What is VoIP?
VoIP, or Voice-Over-Internet Protocol, is literally a phone call
placed via an internet connection. VoIP has been a long time
coming and early internet phone calls were not that reliable and
a bit garbled. But they were free. Over the last decade, VoIP
has increasingly made its way into business and is now making
its way into more and more homes, as people find better, more
affordable ways to communicate with convenience.
An internet protocol is a way in which data is handled over
networks. It is typically a standard method for passing data
from one point to another point via network cable.
Voice-Over-Internet protocol is the method by which one's voice
is translated from an analog signal to digital 1s and 0s then
transported over broadband network connections, often still for
a fraction of the cost of long distance phone calls.
Advantages
According to many experts VoIP is expected to be the phone
protocol of choice for the future, alongside the ubiquitous
wireless calls. VoIP is flexible, and affordable. As long as one
has an internet connection, some free or inexpensive VoIP
software on their PC, and a microphone, VoIP is viable. It is a
simple communication method to setup. The major phone companies
already use the technology that makes VoIP possible. They must
move large bundles of long distance digital data known as packet
switching quickly and conveniently.
One of the most attractive advantages to VoIP is the ability to
receive internet phone calls anywhere you are, as long as you
are accessible to the internet. Like wireless technology, this
frees you from the constraints posed by a phone line connected
to a wall jack.
What You Need
There are a number of ways to currently use VoIP. The easiest
and least expensive by far is the PC-to-PC connection.
Requirements are a PC that is connected to the internet,
preferably with a cable or DSL connection; a microphone,
speakers, and VoIP software that can still be had inexpensively,
even free in many cases.
An increasingly popular method for VoIP is the use of the
proprietary VoIP phones that are becoming a standard for many
businesses. Companies such as IBM and Cisco Systems are well
known for their VoIP phone systems that are designed to become a
seamless addition to any large or small business network. Many
bundle video along with them making long-distance conferencing
effective and affordable for business.
Disadvantages
Currently, the disadvantages to
VoIP">http://www.voipweblog.com">VoIP are the reliability of
packet switching technology to seamlessly transport important
voice data streaming, real time conversations over the long haul
of network cable. Businesses that rely on such technology must
be willing to accept the risks involved with poor internet
connections, lost signals, and dropped data packets. The
internet as a real time communication tool is still in relative
infancy in comparison to the technology behind the analog
telephone system that has been in existence for well over a
century.
About the author:
Sara Chambers is a marketing consultant and an internet content
manager for
http://www.voipweblog.com">http://www.voipweblog.com">http://www.voipweblog.com
