VoIP Explained Easily

With the increased adoption of high-speed Internet across the U.S. and abroad, it has become much easier to send and receive large amounts of data without affecting bandwidth. What this means for consumers is that they can now download huge files quickly, browse multiple web pages simultaneously, and even make telephone calls over the Internet; an emerging technology known as VoIP.

VoIP stands for "Voice over Internet Protocol " and it is quite simply a way of using the Internet to make and receive telephone calls. The primary reason VoIP is becoming so popular is cost and convenience; as VoIP is significantly less expensive than typical local and long distance telephone service offered by the phone companies. Additionally, one high-speed Internet connection can serve for multiple VoIP telephone lines.

How does VoIP Work?

A normal telephone line would sit there and do nothing if it weren't connected to a network called the PSTN (Public Switched Telephone Network). This is how the traditional phone companies route telephone calls from one person to another. In VOIP service, the PSTN is replaced by the Internet as the network for routing phone calls, and is proven to be faster, more efficient and cost effective.

Using VoIP, a person's voice is transmitted into digital data that is then sliced into small fragments called packets that are sent across the Internet at lightning speed. These packets are then reconstructed and heard on the receiving phone. Sounds like allot going on during a phone conversation, but most people who use VoIP phones don't even know they are making telephone calls over the Internet; the call quality is that good.

In order for VoIP phone calls to have the same quality that consumers are accustomed to when using traditional phone service, a certain bandwidth (the amount of data that can be sent) is required. Broadband Internet access, either cable or DSL, provides the necessary bandwidth for VoIP phone service to be found acceptable by consumers.

The Features of VoIP

In addition to making high-speed Internet access more cost-effective, VOIP service provides subscribers with significantly cheaper local and long distance telephone service. Most VoIP providers charge between $20 - $25 per month and this includes unlimited calling to the U.S. and Canada.

Additionally, all the features that traditional phone companies usually charge for like voicemail, caller id, call waiting; three-way calling, simultaneous ring and the ability to choose your own area code are included in the price.

Another driver for using VoIP is that it is portable. In other words, consumers can take their phone number anywhere they move to; even if it is just on vacation.

Cost savings, free features, portability -- VoIP is the emerging technology at the root of all these trends, and consumers should expect to see a lot more news about VoIP in the coming months and years. If you haven't used VoIP products yet, try out an Internet phone service like Packet8. They have a 30 Day Money Back Guarantee if you are not satisfied with their service.

Michael Brito is a freelance writer/internet marketer.

Is VOIP Stable Enough for Everyday Use ?

As more and more consumers learn about Voice over Internet Protocol phone services, they are trying to find a definitive answer to one burning question: Is this thing reliable enough to replace the Plain Old Telephone Service (POTS) they grew up with and have built their lives around?

There are, in fact, a great many positive reasons to switch from POTS to VoIP:

1. It's cheaper. Way cheaper. From about $9.95 for the most basic service (still far better than POTS) to $39.95 for residential; business plans usually run from $49.95-to-$99.95 and include a separate fax number.

2. The free VoIP "modem" is shipped to you in 5 to 10 days; buy it at a store for same-day service and the VoIP firm will reimburse or credit it against your bill.

3. "Extra" services widely standard: VoiceMail, Caller ID, Call Waiting, 3-Way Conferencing, Call Forward, Repeat Dialing, Call Block, unlimited calling (local and LD) - in short, virtually every option ever offered - for an additional fee - by any POTS company.

4. No charge for incoming calls from anywhere, unlike US cellular providers; same for outgoing "local" calls (depending on plan; some use a cellular-style monthly minutes package).

5. With VoIP, "local" in North America almost always includes both the US and Canada; some also include Western Europe, parts of Asia and parts of Latin America. For those countries not included free, international plans are available for far less than standard LD companies. Or you can make occasional calls without a plan for far lower per-minute charges than most LD plans. This generally applies - more or less in reverse - for VoIP services in Europe, Asia and elsewhere, as well.

6. No computer needed, just plug a standard phone cable from the VoIP box to your regular desktop phone or portable base station.

