Voice Over IP
ITelNet’s Voice Over IP Products and Services
Voice Over IP could quite possibly be the future of line-based phone calls. And iTelNet is a world leader in providing low cost voice over IP products and services to its customers. Whether you need just a few voice over IP phones for a home based business, or you want to convert a large office entirely to voice over IP service, iTelNet can explain the best options for you at the lowest price.
We have sales people experienced in Voice Over IP products and services ready to answer your questions. So
click here to email
us, or give us a ring toll free at 1-800-677-0836.
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What is Voice Over IP?
VOIP, Voice Over IP, or Voice over Internet Protocol, is the transmission of voice data over IP-based computer networks. Even though voice over IP is only now beginning to emerge as the successor to copper wire phone lines, the technology is not new. It originated in the early 1970s as part of Department of Defense research.
Internet Protocol, or IP, is the most common system used to transmit data. It works by breaking data up into small pieces called packets. Each packet includes a header, which specifies where the data came from and where it’s going.
In a voice over IP phone, the data is forwarded across the Internet by routers, which act as check points. Routers look for the most open road at that given moment to the destination point. The packets will pass through several checkpoints, or hops. Once the packets all arrive at the intended destination, they are pieced back together.
With IP technology reaching nearly every computer in the world, it makes sense to use that infrastructure for voice over IP service telephony because it enables you to call anyone who has a working telephone number, regardless of where they are on earth.
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How does Voice Over IP work?
Voice Over IP telephony works by turning speech into a digital signal which travels the Internet via the IP protocol, meaning in packets of data. If a traditional analog phone is called, the digital signal is converted to an electrical signal it can be translated by the phone receiver.
Voice Over IP also uses Real-Time Transport Protocol. RTP makes sure that when the data packets arrive, the information in them is reconstructed in the most efficient manner possible. RTP also can detect lost packets and compensate for them and adjust for variations in bandwidth. RTP is the telecom version of a touch-up artist or finishing carpenter who smoothes out the rough edges and makes sure the end product meet quality expectations.
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How do I make a Voice Over IP phone call?
There are three ways to use Voice Over IP telephony. The first is to buy an analog telephone adaptor, or ATA and attach your landline phone to it instead of into the telephone wall jack. The ATA converts the signals of the
analog lines, the electrical impulses sent by the phone receiver, and turns them into digital signals so that they can travel across the
fiber ring. Once connected, you dial it like a regular phone. Be aware that depending on your service provider, you may or may not hear a dial tone. To receive a call placed via a Voice Over IP service, you do not need any additional equipment.
The second option is to use a computer to make your phone call. The first thing needed is a broadband connection such as
small business DSL or high speed cable. You will also need special software (such as the kind supplied by
Skype) and a headset. Currently, there is usually not an additional fee for computer to computer calling.
The last option is to use an Voice Over IP phone, which iTelNet provides. Instead of having a regular telephone connector that plugs into a wall jack, Voice Over IP phones have an Ethernet connection. You can also buy
business WiFi enabled
voice over IP phones.
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Are all Voice Over IP services the same?
No. Most Voice Over IP software like Skype is proprietary, meaning somebody owns the copyright. While the software itself is free to download, if you want to call phones not on the Skype network, it will involve a fee. That is true with most services using Voice Over IP including MSN and Yahoo.
Currently there is no standard for VoIP phone plans. Some services only allow calls to devices using the same network; others let you call anyone, anywhere. However, most traditional phone carriers use IP based phone packets to send all of there phone calls. Therefore, we already use Voice Over IP and most people don’t even know it!
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Advantages of Voice Over IP Service
The two primary advantages to using a Voice Over IP service are lower cost and higher functionality.
International calls using Voice Over IP technology are a fraction of the cost charged by traditional telecom rate plans, which usually charge by the minute. Voice Over IP phones also offer portability, so they can be used when traveling in lieu of hotel phones or racking up call-phone roaming charges.
Voice Over IP services offer consumers Internet-based functionality traditional phone technology can’t. For example, voice mails can be sent as email attachments and listened to on your computer. Voice Over IP service is portable. Incoming calls are sent to your Voice Over IP phone regardless of where you plug in. Regular phone calls only go to one location. True, you can use a forwarding function but that can only be programmed on the phone itself and cannot be done remotely on analog lines. And the only way to turn it off is manually once you get home. Voice Over IP services allow you to control your calls wherever you have an Internet connection. Additionally, caller ID and call waiting are included at no charge. Voice Over IP also allows for video conferencing,
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Disadvantages of Voice Over IP Service
The main problem with VoIP services is that they are vulnerable when there is a power outage because they rely on wall power, or your laptop’s battery power, and not all service providers guarantee backup power. So should a natural disaster occur, you may be unable to place a phone call. Likewise, not all Voice Over IP services are currently connected directly to 911. Less important but inconvenient is that not all Voice Over IP service providers offer directory assistance. Telecom technologists are currently working to solve each of these issues.
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The Cost of Voice Over IP Service
If you call computer to computer, the cost will probably be nothing. Voice Over IP service providers, Vonage was one of the first, usually charge around $30 for a basic plan that typically includes functions like call waiting and caller ID. As the number of services you require increase, the price will go up but still cost a fraction of traditional analog service.
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The Future... Voice Over IP
Few inventions have had as profound an impact on society as the telephone. The moment Alexander Graham Bell called for Mr. Watson to come help him, the era of mass communication truly began. The basic design and technology of the landline telephone is relatively simple and has not changed much over the last century and a half: the telephone receiver coverts the sounds waves of human speech into electrical impulses that travel at the speed of light through the telephone line which are then converted back to acoustic speech by the phone receiver on the other end and amplified by the speaker. The electricity for this process is provided by copper wires in the phone line.
Phone technology remained largely unchanged until the arrival of the business cell
phone which use a different transmittal platform. Cell phones are technically radios, just like mobile internet devices. They work by transmitting electrical pulses in the form of radio frequency to the nearest cell phone tower and from there the signal is directed to the main telephone exchange via the cell phone exchange switch.
Because it works with radio frequency, cell phone technology did not impact traditional telephones, which continued to use copper wire lines as a delivery system. Now after more than 100 years, the days of copper wire telephony are numbered. Enter Voice Over IP technology!
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To speak with an iTelNet representative about our voice over IP products, call us now at 1-800-677-0836. We also have
expandable phone systems if you would prefer to stick with normal land lines, so call us today to discuss your company’s phone and internet needs. |
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