Understanding Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP)

Some services using VoIP may only allow you to call other people using the same service, but others may allow you to call anyone who has a telephone number - including local, long distance, mobile, and international numbers. Also, while some services only work over your computer or a special VoIP phone, other services allow you to use a traditional phone through an adaptor. The calls are made over a data network like the internet. VoIP converts the voice to a digital signal that can travel over the internet then converts it back to voice once it reaches the other end. This enables you to speak to anyone with a regular phone number. When placing a VoIP call using a phone with an adapter, you'll hear a dial tone and dial just as you always have. VoIP may also allow you to make a call directly from a computer using a conventional telephone or a microphone. Placing a Call All VoIP Services are a bit different in the way you place a call. If you have an adapter connected to your internet Connection you can-just pick up your phone and dial the number. The call goes through your local phone company to a VoIP provider. The call proceeds over the internet to the called party's local telephone company and the call is completed. You can also plug a microphone headset into your computer, this is a good option it you have a slow (dial-up) connection as it cuts out some of the echo commonly heard in slow connections. Utilizing a headset, the number is dialed using a keyboard & routed through your cable modem.

Equipment Needed for VoIP High-Speed Broadband connection, IP Phones (Softphones will require PC) or Analog Telephone Adapters (ATAs) and VoIP Service Provider, currently there are 505 in the U.S. alone, the best known probably being Vonage.

When you looking for a VoIP provider be sure to check what the they offer, some companies allow you to make calls only to other subscribers of their service. But most companies will allow you to call anyone, land line, cellular, local, long distance and some companies even allow you to talk to more than one person at a time.

Many people today use their cell phone as their primary phone, with VoIP you could eliminate your landline phone altogether. You can call anyone, any where in the world and talk along as you want. VoIP calls do not have to pay toll or distance charges so the possibilties for consumers and small business to save money are the most attractive feature of Voice over Internet Proticol.

Christine is the owner of http://onlinevoipinfo.com<br /> which deals specifically with PC to Phone and PC to PC VoIP. The site includes a comprehensive information on VoIP.

Using Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) with Dial-Up

Have you had a chance to try it? Most people that have had a chance to try it have experienced hit or miss quality, dropped calls as well as some speech delays. But there are some steps that you can take to really improve the quality and consistency of you VoIP calls over your internet Connection.

There is a lot of buzz these days around Internet based communication, VoIP, replacing regular/traditional telephone service. Much of the buzz has been created by/around a company called Vonage, who's motto is "Leading the Internet Phone Revolution".

Even if you do not have a broadband connection, you can still save a fortune by using VOIP service for long distance calls. A broadband connection will give you more consistent, reliable call quality, but similar results can be obtained using a dial up account if some guidelines are followed.

All VoIP service providers are different, they do not all support dial-up users. Companies such as Vonage happens to be one that backs away from dial up connections. The providers that do support dial up usually only support dial-up above certain speeds. The two most popular companies that do support dial up VoIP are Callserve and Go2Call.

If you close programs that are running in the background, you will get higher call quality. If you are using windows, just right click & close all open non-essential applications that are shown in your taskbar at the bottom right of your screen. If you are using windows XP & there are other users logged on, be sure they log off before trying to make a call. You also need to be conscience of what you are doing while you are on the call. If you overload the limited data capability your call quality will suffer. Other activities that will compete for bandwith are: Instant Messaging, checking your email, web cameras, surfing the internet or downloading anything.

Scan your system frequently for Viruses and Adware, these programs can tie up your browser and internet connection, slow down your system and affect your call quality. Make it a habit to scan your system every month so your virus software remains uo to date. McAfee or Nortons are good programs, Spybot - Search & Detroy is good for removing spyware.

Use a headset with a boom microphone and this should eliminate annoying voice echoes often associated with VoIP phone calls. If you use a headset, voice signals are limited in volume and thus the chances of your microphone 're-transmitting' those voice signals is greatly reduced.

So if you have dial up you can still enjoy the cost savings of making PC to VoIP call

<br /> Christine is the owner of http://onlinevoipinfo.com<br /> which deals specifically with PC to Phone and PC to PC VoIP. The site includes a comprehensive information on VoIP.

How to choose a VoIP provider

VoIP (or voice over internet protocol) has become an increasingly popular alternative to traditional long-distance phone calls. The reason? Cost. A VoIP provider can reduce your phone bills by as much as 80%, more than justifying the initial costs of buying the equipment and monthly or annual fees.

