VoIP VoIP Videos VoIP Phones, How It Works and How it can Benefit You With the advancement of communications technology, people are now able to communicate at a much reliable rate. Garbled conversation or delayed data transmission and reception are now considered as a thing of the past and state-of-the-art telecommunications technology are now being used to provide quality services for consumers all over the United States. Today, one of the most widely used tools for communication is the internet. Through the internet, you will be able to communicate with your loved ones or your business associates through email. The internet is also used for shopping, for conducting business and for sharing computer files. However, communication is the primary tool that the internet is used for. Because of this, another kind of communication tool is used and is now widely available for people today. In fact, many people are now getting this communication tool and are now replacing their conventional landline phones. This new kind of communication tool is called VoIP or Voice over Internet Protocol. VoIP offers the latest technology in communication. You may ask what's so great about VoIP that many people are now replacing their conventional landline phones with it. First of all, VoIP works just like your conventional landline phone. However, unlike conventional landline phone, VoIP uses the internet to transmit and receive audio data. This means that by using VoIP, the phone instantly converts your voice to digital data and transmits it over the internet. Because VoIP converts your voice to digital data and is transmitted over the internet, communication will be much faster and also much more reliable than other forms of telecommunications. Another thing about VoIP is that because it uses the internet for transmitting receiving digital data, calls are much cheaper than conventional landline calls. If you compare a 5 minute overseas call made between VoIP and a conventional landline phone, you will see that the call made from VoIP is much cheaper than the same call made using the conventional landline phone. These are some of the reasons why VoIP is now gaining a foothold in the communications industry. In fact, many people are now considering getting rid of their old conventional landline phones and subscribe with VoIP service providers. VoIP phones are also unique from conventional landline phones. VoIP phones are also called IP phones. Although it looks a lot like your conventional landline phone, it uses the RJ-45 connector instead of the RJ-11 that conventional phones use. The RJ-45 connector is what you use in your Ethernet. With this connector, it can be connected to your computer with an active internet connection or connected directly to your internet connection. The IP phone is also integrated with a power plug to plug it in your power outlet to provide electricity. Another way to get a VoIP phone is through the ATA. With this kind of tool, you will be able to convert your analog phone into an IP phone. The ATA stands for Analog Telephone Adapter. This particular tool is an analog-to-digital converter and is connected to the router which provides the internet connection. Your computer can also be a VoIP phone. All you need to do is purchase a low-cost software program or download it for free over the internet, a microphone and a speaker to communicate. As you can see, there are a lot of ways you can get a VoIP phone in your house. You have to consider that you should have an existing high speed internet connection in order to effectively use VoIP. It is important that you should have an active high speed connection because VoIP relies on high speed internet to efficiently transmit and receive digital data. One downfall of VoIP is that it is dependent on outside power for it to work. Unlike your conventional phone line that has an independent power supply inside the telephone lines, VoIP phones will not work in case of power failure or a black out. However, if you can live with this kind of disadvantage, and you still want to have access to free or low-cost long distance and overseas calls, you should consider getting VoIP or hosted VoIP services. In the future, you will also be able to see wireless IP phones that will soon come out of the market. If you are in a hotspot Wi-Fi signal, you will be able to place a call just like what you would do in a mobile phone. VoIP is definitely one of best kind of communication tools ever developed. The Benefits of Having a Residential Voip Your application for a job overseas has been approved. You and your family are celebrating, and after a few days you're on your way to earning a good sum of money. You're just one of the many people looking for a good fortune in a place you're not even familiar with; and to think that you have to bear with the loneliness of being away from your family. In this particular situation, the telephone is your best friend. It's the easiest way to get in touch with your family. But sometimes, making too many calls can get very expensive. And so you try to cut back in your calling costs. And this means that you have to call your family fewer times. But there is no need to be lonely; VoIP can answer your problem. Voice over Internet protocol will allow you to make calls to your family free if both of you have PCs. Almost every household have personal computers, and so it is much easier to get an internet connection. If you want to make VoIP calls, you should have a high-speed internet connection; go for cable or DSL. This will allow you to receive calls fast and clear. The main reason why many people want to have VoIP in the residential homes is because of the cost. Compared to land-based phone connections, VoIP is relatively cheaper. And not only that, there are other features being offered that landline phones can't provide. Using VoIP is not that complicated, and it's just like a traditional phone. The main difference lies in the cost which many people enjoy. VoIP is not only for commercial purposes, but also for residential. Residential VoIP offers different rates as compared to commercial VoIP. You can check out the internet for a list of residential VoIP providers. They cater to the residential calling market or home-based office business. They usually sell or provide an adaptor box (ATA). The ATA hooks between a broadband connection and a telephone. Before using VoIP, you must familiarize yourself first with the language and terms that concerns the use of VoIP. This makes it easier for you understand how it works. In using traditional phones, it usually entails additional fee charges on your monthly bill. But with VoIP, you can make or receive calls with almost the same quality and reliability without the added fees. Most land-based phone companies have hidden charges that increase your monthly bills. With VoIP, you can ask the provider about their different packages to fit your budget and your needs. Some providers offer unlimited local calling or long distance calls, and other perks like voicemail, e911, call waiting, caller ID, 3-way calling, call forwarding, etc. You can't get all these services if you have a regular phone at home. You have to evaluate first all your needs, including the budget. And that is the only time for you to look for the right VoIP provider on the net. You can even ask your friends and officemates if they know of an excellent VoIP provider. With all the advantages that VoIP has to offer, you should also be aware that there are also some drawbacks in using VoIP. A typical example is when you want to use your fax machine. VoIP is not compatible with fax machines so you can't use the two together. Another problem with VoIP is when there's a blackout. If you don't have any generators or battery backups, you can't make or receive a call. If you think that the advantages outweigh the disadvantages, then it's probably time to get a VoIP. If you live and work abroad away from your family, it's good to have a broadband connection in both your homes. This way, you can keep in touch with your family more often for less cost. VoIP calls can also be made from your personal computer to regular phones or a cellular phone, but it all depends on what you and your provider agreed upon. But it usually comes with an extra fee, but if you try to compare it with your current landline fees, it's still a lot cheaper. Do you want a residential VoIP? Get one now, and enjoy making international calls together with your family and friends. How VoIP Broadband Phone Works The VoIP broadband phone technology uses the packet switching abilities of the Internet in providing phone services. Compared to circuit switching, VoIP has provided several advantages. In packet switching, several phone calls can occupy the same number of space which is only occupied by one phone call in circuit-switched networks. Take for instance, if you are making a 10-minute call from PSTN, it would also consumed a full ten minutes transmission time with 128kbps rate. But with VoIP, a 10-minute call is equivalent only to a 3.5 minutes transmission time with a 64 kbps rate. Therefore it allows you to extend your call time to another 3.5 minutes to consume the entire 128 kbps or accept other calls at the same time. This estimate reveals that 3 or 4 calls can still fit in the remaining spaces utilized by one call in the traditional system. The data compression can reduce further the size of every call. Packet switching incorporated to VoIP works in this manner: 1. ATA accepts the signals send by the receiver after the user picked it up to answer. ATA is the most common and simplest way of service using the Analog Telephone Adaptor device which converts analog signals to digital signals. It allows standard phone connection to your computer or internet connection for VoIP use. The converted analog signals are transmitted on the internet. 2. Dial tones will then be sent by ATA to let the person know that there is an internet connection. 3. The person can now dial the telephone number of another party he/she wants to talk with. The ATA will convert the tones to digital data and store it temporarily. 4. The telephone number is sent to the call processor of the VoIP Company as a request form to ensure that the format of the data is valid. 5. Call processor will determine the person whom the person is calling. This is a hardware piece capable of running a mapping or database program (soft switch). Soft switches know the network endpoints, phone numbers associated with the endpoints, and current assigned IP addresses on those endpoints. Soft switches contain the user's database and phone numbers. If ever it does not have the needed information, the request is handed over to several soft switches until the answers to the request are found. Once the user is found, the soft switch also locates the device latest IP address similar to the requests. This relevant information will be sent back to the IP phone or softphone allowing data exchange among two endpoints. The translation of phone numbers to IP addresses happens through a soft switch which connects two devices on either way. So, if one end is doing the call, the signal is sent to another end through ATA making the telephone ring. Soft switches should work in tandem with the network devices in making VoIP possible. 6. If the person picks up the receiver to answer, then the sessions between the two computers is established. Each system will know that data packets from other system are expected to arrive. The typical Internet infrastructure will handle the call like e-mails or web pages. However, the protocols used by both systems must be the same for them to communicate. Two channels is implemented, one for the direction and the other is for the session. 7. There is an allocated time for conversation wherein packet transmission occurs between the two computers. These packets are translated by ATA into digital signals after receiving it and then convert it again into audio analog signal to be heard. The ATA also keeps an open circuit between itself and the analog phone as it forwards the packets to IP hosts on another end. 8. The receiver will hang up when the conversation is finished. This will close the circuit between the ATA and the phone. 9. The soft switch will receive a signal from the ATA informing it to terminate the session. Packet switching let the data networks understands how technology works. The abilities of how computer communicates are immediately gained by telephone networks. Compared to any other emerging technology, VoIP has provided essential advantages and most developers will still keep on refining it until it replaces the existing phone systems worldwide. VoIP Service Provider, What to Look For? The telephone is what people consider as a necessity in their everyday lives. Homes and businesses alike take advantage of this tool to communicate. In homes, you use it to keep in touch with your family and friends, and in business, you use it to keep in touch with business associates. Telephones are definitely a must-have for every homes and businesses. However, long distance calls and extra features are too expensive in a conventional landline phone. However, you should consider the fact that because of the advancement in communications technology, another kind of phone system was invented and made available for consumers worldwide. This kind of phone system offers great benefits to the user and increasing numbers of people and businesses are now getting rid of their conventional landline phones. This phone system is called VoIP or Voice over Internet Protocol. So, what makes people want to get rid of their conventional landline phones and replace it with VoIP phones? First of all, it is mainly because of the many advantages that VoIP phone system offers to its consumers. With cheaper long distance calls and free local calls, more and more people are considering using VoIP as their primary tool for communication. Another great thing about VoIP is that it made different phone features available for free where conventional landline phones charges extra. Features such as caller ID, three-way calling, call forwarding, call waiting, video conferencing, return call, and others are provided for free and as a standard feature in VoIP. In conventional telephone system, these features can mean extra charges that can be very expensive. Another thing about VoIP is that it enables you to transmit audio data at a much clearer quality and at a much faster rate. This is because instead of using wires and transmitting analog signals, it uses the internet to transmit digital signals. This is the reason why VoIP is able to transmit signals at a much faster rate and at a much clearer quality. Also, you will only need an internet connection and no separate phone line for you to have VoIP in your own home. So, if you already have a high speed internet connection in your home, all you need to do is download a VoIP software program and install it in your computer or you can get an IP phone system and connect it to your computer or to your hub. However, the quality of the service will also depend on the VoIP service provider you choose. Depending on the VoIP service provider, you will be able to take advantage of all the features that VoIP provides. It is recommended that your VoIP service is also used by most of your family, friends, business associates, and acquaintances in order for you to fully take advantage of the free call. Try to find out which VoIP service provider is mostly used by more people in your country or more people worldwide. Also, you have to look for a VoIP service provider that offers the most features for free. If you find a VoIP service provider that offers services, such as caller ID, call waiting, call forwarding, three-way calling and video conferencing at a certain fee, you should consider looking for another VoIP service provider that offers the mentioned features for free. Always remember that all of these features and a lot more are considered as standard features in VoIP and this means that it should be available for free. The provider should also be able to provide you with quality service. This is why it is recommended that the provider should offer you a test call to verify if the call provides clear audio and video, and has little or no lags. When looking for a VoIP service provider, you should always remember that you should look for the things mentioned in order to give you the best kind of service available. VoIP is one of the best innovations that man has ever invented. However, you should also consider that the quality of service will depend on your VoIP service provider. Make sure that they provide the best kind of service by testing their services before you subscribe. So, in order to get the best possible quality for your VoIP phone system, you should always remember that it also depends on the VoIP service provider you subscribed from. Get the best VoIP service provider in order to provide you with cheap and quality service. Tips on Finding the Right VoIP Broadband Phone Provider VoIP phone services are surprisingly hitting the world via a storm. It promises unlimited long distance and local calls as low as 199 dollars a year. This could represents more than 500 dollars yearly savings compared on using the traditional phone systems. Moreover, VoIP services have a lower monthly fee. The VoIP interest generated in SMB/SOHO businesses and residential customers gave rise to the different VoIP providers. However, you should ask yourself first if there is a need for you to use VoIP. There are several factors that can affect your decision such as information acquired from newspapers, television, radios, business owners, or your phone systems needs an update and extra features, or you need to save some money. VoIP comes in different flavors, sizes, and shapes. It depends upon what the person needs which include specific features such as dial tones, unlimited LD, full VoIP features, and VoIP functionality. Likewise, it will also depend on the network used and how deep is your knowledge about the technology. To obtain the best VoIP providers, you must compare and rate them according to your telephony needs. There are important tips that will help you find one. 1. Make an extensive research on the database of various VoIP providers. Choose the plan that best suit your needs. To make this task easier, search VoIP providers through its features, special deals, or calling patterns. 