fax machines to ‘speak’ with one another properly over a voice over IP service. Researching the capabilities of different providers is essential if this is a feature that you are interested in using. Doing a little bit of homework on the different providers and comparing their network capabilities, pricing, and service quality will ensure that you get the most out of a conversion to VoIP that is as seamless as possible.
Last but not least, check out this PhonePower review and learn all about the popular PhonePower VoIP service.
Technology nut, world traveler, and happily married father of four.
Related Voice Over IP Articles