Choosing to go VoIP is easy; which VoIP provider you sign up with is trickier. With the number of companies and the diversity of packages to choose from, it's hard to tell if you're really getting your money's worth. Here are some things to consider as you narrow down your choices:

* How much are you willing to spend? Look at your budgets. How much can you allot for this service? How much do you really save by getting it? * How much of your phone calls are long distance? If you rarely make long distance phone calls then you won't really feel the "savings"; but if you have friends and family around the world, then VoIP is a lifesaver. Look at your previous phone bills and make a rough estimate. Compute the cost of those calls on a traditional phone provider and through VoIP. * How good is their customer service? Customer service is frequently the worst in companies that offer very low rates. They usually have a deluge of subscribers whose needs or quieries they may not be able to handle Check out how their after-salves customer service is by asking friends who use VoiP or VoiP sites that have message boards? * What features are included in the package? Some packages may appear that they are cheaper but It could be because they have a very skeletal list of services. Others have a higher fee but offer so many additional services. But crucial to this is asking yourself which services are most important to you. Do you want call waiting? Do you need 3 way calling? Do you want fax capabilities? By defining what your priorities are you can weigh the overall monthly subscription fees with the kind of value you get for your money. * Can you keep your old number? Some companies allow you to transfer your existing phone number to the VoIP service. This is a very helpful feature that saves you the trouble of informing others or, even more importantly, losng contact with those who were not told about the change. This can be too much of a risk to people who run homebased businesses. * Do they offer emergency services? Not all VoIP services allow emergency numbers like 911. In this case it's advisable that you retain a cell phone or land line. It pays to be safe than sorry! * How many international calls do you need to make? There is a wide variety of packages that appropriate a certain number of minutes for long distance calls. Find out your typical usage and assess how much you need.

Choosing a VoIP provider is an important decision.

For more information on VoIP companies and services, go to the http://www.voipworth.com website.

The Pros and Cons of Voip

For sure you have heard about Voip. But maybe you would like to know the difference between Voice over Internet Protocol phone services (Voip) and the Plain Old Telephone Service (POTS). Here are some answers.

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.

Here you can find many articles about Voip related topics:

VOIP: There's no point in waiting to buy anymore

If you've been considering getting VOIP access, there really is no reason not to. The technology has advanced greatly in the last few years, and it's ready for prime time. You can actually get more features for less money with most VOIP deals, so make no mistake about the great advantages that VOIP offers to savvy consumers. As a matter of fact, VOIP is no longer being sold as being a cheaper product, but clearly it's being positioned as a cheaper and better product. The words cheaper and better have spelled doom for the tradional telecom industry.

To force an inherent change in how people live, a product must be sold on a mass scale. VOIP has now achieved a mass scale of distribution. Cable companies, which are the leading backbone providers of broadband access, are now selling over half of the VOIP lines being installed. With the marketing clout of these large corporations behind them, a new generation of VOIP evangelists have helped forge a market of immense size. With the amount of people working for these entities, the speed of product improvement is coming even faster. Each day, new modules and add-ons are introduced which extend the basic functionality of the phones.

Is VOIP difficult to install? Not at all. Part of the rollout of VOIP has been the easy to install nature of it. You can have a VOIP connection running in under a half hour, even if you're not technically inclined. Sure, it's more complicated

than an analog phone, but it can do a lot more too! If you're able to read a few instructions and plug in a few items, you will have no problem installing a VOIP phone. Learning about the features may take some more time, but it depends on what you're trying to accomplish.

Google Inc is leading the way into VOIP with a number of innovative products geared for VOIP. Google sees the opportunity in the genre, and it's no wonder why: VOIP subscribers tend to be upscale and tech-savvy. Google, who has stated that their corporate mission is to "organize the World's information", is on a mission to help spread the utilization of broadband utilities like VOIP, with the secondary goal of pushing the prices down in the process. As you can see in the last few years, prices have dropped impressively on computers, handhelds, and broadband. At some point in the future, use of all of these products will be virtually free, but ubiquitous.

If you've been putting off purchasing VOIP, I at least urge you to re-consider your decision. Open up your mind to the possibilities that exist using VOIP and shop a few plans against your current telecom account. I'm almost sure that you'll find the answer is "YES" to buying VOIP very soon. Good luck with whatever decision you make.
Please visit the home of the VOIP Products at http://www.nccw.net

What is VoIP?

VoIP means "Voice over IP" and it is quite simply a way of utilizing the Internet for telephone conversations. The primary motivations for doing so are cost and convenience as VoIP is significantly less expensive than typical telephone long distance packages, plus one high speed Internet connection can serve for multiple phone lines. VoIP may also allow you to make a call directly from a computer using a conventional telephone or a microphone.