2. Learn how VoIP works. Read VoIP guides and other related phone articles so that you will clearly understand this latest technology that can offer great benefits to you. - VoIP providers can offer their clients unlimited calling which is favorable for small businesses. There is an appropriate plan that will enable you to save bigger amounts of money ranging to 50% compared in using the traditional phone system. It does not need expensive upgrades with the use of adaptor or SIP enabled IP phones. These providers also support Wi-Fi phones, IP phones, (ATA) Analog Telephone Adaptors, and Multiple Port Adaptors. - Telemarketing firms also gain benefits from using VoIP. Businesses using multiple telephone lines, on-premise PBX, and other phone systems can integrate VoIP for saving money. The availability of Bulk Plans helps businesses requiring multi-line capabilities with plenty of simultaneous calls. - Call shops, cyber cafes, and other calling locations paid upon use can also be connected to VoIP networks to enjoy a discounted billing and calling system. In this way, real time bills are acquired. It provides rollover minutes as well as several simultaneous calls to save call times and support peak call times. There are designated countries and minutes that you could select from that will fit your needs. - An available office phone system that is very affordable with rich features of multi-line VoIP systems uses the Internet in saving money on long distance and local calls. VoIP being integrated to the PBX system can simply connect the VoIP device to the PBX using the analog lines. 3. Read VoIP reviews of different service providers from other readers. This will help you compare the quality of services that was given to previous clients. 4. Check out for the features provided. It is very important that you know how to rate each one according to its importance. 5. Read the latest news concerning VoIP technology and its providers. 6. Purchase VoIp hardware that will fit in your VoIP setup including routers, IP phones and others. 7. Obtain answers to several questions about VoIP. As much as possible read the entire FAQ section as well as dictionary pages. You can post your question in the Forum section if you want clarification for subjects you don't really understand. Another option is to contact the Ask the Experts section to receive a personal and prompt response. 8. Know the entire Internet broadband access needed upon using the VoIP services. It is necessary to obtain great deals from different broadband providers and choose high quality speed service that is right for you. However, most services that are computer-based are limited only to the provider's own subscribers. This hinders you to call a phone which is not listed in the same service provider. VoIP service providers ensure that they can give the best features to their clients. List of VoIP Service Providers Voice over Internet Protocol, or VoIP, is the routing or forwarding of voice conversations through IP-based networks or over the internet. VoIP is also called Internet telephony, Broadband Phone, Voice over Broadband, and IP Telephony. Voice over internet Protocol is said to be the "next best thing" in the internet as many consumers and businessmen turn to VoIP to avoid the high charging fees of regional telephone companies. With VoIP, consumers can save on their telephone bills. With VoIP, for example, one can call overseas for as low as three cents per minute. Consumers would have to enjoy economy without compromising the quality of voice calls. For the last few years, the VoIP quality has improved to about ten times. Dubbed as the next Baby Bells, VoIP service providers are projected to enter a nice niche in the market. This is so because the giant telephone companies are faced with an enlarged competition with cell phone providers, strangulating regulations, and lower demand for landlines. Consumers are expected to see the benefits that VoIP service providers offer. Within the next five years, it will be very interesting to see what has become of the telecommunications landscape. Considering the advantages of VoIP over the traditional phone services, the consumers will surely be jumping on the bandwagon of VoIP. VoIP service providers are of different types. Each of them offers different services so it is important that you know what your particular needs are. VoIP service providers include business VoIP, cable, consumer, satellite, and free providers. Below is a list of some of the companies presently offering VoIP services: Business Providers Having one of the most reputable names in hardware and networking systems, Cisco Systems is also one of the chief business VoIP providers. Asterisk software is a complete PBX system that runs in BSD, Linux, OS X, and Windows. Meanwhile, Packet8 presents a hosted PBX system both for businesses and residential packages. Alcatel offers communication solutions to enterprises, Internet service providers, and telecommunication carriers for the delivery of video, data, and voice applications to their employees or customers. Siemens provides its clients services such as data, image and voice, through DSL broadband. On the other hand, Nortell transports carrier-grade telephony, multimedia and data services in packet networks. Cable Providers With additional 10,000 clients every day, Time Warner is probably the most renowned among the cable VoIP providers. Also, Cablevision is marking its name in the cable VoIP market as it enrolls 1,000 new subscribers daily in its program. Meanwhile, Cox Communications, one of the nation's giant telecommunications company, has now become a VoIP cable provider from being a standard cable phone service provider. Likewise, Comcast, another cable giant, has also opted to join in the competition and is now serving in 20 markets. Residential Providers Among the residential VoIP service providers, Vonage is currently taking the lead in the industry. Packet8 offers it customers unlimited residential calls for a fixed monthly charge and unlimited phone calls within Canada and the US. Standard presents features such as Caller ID, Voicemail, Call Transfer, Call Forwarding, Call Waiting, Speed Dialing and 3 Way Calling. Lingo offers an economical monthly plan with unlimited calls to Canada, the US, and 17 other countries in Western Europe. However, based on quality ratings, Lingo's performance is significantly lower compared with that of Packet8. Satellite Providers Net2Phone and Hughes Electronics have combined efforts to put up satellite VoIP services. Their service is particularly addressed to underserved and remote regions around the globe, such as some areas in Africa where there are no phones. Vonage and Skyframes have also worked together to offer the same type of service. Multiemedia is presently providing service in Asia-Pacific region, Australia, and the Middle East. Free Providers Skype is probably the most renowned among the VoIP service providers. Skype provides it customers with free peer-to-peer calls with other Skype subscribers. Also, it offers cheap PC to cell phone or landline calls. Likewise, Earthlink provides online calling for free. Earthlink is the pioneer among the ISPs to offer such service. This free online calling plan is supported by Session Initiation Protocol, or SIP, and can be availed by over 1.2 million subscribers of Earthlink. The VoIP phone system and our revolutionized communication technology The continuous revolution of technology is steadfastly converting our world into a better, more comfortable place to live in. Before, people only communicate through mails delivered by hand from one place to another. Years of innovation paved way to the use of telephones, beepers, and cellular phones. Communication technology's significant breakthroughs are still spewing out from the brains of the experts, and so today, talking to anybody anywhere around the world is made cheaper with the use of a computer and an internet connection. Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) is the latest technology allowing you to deliver and receive voice calls using an Internet connection, particularly broadband, as a substitute to an analog or an ordinary phone line. Also, it is referred to as the Broadband telephony, Voice over Broadband, IP Telephony Broadband Phone, and Internet telephony. Your voice is translated into a digital signal that travels over the Internet through the VoIP services. Once calling a regular telephone number, the signal is coverts to a regular telephone signal just before it arrives at the destination. VoIP can let you make a call either directly from a special VoIP phone, a computer, or a traditional phone linked to one special adapter. Wireless "hot spots" such as airports and parks allow you to connect to the Internet enabling you to use VoIP service wirelessly. Ccomplex modern VoIP phone systems are made of several interlinked components. For most businesses, it is as complex and ambitious as they desire to let every employee have a phone with an extension. Furthermore, it requires voicemail for transferring calls and so forth. Unfortunately, this is not the way VoIP companies provide phone service. Modern business phone system is complicated and difficult as it is made up of three components or more. The main components for having a VoIP phone system are the phones, the service, and the connection. The phones are the real units you hold for talking. The service refers to the company that makes the whole system work and connects phones to the universal telephone network. The connection are the wires or servers, gateways, switches, and routers that are running full tilt and connected to the Internet and to the PSTN. A broadband or a high speed Internet connection is one main requirement for having VoIP. Such connection can be managed with a cable modem or high speed services, such as a local area network or a DSL. Your computer is an important equipment needed. The adaptor or specialized phone is also required. The three simple components can cover a big deal of complicated situation. Such complexity is dealt with by having time and money invested in understanding and maintaining the phone system. You may probably need to pay someone else to do it for you. Today, VoIP phone systems provide telephone calls, where a fraction of the call routes over an IP network. Part of the call would travel over the Internet by a public or a private route. Once you are calling a regular phone, a part of the call will as well travel over the regular public telephone system or PSTN. Your business will need to have an internal Ethernet network because of the IP network utilization for VoIP. Once you are using computers in your business, you certainly have it, so you do not have to worry. However, in case you realize that you do not have one, you can purchase an affordable one then have it easily set up. VoIP services may allow you to call other people by using the same service; however, there are some which allow you to call anyone having a telephone number. This includes international numbers, mobile phones, local numbers, and long distance. Some VoIP services just work over your computer or a special VoIP phone, while other services let you use a traditional phone connected to the VoIP adapter. We may consider a forecast that in the next two decades, each home will be utilizing a VoIP phone system. This will represent a considerable revolutionized communication technology. However, the experts must always consider the density of calls per second or the possible problems encumbered by traffic. Anyway, with all the innovations brought about each year, we must expect a highly transformed communication technology ahead. Compare VoIP and Traditional Phone, It's Free In a family with several children, it's not very good to compare them with each other. Oftentimes this will result to a feeling of enviousness and rivalry. They would also try to compete for their parent's attention. Comparing can be very harmful to the kid's relationship towards each other. Comparing things can be useful if you're trying to compare a VoIP service provider. And this goes true even to different businesses offering products and services in order to attract customers; they want to compare their products/services against a competitor. Whichever provider that comes out best will get the fairer share of the market. This is one reason why all business owners have developed ways to attract prospects, including all VoIP providers. But do you know what VoIP is? The main technology responsible for internet phones is the voice over IP, more popularly called VoIP. As its name implies, this new technology allows any person to make voice conversations over the IP network. Through VoIP, a P2P session is established by optimizing protocols as a group. This will result to an uninterrupted stream of digital data carried through the net. The two VoIP protocols which are now widely accepted are the open standards and the session initiation protocol or SIP. Voice signals are continuous in nature, and so it requires this session. Now, three internet phones are being used, namely: PC softphone , VoIP handset, and the ATA or the analog telephone adapter. The first one is a software that makes use of the computer's sound card, speakers, and microphone. The VoIP handset relies on your personal computer and is more complex than the first one. The ATA will not require you to have a personal computer because the high-speed internet connection is directly connected to it. These internet phones also have different softwares. VoIP providers use any of the three phones and software. So if you have preferences especially with the hardware, you have to compare different VoIP providers. By comparing them, you will be able to choose one that has almost all your needs. The VoIP provider is responsible for the initiation of P2P sessions. Aside from that, they also associate the telephone numbers to different IP addresses, and route VoIP data to other personal computers, to the mobile number or landline number that you're trying to call. Although VoIP providers differ in their hardware and software being used, the process of making a call is still the same. They only differ on the hardware's processing. Not all people are ready for this new technology. They still compare it with their long-trusted conventional telephone. In comparing these two, the biggest difference lies on the costs. With VoIP, you can surely cut down your monthly phone bills. VoIP is often associated with 'free' calls. VoIP service is well-known for free calls for promotional or trial basis. However, when you sign up for their service, you will be asked to pay low-cost plans to enjoy the service. But this cost is lower than that of traditional phones. Since VoIP is still new in the market, other people want to rely on their traditional phones for reliable connections and exceptional sound quality. In doing a comparison between a traditional phone and voice over IP, you can see their advantages and disadvantages over the other. If you try count each of their good and bad aspects, you can come up with a good decision. It's either you settle for VoIP or remain loyal to your traditional phone. You alone can compare these two services. If you have a regular phone, why not settle first for a free trial period? Look for a VoIP provider which offers such service, you can find a lot of them on the internet. After the trial period expires, make the decision. Trying it yourself can give you a clearer view of how VoIP works. If for some reason, you're not satisfied with the result, then continue with your traditional phone service. Comparing VoIP and the regular phone service will only be effective if you know what you need in a phone service. Most people who go for VoIP are the ones which want added features on their phone, one that only VoIP providers can provide. VoIP Solutions, Taking care of Your Business Voice over Internet Protocol, or VoIP, has been a subject of boiling issues for the past years. Many businessmen from large corporations have turned to VoIP and have made savings of at least 50 percent with their telephone bills. VoIP has grown in demand because it can assist users with their tasks. This is one thing which may not be available from traditional networks. Some of such tasks include the following: * In UK, the US, and other member countries of organizations like VoIP User, phone numbers are available for free use. * Incoming calls can be controlled to be automatically forwarded to a VoIP phone, wherever you may be connected to the network. So, a traveling businessman can still receive incoming calls by just connecting to the internet with the use of a VoIP phone. * With the use of VoIP phones, call center agents can do their work from any location with a stable and fast internet connection. * Various VoIP packages offer free features such as Caller ID, Call Forwarding, 3-way Calling, and Automatic Redial. VoIP solutions entail VoIP problems. For the past years, the problems that have stirred up on the use of VoIP focused on the voice signal quality. If IP packets are delayed or lost at any point in the VoIP network, users will experience a brief drop-out of voice transfer. This case is obvious where there are long interworking and distances between endpoints and in congested networks. But this has changed. Many companies have sought for VoIP solutions for a clearer signal that has even surpassed that of the present analog landline service. Another VoIP drawback is that sending faxes is difficult because of networking restraints and software limitations. However, a VoIP solution is in progress to outline an IP-based alternative for Fax-over-IP delivery. This is called T.38 protocol. A substitute solution to fix this drawback is by treating the faxing method as a message switching mechanism that does not require real time data broadcast. Examples are sending fax as a remote printout or as an email attachment. The incoming fax data can be completely buffered by the end system before being displayed or printed. However, there are three main issues that concern VoIP solutions before VoIP can dominate the world. These are mobile VoIP phone service, power outages, and Emergency 911 services. The first VoIP solution that needs to be directed is a way to substitute voip phone service to cellular phone service. Presently, wireless VoIP, or wVoIP, is reliant on the reach and location of Wi-Fi hotspots. Unfortunately, Wi-Fi hotspots have lower reach compared to the present microwave systems of cell phones and may not be practical on a larger range. A VoIP solution for the problem of replacing a cell phone service can possibly be an advanced cellular-VoIP service. Presently, there a few manufacturers that can produce dual-purpose phones. Such cell phones work as standard cell phones; but when the user is within a hotspot, the cell phone can get connected with VoIP. This type of solution will help the users save money, particularly when they are in hotels, airports, cafes, and other hotspot areas. Another drawback of VoIP is the irregularity of the Emergency 911 service. Not all current service providers of VoIP provide full Emergency 911 service. But, this has changed as the Federal Communications Commission, or FCC, has taken an action on this dilemma. It has directed all the phone service companies to provide the standard 911 service, even if the customers have not specifically requested to avail the service. Another VoIP dilemma that has to be prevailed over with VoIP solutions is the power outage concerns. During a power outage, the local phones are still operational. But VoIP requires high-speed internet connection. Without power, the internet access is lost, and so with the VoIP connection. The use of cell phones is the current alternative workaround during residential power outage. Many VoIP companies and providers have started to install power backups in the VoIP hardware sets to attend to this issue. But these VoIP shortcomings would not stop the VoIP technology in its widespread deployment. VoIP solutions are coming. Don't get left behind! Do you have VoIP already? What You Need To Know About VoIp VoIP also called as Voice over Internet Protocol, Voice over Broadband, Internet Telephony, IP Telephony, Broadband Phone, and Broadband Telephony refers to the voice routing conversations via Internet or any other network that are IP-based. VoIP Protocols or Voice over IP Protocols is used for carrying voice signals over IP networks. It is the result of the Network Voice Protocol experiments invented on 1973 for ARPANET providers. One network is used for carrying data and voice especially for users with underutilized network. This allows saving significant amount of money because phone calls using VoIP on different providers are usually free. However, calling from VoIP to PSTN will charge the person using the VoIP. The PSTN to VoIP services are Direct Inward Dialing (DID) and access numbers. In DID, the callers is directly connected to the user of VoIP but in access numbers, the callers is required to enter the VoIP user's extension number. A monthly fee is charged on DID while access numbers is free of charge for VoIP users and local calls for callers. VoIP changes the entire viewpoint of people regarding long distance calls. In this method, the audio analog signals are being transformed to digital data that are transmitted via the Internet. The standard connection of the internet becomes a way in placing phone calls for free. Utilizing VoIP software for free is the practical way of saving money and bypassing phone companies and its entire charges. VoIP is an innovative technology with an ability to rework the phone systems completely all over the world. VoIP is a one way phone call but offers different VoIP services commonly used today. 