7. Activate every phone jack in the house - just plug the VoIP modem into any existing wall jack, after first disconnecting your house's internal phone wiring from the POTS world at the phone box outside, probably on your front wall. This option generally is not available to apartment dwellers. Sorry.

8. Virtual Phone Numbers: For a low price (usually about $5), you can have a phone number in almost any area code, so friends or family can dial a local number that rings on your phone. You can't use it for outgoing calls because it isn't a "real" line.

9. Low-cost 800 Numbers: Want to make it free for a lot of callers without bankrupting you? Most VoIP providers offer cheap 800 numbers - free to the caller, fixed monthly rate for you (varies, but roughly $5 for the first 100 minutes each month, then 4.5-cents or so per minute beyond that).

10. Find Me: Some include a system that, if you don't answer, will call three or more other numbers you designate, in sequence or simultaneously, then go to voicemail if you still don't answer.

11. And this is THE KICKER: Take your home or office "phone" with you when you travel. Just pack the VoIP modem in your suitcase; on arrival, plug it into any high-speed Internet connection (hotel room, friend or relative's house, airport, whatever) and, bingo, you can place and, more importantly, receive calls made to your regular phone number. And that is true anywhere in the world (with charges based on your home location). Go to Bora Bora and someone calling your home or office number in Des Moines will never know you're not in Iowa when you answer; call someone and your usual Caller ID shows.

For every ying, of course, there must be a yang - so now for the downside:

1. If you have a cable Internet connection, your downline is 2 to 10 times faster than your upline. As a result, you may hear the other person clear as a bell and they may not hear you at all. This will lead to them hanging up on you (they don't know you're there) or demanding you "get off the speaker" or "hang up your cell and call me from a real phone". And those are the polite ones.

The VoIP companies insist 256K up should be more than enough for a clear signal; that does not appear to be the case in actual use. There are ways to overcome this, if you get a knowledgeable VoIP support tech.

2. High-speed connections vary in quality based on a host of factors, from how many other users are sharing that cable line to how far it is from the nearest DSL booster node. Which means day-to-day, even call-to-call, VoIP quality is going to vary, as well - sometimes to wild extremes.

3. When no one is speaking, there is a "dead" silence that makes most people, accustomed to the slight "buzz" of a POTS signal, think the connection has been broken. If you don't want to hear a constant "are you still there?", explain this to everyone at the start of any conversation.

4. If you try to "activate" a new credit card by calling via VoIP, the computer at the other end may insist you are not calling from your home phone. "Why?" is an as-yet unanswered question from the VoIP providers.

5. Never, ever, let anyone put you on silent hold. If your VoIP service doesn't hear something on that line for several minutes (how many seems to vary), it may simply disconnect you, apparently on the theory your phone is actually off the hook.

6. If your up-line signal is not strong enough, your call won't go through, leading to an annoyingly frequent "Your call cannot be completed at this time" recording.

7. Occasionally, your VoIP will just stop working. The fix varies slightly by provider, but basically involves a lot of unplugging and replugging of VoIP modem, router, cable/DSL connection, in a specific sequence provided by the VoIP company.

8. Last - and by far worst: If your Internet connection goes down for any reason, you have no phone service. Anyone depending entirely on VoIP is strongly encouraged to keep a cellphone handy (keeping in mind you can set VoIP up to automatically call your cell if you don't answer the VoIP line).

Bottom line: Commercial VoIP is a real telephone service, unlike computer-based "messengers" or even Skype (which clearly states it is not telephony); marks against, include no video (yet) and a lot of bugs yet to resolve. Still, at a savings of $30 to $100 a month, these problems aren't so severe you can't learn to live with them. It's a bigger issue for your office, but add a cellphone to the mix for back-up and you may soon join the growing number of consumers who have gone all-VoIP, with no intention of ever going to POTS again.