How Can I Place a VoIP Call? Depending on the service, one way to place a VoIP call is to pick up your phone and dial the number, using an adaptor that connects to your existing high-speed Internet connection. When placing a VoIP call using a phone with an adapter, you'll hear a dial tone and dial just as you always have. The phone call goes over the Internet to the called party's local telephone company for the completion of the call.

What Kind of Equipment Do I Need? A high speed Internet connection is required. This can be through a cable modem, or high speed services such as DSL or a local area network. You can hook up an inexpensive microphone to your computer and send your voice through a cable modem or connect a phone directly to a telephone adaptor.

Is there a difference between making a Local Call and a Long Distance Call? Some VoIP providers offer their services for free, normally only for calls to other subscribers to the service. Your VoIP provider may permit you to select an area code different from the area in which you live. This means you may not incur long distance charges if you call a number in your area code regardless of geography. It also means that people who call you may incur long distance charges depending on their area code and service. Some VoIP providers charge for a long distance call to a number outside your calling area, similar to existing, traditional wireline telephone service. Other VoIP providers permit you to call anywhere at a flat rate for a fixed number of minutes.

If I have VoIP service, who can I call? Depending upon your service, you might be limited only to other subscribers to the service, or you may be able to call any phone number, anywhere in the world. The call can be made to a local number, a mobile phone, to a long distance number, or an international number. You may even utilize the service to speak with more than one person at a time. The person you are calling does not need any special equipment, just a phone.

What Are Some Advantages of Internet Voice? Because VoIP is digital, it may offer features and services that are not available with a traditional phone. If you have a broadband internet connection, you need not maintain and pay the additional cost for a line just to make telephone calls.

With many VoIP plans you can talk for as long as you want with any person in the world (the requirement is that the other person has an Internet connection). You can also talk with many people at the same time without any additional cost.

What Are Some disadvantages of Internet Voice? If you're considering replacing your traditional telephone service with VoIP, there are some possible differences:

-Some VoIP services don't work during power outages and the service provider may not offer backup power. -Not all VoIP services connect directly to emergency services through 9-1-1.

-VoIP providers may or may not offer directory assistance/white page listings.

Can I use my Computer While I talk on the Phone? Yes

Can I Take My Phone Adapter with me When I Travel? You may be able to use your VoIP service wherever you travel as long as you have a high speed Internet connection available. In that case it would work the same as from your home or business.

Does my Computer Have to be Turned on? Not if you are making calls with a phone and adaptor or special VoIP phone, but your broadband Internet connection needs to be active. You can also use your computer while talking on the phone.

How Do I Know If I have a VoIP phone Call? It will ring like any other call.

Does the FCC Regulate VoIP? The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has worked to create an environment promoting competition and innovation to benefit consumers. Historically, the FCC has not regulated the Internet or the services provided over it. On February 12, 2004, the FCC found that an entirely Internet-based VoIP service was an unregulated information service. On the same day, the FCC began a broader proceeding to examine what its' role should be in this new environment of increased consumer choice and what it can best do to meet its role of safeguarding the public interest.

Summary VOIP stands for Voice over Internet Protocol, and is rapidly overtaking the traditional Voice Market. Several years ago, when most Internet Connections were Dial-Up, this technology didn't stand a chance against established phone services. However, with the High-Speed wired and wireless networks available today, this disruptive technology is recognized and opens up many new opportunities.

David Cowgill is the founder of the VoIP Blog: Voice over IP News ( http://www.aboutvoip.org ).

VoIP Phone Systems

VoIP phone systems are 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, sometimes completely free and has incredible features. VoIP phone systems are a viable solution for business needs as well. This will also allow long distance calls for either free or for just pennies compared to traditional phone services.

You can also use VoIP technology by using Instant Messaging services that have voice options enabled. These include, AOL, Yahoo Messenger with VoiceInstant Messenger, Ebay's Skype, MSN and even Google has started their own VoIP messenger.

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 may also need a phone adapter for converting standard telephones into VoIP phones, or a VoIP phone.

VoIP phone system 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 speaker phone, Call Waiting, Hold, Speed Dial, Transfer, and programmable keys such as Menu, Dial, Volume, Transfer, Cancel, and Headset or Speaker mode.

New 2 line VoIP corded telephone are also available. Some of the features that come with a phone include 3 Way Conferencing, phone to phone/PC or phone to gateway direct dial. These VoIP phone systems are perfect for small businesses or for use in the home office.

VoWiFi is another option which is becoming popular. 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.

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 systems. These phones are similar to cordless standard phones. They will work in your house, but not outside, apart from your basic VoIP service.