1. ATA is the most common and simplest way of service using the Analog Telephone Adaptor device which converts analog signals to digital signals. It allows standard phone connection to your computer or internet connection for VoIP use. The converted analog signals are transmitted on the internet. 2. IP phones are specialized phones resembling normal phones with cradle, buttons, and handset. The only difference is that a phone connector (RJ-11) is used by standard phones while an Ethernet connector (RJ-45) is used by IP phones. IP phones are directly connected to the router with all the necessary software and hardware in handling IP calls. IP phones that are Wi-Fi will also soon be available. VoIp calls can be done at all Wi-Fi hotspot. 3. Computer-to-computer is the easiest method of using VoIP. Calling long distance is free. There are a few companies which offer free or very cheap software to make use of this method. The user only needs a microphone, sound card, speakers, Internet connection (via DSL modem or cable) and the software. However, the users need to pay the ISP monthly fee. Trying VoIP is not a problem since there are plenty of VoIP softwares in the Internet for free. All you need to do is to download and setup it at about 3 to 5 minutes. To test it, you could invite a friend to do the same and check it if it's really working. This is a good opportunity. VoIP are used by most phone companies in streamlining their networks. They are routing phone calls via IP getaway and circuit switch reducing the bandwidth they are using for long hauls. Once the getaway received the calls, the other side will route, reassemble, and decompress it locally in a circuit switch. This will take time but the current networks of circuit-switched are replaced by a technology called packet-switching. The data networks just retrieve and send data whenever the user needs it. It does not allow routing of data via dedicated line instead it allows flowing of data packets through chaotic networks provided with numerous possible paths. It simply opens brief connections to send the packets (small piece of data) from systems to systems. This method is very efficient because packets flow through the cheapest and least congested lines while still allowing both communicating computers to accept information. IP technology really makes sense both in infrastructure and economics requirements. More businesses are installing the VoIP systems and this technology will grow more in popularity making its way for home use. VoIP is a breakthrough in improving traditional phone systems to become very efficient and a reliable way of communication. VoIP, Why Replace Your Conventional Phone with VoIP It is a fact that communication is one of the most important things in life. One example of a communication tool is the postal mail. However, because of the advancement in technology, more and more people now prefer email than the traditional postal mail. This is because its faster and much more convenient than traditional mail. The fact that the internet have provided a fast way to communicate with your family, friends and business associates, people have been trying to develop this technology in order to improve information exchange. In today's business world, it is crucial that you should have a fast way to communicate with other businesses in order to stay on top. Even small businesses are now taking advantage of the Internet to communicate with their clients. Without the Internet technology in your business, you will end up losing money instead of profiting. The internet is now used by a new kind of technology that people call VoIP or Voice over Internet Protocol. This kind of technology uses the same principle of the traditional telephone but in a very different way. Instead of wires, VoIP uses the internet to transmit and receive data. This means that your voice will be transmitted digitally and in turn, will result in better quality and at a much faster transmission rate. VoIP is what people today call the telephone of the future. It offers cheaper long distance calls and other features that is impossible or that is expensive in a conventional phone system for free. For example, VoIP offers features such as caller ID, audio conferencing, video conferencing, call forwarding, answering machine, call barring, and other features as a standard package. This would normally cost a lot of money in conventional telephones. The fact that data is transmitted over the internet in digital signals, it also means cheaper phone bills and more reliable and much clearer connection. VoIP also offers free calls for anyone. The only catch is that the person you will be calling through your VoIP internet phone system should also be subscribed to the same VoIP service provider you are subscribed in. This will mean free calls wherever you are in the world. All you need is a high-speed internet connection. These are only the few advantages of VoIP. There are more advantages that you can benefit from this phone system. Today, because internet connection is much stable than before and power outage doesn't happen frequently, VoIP is indeed the phone system that you should get. Basically, there are two types of VoIP internet phone system that you can use. One is the software and the other is the hardware system. In the software system, all you need to do is download and install the VoIP software in your computer. Your computer will be the one to act as the telephone. All you need is a microphone and a speaker hooked up in your computer. If you prefer to speak the way you do in a traditional telephone, all you need to do is purchase an internet phone. Some VoIP service provider lends you the internet phone for free as long as you stay with them. However, if you prefer getting your own internet phone, you can purchase it in your nearest computer store in your area. Some phones have video capabilities while some looks like your conventional telephone. You can also convert your analog telephone to an internet phone by attaching an ATA. This tool acts like a converter. What this does is it converts your analog phone to a digital phone. The only main disadvantage of a VoIP phone system is that when you get disconnected from the internet, you will also have no phone. And, since internet phones needs an external power for it to work, you can never use it in case of power outage. Analog phones have their own source of electricity in order for it to work even when a power outage occurs. However, if your main priority is to save a lot of money on long distance calls, the VoIP phone system is for you. You can never imagine how much money you will save with all the great features integrated and also the cheap phone bill that comes with it. VoIP is definitely the telephone of the future. Understanding VoIP and the many Advantages it Could give you The creation of every transportation and communication devices comes with a purpose. Every device created satisfies different conditions that are needed by the consumers. Some of the conditions are speed, reliability and social impact. As deemed by many, communication is very important to human life. In the past, communication started civilizations. Nowadays, communication strengthens relations. It all started with a paper and a pen. Early communication device, the mail, is very effective that until now, many people still embrace the medium despite the rapid development of technology. However, the very drawback of mail is its speed. The invention of the telephone helps people communicate better and faster. Even with a distance, one party can communicate to another in real time using the telephone. Nowadays, there are so many ways in which one can communicate to another person. There are mobile phones which one can carry anywhere but still not losing contact. Another thing is the internet where one cannot just send and receive data, as well as can communicate with video. With the wide capability of the internet, VoIP was invented. VoIP stands for Voice over Internet Protocol. This was an experiment by a company in 1973. But because of its great social impact VoIP was formally introduced to the market. On that experimentation, VoIP was originally named Network Voice Protocol. Other terms for VoIP are IP Telephony, Internet Telephony, Broadband Telephony, Broadband Phone and Voice over Broadband. Internet Protocols originally designed to carry data signals. As internet technology develops and more internet capabilities are discovered, IP made the Voice over Internet Protocol to carry voice signals. Such creation of the VoIP created a wide array of options for the consumers. To many, having VoIP at home means great deal and big savings. Since the telephone line uses the internet to possibly connect to another party, extra cost supposedly to be paid to the local telephone provider is saved. In addition, Internet Providers will no longer charge extra payment on a monthly basis when one decides to have voice services. However, there are services that utilize VoIP that needs extra payment like the pre-assigned numbers for definite contact. These may be considered extra cost but surely not big enough as compared to a regular telephone line. All VoIP to VoIP phone calls are free and do not collect extra call cost. However, phone calls from VoIP to Public Switched Telephone Network, a cost will be demanded from the VoIP user. The following are the advantages of VoIP over the typical networks: * As long as you are connected to the network, all calls will be directed to the VoIP phone. You can bring with you your VoIP phone any where in the world and can still be able to receive phone calls. * There are phone numbers that are offered for free in countries like the UK and USA by many VoIP provider organizations. * The speed and stability of connection of the VoIP service is incomparable. * VoIP packages also include features that are typically found in Public Switched Telephone networks. These features are but not limited to 3-way calling, call waiting, call forwarding, caller ID, automatic redial, teleconferencing etc. * VoIP phones may also use other services offered in the internet. Some of the internet services that can be integrated to the VoIP phone are video conversation, messaging, file transfer etc. * Instant Messenger can also be integrated to the VoIP service. VoIP services have drawbacks too and because of these shortcomings, some believed that it is not yet ready to be used by many. With VoIP, sending and receiving faxes is difficult. This is caused by networking and software incompatibility to many home devices and systems. However there are now many systems that are being developed to solve the problem with sending and receiving fax messages with VoIP service. Since VoIP is dependent to the internet, the speed and overall quality of the phone will be greatly affected by the speed and quality of the internet connection. However, VoIP can use regular telephone lines for business utilization. Power Outages is another shortcoming of the VoIP service. When a power outage occurs the VoIP cannot be used and you cannot make or receive a call. However there are VoIP phones that have back up batteries. There are also features in a VoIP service in which you can divert every incoming call to your land line phone or mobile phone. Although you cannot call through your VoIP phone, at least you can still receive important calls. VoIP system keeps on developing. Year after year expect that a new VoIP service will be introduced. Features of VoIP Phones and the Great Ease it Provides VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol) Phones are really no ordinary phones; they are considered mobile but still needs to be connected through a wire. Its functionality is far more modern than landline and mobile phones though VoIP phones have features that can be found too in a typical landline and most cellular phones. In landline and mobile phones, caller ID, voicemail, fax, 3-way calling, call blocking, call waiting, call forwarding, Last number redial, 411 directory, local number portability and 911 service are the most present and offered. These types of phone services may have other features aside from listed above. With a VoIP phone service, those features enumerated above are only basic features that every device and service have. Some operators or providers do not ask any extra payment for the basic features. For a clearer understanding of all the basic features of a VoIP phone service, here are some information to read. CALLER ID This is a feature that will let a receiver know the caller's number and identity. Every time your phone rings, the caller's number and identity will be displayed in the screen. Actually, only the number of the caller will appear in the phone's display screen unless otherwise, the caller is included in the saved contact entry phone memory. However, callers that have the same network provider as yours will have their name displayed on your phone every time they call. The term for the caller ID varies according to the provider and country. In some countries, caller ID is rather termed as Caller Line Identification Presentation (CLIP), Call Line Identity (CLID) or Call Capture. Call Display is what Canadians refer to caller ID. When a caller ID is provided through ISDN phone line, it is called a Calling Line Identification or CLI for short. VOICEMAIL This is a good feature to busy persons that doesn't have enough time to catch all calls for the day. This is basically a recorded voice message of the caller whenever nobody answers the phone. Answering machines are the counterpart of the voicemail feature. The difference between the two is that, voicemails are saved in the network and can be retrieved through a network system, while in answering machines; voice messages are stored in the machine's memory or in older versions in a recordable tape. Voicemail are activated when a caller reached the maximum rings programmed by the network. When the maximum allowed rings are reached, the network automatically diverts the call to the voicemail. FAX This feature is commonly known as IP Faxing. While landlines use its own network to send and receive fax messages, VoIP phone services utilize the internet to transmit and accept such messages. This feature works by transmitting fax data on the internet and is forwarded to fax servers. Fax servers then convert the data and are transferred to a normal telephone connection. It is then received by the party the message is sent to as a normal fax. 3-WAY CALLING Using this feature will allow you to talk with a maximum of 3 persons at the same time. This means that the conversation is heard and done by the three parties. Telephone Conferencing and 3-way calling is the same in terms of its purpose and concept. However, in telephone conferencing, one may call more than three persons at the same time. In the future, multiple-way calling will now be available allowing one to call more than three persons at the same time. CALL BLOCKING Call blocking is a basic VoIP phone feature in which one may block a caller. This can be possible if you add the name and the number of the person you want to block in your blocking list. Calls from a blocked caller are automatically rejected and your phone will not ring. Many people use this feature for call management purposes. Unwanted and unsolicited calls are annoying and for sure you do not want to be disturbed by such. With the use of the Call blocking feature, you can filter callers and allow those who you want to hear only. CALL WAITING The concept of call waiting is very simple; allowing two callers to be on the line while one is on line and the other is on hold. With call waiting feature, important calls can no longer be missed. Many people use the call waiting feature because it greatly aids them to receive and answer all calls while they are in the phone. VoIP phones do have other features that are not present to landline and cellular phones. Because