For more Communications Articles by Ian Williamson please visit http://www.real-articles.com/Category/Communications/78

Free VoIP Calls

I am sure you have heard the adage, "There's no such thing as a free lunch". Well, obviously the person famous for that saying hadn't yet heard of VoIP. Voice over Internet Protocol better know as VoIP - or in simple terms, the ability to transmit voice over the Internet. VoIP has been gaining in strength and popularity as a the preferred telecommunications method Small businesses are opting to go free VoIP because of the numerous benefits. It is a viable source for businesses to make long distance calls virtually free, or at a significantly lower cost when compared to other telephone service providers.

You too can experience the power of Free VoIP with a High Speed Internet connection. In fact, you may have already tried this technology without even realizing it. There are many services and programs that have been available for free, on the Internet, for the past ten years that have embraced VoIP.

Dial-pad was known for allowing people to connect a microphone and speakers to their computers and then make long distance calls virtually world wide for free. Well, Dial-pad isn't free any more, but if you do purchase their monthly service, they do provide an option for unlimited long distance calling. This service is still comparable to other telephone providers.

Currently most of the free VoIP have begun to charge a monthly fee for their services. There is still one program left that is absolutely free. That is Ad Calls. This program displays various advertisements on their display while you can use the service to make free calls. There are limitations to this program however. You can only use the service for ten minutes at a time, and you are unable to call toll free numbers.

The major VoIP programs that embrace free VoIP calling left on the Internet are bundled with your Instant Messaging programs. Programs such as Yahoo Messenger have recently been redesigned with the ability to make free VoIP voice phone calls. You won't be able to call a landline telephone however. You will need to use the program to call another member who is using the same program. For example, if you have the newly VoIP enabled Yahoo Messenger downloaded to your computer, yet your buddy (who lives across the world) is using the old Yahoo Messenger, you can send them a link to download and upgrade their current version. Once they have installed the new Yahoo Messenger, you will see a "call" button with a phone icon at the top of your Yahoo Messenger chat box. By clicking call, you will be using free VoIP technology to send a phone call to your buddy's computer. The receiving computer will actually ring, like a standard telephone, and your buddy will have the option of accepting or declining the phone call. All that is needed is a high speed Internet connection, this provides the best audio quality and speed), a microphone, and speakers. You and your buddy are free to talk as long as you like. The other advantage to Instant Messengers that allow free VoIP calls is the ability to call more than one person. You can call people on your buddy list, and invite them for a conference call. This has unlimited potential and can be used by small businesses for free training calls, and by people everywhere who just want to stay in touch with friends and family.

Other Internet Messaging services that have embraced VoIP calling include MSN and AOL Instant Messenger, and Google has begun their new service, Google Talk.

VoIP is a preferred method of telecommunications due to the fact that you can integrate audio, video, and web based applications with one program. The Instant Messaging programs are perfect examples of how audio and web based communications are working together to increase communication. Also included with many Instant Messaging programs is the ability to hook up a digital camera or web cam and incorporate video with your audio and web based application.

VoIP telephones are also beginning to incorporate video with their free VoIP services. This will be a very popular trend in the future. As there are over 900 million Instant Messaging subscribers, people are already experiencing the power and freedom of converged communications.

Cellular phones are realizing that people want to combine video with their audio, and many videophones are being released. Some phones have gone the next level and have combined audio, video, and graphics by allowing you to store pictures in your telephone, and use it as a camera.

As the technology of VoIP continues to advance, we can rest assured that more "Beta" programs will be released and as that occurs, keep your eye out for more free VoIP programs. Talk no longer cheap, its free!

James Rogers makes it easy to understand and take full advantage of VoIP. Free VoIP calls is the future of cheap global communications. To learn more visit: http://www.voip-org.com

Understanding Voice Over IP (VoIP)

Voice over Internet Protocol refers to the transmission of voice traffic over a Internet Protocol (IP) based network. VoIP converts the voice signal from your telephone into a digital signal that then travels over the internet then converts it back at the other end.

Communicating with the Voice over Internet Protocol came to pass in February 1995 when Vocaltec, Inc. initiated it's Internet Phone software. The call originated on a 486/33-MHZ personal computer and telephone.