Issues with network connectivity has driven the need for Hybrid VoIP phone systems. 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.

In conclusion, 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. Today you can choose from VoIP phones, headsets, and even VoIP videophones that work as a web camera incorporating video with your audio. Talk has become very cheap or even free with VoIP phone systems!

Mike Rohan makes it easy to understand and take full advantage VoIP phone system.Make your phone cheaper or even free. To learn more visit: VoIP Phone Systems

CallWave service: VoIP application

Are you a dial-up Internet user like me? If so, I bet you have the same experience as me: missing important calls while online, cannot afford or feel too expensive to take another extra phone lines and needs to go thru all the hassles plugging and unplugging the phone line every time you wish to go online.

Fortunately, there are various vendors in the market that offer call alert service to get rid of this kind of problem. Like your everyday Instant Messenger program, Internet call waiting can track when you're online. When you are online, the computer answering machine does its thing, immediately replaying messages for you while you're online. Among all the Internet call alert services that I tried so far, CallWave is the one that I like the most. It's well value the money in my opinion and definitely worth for a try, as their trial version required zero cost to go with.

What CallWave says about their offers:
-- NEVER miss a call while you are online with no extra phone line cost
-- Internet answering machine: answers your incoming calls from your PC
-- Calls redirect to your mobile and fixed line
-- Check callers id and block undesired numbers
-- Free private fax number for CallWave fax
-- Send faxes thru email with CallWave fax

Things I like about CallWave

Caller's ID and calls blocking

Besides all the common functions that an Internet call alert service should has, what I like the most about the CallWave is the fact that I can decide to take or not to take a call when it comes in. This is how it works: The Callwave download appears on your computer as a small box with options. You will be able to navigate the tool bar to see the Caller ID for the calls that come in, you're able to save messages or hear them and you can have the option of disconnecting and having the service callback the person who tried to call you. It gives you the ability to block undesired calls as well in the same interface - this is extremely useful when you have a some undesired calls form those telemarketers that keep on calling up you to promote their latest *bargains*.

Bye-bye to answering machine

In addition of telemarketing blocking, CallWave also has the ability to divert calls to your mobiles or other fixed line. This in turns can save up your money where you do not need a phone answering anymore.

Quality after sales services

The online customer supports and after sales services is good. Reach them 24-7 whenever you are facing difficulties in using your CallWave. I am sure you'll be amaze on the support crew's politeness.

CallWave Fax

CallWave provides more than just call alert services. CallWave fax is something you would not want to miss. You can send out email faxes with CallWave fax services and save up the extra cost for your fax machine. It might be not so useful for home users like me but its definitely an A++ additional service that small business owners do not want to miss.

Things I DON'T like about CallWave

Pop up ads

From time to time, CallWave will pop up a few ads on your PC. This is sometimes extremely irritating as it works like a Trojan file embedded in my system.

Subscription fees!

Basic CallWave package is cheap (Approximately $3/month) but advance CallWave package is quite costly for home users like me. To enable the functions of telemarketing blocking needs the $10/month package. Although its still cheaper than the cost of an extra phone line, but I still wish badly they can lower their price for a dollar or two as I am using it on a long term basis. However, since there's no other cheaper products that I am satisfy with, CallWave is still the call alert services installed on my PC

Wrapping things up, CallWave might be suitable for you or it might be not suitable for you at all. But since trying up CallWave is free, I believe it's no harm to try it out. For your information, setting up the CallWave free trial is instant and it doesn't need your credit card information - so, why not get yourself a chance on this call alert software? To read more about CallWave products demo, I strongly recommend this site:Review CallWave (Call Wave) call alert services.

The author, Claudia Walters, is one of the expert writter in office tools and VOIP technologies. View her latest writting assignments on internet answering machine at www.MyCallWave.com. Learn how you can avoid missing calls while online with Call Wave services and save up the cost for an extra phone line.

VOIP: There Is No Point In Waiting To Buy Anymore

If you've been considering getting VOIP access, there really is no reason not to. The technology has advanced greatly in the last few years, and it's ready for prime time. You can actually get more features for less money with most VOIP deals, so make no mistake about the great advantages that VOIP offers to savvy consumers. As a matter of fact, VOIP is no longer being sold as being a cheaper product, but clearly it's being positioned as a cheaper and better product. The words cheaper and better have spelled doom for the tradional telecom industry.