VoIP phones use the internet for connection, there are plenty of features that are supported by wide internet capability. The Not-so-Good Side of Voip Service Humans are superior beings. They are never satisfied with what they already have; if the situation permits, they always want to make a change. And this is the very reason why many new technologies are emerging in the market. And whenever a new technology is introduced, the advantages are always given much attention. In almost every situation, the good side is always given considerable attention. But this should not be the case. Looking at disadvantages of new technologies is one way to improving it. Have you heard about VoIP? This is also called voice over IP (internet protocol). If you're using an internet service, then you've probably heard about this already. VoIP is used to send voice information through the internet so that you can make and receive calls. This system is very much different from the way telephone networks work. And since VoIP makes use of the internet, it costs less and does not charge tolls like the traditional phone service. Although many people are now using this new technology, and benefiting from it greatly, there are those who want to stick with their traditional telephone sets. And this is because of the disadvantages that they never fail to see. VoIP is a great technology, even the telecommunications industry is quite threatened by it. But since VoIP is still new, there are some drawbacks that make people think twice before they finally decide to convert. One major issue is sound quality. Not all households and small businesses can afford a highly efficient internet connection or good equipment. If they settle for cheap ones, they will not get the best sound quality that they are expecting. Remember, you need a broadband or a fast internet connection (cable/DSL) in order to achieve good sound quality. But with the different unexpected conditions in this world, there is no guarantee. Sound quality is affected because of the following reasons: - How VoIP works; in order to transmit voice information through the internet, your voice will be converted into packets. These packets will be transmitted to the call recipient in sequential order. There are times when it arrives jumbled and so the system will have to re-assemble the entire data by following the packet's number to figure out what the call is about, and this is rather time consuming. While re-assembling the data, the recipient can't receive the call in real time, and there are seconds of silence. - Latency issues; bandwidth is a very important element in order to deliver the call without significant delay. As providers figure out ways to lessen bandwidth requirements through compression algorithms, another problem surfaces - Compression consumes processing power, therefore, the sound quality is greatly affected; some have problems with regards to echoes. Though the echoes can be filtered, this will again need added processing power. This is great problem with computer-based voice over IP. But if you have a VoIP phone, you will not worry about processing power, but this phone is more costly than a regular telephone set. Other disadvantages include: - Practicality issues; VoIP computer-based systems requires you to have a computer; the computer should always be running as well as the software which adds up to your electric bills; you can't use VoIP when there is a blackout; without an internet connection, you can't use VoIP - Another issue is emergency calling; when you make an emergency call using VoIP and dial 911, your call can't be easily traced but now there is the so- called e911 but not all VoIP providers have this particular feature, so do check if your provider has it Before making a VoIP investment, make sure that you check for its disadvantages. Don't plunge in blindly. Applications that are web based does not necessarily mean that they promise optimum quality and satisfaction. Although the voice over IP promises a lot of advantages for consumers and businesses, it also holds some major disadvantages that should not be overlooked. If having a voice over IP will cut down your telephone bills, but will increase your other monthly bills, then perhaps it's better to stay with a traditional phone. Consider all your calling needs, and don't forget other important matters like your budget. Usually, VoIP have a wide range of plans, and some are rather pricey. Evaluate first all your needs and then you decide. VoIP Reviews are Helpful in Choosing a Provider If you're used to having a computer with an internet connection every day, it's very difficult to lose such a helpful gadget. Having an internet connection provides you greater access to certain things like online shopping, online chat-rooms, dating, e-mails, and instant messaging. Not so long ago, another new technology was introduced into the internet world. This technology can make a great change in the telecommunications industry. But this should not be taken negatively by the industry; instead, this should serve as an avenue for them to make improvements in order to stay competitive in the world market. Through the internet, many people are benefited; especially those people who live far apart. You can even make friends all over the world. This new technology is called voice over internet protocol or VoIP. Now, voice information is delivered effectively on the net. Major VoIP providers like Cisco, 3Com, Netspeak, and VocalTec made efforts to promote VoIP, directory service usage, and the use of signals like touch-tone for automatic voice mail and call distribution. If you frequently make calls, local or international, then you might consider getting a VoIP service. It can cut down the cost of your telephone bills for you to save money. What you need is broadband connection, and a VoIP service provider to start enjoying its benefits. But in choosing a particular provider, one must gather information about the different VoIP providers available on the internet or in your locality. Major VoIP providers include: - Vonage - Packet8 - SunRocket - Verizon - Viatalk - Lingo There are still other providers, and with a lot of them offering their services, choosing the perfect one can be quite a difficult task. This is where VoIP reviews will come in handy. Reviews can help you see the up and down sides of a certain provider. There are reviews conducted by the provider in their websites, but it would be much better to look into independent reviews as they are not biased compared to the other one. In looking into the reviews, you must ensure that the VoIP provider offers call quality at a reasonable price and other features as well. Different providers also have different call quality. Since VoIP is new, it has its downside. So you should make sure that the provider can meet this standard. Most VoIP providers have a range of price plans. Then there are also basic plans, so don't forget to look into these things before you sign-up. You will not be confused with the plans because it is somewhat similar to the plans offered in cellular phones. VoIP provider offers added features that you're traditional phone can't give like voice mail, call forwarding, account management, and other features. Different providers have different features, and sometimes it would depend on the plan you choose. Here are some reviews of VoIP providers: 1. ViaTalk -- provides inexpensive service with dependable call quality; they offer plans like other leading VoIP providers at a cheaper price; US-based call center and very few complaints 2. Vonage -- their rates are slightly higher than other providers because of their best call quality and more features 3. Packet8 -- much cheaper than Vonage; you can add video on your calls; call quality is very reliable 4. SunPacket -- a lot of features for a low price; can give two phone numbers for free; you can cancel your account anytime you like and they have free trial periods VoIP is a new technology that is still undergoing improvements. And so, in choosing the right provider, you have a lot of things to consider. There is no one best VoIP provider. These companies are in the market because they have proven their competitiveness. Your job is to identify your calling needs and your budget for making/receiving calls and choose the appropriate provider that suits you best. If you're through identifying your needs and wants in a VoIP provider, then you're ready to look into VoIP reviews on the internet; there are even websites where you can find reviews on almost every provider available. A little research can go a long way. If you're tired with your old phone and its gigantic bills, then start using VoIP in calling your family and friends. Venturing into VoIP Reseller Program The internet is not solely used for research, instant messaging, emails, or in broadcasting yourself to the whole world; it's more than that. It is a good avenue to earn extra money without leaving the comforts of your home. If you're a home-buddy, you can earn extra income after coming home from work. Many people today are not contented in having an office job. They are still looking for other ventures which can help them in earning extra money. Life today is rather hard and so people need to be hard working. And if you have no job at all, you don't have to worry about your daily expenses because you now have the solution. And the solution is 'reseller programs'. Reseller programs are for every one, whether you have a career or not; as long as you know how to go about the business. A reseller program is simple to understand. Basically, you will act as a retailer for a certain company. There are reseller programs on the net that you can choose from and all you have to do is to find the right company. One of the products of advanced technology is voice over IP or VoIP. Perhaps you already know what it is all about because it's not new in the market. With voice over IP, you can make unlimited calls at low cost with the aid of a fast internet connection. There are many VoIP providers in the market. Find a VoIP provider that offers reseller programs. It would be better to choose a VoIP provider having a positive record. Well established VoIP providers prefer outsourcing because they can cut down on equipments and staffing costs. A minimal amount is paid for your services, so make sure that you're really into voice over IP; and you know how it works. Reseller programs require you to have your own website; but there are companies which provide for it. All you have to do is to improve and build it up accordingly. Through the website, you will resell the service. When prospects come across your website and is interested in VoIP service, get their personal information and put it in your control panel. The hosting VoIP provider will be the one to set up a program for the customer. Some hosting VoIP providers require membership fees while others offer free programs. So be careful in choosing one, and always ask if there are certain things that you want to know. Having a home-based business has never been so easy until now. The internet is your key to earning money. Having a broadband connection (cable or DSL) is a great advantage. In fact, this is the type of connection required for VoIP services. If you want to sell your service effectively, it's best to try it out yourself. Being a retailer for a VoIP provider does not necessarily mean that you're an employee. You will act independently, in your most ideal time. Your income will be based on the sign ups made by prospects, so the better website you have, the more customers it will attract. Affiliate marketing is more popular than reseller programs. In fact, more people venture into it. Affiliate marketing is different from reseller programs. But in both cases, you will earn money. Why not divert your attention and concentrate in reseller programs; contrary to what many people say reseller programs can make big money especially if you have an excellent hosting VoIP provider/company, an established website, and you have a good grip on the service that you're trying to offer. The key to successful reseller programs are combinations of these things. Even your hosting company can help you a lot in marketing their service. If you don't act now and venture into the real world of reseller programs, you can't earn the money that you need for your expenses. Start now and do some research. First is to know what a reseller program is and how it works. The next thing is to find a hosting company; and creating your website. And after that, you should make a plan to attract more traffic into your website, and the rest is history. Who says you can't make money at home? The Hunt for Scaleable VoIP Providers The telecommunications industry is facing a lot of challenges. Their landline telephone services are in extreme competition with today's voice over IP or VoIP. VoIP is telephony's future. Through voice over IP, you can make unlimited calls at very low cost as compared with traditional phone lines. If you have a fast internet connection, you can enjoy the benefits that VoIP offers. Both the commercial and residential owners are slowly recognizing the many advantages that VoIP has to offer. That is why the telecommunications industry is trying to attract their present customers with attractive offers. This competition brought about big improvements in VoIP making it the most promising tool to keep in touch with friends/family and to save on monthly phone bills. Now, with the many improvements that took place, VoIP offers reliability and call quality, and if you're a business owner, you're company can benefit a lot from Voice over IP. But in terms of scale, are you quite sure that VoIP providers can meet with your demands? Residential VoIP services are consumer-oriented; and to attract more customers, they offer low-cost price packages. There are VoIP providers like Packet8, Vonage, and Lingo, and they offer $20 per month on unlimited calling. Residential telephone lines are more expensive than VoIP so more consumers prefer the services of the latter. Competition is increasing even more because cable companies are also trying to enter the scene. Because of this situation, the prices are getting lower; and this is to the advantage of the consumers. Even if you're in the commercial sector, you can still make use of consumer-grade voice over IP especially if you only have a few employees. You will only need a few VoIP lines; and to distribute these lines, you can use extensions all throughout the building. The question is how you are going to do it; it's quite simple. There are two ways. One sure way is using a cordless telephone system with multi-line and handsets. So each of your key employees can have two phone lines (landline and a VoIP line). The VoIP line should be plugged into your base station. Another way is to totally disconnect the landline phone service and use the existing phone wiring in your office. You will need to connect the analog phones into jacks in order to use the VoIP service. As you're business grows, having a consumer-oriented VoIP line is no longer feasible. Only small businesses can benefit from it and their packages are quite limited. If you were thinking of expansion, perhaps it would be best to look for the right commercial VoIP provider. You must be able to find a dedicated line that offer transfer rates and guaranteed uptime. Now it's time to look into commercial VoIP providers. With little investment, you can start with a service under the consumer-level. Long term contracts are not needed, nor are expensive VoIP equipments. When you finally decide to upgrade, it doesn't really matter because you're initial venture into the commercial VoIP service will not be costly. Some of the most famous commercial providers are Primus, Avaya, Covad, and Verizon. If you're business opted for a commercial VoIP connection, there are also advantages. Almost all VoIP providers in the commercial sector give failover to PSTN, especially if the quality of VoIP service falls below the standards. They also provide multiple lines for VoIP that can be managed centrally. Some business owners' use the modular approach so that when you're business grows, it's easier to increase the phone lines. Most medium to large businesses have PBX infrastructures; and the equipment of commercial VoIP providers can be easily integrated. You don't have to re-train your employees in using the voice over IP because the switch is transparent. As the business grows, another issue of much concern is security. What if in the future your business will venture into other regulated fields or in government jobs? With a commercial VoIP provider, security is not a problem because they are now using encryption technology in their service which prevents hackers to intercept packets. When you finally decide to select the right VoIP provider, service features and price should not be the only consideration. You should make sure that the commercial provider is scaleable enough to meet the demands of your expanding business. Consider your future needs; after all, the goal of businesses is to expand. VoIP Provider, Choose the Best to Avail Great Benefits Communications has been revolutionized by technology to fit with today's lifestyle. The number one status was attained by VoIP in terms of phone systems giving services to homes as well as businesses. Many people preferred the VoIP systems instead of the traditional telephony. VoIP or Voice over Internet Protocol is a type of protocol carrying voice signals through IP networks. It was an experimental protocol created in 1973 for ARPANET.ce providers. Most people are familiar in using the internet when conducting meetings. VoIP has a similarity with this process; however it uses a telephone being connected to a modem. This modem can be requested or purchased from the ISP (Internet Service Provider). The installation is very simple: VoIP modem is plug into the current modem and the phone and computer is plug into the VoIP modem. If you are going to try this breakthrough then you should be convinced that VoIP will truly give you benefits through weighing the advantages and disadvantages. The next thing you will do is to choose your provider. There are small and big VoIP providers which are highly competitive offering attractive schemes and umpteen options. It is recommended that as a potential customer, you need to learn various calling plans and make the necessary comparisons. Moreover, know major aspects such as services, features, prices, quality, and others. VoIP can provide you with two options. First is using free services like SIPphone and Skype and second is using services that will charge you monthly. The first option is the best if your purpose is to communicate with your friends and family. However, the second option is perfect if you are going to use VoIP as a substitute to your landline system for business and home working purposes. Paid services can offer great package of VoIP quality services without spending too much. Reference point is important in making a sensible choice of your provider. Create notes specifying the VoIP services that you need. This will serve as your guide when reviewing various packages. Things like conference calls, call waiting, or forwarding are most common on these packages. Another is giving you the opportunity to make free phone calls to Australia and Europe. There are several factors that you must consider when choosing your ideal provider. 