For those who have never heard of the potential of VoIP, be prepared to radically change the way you think about your long distance calling’ VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol) is very simple, a simple method for taking analog audio signals and digital processor that can be sent over the Internet’
So what? Well, for those who already pay a monthly subscription to an Internet connection, this means you can use the same connection to place free long distance calls’ This process works with the already available VoIP software to make phone calls over the Internet, essentially circumventing phone companies and their services’
Interestingly, VoIP is not new’ In fact, a number of companies that have existed for some time’ But it was only the more recent explosion of high-speed Internet access to use, that VoIP has received no attention’ Now, the major phone operators are setting up their own VoIP calls through the United States, another testament to the potential of technology’
How does VoIP
Although there are a number of ways that VoIP is currently used, the majority of calls fall into one of three categories: ATA, IP telephony, and computer to computer’
ATA or analog telephone adapter, is the most common use of VoIP’ This adapter lets you connect the phone actually already in your home, your computer and your Internet connection’ What is the ATA is to turn the analog signals your phone sends a digital signal that can be sent over the Internet’ The implementation of this system is quite simple’ It merely requires that you order an ATA (adapter memory child), and connect the cable from your phone, which should normally go to the wall socket into the ATA and the ATA is connected to your computer that is connected to the Internet’ ATA include any software to be installed on your computer before its ready, but is basically quite simple’ Then you’re ready to make some calls’
The next type of VoIP phone use IP instead of using the phone at home’ The IP phone looks like a normal phone, with all the same buttons and cradle, the only difference is that instead of having a normal plug connector has an Ethernet connector’ This means that instead of the IP Connect your phone to the phone jack as you would with an analog phone, it connects directly to the router’
This option allows you to circumvent your personal computer and also means you do not have to install the software, because all of its built-in headset’ Moreover, the fact that the Wi-Fi IP phones will soon be available, allowing subscribing callers to make VoIP calls from any Wi-Fi Hot Spot, an option that this exciting possibility’
The simplest and cheapest is the use of VoIP calls through computer to computer’ These calls are entirely free, meaning no calling plan whatsoever’ The only option you need is a software that can be accessed free on the Internet, a good Internet connection, a microphone, speakers and a sound card’ Except for their monthly Internet service, there is literally no cost to make these calls, no matter how many do’
For large companies, VoIP also offers some unique capabilities’ Some large companies already using the technology by conducting all intra-Community calls through an office network VoIP’ Because the sound quality is comparable and in some cases higher than that of analog service, some international companies are using VoIP to route international calls through the branch of their company nearest the call destination, and then is a complete analog system’ This allows them to pay local taxes and international use the same intra-office VoIP network that if you call someone in the cockpit with more’
Other benefits of VoIP
If your long distance plan covering a single place, such as calls made from your office, with VoIP you can make a call anywhere that you can get a broadband connection’ This is because all three methods above, unlike analog calls, send the information via the Internet’ This means you can make calls from your home, vacation, business trip, and almost everywhere’ Wherever you go, with VoIP you can bring your phone with you’ In the same way from computer to computer connections mean that whenever you have your laptop and a connection, you are ready to go’
There are also some nifty benefits to which your calls transmitted over the Internet’ For example, some VoIP providers, you can check your voicemail via email, while others allow you to attach voice messages to your email’
Commentary VoIP Works
The current phone system based on a reliable but largely inefficient method for connecting calls known as circuit switching’ This technique, which has been used for over 100 years, means that when a call is made between two people, a connection is maintained in both directions between applicants for the duration of the call’ This dual directional characteristic gives the system the name circuit’
For example, if you made a call for 30 minutes in the circuit will be open continuously, and thus used, between two phones’ Until approximately 1960, meaning that each call must have a dedicated cable that connects the two phones’ Therefore, a long distance call cost much, since you paid for pieces of copper wire to be connected all the way from the phone to the target phone and the connection to remain constant throughout the appeal’
Today, however, your analog call is converted after leaving her home in a digital signal, if the resource can be combined with others into a single fiber optic cable’ Although this system is certainly an improvement on the last child of copper is still very inefficient’ This inefficiency is due in part to the telephone line can not distinguish between useful and useless to speak of silences’ For example, a typical conversation while one person is talking about the other person is listening’
Therefore, the current analog system uses roughly half its space sending useless messages like this silence’ But there is more, even to the pauses in the speech, which under a more efficient system can be reduced, rather than wasting the circuit space’ Conveys the idea of the sound bits of a telephone call and saving a lot of space on the circuit, is the basic package, the alternative method of circuit switched telephone system using VoIP’
Packet switching is the same method used when viewing a Web site’ For example, when you read this site, the team does not maintain a connection to the site, but rather making connections to send and receive information only when necessary (for example, clicking on a link)’ Since this system allows the transfer of information on the Internet, work fast, so does the VoIP system’ Switching circuits, while maintaining a constant and open connection open packet switched enough to send bits of data called packets from one computer to another’
This allows the network to send your call (in packets) along the least congested and cheapest lines available, keeping your computer or IP phone free to send and receive messages and calls to other computers’ This form of sending information, not to mention data compression, in fact, the amount of information to be transmitted for every call at least 3-4 times less than for the VoIP call to a conventional telephone system’ For this reason, VoIP is much cheaper than calls’
The future of VoIP
While most analysts believe it will take at least a decade before companies and telephone providers make the whole move to VoIP, the ability to use current technology is amazing’ A report from Forrester Research Group predicts that by the end of 2006, nearly 5 million households in the U’S’ using VoIP phone service’ With the savings and flexibility that the technology already offers, and just ahead of new developments on the horizon, we expect this number will only grow in the future’