To force an inherent change in how people live, a product must be sold on a mass scale. VOIP has now achieved a mass scale of distribution. Cable companies, which are the leading backbone providers of broadband access, are now selling over half of the VOIP lines being installed. With the marketing clout of these large corporations behind them, a new generation of VOIP evangelists have helped forge a market of immense size. With the amount of people working for these entities, the speed of product improvement is coming even faster. Each day, new modules and add-ons are introduced which extend the basic functionality of the phones.

Is VOIP difficult to install? Not at all. Part of the rollout of VOIP has been the easy to install nature of it. You can have a VOIP connection running in under a half hour, even if you're not technically inclined. Sure, it's more complicated than an analog phone, but it can do a lot more too! If you're able to read a few instructions and plug in a few items, you will have no problem installing a VOIP phone. Learning about the features may take some more time, but it depends on what you're trying to accomplish.

Google Inc is leading the way into VOIP with a number of innovative products geared for VOIP. Google sees the opportunity in the genre, and it's no wonder why: VOIP subscribers tend to be upscale and tech-savvy. Google, who has stated that their corporate mission is to "organize the World's information", is on a mission to help spread the utilization of broadband utilities like VOIP, with the secondary goal of pushing the prices down in the process. As you can see in the last few years, prices have dropped impressively on computers, handhelds, and broadband. At some point in the future, use of all of these products will be virtually free, but ubiquitous.

If you've been putting off purchasing VOIP, I at least urge you to re-consider your decision. Open up your mind to the possibilities that exist using VOIP and shop a few plans against your current telecom account. I'm almost sure that you'll find the answer is "YES" to buying VOIP very soon. Good luck with whatever decision you make.

Please visit the VOIP Information Page to learn more about VOIP and related technology.

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

VOIP - The Phone Service for your Internet

VOIP - The Phone Service for your Internet

What is it?

VOIP stands for Voice Over Internet Protocol. This means your voice will get sent across the Internet instead of through the traditional telephone circuit network.

The biggest question you may have is why should I consider VOIP service over traditional phone service?

This is the question I first had when considering VOIP as well. I found the advantages of VOIP far outweigh that of the traditional phone system. Among these advantages are significant cost savings, unlimited talking over both local and long distance, the ability to select any area code you want, and the huge amount of features available.

Cost Savings

The low-cost was my main reason for moving from the tradition phone system to VOIP. You can pay one low monthly fee and get all the features and advantages associated with Internet phone service. There are not near as many taxes and fees associate with VOIP phone service as there are with tradition phone providers. There are no surprises because you know your monthly rate.

Unlimited Minutes

Another huge advantage of VOIP is unlimited talking minutes for both local and long distance for one low fee. You could be in California and speak to someone in New York at anytime of day for as long as you want to without having to worry about per minute charges.

Portability

VOIP is a very portable service. It can be used permanently at home, or you can bring it with you while you travel. All you need is access to a high speed Internet connection. You can select any area code you wish to have your phone service through. This means you could have relatives a significant distance away whom you talk to quite often and you don't have to make them call long distance. This service benefited me very much while I was in college in Colorado and talking with my friends and parents in Michigan.

Features

Most of the extra features on traditional phone service lines can cost quite a bit of money. These features are now included as part of your normal rates with VOIP. These included features can include voicemail, caller id, call waiting, call forwarding, 3-way calling, and many, many more. I regularly receive voice messages and they are sent to my email as a sound attachment! I love the convenience.

Other Information

VOIP has so many advantages, but as with everything, there are potential downsides. The technology used by VOIP requires a high speed Internet connection such as DSL or Cable to function properly. There is plenty of bandwidth in DSL and Cable Internet services for VOIP to function properly, but dialup just doesn't provide the bandwidth necessary.

Learn about DSL, Cable, and VOIP technologies at

VoIP Phone Reviews

VoIP is the fastest growing internet communication service. With features and services not normally found in traditional landlines, it is fast becoming the number one choice of people.

At first, people have been skeptical to use VoIP but soon found out the effectiveness and convenience of VoIP.

VoIP phones are now changing people's perspective on the use of telephone. If you want a phone, it can be a good choice.

VoIP offers standard features that regular landline phones often charges extra. For instance, free or low cost long distance calls are often not available in regular landlines. This is because VoIP uses the internet to make a call. Since the internet offers free information, and fast communication, VoIP phones take advantage of this feature to transmit the calls free.

With a VoIP phone, you can take your personal number wherever you are. You can make and receive phone calls from your number even if you are traveling as long as there is an active internet connection to where you are going.

There are many VoIP broadband phone provider in the market today, choosing the right one would be very beneficial for your business or personal for your use.