1. Ask if you can make a call to other countries without additional costs. Take for example, you are residing in California but you can call someone in Paris. This will not cost you anything and the person whom you are calling will be charged only the amount for local calls. 2. Asses the reliability of every provider. Some offers might appear to be too good to be true. Make a personal survey by reading reviews, complaints, and blogs on different VoIP provider's websites. Too many unresolved disputes and negative reviews only mean that the particular provider is not a good choice. Carefully check the good and bad features and be always open-minded. The competition of numerous VoIP providers over traditional phone companies is very tight. Each provider is offering several benefits such as lower costs, improved technology, and quality sounds. There are five leading providers of VoIP services. - Vonage VoIP offers excellent reliability and innovative solutions. The services are convenient wherever you are. It keeps your number and receives calls with a good reception and quality sounds at minimized rates. - Packet 8 Service and AT+T can be the best choice if you are looking for internet telephony on voice quality. They have an improved geographic variability minimizing conversational disruptions. - Verizon's Voicewing and Skype Technologies offer more options and increasingly becoming popular to most internet surfers. 3. Choose a VoIP provider which offers a guarantee of returning your money in case its services fails. There are many established providers having service records that are proven and offer "money back" agreement. 4. Check for a technical support program on 24/7 calls. Know if their services and equipments have upgrading routines and good maintenance. 5. Make a list on what you need with regards to computer specs, adapters, net connection, and other related systems. Give attention to these technical needs as well as on the VoIP system installations. Read posted information and FAQs posted on the VoIP provider's websites. Choosing the right VoIP service provider will let you experience their excellent quality in making a call and saving your money. VoIP Phone Service Providers, Giving You Great Value for Your Money The telephone is considered as the primary tool used for communication. Almost every homes and businesses in the United States has a telephone installed. The convenience it offers is unsurpassed and many people consider it as one of the most important piece of technology ever invented by man. Besides, with a phone, you will be able to constantly keep in touch with your family and friends at a much efficient and faster way. Another tool used for communication is the internet. Like the telephone, this is also considered as a breakthrough in communications technology. The internet allows people to communicate freely through emails and instant messenger programs. Another great thing about the internet is you will be able to share your digital files from your computer to another user. The internet today is also used for other purposes. Your kids can use it to research for their term papers, you can use it to purchase products and services and you can even use it for entertainment by playing online games, listen to streaming music or watch streaming videos. However, the primary use for the internet is for communication. Today, another kind of technology is available in the market. This too is considered as a breakthrough in the communications technology. In fact, with all the benefits it can offer, many people are now subscribing to this service and are canceling their subscription on their conventional landline phones. This communication tool is called VoIP or Voice over Internet Protocol or sometimes referred to as internet voice. Many people ask why more and more people are now subscribing from VoIP service providers for this service and are getting rid of their conventional landline phones. Some even asked what is so special about VoIP. First of all, VoIP is very much like your conventional telephone. However, VoIP uses the internet to transmit and receive audio data. Also, your voice is converted to digital audio data. What this means for you is that it will enable you to transmit and receive digital audio data at a much faster rate with clearer quality. The fact that VoIP uses the internet to transmit digital data, long distance and overseas call is much cheaper than conventional landline phones. Imagine calling overseas using a conventional landline phone, you will see that a simple 5-minute call can cost a lot of money. With VoIP, calling the same destination at the same duration, you will see that it only cost a fraction of what landline phones will charge you. Some VoIP providers offer free long distance and overseas call. Another great benefit that VoIP can offer you is that it will throw in extra phone features, such as three-way calling, caller ID, audio conferencing, video conferencing, call waiting, return call and other features as standard. In conventional landline phones, you will see that each of these features are considered as extra feature and they will charge extra monthly fees for using a specific service. With VoIP, all these features are free. So, if you are interested in getting VoIP installed in your home, you should consider getting in touch with your nearest VoIP service provider. As you will notice, there are quite a number of VoIP service providers out in the market today offering their services and claiming to be the best. However, you can never really be sure if a particular VoIP service provider is really capable of providing great quality service unless you try out their services. This is why many VoIP service providers today are now offering a trial period, usually 30 days, for clients to test the quality of their services. If you are not satisfied with their services, you can simply inform your service provider that you are no longer interested in using their services. If you do this within the trial period, you will be refunded. Look for a VoIP service provider that is able to offer maximum benefits for their clients. Some VoIP service providers also offer free ATA (Analog Telephone Adapter), free or low cost IP phones and other great offers. It is recommended that you should apply for a service provider that is already trusted by the community and offers a broad range of great incentives for their clients, such as free long distance calls, unlimited calls to specific countries and other things like that. By getting the best VoIP service provider, you can be sure that you can definitely benefit a lot and get great value for your money. How to compare VoIP phone companies and deals When you are subscribing VoIP service, you can have access to the world for a lesser cost without compromising the call quality. Moreover, you can also enjoy the features offered by VoIP phone companies which are not possible with the regular analog phone. There are few things to know about the VoIP system. The operation is simple and largely similar to the traditional telephone. VoIP or Voice over Internet Protocol is also referred as the broadband phone. It uses the vast power of high speed internet to transmit your voice by converting it to digital signals which will be processed by the computer software. The software will be provided by the VoIP phone company. VoIP services can be classified as either phone-based or computer-based. When using the traditional phone, it must be connected to an adapter to make or receive calls. On the other hand, you will also need a microphone and the software to make calls with your computer. Contrary to the traditional telephone, when you make a call through your VoIP phone, your call is manipulated through the high speed internet connection and not on copper wires. In this manner, you get faster access and better call quality. The advantage of availing VoIP services is that you can take it with you when even when traveling as long as you have the adapter with you and there is an active internet connection. In this manner, you can make and receive calls as if you are in your business place or at home. Plus, you won't be charged for an additional fee for this convenience. To make a call, simply dial the number through your VoIP phone just like when placing a call with the traditional landline. As with your computer, you make a call through your headset and microphone which are plugged into the computer. Most VoIP phone companies allow you to make calls to any local, international, long distance or mobile number. When you have calls, the VoIP phone rings or the computer software will alert you. The quality of voice when using the VoIP service can be abreast or even exceed the level of quality of the traditional landline. This will depend greatly on the quality and speed of your broadband connection so make a good choice of a partner company. You might wonder, will it necessitate you to own a computer to avail of VoIP services? Well, you won't have to. The VoIP provider provides the adapter, which is often free of charge and is used to connect the phone to the broadband. However, the computer is a helpful tool for you to utilize the additional features of your VoIP phone company. There are differences in terms and services for every VoIP phone company so it is wise to read credible reviews. You will learn more about the company's pros and cons straight from their subscribers. When choosing a VoIP phone company, make sure that it will allow you to call even a regular phone network. Not all providers offer this. Also, make sure that you can enjoy the conference calling, a VoIP feature that allows you to speak to more than one person at a time. Surely, your primary consideration is the call rate which varies again with each provider. Anyhow, VoIP has comparatively low long distance rates compared to the same call placed through the analog phone. Additionally, there are also VoIP providers that offer free and unlimited long distance calls. To help you decide on which provider you will subscribe, VoIP companies offer a trial service for a month. This means that you will not be tied up to the conditions within 30 days plus the guarantee to return your money if they don't meet your needs. There are basically six plans to choose from. They are as follow: * Home * Business * International calls * Computer to Phone * Computer to Computer * Cable phone service Each plan has additional features to offer. Depending upon your preference and needs, choose the plan that suits you. Always keep in mind that when choosing the provider to work with, your topmost concern should be the reliability and quality. Do not be hesitant to ask for information before signing up. VoIP Phone Service, Chance of Experiencing High Technology Communication Using the VoIP or Voice over Internet Protocol, people can place their voice call on the internet through IP (Internet Protocol) Packets. Packets are data bits that are routed or passed from one node to another until the final node receives it. The packets are returned back to the analog voice pathways via final node that is why voices are heard on traditional phones. You can have two phone service options, the VoIP and POTS (Plain Old Telephone Service). These switches telephone calls on the speediest connection. Telephone calls done through POTS create a dedicated, static connection which travels on similar exact routes for both directions. The connection remains open unless it is broken by the caller. Telephone calls done through VoIP systems via packet switches can carry the complete address of the call's destination. Different routes and time allocation can be taken by each packet while traveling on its pathways. The user needs to have an internet connection of 256 kbs (high-speed) or higher and a phone broadband adapter to make telephone calls through the VoIP systems. Connect the telephone adapter on the existing system via modem or router. New broadband adapters have built-in routers. Connect this to the high-speed modem then plug the router or computer on the broadband telephone adapter. The installation is very easy. In most cases, it is favorable to use the broadband telephone adapter with built-in routers. The user can make a phone call on the computer while the router is giving the needed bandwidth on the phone call reducing lag times as well dropped calls frequency. VoIP systems today are much better compared to the technology before. Dropping of calls can still be done when the network is very slow. The VoIP phone services are practical for small business and home users. However, it will not be an ideal choice for large businesses since stability is still lacking. Keep in mind that every time the internet services go down, the phone services also does. There are many fuss and buzz concerning VoIP services and it might be difficult for you to understand everything. Enhancements have been made on the system to solve clarity conflicts during phone calls. Some users said that online telephone calls are noisy and have lesser quality compared to traditional phone lines. VoIP providers ensure that their new systems gave the users an amazing experience similar to using normal telephone lines or surpassed it even better. Calls from one continent to another also offer that same voice quality. Another concern is the VoIP reliability in case of power failures. It was a great problem faced by most VoIP users before. But now smart systems are used to redirect calls to the secondary telephone number once the system was detected to be offline. This advancement can transfer your directed call on the required alternative numbers like your personal phone number. VoIP system will enable the users to save money on different services. Traditional phone companies offer limited packages only. It includes prepaid and postpaid for business and residential accounts. However VoIP service providers offer plenty of packages providing you great options to choose from. Most often, companies are supplying plans including the lowest and basic plans, unlimited plans, business plans, best value plans, and others. You can choose according to what type of reference calls you make. Several packages also supply affordable rates on long distance calls compared to traditional phone regular rate. You can go around to your phone company to make long distance phone calls without any charge. Previously, you are charged for services including three way calling, caller ID, call waiting, last call return, and repeat dial. But with VoIP, you are no longer required to pay for these services. Besides, with the filtering options offered by some providers, you can control several calls according to its numbers. It includes forwarding calls to a particular number, sending call to a voicemail, giving a busy sign, playing a message that you're not in service, or sending the caller to a rejection but funny hotline. This breakthrough is the best way to a better future of telephone systems. It really makes sense when talking about ROI, both on the economic and infrastructure viewpoints. VoIP is truly a great phone service. How VoIP phone connects you anywhere in the globe Voice over Internet Protocol (VOIP), a technological breakthrough on communication, allows you to route voice conversations using a broadband internet connection or any Internet Protocol-based network instead of the typical phone line. VoIP is also known by the names: IP telephony, broadband telephony, internet telephony, voice over broadband or broadband phone. There are numerous advantages on using Voip over the standard phone line. Primarily, you can automatically receive incoming phone calls whenever you are connected to the internet. This is regardless of the network you use. While talking on the phone, you can simultaneously use the other programs in your computer. And even if you are on a trip, you just need a mobile phone that connects to the internet and it's as good as you're home. Incoming calls due to your home will be treated as local calls wherever you connect to the internet. Another advantage is that VoIP to VoIP call is usually free of charge. However, VoIP to PSTN call is charged to the VoIP user. In addition to VoIP service advantages especially to those who have stable internet connection is that it offers faster access and delivers quality voice data. To top it all, there are added features integrated in VoIP phone services which are not available with the traditional analog phones. These include video conversation, conferencing, sending or exchanging files parallel to the conversation, managing your address book and more. How does VoIP work? The service converts your voice to digital signals which will travel through the internet to its destination. VoIP services allow you to make calls by a computer or a VoIP phone. A traditional phone can also be used to make and receive calls on cases when the computer is turned off. The rudimentary requirement of course is a high speed broadband internet connection. A special type of VoIP phone is plugged directly into the broadband connection and thus, it can largely operate just like the traditional phone. However, in case you want to use your traditional telephone, you will need to connect it to a VoIP adapter. The service provider will provide the dial tone. When using the computer, you will need the VoIP software and microphone to make calls. How does the VoIP system work for long distance or local calls? Normally, you will be asked to choose an area code which maybe different from the area code of where you live. This will be the determinant of the long distance or local calls. If the person calling you is outside the area or the service covered in your VoIP, he will be charged for a long distance call. Nevertheless, there are variations depending upon the terms of your VoIP provider. In fact, there are VoIP providers that offer a flat rate for a certain time limit anywhere you call. So who can you call with your VoIP service? This will again depend on the