It was equipped with a sound card, speakers, microphone and modem. You can speak to anyone with a regular phone number. VoIP calling is just a simple as creating a normal touch tone telephone call. The person you call will not even notice whether you are calling on a VoIP phone. The main difference is that VoIP travels over the Internet rather than through the local company's wires.

VoIP calling requires a high speed Internet connection. This can be through a cable modem, or DSL phone line connection. VoIP calling requires one of the following three hardware configurations.

- ATA (gateway) - The simplest way to make a VoIP phone call is through the use of ATA's (analogue telephone adaptor) sometimes called gateways. These devices enable you to make use of your existing standard analog phones. You simply plug your standard handset into the ATA (gateway) then connect the ATA to your internet connection, enabling you to make VoIP calls. The ATA takes the analog signal from your standard phone and turns it into a digital signal that's ready for transmission over the internet. When you sign up with a VoIP provider the company usually provide this hardware.

- IP Phones - These handsets look just like normal standard handsets. They have an RJ 45 Ethernet connector instead of the standard RJ 11 connectors. These phones have all the necessary software and hardware to handle VoIP calls already built in them. They connect directly to your router or LAN connection. You see these more often in a business environment.

- Computer to computer - This is the easiest way to make use of the VoIP technology. There are many companies offering cost effective software that you can use for this type of VoIP. All you need is a microphone, speakers, a suitable sound card and a fast internet connection. I personally use software from www.skype.com. Skype is a little program for making free calls over the internet to anyone else who also has Skype. It's free and easy to download and use, and works with most computers.

One major advantage of VoIP is that it avoids tolls charged by ordinary telephone service. You can talk as long as you want without incurring toll charges. As we progress into the future, VoIP?has the potential to completely change the way phone calls are made.

Ollie Brandt is a Microsoft Certified Professional and A+ certified PC technician. Visit his web site at www.acecomputerguy.net

World innovation with TerraSip mobile VoIP

Estepona, 21. March 2006

Now simply continue using virtual PSTN numbers free of charge with TerraSip VoWLAN.

For TerraSip members it is now possible to use the received landline number of another VoIP provider on a TerraSip member account.

Forwarding a geographical landline number on to the SIP account: Before TerraSip offers the geographical call numbers, the so-called DIDs (Direct Inward Dialling), in all countries, the developer team has built a very user-friendly new feature in the account software. If a user had already received a landline number from somewhere in the world from another VoIP provider and if he would like to use this number now in connection with his TerraSip account, then he can do this easily. He enters the account data of his previous provider within his personally protected area "MyTerraSip" and saves this data. In the same instant the forwarding of the received call number functions on his TerraSip account , i.e. the telephone configured with a TerraSip account rings, if the received landline number of the other x-arbitrary provider is called.

Accessibility with maximum flexibility: Many voice over IP users have accounts with different providers. A once received DID does not loose its value, if one decides to use another service. The crucial advantage is that the users friends, family and business partners remain accessible under the same number. Administering and communicating different numbers - possibly on different devices - is not necessary any more with this solution.

"It is a small but a very fine tool, which lends virtual landline numbers a larger range with minimum resources. Since a customer can attach and also restore this function again completely, we are thus able to provide this function absolutely free of charge. We are proud to promote innovative developments and the use of VoIP" says Daniel David, the project manager.

The service is immediately usable for all members of the TerraSip community.

Information to the provider TerraSip is a recent, globally aligned and world-wide operating enterprise. It offers free internet telephony per international SIP standard for TerraSip members. The membership is free. TerraSip's adjustment aims at mobile internet telephony, the voice over WLAN, briefly VoWLAN. Recently TerraSip started a first pilot project of VoWLAN with two WiFi network carriers in Germany and Austria, in order to test mobile internet telephony in the German-speaking countries.

TerraSip S.A., Avenida Espana 70, 29680 Estepona, Spain Tel: +34 636982416 E-Mail: pr@terrasip.com Web: www.terrasip.com

(2200 charchters, released for free casting)

In case of further queries please contact the press department of the company: pr@terrasip.com