Here are some of the things you should look for when choosing VoIP service providers:

Audio Quality Recent advancement in technology allows better sound quality with reduced noise. This means that a VoIP service provider should have excellent audio quality when making calls. If you experience lags or delays in your phone calls, you should think twice before subscribing to the company another time.

Little or no delay transmission is needed for your voice to reach the person you are calling. A one-second delay can mean the difference of making a simple answer of "yes" or "no". Remember that voice delays can mean misunderstanding, and precise answers are extremely important in businesses.

Reliability Imagine making an important business deal or talking to your family and friends and your call is suddenly cut off. This is a bad sign that your service provider is not making sure that you get your money's worth.

Get a VoIP service provider that offers maximum reliability and free try out periods to ensure you that they give the best service to their subscribers. Although cheap rates are attractive, try their services first before committing.

Customer Service VoIP service providers should offer customer support 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. This can help you if you ever have problems using VoIP.

The customer assistance service should be quick and take care of their subscribers immediately after making the call. Know if the VoIP service providers you are planning on subscribing have customer assistance. Customer service can be found in the VoIP service providers or by calling them.

Features VoIP service providers should offer standard features like; free long distance calls, emails, fax, web conferencing, and videophone and others for no extra fee at all. Still quite a few VoIP service providers out there charge for these extra features. Get a VoIP service provider that offers maximum standard features free.

Price VoIP is supposed to be free or cheap. Get a VoIP service provider that offer free long distance and low monthly payments. Make sure that not only it should be cheap but also offers quality service. Most providers offer trial periods, use this to determine if it is worth spending you hard earned cash.

However convenient it might be to own a VoIP phone, there are still drawbacks for it. For example, you should have a high-speed internet connected.

Since VoIP phones depends on your internet connection, this means that disconnected internet, no VoIP service. Slow internet connection is also a factor. With slow internet connection, expect audio delays.

It is wise that before getting a VoIP phone, you should determine that the internet connection in your area is broadband and reliable.

Here are some of the top VoIP service providers:

Vonage Sunrocket VoIP.net Time Warner Cable Packet8

If the following companies do not cover your area, you can always find VoIP providers in your area. Just make sure they offer quality services and choose one used by your family and friends so you can call them free, wherever they are.

Bob Hett has extensively covered the VoIP Service Provider industry as an analyst and has researched the various companies for factors based on price, reliability, support and overall quality. Learn more at VoIP Phones

VOIP against the traditional phone services

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 .

VOIP offers you:
Lower costs per call, especially for long-distance calls VOIP can reduce international call tolls by as much as 40%. You can talk with many people at the same time without any additional cost. The call can be made to a local number, a mobile phone, to a long distance number or an international number - without any additional cost. You can also use services that are not available with a traditional phone - you can send data, like pictures and documents while talking on the phone. As long as you have access to a broadband connection you don't need to pay for roaming or long distance charges wherever you travel. That's why the VOIP is very important in business. You have also ability to receive internet phone calls anywhere you are, as long as you are accessible to the internet. One of the various advantages is that many services such as caller id, call forwarding, call waiting, three way calling, and voice mail features often come standard with most VOIP plans. Unfortunately I have to report some problem with the integration between VoIP system and Internet. The main problem is as you can imagine voice data communication must be a real time stream (you couldn't speak, wait for many seconds, then hear other side answering) - the risks involved with poor internet connections, lost signals, and dropped data packets. Below are listed of some other problems of using VOIP:

1. Not all VoIP services connect directly to emergency services.

2. The risks involved with poor internet connections, lost signals, and dropped data packets.

3. It only works if your computer is switched on and the VOIP software is running.

4. The other person with whom you are trying to communicate with has to get the same program loaded and running on his computer.

5. Poor quality of the sound- phone calls often have lot of delay with lot of echo.

6. To get lower bandwidth you need additional processing power that makes digital phones more expensive than analog phones.

7. You must have a DSL router or a second computer set up to run a second phone line. With traditional phone services, a phone jack is in almost every room.

Today we can see a real revolution in communication world.. That technology has the potential to completely rework the world's phone systems because the internet has grown very much in the last years and it is free that's why could be the right communication media for future. It may be the right solution but it may not be suitable for everyone.

Tom Pisarski is the founder of Voip Forums and Voip Directory.

What you MUST know about VOIP

VoIP (Voice over internet protocol) represents the next generation of Phone services. The VoIP technology uses a high speed internet connection (such as DSL or cable) rather than a traditional phone line, for the transmission of voice signals. The use of this technology costs significantly less than the use of traditional phone lines. Think of it as having to send a document to someone by fax versus sending the same document by e-mail. Which option is cheaper? The cost of faxing a document depends on where you're faxing it to and how many pages you're faxing (and therefore how long you'll use the phone line). E-mailing the document costs the same thing regardless of where you're e-mailing it to and how many pages you're e-mailing. The same applies to VOIP.