terms and services of the VoIP provider. Basically, you will be able to call anyone with a telephone or mobile number. This includes local, long distance or international numbers. The person you are calling will no longer need any special device other than his phone to receive your VoIP call. There are VoIP providers that allow simultaneous calls or voice conferences. The disadvantage of VoIP phones is that some services don't work when there is power outage. For this reason, VoIP providers usually provide the backup power. Another disadvantage is that you will need to be constantly connected to the internet in order to receive or make calls. But if you want to continuously receive calls, you can divert the call to the analog phone or mobile phone. Another course is to activate the voice mail box where your messages will be stored when you can't attend to them. Since not all VoIP providers offer the directory assistance or white page listing, choose the one that does. Make sure also that your VoIP provider can directly connect you to the emergency service 911. Nonetheless, calling 911 through your VoIP phone will be treated differently from that using the traditional phone. In any manner, what counts is that you can readily seek for help for instances when you need them. With a VoIP phone, you are connected everywhere in the globe. VoIP and Data Networking, How It Can Give You the Advantage? VoIP or Voice over Internet Protocol is a relatively new technology in the consumer market. However, because of the benefits it offers its consumers, more and more people are now taking advantage of this technology and more businesses are also using VoIP as their main tool for communication to get ahead of their competitors and cut down operational costs. If you have a business, you will need to win over clients through data networking. This means that you have to communicate with your clients in order to assure them that you will be providing them quality services and of the new services or products you are offering. One way to do this is through a customer service hotline or a help desk. With a help desk, you will be able to open a direct line of communication between your company and your clients. To do this, you will need a tool for communicating with them. The Internet is one of the best tools to do the job for you. For example, it is one great way to email their concerns to your company. However, email is not really enough to handle all your client's needs and to answer their every question. One data networking solution that may come in handy for your business is VoIP or Voice over Internet Protocol. This particular tool uses the internet to transmit and receive data signals. For starters, VoIP acts like your regular phone line. However, instead of using analog signals and cables, VoIP uses digital signals to transmit data. Although digital signals have existed before in phone lines by using fiber optic cables, VoIP uses a far more efficient way to transmit signals. VoIP uses the internet to get the job done. There are also great benefits that you can take advantage of with VoIP. Because it uses the internet to transmit digital signals, it is far cheaper to operate than your standard landline phone. You will just need an active high-speed Internet connection and an IP phone or a computer for you to be able to get all the different benefits that VoIP offers. It also has different features that you can take advantage of for free. For example, call forwarding, call waiting, caller ID, three-way calling and other features are offered for an extra fee over the internet. Through VoIP, these features all come in a standard package. Some VoIP service providers also offer free video conferencing features that will enable you to see the person you are talking to and vice versa. With all these features, VoIP is definitely a very attractive tool that you can integrate in your business. Data networking through VoIP is an efficient and a cheaper way to keep in touch with your clients. It is also possible for you to use a particular number of a state. This means that you can be in one state but your VoIP number is entirely using the number on the state you prefer. This means that no long distance fees will be charged to local callers in your state when they are calling you. VoIP data networking is now the choice of businesses today. With VoIP, you will not only save a lot of money, but you can also take advantage of the different features that it can offer, such as email, voice mail, customer service and video conferencing all in the same network. So, if you are running a small business, you can take advantage of data networking by using VoIP. This will enable you to save a lot of money and take advantage of the free features that it offers. You will also be able to keep in touch with your clients and business associates through VoIP. Everything about a business and data networking can be joined together by just using VoIP. Accounting programs, customer service programs, filing systems and other essentials in data networking can be integrated in a single solution, which people call VoIP. Get ahead with your competitors and at the same time, save a lot of money on operations expenses through VoIP data networking. Get the best VoIP service provider available in order to let you maximize the benefits that VoIP offers. With VoIP, you can never go wrong. Everything You Need To Know About VoIP, Cable Telephony, WiFi Phone, and WiFi Phone Mode Handset. In the business world, communication is immensely important. It is a fact that businesses today are now taking advantage of the latest communication technology available, such as the internet to communicate with business associates and also to their clients. In fact, the internet is now used for technical support and customer care services by businesses in order to keep a direct line between their clients and the company. One such technology is called VoIP or the Voice over Internet Protocol. Many businesses and regular people are now hooking up the VoIP system in their businesses and homes to replace their conventional telephone. You may wonder why. This is because of the features and benefits that consumers can take advantage of. VoIP provides cheaper and free calls and it provides numerous features that are expensive or in some cases, impossible in a conventional telephone. VoIP is a phone system that takes advantage of the internet to transmit and receive data signals. This means that the data signals are in digital format, which results in clearer and faster transmission and reception of data signals. VoIP has integrated services that are impossible in a conventional telephone. The standard features include audio conferencing, video conferencing, three-way calling, caller ID, answering machine features and much more. The standard package is free. All you need is to subscribe to a VoIP service provider and a broadband internet connection in order to start taking advantage of this technology. You will also need a computer or an internet phone. Some VoIP service providers can provide you with the internet phone and some are in software format where you can use your home computer as the telephone. Another great advantage of VoIP phone system is that it will enable you to place free phone calls to anyone around the world as long as the person you are calling is also subscribed to the same VoIP service provider you are subscribed in. This can be very convenient. Also, since the data is transmitted through the internet, calls to conventional land line phones, mobile phones, and other VoIP service provider subscriber is much cheaper. There are also wireless VoIP where you will need a WiFi phone system hooked up in your home. What this does is it enables you to call anywhere you are as long as there is a WiFi signal in your area. This means that VoIP can also act as a mobile phone. WiFi VoIP phones are very much in demand by many people today. This is because you don't have to hook up your VoIP phone system in the internet in order for you to place a call. All you need is to bring your VoIP phone anywhere in the world and look for a WiFi signal to place your calls. If WiFi broadband or high speed internet service in your area is available, you can also get a wireless VoIP phone system. Imagine, with this phone, not only will you be able to call someone for free or at a very low cost, but you can also call wherever you are as long as there is a WiFi signal. WiFi is one of the most popular technologies available today. VoIP is now taking advantage of this technology for you to be able to have much more convenience when placing a call. In order to maximize its features, you have to look for a WiFi VoIP service provider that many of your acquaintances are also subscribed in. By subscribing in this kind of VoIP service provider, you will be able to place free calls to your family and friends. You will also be sure of the quality of its services because more people are subscribed in this VoIP service provider. So, if you want free phone features that conventional phone lines charges extra from, you should consider getting a VoIP phone system. This will enable you to take advantage of the extra features for free. You will also be able to save a lot of money from placing long distance calls. With VoIP, you will never have to count the number of minutes again, knowing that long distance calls are so affordable. Talk as long as you like with a VoIP phone system. VoIP Small Business Solution Small businesses have the tendency to lag behind in their competition with their big-time counterparts. And those that do usually fail to meet their expectations of growing their business. Aside from their larger competitors, they also tend to lag behind other smaller businesses. One of the causes why small businesses often result to failure is because they do not make use of modern technology. New technology plays a very essential role in determining how a company will end up. No one would disagree with the fact that technology is a big factor in the growth of a company, may it be small or large. Even a single network of VoIP can provide small companies a competitive advantage. The Voice over Internet Protocol, or VoIP, offers wide solutions to small businesses. With VoIP, small businesses can save money and boost their communications competence. One of the basic solutions VoIP provides is the reduction of phone bills. VoIP does not just target to dramatically solve the phone expenses of the company concerned, but also those of their customers. If you are a subscriber of VoIP, you can choose any area code you want to use. And for example, the majority of your customers are based in Los Angeles, your business can provide the customers calls charged at local rates, even when your business is situated in New York. This kind of small business solution developed to reduce communication costs can even allow you to offer your most valuable consumers free toll numbers. Up to now, this service may only be economically practical to large companies. But with VoIP, you can have that competitive edge. Imaging means everything in most business and VoIP gives you this solution so that your small business can compete in line with the big boys. However, VoIP is not just limited to this small business solution. VoIP telephone also gives the sales personnel the benefit of making calls to the head office for free, irrespective of the location and distance. The same advantage can be enjoyed by the other employees of the company who are provided with a VoIP handset. VoIP applications require communication through the internet. As such, VoIP solution to communications can be accessed with the use of hardware and software appropriate for IP use including laptops, PC, PDAs, palm computers, Bluetooth as well as other technologies that can handle packetized internet reception and transfer. So businessmen who are traveling only have to carry VoIP hard-phone with an Internet access to get in touch. Or they may also choose to use VoIP softphone installed in their PC and connect to the internet. The technology of VoIP small business solution allows small business to finally contend with corporate companies in flexibility and speed of communication. With just simple clicks of a button, VoIP allows the set-up of web conference calls. Unlike the traditional web conferences, voip web conference features the technologies of web-based video, sound, animation, and digital voice presentations. At a small business price, this corporate technology can have customers impressed. Any small or medium company can enjoy the advantages of VoIP small business solution. Due to the essential internet technology and other web-related tools involved, simple networked systems may simply be integrated. As a result, facilities are made available not just for large corporations, but to small businesses as well. With an adapted VoIP small business solution, businesses are not just provided with competitive advantages over their larger counterparts. Businesses of any size are given the opportunity to develop further over their peers when it comes to communications proficiency, rate of response to customers' enquiries and requests, and image. If VoIP allows you to communicate with a friend in other countries at a cheaper cost and faster rate than your business competitor can, what chance can he have? VoIP small business solution that is exclusively designed for you can realize this as standard. You can finally get away with the other expensive options. Get in to Voice over Internet Protocol. Whatever your business is, and no matter what size it is, VoIP will help your company save money. Also, it will provide you additional features and control which may not be available in current systems. VoIP Broadband Phone Service, What Kind of Benefits Can You Get With VoIP or the Internet Voice? VoIP is one of the latest buzzwords in the communications technology today. It is something that more and more people are using in order to communicate with their family, friends, and acquaintances. It is also a technology that more and more businesses are now using to communicate with their clients and business associates. So, what is it with VoIP that it is now gaining more and more popularity with the people today? First of all, VoIP is quite much like your standard telephone system. However, instead of transmitting analog signals through wires, VoIP converts your voice to digital signals and uses the internet to transmit it. This will mean cheaper and more efficient way to communicate. VoIP also offers features that are impossible or expensive in conventional landline phones for free or for a very cheap price. If you call another VoIP user using the same VoIP services you are using, the call you place will be free. And, since VoIP uses the internet, long distance calls to landline phones and mobile phones are much cheaper than long distance fees in landline phones. In simple terms, affordability is the main advantage of VoIP or Voice over Internet Protocol. For example, if you use VoIP in your computer and you are from the United States and you want to call your friend in Europe but using the same VoIP software, the calls will usually be free. Another great thing about VoIP is that it will include free features that conventional landline phones will usually charge you an extra fee for the service. Features such as caller ID, call waiting, call transfer, return call, repeat dial, and three-way calling can be provided in VoIP as a standard package for free. Some can even include video calls for free. This means that you will be able to see the person you are talking to by just using a webcam. VoIP calls are also programmable in some software. This means that by using the caller ID features, you can give a particular caller a busy signal or redirect them to a particular number. Now that you know how VoIP works in a general sense, you now have to know what is required in order to have one hooked up in your own home or in your office. The first thing you need is a broadband internet connection. You need a high speed internet connection in order to efficiently get your calls to the other end without delays or lags. You will also need a home computer or an IP phone in order to start placing your calls through VoIP. When you are using your computer, all you need to have is a VoIP software program that can be downloaded for free over the internet. This software will act as your VoIP phone with numbered keypads. When using your computer, you will also need a microphone and a speaker. However, if you prefer the traditional way of chatting in the telephone by using VoIP, you can get an IP phone system that is readily available through your VoIP service provider. Some service provider lets you choose between different models of an IP phone. Some looks like a standard telephone and some have video capabilities. You can also convert your conventional telephone to a VoIP capable phone by installing a device called ATA or Analog Telephone Adapter. This converts the analog signal generated by your standard telephone to digital format to be transmitted in the internet. Unlike IP phones where it already has an RJ 45 Ethernet connector, the standard phone has a standard RJ 11 connector. The ATA can let you convert your analog phone into a digital phone or VoIP capable phone by letting you connect it to the RJ 11 slot and the other slot will be the RJ 45 Ethernet connector where it will be used to connect to the internet or to your computer. Now that you see all the benefits of VoIP, you can now consider getting one in your own home. However, you have to realize the fact that VoIP also has disadvantages. You have to consider that it is dependent on electricity and an active internet connection for it to work. So, in case of a power outage or a disconnected internet connection for any reason at all, you will not be able to use the VoIP phone system. However, if your aim is cheaper long distance calls or free calls, and the free features integrated with VoIP phone systems, then getting VoIP installed in your home is the right choice. With VoIP you will be able to talk to your family and friends for a very long time without even worrying about the number of minutes consumed and without worrying about your phone bill. VoIP Broadband Phone Service Providers, Knowing Which Provider You Should Choose In today's modern society, people need the telephone in order to communication with their family, friends, and also their business associates and clients. You have to consider the fact that the telephone is one of the most useful inventions ever made. Since Alexander Graham Bell produced the very first telephone, many people have now been using this kind of communication systems in order for them to communicate. Today, the telephone system provides much better voice quality than the first telephone. Also, for additional payment, you will be able to get caller ID phones, call waiting, call forwarding, return call and even three way calling. Truly, the telephone is the best communication system ever invented. The internet is also one of the most useful tools for communication. And, people now use the internet to talk to their loved ones overseas for free instead of using their conventional telephone. Besides, the internet can provide a way to talk to your family, friends and even your business associates for free and at a very fast rate. With webcams, it will enable you to see the person you are speaking to through the use of the internet and instant messengers. If you want to send them a letter, you can do so with the email. The internet definitely takes people one step closer to the future of communication. Today, another kind of communication technology is taking the world by storm. This particular communication system is growing more and more popular each day and many people are now considering replacing their conventional landline phones with this new breed of phone system. This particular technology is called VoIP. First of all, VoIP works just like your conventional telephone. However, instead of transmitting voice data over wires, VoIP takes advantage of the internet to transmit and receive voice data. This means that your voice is converted to digital signals and is transmitted to the internet. Since your voice is in digital format, what this means for communication is that it will be much clearer and much faster when it reaches the other end of the line. Also, since VoIP uses the internet, communication is much cheaper than conventional landline phones. With VoIP, you can call your family, friends and even your business partners and associates overseas at a fraction of the cost compared to the cost that are found in conventional landline telephones. Another great thing about VoIP is that it offers features such as three-way calling, audio conferencing, video conferencing, caller ID, return call, call waiting, call barring and other features as a standard package, which means it's free unlike in conventional landline where you have to pay extra on your monthly bills for each extra service. Today, there are quite a few existing VoIP service providers that offer their services. As you can see, VoIP is becoming more and more popular today. You should consider getting in touch with VoIP service providers in your area and ask about their services. You should consider subscribing in a VoIP service provider that is already serving a lot of people. With this service provider, you will know that there are many satisfied customers who are definitely getting value for their money. VoIP service providers differ in cost and services. Some charges installation and start-up fees, while others do not. Some offers great deals on free calls, while others charge the usual low-cost long distance and overseas calls. Most VoIP service providers offer a 30-day money-back guarantee for testing purposes. With this option, you can try out their services and if you are not satisfied, you can claim a refund within the 30-day trial period. You can do this until you find a VoIP service provider in your area that offers high quality services and the best value for your money. You have to remember that call waiting and other additional features should be included for free. If you find a VoIP service provider that charges for these kinds of services, you should consider looking for another service provider. Consider that fact that VoIP is still on its infancy. You should expect some hiccups in the services once in a while. However, in the near future, you can expect that the bugs will be fixed and fully functional and great quality VoIP will be available. VOIP, An Effective Solution to your Business Communication Communication is undoubtedly one of the essential parts of putting up a successful business venture. You need to have an effective communication channel within the walls of your internal business organization to facilitate the harmonious relationship among various functions of your organization, which is vital in terms of favorable delivery of products and services to the clients you are catering to. Also, aside from the internal communication matters of your business venture, you also have to satisfy good communication channel outside the walls of your organization, particularly with your suppliers, business partners and associates, and your clientele to establish your business as one of the successful entrepreneurial organizations in the business world. Thus, you cannot take for granted the capability of communication in making your business venture a success. Business communication is all about effective interaction within and outside the walls of your business organization. For instance, the marketing and production departments of your company need to work hand in hand in order to come up with an effective marketing strategy for product and service delivery to the public. At the same time, the hierarchy of your business organization (you, being the overall manager and some of your marketing advisers) needs to communicate with the public you are targeting to sell your products or services through advertising companies and business associates. Those aforementioned scenarios are mostly reliable on telecommunication, which is the top solution in business communication nowadays. See that ringing phones everyday in your business office or your mobile phone constantly vibrating to remind you that your business partner is waiting for your nod on a particular business deal? Telecommunication is an effective business communication solution. As time passes by, the telecom industry is evolving to come up with the latest offerings in terms of more sophisticated, highly efficient, and cost effective tools in business communication. If you think regular phone lines and mobile phones are just what you need for your business communication, you may start thinking about it once again. Most practical entrepreneurs always look for something that will provide them both advantage and convenience at the same time. Thus, when they heard about the Voice over Internet Protocol, or most commonly known as VoIP, they take a shot of it and see for themselves how it is to have a VoIP system integrated with their business communication system. The VoIP Basics VoIP is similar to your traditional communication networks (your regular phone line and mobile phone units), only that communication mediums are now high-speed broadband Internet connection. Because of the wide availability of Internet nowadays as well as the reliability of the system in terms of exchanging data, the cost of using VoIP in communication is much cheaper than maintaining traditional phone lines and at the same time the voice quality is more audible. The VoIP Benefits The most important benefit of using VoIP as your business communication solution is its cost-effectiveness. Most VoIP service providers offer lower voice call costs by as much as 40 to 60 percent less than the traditional voice calls. Therefore, if you are maintaining five different phone lines and you are averaging about $300 per phone line, you will be able to save as much as $180 per phone line if you will maintain a VoIP system instead. In addition, there are VoIP-based phone calls that are offered free of charge in limited areas, depending on your VoIP service provider and product that you are using. Other benefits of VoIP system for your business communication are as follows: * There are built-in functions that are useful for your business communication such as voice mail, call routing, and call waiting. Most of these call features are also available to regular telephone lines for additional charges, which is contrary to the VoIP package. * VoIP is flexible, thus you can adjust the system well based on your specific business needs. For instance, if you need more VoIP lines, you need not to reapply for another line. Instead, you will just upgrade your existing VoIP subscription at a lower cost. * Lastly, VoIP is easy to use. You need not to have too many technical people to handle the system. VoIP is not just a simple product. It is an effective business communication solution to maintain harmonious relationship within and outside the walls of your corporate organization. You will not regret-instead, you will be thankful you have a VoIP as your primary communication tool for your business venture. Security for Your Business, Wireless VoIP Signal If you are a businessman, you keep a lot of information in your office. Information such as business strategies, and business secrets would be included in the information that you keep inside your office. This is why you want to secure this information and keep it confidential in order to have the edge against your competitors. Leaking information can mean disaster and in some cases, it meant losing a lot of money and risking bankruptcy. This is why you should secure all these information inside your office. Today, most information is filed inside a computer. Because of this, you need a kind of software that will allow you to safely secure all of your business information inside your computer. Software such as anti-hacking, anti-virus, anti-spyware and others are essential. However, you will also share information through a tool called the telephone. As much as possible, you would want some form of security in order to prevent eavesdroppers from listening to your phone conversations. Today, because of the advancement of technology, VoIP is gaining more popular than ever before. VoIP is a very promising tool that will enable your business to be more productive and be more efficient than ever before. Like the conventional telephone, VoIP is simply another kind of telephone but more advanced. Unlike regular telephones, VoIP offers cheaper long distance calls, and free features that will usually cost a lot of money in conventional telephones. Features such as three-way calling, audio conferencing, video conferencing, text messaging, call waiting and other features are provided in VoIP for free as a standard feature. With this kind of advantage, no wonder more and more businesses are getting rid of their conventional telephone and are hooking up with VoIP. First of all, you may ask how VoIP made it possible. This is because VoIP is connected to the internet. As most people know, the internet provides data exchange for free. This means that VoIP uses the same technology to transmit and receive audio signals. Because VoIP transmits and receives data signals through the internet, it is completely in digital format. This means that your voice will be clearer, sharper and reach the other line at a much faster rate than a conventional telephone. Recently, Wireless VoIP is now getting more and more popular. With a Wi-Fi connection, it is now possible for you to call whoever you want with your Wireless VoIP phone anywhere you want as long as it is in the range of a Wi-Fi signal. Wi-Fi phones are now popping out of the market and are fast gaining popularity. Besides, it would be a lot more convenient to take and make calls in a tool that resembles a lot like a phone than setting your laptop up in a Wi-Fi hotspot to take and make calls from VoIP. However, because the technology is wireless, there will be some questions about security. Obviously, you don't want someone eavesdropping on your Wi-Fi phone conversation via VoIP. This is why you should install a program in your Wi-Fi that authenticates a user by requesting a user name and password for them to access the signal and get into the network. There are also Wi-Fi IP phones available that is integrated with privacy software that will not let anyone listen on the conversation. Encryption devices are widely available today. These kinds of devices are also available in Wi-Fi technology. You should try and get these encryption devices to secure your Wi-Fi connection and prevent anyone from the outside getting inside your office network. To increase security, you can also install a firewall in your Wi-Fi network. It is widely available and is a very effective tool to prevent hackers to eavesdrop in your office via the wireless network. Choose a Wi-Fi VoIP phone that is integrated with security features, such as encryption and privacy software. It may be more expensive than standard Wi-Fi VoIP phones, but it will be worth it. Always remember that your business will depend on the information you share or you get from outside sources. Securing this asset is one of the ways to protect your business. Remember this and you will be well on your way to protect your business. Broadband VoIP, The Best Phone System Today The telephone is very important for all people. It allows you to keep in touch with your family and friends and it also allows you to communicate with your business acquaintances. Today, with the advancement in communication technology, it allowed people to communicate more clearly at a very cheap rate. Some communication mediums are also provided for free, such as emails. With all the different kinds of communication technology available today, you would definitely want the best kind of communication system available in order for you to communicate with your family, friends and business acquaintances more efficiently and also at a much cheaper rate. This kind of technology is called VoIP or Voice over Internet Protocol. This is the latest technology available to all consumers all over the world to provide cheaper and more efficient calls. Unlike conventional phone systems, the VoIP uses the internet to transmit and receive voice and video signals. This means that the data transmitted is in digital format. Because it is in digital format, it will mean faster transmission rate at a much clearer and sharper audio quality. Another great advantage of VoIP is that most VoIP service providers enable free calls within their subscribers. This means that if you are calling a person who is subscribed to the same VoIP service provider you are subscribed in wherever they are in the world you will be able to call them for free. There will be no hidden charges, and not a single cent will be charged to you. Not only will you be able to make free calls within the subscribers of the same VoIP service provider, but the best part is, the calls are unlimited. Just imagine, if you are in the United States, and you are calling someone in the United Kingdom who is also subscribed to the same service provider you are subscribed in, you can talk for hours without worrying about the phone bill. Not only are VoIP phones able to provide you with free calls, but they also charge far lower long distance fees and rates. For example, if you are calling from your VoIP phone to a landline phone in another state or in another country, the overseas or long distance call charges will be far lower than charges that you will have in conventional landline phones. All of these things are just the beginning of the advantages of VoIP. One other advantage is that VoIP offers free features that are usually expensive in landline phones. Features such as three-way calling, video conferencing, caller ID, return call, call waiting and others are considered to be standard features of VoIP. Because of these features, VoIP is considered to be the phone of the future. However, you will need a broadband Internet connection for you to be able to maximize your usage for VoIP. You need a broadband or high speed Internet connection in order to transmit and receive data signals from the Internet at a faster rate. Without a broadband connection the calls can result to poor quality. But, you should consider that most households and offices today uses a broadband internet connection and is readily available in almost every part of the United States, especially with the wireless internet capability that is widely available today. Broadband connection today is cheap and widely available, so getting VoIP in your home can be easy. All you need to do is download a VoIP software program from the Internet from your preferred VoIP service provider website, register and start making those free and low cost calls. The only disadvantage of VoIP is that when the Internet connection is down, you will not be able to make calls. Also, if you are using an IP phone used for VoIP and looks like a conventional phone, you can never use it if the power is out. This is because IP phones are dependent on home electricity to operate, unlike traditional phones where it has an independent source of power in their lines. However, if you want to have a low cost phone call, VoIP is your best choice. Besides, electricity supply and internet connectivity is now getting more stable than ever before. With VoIP, you can be sure that you will be able to save a lot of money and also let you consider getting rid of your traditional landline phone. Best VoIP Services: What to Look For Today, the internet has provided a way for people to communicate for free. It virtually replaced conventional mails where it can be too slow for it to arrive to its destination. With emails, your letter can arrive to its destination in a matter of seconds. With this benefits, businesses and regular people alike are now taking advantage of emails as a way to communicate with their relatives at a faster rate and for free. Another great thing about the internet is that it now allows you to chat with your family and friends for free. This service that everyone with an internet connection can take advantage of is called instant messenger. Today, this technology is now being used by a lot of people to chat even faster with their family and friends. This kind of program allows you to talk to your friends in real time via text chat. There are even instant messengers that have features that will allow you to chat with your family and friends by using your voice. And, another great feature by instant messengers available today is that it allows you to activate your webcam. Through this piece of equipment, you will be able to let your family and friends see you and vice versa. The internet definitely provides a great way for people to communicate and exchange information. With the upload and download features of the email and the instant messenger, you will be able to share your files with your family and friends. It can be a music file, it can be documents, and it can even be photos. Today, many software providers have developed a new kind of communication system that takes advantage of the internet. This communication system combines the conventional telephone technology with the