There are several providers currently offering VOIP phone services such as Vonage, lingo and packet8 among others. The calling plans range in price from $10 to $30 a month. Most have unlimited long distance calling and free features such as call waiting, caller ID, voicemail, etc without additional costs. The cost advantage of VOIP is such that traditional phone providers such as Verizon and AT&T have already begun to offer VOIP phone services which also cost significant less than their regular plans. Therefore, the VolP technology is set to bring lower prices and improved services to the consumer as a result of more competition.

There are generally three kinds of VOIP calling: 1)_ATA (Analog telephone adaptors): your phone is plugged into special router which is in turn connected to the internet. This router converts analog signals from your phone into digital packets of data which can then be sent through a high speed internet connection. If the person you're calling also has VOIP, these packets of data travel exclusively through the internet all the way to the other side of the line. If you're calling a regular phone, then a part of the journey must be made through regular phone lines. That's why there is a cost involved. It is this kind of VOIP that providers such as Vonage, lingo, packet8 and others rely in order to provide their services. Because your "voice" travels mostly through the internet the cost of the calls is much lower, and therefore the calling plans are much cheaper.

2)_IP(internet protocol) phones: these phones look exactly like standard phones, but instead of connecting to a normal phone cable, they connect to an Ethernet cable which in turn plugs directly into your router or broadband modem. This way the conversion of your voice into digital packets of data happens inside the phone, rather than in a VOIP router.

3)_ Computer to computer: this is currently the most popular kind of VOIP calling. Computer programs such as Skype, allow you to talk to anyone anywhere in the world for free! All that is needed is a microphone and a speaker on each of the computers. Since this technology uses exclusively the internet connection to get from one end of the line to the other, there is no cost for the user. It's like exchanging e-mails messages, except that packets of data containing voice rather than words are traveling through the internet. For a small fee, these programs also allow you to make calls to regular phones

One good feature of VOIP is that you're not tied to a particular area code. Suppose you live in New York but most of your friends and family live in Los Angeles. You could choose to have an area code from Los Angeles added to your phone, so that all the calls that originate in LA count as local calls rather than long distance calls. That way, your friends and family pay only for a local call even though they're calling you from across the country.

For more information about VOIP and tips on choosing a VOIP provider visit http://www.voip-basics.info

About the author: Lucas Velloso enjoys writing about VOIP. Visit http://www.voip-basics.info where you'll find everything you need to know about VOIP

How You Can Save Money With VoIP

VoIP or Voice over Internet Protocol is the technology used by Internet Telephones to transmit voice or audio files over the Internet. Using the Packet Switching Network does this; your voice is transmitted over the Internet and then received by either a computer, internet phone, or standard telephone. This is in contrast to the Circuit Switching networks that are used for the Public Switched Telephone Network (the standard telephone system) that people have been using for almost 100 years.

There are lots of advantages to be gained by using VoIP instead of PSTN primarily the fact that VoIP is considerably less expensive than other networks. In fact a lot of Instant Messaging programs are now including the technology for VoIP and are providing free calls to anyplace in the world. The only requirement is that the other user has a computer, high speed Internet, speakers, a microphone, and the same Instant Messaging program so that the call is handled entirely over the Internet.

To lots of people this opportunity to talk with friends and loved ones worldwide, without time limits, absolutely free of charge is a fantastic money saver. Now that Skype version 2 have introduced the ability to have a video connect as well, the video telephone is now here and it is free to use.

Many users adore VoIP because of its ability to integrate telecommunication services such as Email, Audio, Video, and Web applications into one program. This again is best shown by the Instant Messaging programs, while talking on a VoIP telephone service, users can continue to surf the web, read and write email, and also send video with their web cameras or digital cameras. All of this is made feasible by the power of the Internet.

This develpment offers amazing advantages for businesses as well as the personal user.

Internet telephones are starting to achieve a reputation as a replacement for the old style PSTN network. In fact, several PSTN networks are starting to recognize the value of VoIP and have started offering VoIP plans to their customers. Sprint, Verizon, and Cingular wireless are all including VoIP services. Over the next few years we will see a enormous increase of VoIP services and products.

VoIP telephone service providers are increasing in popularity as well, as more and more people realize all of the benefits available to them by switching to VoIP. First, that VoIP costs significantly less than standard telephone service, and this is a great attraction for new customers. Many VoIP service plans will let you make unlimited long distance calls or supply you with a plan for very inexpensive rates and of course if you are working over the Internet with no connection to a PSTN network then the call is completely free.

Also people are discovering that they prefer a VoIP service plan compared to a standard telephone plan for numerous reasons.

First, many of the additional services that you have to pay for with standard phone companies are typically free with a VoIP unlimited long distance and local calling plan.

These services include Voice Mail, Call Waiting, Caller ID, Call Blocking, Call Forwarding and Call Transfer. Obviously you will need to confirm with individual VoIP service providers the exact listing of detailed services and features offered.

Again, long distance calls are usually unlimited check with the service provider you are thinking of using to find out which countries you may call for either free or at significantly lower rates. There are presently no tax fees involved with VoIP services and no roaming charges when using mobile VoIP Wireless as well.

Businesses have found that they can eliminate extensive telephone cabling networks from their offices and replace them with VoIP and High Speed Internet connection. Many businesses prefer transacting their audio over the Internet for a mass of reasons. First, it is cost effective, second it provides superior flexibility and freedom, and third businesses can integrate their audio, video, Email, and Web applications and increase productivity and enhance their customer service all while saving money.

One benefit that may not be so popular with the general public is that Call centers have started to utilize VoIP and are now establishing virtual call centers worldwide. This gives them the ability to outsource to other countries, saving them money, and allows them the freedom to hire personnel in different time zones. In return this creates virtual call centers equipped with agents who can work 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year so now they can call us 24/7/365!

VoIP has allowed working practice flexibility to rise because employees can exploit features such as Interactive Voice Response and Desktop Telephony Integration. Mobile employees can also benefit from VoIP services as VoIP is applicable wherever that there is a High Speed Internet connection or Wireless Hot Spot.

By allowing greater flexibility of working better integration with other computer programs, low cost connections to the traditional telephone system and free connections over the Internet, VoIP is allowing Internet Telephones to give huge savings and increased benefits to both the personal and business user.

For all the latest news and information about Internet Phones and VoIP check with www.internetphonecenter.info

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Considerations For A VoIP Service Provider

VoIP, or Voice over Internet Protocol, is poised to take the telephone industry by storm. It works by using the Internet to direct telephone calls, rather than land-based cable lines that are used with traditional telephone. Among the advantages are better affordability and greater functionality. Extra services that cost a great deal more with traditional telephone companies are often included in standard VoIP service, such as caller ID, call waiting, and conference calling. In addition, other features can be used along with VoIP, such as video conferencing and email forwarding to your phone. Because of the boom in VoIP, there are getting to be many VoIP service providers out there. It is important to look at all the options and research each provider before signing up with one.

Some of the things that you should look for in a VoIP service provider include pricing, features offered, and guarantees. The costs for VoIP are traditionally lower than with land-based telephone service, but the prices can still vary depending on the options you choose and the service provider you go with. Usually, pricing starts at around $19.95 for unlimited calling packages. It can go as high as $59.95, though. It is important to remember that while long distance is included in the package price that often does not include international calling to some countries.

The features available from VoIP service providers are quite impressive, and the technology can be used for your home telephone service, as well as business service because of the interactive features offered. What features are offered it dependent on the VoIP service provider, and that is why it is important to explore the options before making a choice so that you get exactly what you want and need. Comparing the features is just as important as comparing the monthly costs.

One advantage to VoIP over traditional telephone service is that you can often transfer your current phone number to your new service. This is not the case with every VoIP service provider, however. Again, check into this if it is an important factor in your decision. The easiest way to keep your current phone number is to use high-speed Internet service through your cable company, rather than a DSL line. The DSL line requires a phone line, which will force you to keep a land-based phone line for your Internet service.

In the event of an emergency in your home, you want to be able to call 911 for assistance. Many VoIP service providers do offer some form of 911 services, but some do not. This is important information to know for future reference.

A final item to check when you are researching each VoIP service provider is the guarantee they offer their customers. It is customary for providers to offer 100% money back guarantees in the event of customer dissatisfaction. You will need to inquire about the specifics of each guarantee with the applicable providers.

The best way to get information on a VoIP service provider is by doing research. Looking at provider websites online is a great way to get basic information. You might also want to call each provider to speak to a representative, that way you can get a real feel for their customer service and willingness to assist customers. And, try to talk to another VoIP customer. Getting a first hand account of the experience of using this new technology will help you decide whether you want to use it or not, as well as help you gather information about the best VoIP service providers out there right now. Taking advantage if VoIP technology can be an interesting, easy, and cost saving endeavor.

Learn the essential information for picking the right voip service provider at Voip Service Provider