internet communication technology to create a new kind of telephone system. This new technology is called VoIP. VoIP provides all the different features of a conventional telephone system, such as phone conferencing, call waiting, answering machine, fax machine, caller ID, and it allows you to call long distance, call mobile phones, and it also allows you to call conventional phones. Although the phone conferencing, call waiting, fax machine and caller ID capabilities is a service that you can get for free with VoIP phones, the long distance calls, mobile phone and conventional phone calls has a charge when you call these different phone systems. However, it is cheaper than conventional phones. Another great thing about VoIP is that it allows you to call other VoIP phones wherever it is for free, provided that the VoIP phone you are calling is also subscribed to the VoIP service provider you are subscribed in. With this feature, you will avoid getting charged for every phone call you make. You can also take advantage of video conferencing for free by just using your webcam. This VoIP service is standard and is provided by most VoIP service providers for free. This kind of service is impossible or is very expensive in conventional telephone systems. Whether you use VoIP phones for business or for your home, it is definitely a very useful tool and also a phone that can replace your conventional telephone. With free and cheap phone calls, VoIP is definitely the phone system of the future. There are a lot of VoIP service providers popping out in the market today. However, you have to choose the best kind of VoIP phones in order for you to take advantage of the technology. So, what makes a good VoIP service provider? You have to look at the following factors in order to know what you need. The very first thing that you should have is an active high speed internet connection. If you have this, you are ready in getting VoIP installed in your home. A good VoIP phone system is a VoIP phone system that is used by most of your family, friends and business acquaintances. This means that you should subscribe to a VoIP service provider that your family, friends and acquaintances uses. This will be able to provide you with free phone calls. The best kind of VoIP phone system is a system that will be able to provide you with all the standard features of VoIP. This means that the caller ID, video conferencing, audio conferencing, and other mentioned features should be included in the package at no extra charge. You also have to make sure that the VoIP system you are subscribing from should be able to provide quality services. It should be able to let you enjoy real-time phone calls and should not delay communications. These are the things that you should look for when getting the best VoIP phone system. With all these features, you will be able to get the best VoIP phone system available. The VoIP and the Need for QoS The telephone is one of the most useful inventions man has ever made. It is something that made the world smaller and it is also something that modern society is continuing to use in businesses and also in homes. Since the telephone was invented, services have since improved and additional phone features are also available, such as three-way calling, or call waiting. The telephone line is now also being used to connect to the internet. High speed internet connection through DSL is now available in most telephone companies. Today, the telecommunications industry is now taking it one step forward and developed a new kind of telephone system that is starting to gain popularity in today's society. Imagine, with this kind of communication system, you will be able to talk to your loved ones abroad for a fraction of the cost that you will usually get in conventional landline phones. Also, features, such as call waiting, call forwarding, return call, video conferencing capabilities, caller ID and others are integrated with this particular communication system as a standard package, which means that it's entirely free. Free calls are also integrated with this new kind of phone system. If you are calling someone from halfway around the world, who is also subscribed to the service provider you are subscribed in, the calls will be free. It would be great if you have this kind of phone system. Today, it is now possible because of the advancement in the communications technology and this communication system is called VoIP or Voice over Internet Protocol or sometimes referred to as Internet Voice. The reason why calls are so cheap with VoIP is that it is connected to the internet. As most people know, the internet provides a free and open communication system. Another great thing about VoIP is because the data is transmitted in a digital format in the internet, transmission and reception of voice data is faster and clearer than ever before. The fact that VoIP has so many benefits, many people are now considering getting rid of their conventional landline phones and getting hooked up with VoIP. As you can see, VoIP is one of the latest solutions in communications technology that will allow people to make much cheaper long distance calls than conventional landline phones. However, you have to consider that there will sometimes be hiccups in your internet connection. Because of this, it can significantly affect your VoIP phone. It will result in garbled communication or it can result in delays. This is why QoS or Quality of Service is now being integrated into VoIP to provide a solution for garbled communication. The two main benefits of QoS for VoIP are: * It protects VoIP on shared media * It can prioritize VoIP Bursty data applications will result in lower quality VoIP as well as losing 2 VoIP packets. You also have to consider that VoIP is sensitive to delays and jitters because of the occasional internet hiccups. With QoS prioritization, it will able to minimize its effects. QoS can maximize the quality of VoIP by controlling bursts of excess bandwidth and traffic. QoS can avoid congestion of bandwidth thus, making quality better when you use VoIP. The quality of service should be integrated in VoIP, especially for business VoIP to avoid miscommunication or delay in communication. Today, VoIP is still considered to be in its infancy. So, with all the bugs fixed, you can expect that VoIP will be integrated with QoS. You have to consider the fact that VoIP is still not really perfect. For this reason, you have to have QoS with your VoIP. This will definitely improve the quality of communication and also decrease the effects of delays and garbled voice signals. VoIP has so many benefits to offer people. You just have to consider that VoIP is still a relatively new technology. So, you should expect some bugs or some hiccups when making calls. However, if you want VoIP in your business, you should consider getting QoS to improve the quality of communication. With QoS, you can certainly make sure that your VoIP will generate higher quality calls. So, if you are frequently experiencing garbled communication when you are using VoIP, you should consider getting QoS. This particular tool can definitely improve data transmission and reception. VoIP Service Providers That Includes Business Solutions to Better Improve the Way Your Business Is Run The Internet is considered as one of the most powerful business tools today. With it, you will be able to communicate with business partners, clients and associates at a very minimal cost. With the Internet, you can only imagine the savings that your business can gain. However, you should consider the fact that the telephone is also one of the most important tools that you should have in any kind of business. However, businesses, especially businesses that have international clients and business associates, needs you to make overseas and long distance calls. If your business is like this, you can just imagine how high your company's phone bills will be with a conventional landline phone. There is now a possibility to cut down costs on phone bills. This tool is also very efficient because it uses digital data to transmit and receive voice signals. This tool is called VoIP or Voice over Internet Protocol or sometimes referred to as Internet Voice. Because information technology today is considered as technologically advanced and with the existence of high speed internet, it is now possible for you to use the internet as a conventional phone in your business. Because the internet is easily accessible and is used to transmit digital signals from one place to another, VoIP takes advantage of the internet technology to transmit signals. This means that VoIP uses the internet to transmit digital data from you and to the person you are calling. Because the data is digital, unlike on conventional landline phones that transmit analog signals, data travels faster and will reach the other end of the line in crystal clear quality. This is only one of the advantages of VoIP. Another great thing about this technology is it provides every additional phone features for free. Features such as three-way calling, caller ID, audio conferencing, call waiting, return call, and other features are provided in VoIP as standard features and is offered for free. So, why choose a conventional phone and its expensive additional features when you can have faster, efficient phone calls and free features in VoIP? Although VoIP is relatively new in the world of communications technology, it is fast becoming popular in the business world as well as in the private community. Because of the features that VoIP offers, many people are now considering getting rid of their conventional phone and replacing it with VoIP. VoIP service providers are now entering the world of business and corporations. They now design business solutions that businesses can take advantage of at a very low cost. With the business solutions they offer and because they are being offered at a very low price, many businesses are now using the VoIP technology in their offices. VoIP service providers are now including business solutions, such as help desks powered by VoIP and data networking that will enable businesses to be more efficient than ever before. Because of VoIP, businesses are now able to make deals and presentations to their business partners and clients through the video capability that VoIP offers. No more will you actually have to travel to another country or another state just to make an important presentation. With VoIP, you can do this the cheaper and more efficient way. Meetings are now possible even when you are not in the conference room. With the audio and video conferencing capabilities of VoIP, businesses no longer need to go into conference rooms to conduct meetings. VoIP definitely makes business function like it never functioned before. Because VoIP uses the internet, it is cheaper to make long distance calls. Also, another great thing about VoIP is that when you are calling another VoIP user subscribed to the same VoIP service provider you are subscribed in, the calls will be considered free. These are the benefits and business solutions that VoIP offers you. So, if you are interested in getting the best kind of service that VoIP can offer, you should inquire with the different VoIP service providers available today and ask about their services. Choose a service provider that is able to give you the best business solution possible to improve the efficiency of your business. With VoIP, you can save a lot of money and stay ahead of your business competitors. Free Information for VoIP Enthusiasts Today, the use of computers has spread worldwide. And this was even pushed forward with the introduction of the Internet. Even little children are now familiar with the Internet. If you're an avid user of the Internet, then you've probably heard of what VoIP is and its many uses. VoIP or voice over Internet protocol is a new application on the net that allows a person to make phone calls. Somehow, traditional telephone lines are not enough. And this is the very reason how VoIP came into existence. Telephone networks are threatened because of the emergence of VoIP. More and more businesses, and people, are opting to replace their existing phone lines. VoIp was not really intended to replace traditional telephone lines. In fact before, it was widely used for voice communication among computer users from different locations. Today, this application is still in use but is now more developed and acts like a telephone network. With the use of VoIP, anyone can call or receive calls anywhere, regardless of the location. You can receive calls as long as you have an Internet connection or your telephone set is connected to a network in your local area or LAN. How did VoIP started? The Israeli's were the very first ones to make a voice connection over the computer, and that all happened way back in the year 1995. Within that year, the new technology became a software, the Internet Phone Software. Before, they used a modem, speakers, sound card, and microphone. The computers which can use this new technology were only those having installed the software. With regards to the quality of sound, it was rather poor and can't even come close to the traditional phones. By the year 1998, that same technology was further developed. The gateway to computer-to-telephone connections was opened. The Internet was also used by people having telephone-to-telephone connections; and with the aid of the computer in initiating and establishing the phone call connection, the regular phone can be used. At present, both commercial and residential sectors are finding VoIP quite useful. Different services also offer different connections like PC-to-telephone or the traditional phone to another phone. Internet telephones are plugged into the USB port or sound card of the computer. The phones have ringers and number pads just like the ordinary phone set. But now, it is already possible not to have a computer in using VoIP. You simply connect your telephone set directly to the broadband modem (cable or DSL). When you use VoIP, your voice is converted to digital data. The data is compressed after your voice has been digitized. Around 1500 bytes 'packets' of digital data is transferred through the net. These packets also contain information on their origin, destination, and timestamp. The timestamp allows correct order-reconstruction. Upon reaching their destination, the packets are again re-assembled and are converted back to analog. The receiving party will be able to hear your voice. Delay is one thing that hinders good communication. And if you want to use VoIP, you should first have a broadband connection. This makes it a lot easier and simple to add VoIP. If you have second thoughts about using VoIP, you can always try it out for free. There are many VoIP packages that you can download on the net like Net2Phone, Gizmo, Skype, and other VoIP providers. This will be a lot easier if you and your friends all try it out together. Once you have the software downloaded, give your friends a call. Make sure that you have a headset and attach it to your computer's sound card, and there you have it. If you want to call your friend, just click the name you want to contact. It also has other features like call forwarding, conference calls, and voicemail without extra charge if the call is made using computers. If you're satisfied with the results, then perhaps you want to replace your existing phone with VoIP. But before making any decision, make sure that everything is to your advantage by using VoIP over the traditional phone. Don't be confused between an Internet phone and an IP phone. Internet phones are connected to the USB or the sound card while an IP phone is plugged to the modem. If you want to enjoy VoIP now, then it's all up to you. Choosing FlyFone VoIP Services and Plans The Internet is immensely popular these days. Many individuals even end up marrying their chat-mates and there are also those who are able to find work or a career on the net. Most people are familiar with the internet as a helpful tool in doing researches, browsing through different websites, instant messaging, and music streaming. But did you know that it is also slowly entering a different industry? Yes, you've heard it right. Telecommunications is one big industry, and the internet is making its way to this market. Now, it is possible to call a friend or a loved one anywhere in the world. You can easily make international calls at less cost. You might be wondering how, but if you're an avid internet user, you probably know that by now. FlyFone provides products like the FlyFone router. This is used in case you want to avail VoIP service. For your information, VoIP or voice over internet protocol is a new technology introduced in the market. It allows you to make international calls or receive calls from friends and family overseas. Local calls cal also be made using VoIP. As compared to landlines, VoIP is much cheaper, and you will be able to save money on your phone bills. Getting VoIP service is much easier and faster if you already have a broadband connection or a fast internet connection. This is needed in order to plug your FlyFone adapter or other FlyFone products and enjoy unlimited calls. You don't have to be hesitant about getting a FlyFone VoIP. Although it is a new technology, you're guaranteed a good service for less cost. Many people are looking for ways to save money and this is one step to do just that. If your friends, business associates, relatives, and family have FlyFone, then you will be able to call each other on the internet for free. FlyFone VoIP also has features like caller ID, call forwarding, redial, and account management online. These features are made available to you depending on the plan that you choose. Try to research first what VoIP is on the internet. You can also talk to other people who finally decided to switch to VoIP. If you think the service will work best for you, then you're ready to make a final decision. The nest step is to choose a plan. Before jumping at any plan that comes your way, you must first make a list of all your wants and needs with regards to using a phone. Since there are many VoIP services and providers, choosing the best service will be much easier if you know what you want in a VoIP service or plan. You have to choose between residential or commercial/business. After choosing the plan, you also have to ensure that the computer system in your home or office is compatible with the service. Don't settle for anything less than a high-speed connection. Residential VoIP service is easy to install; in fact, you can do it yourself. Commercial VoIP on the other hand requires professional installers. With FlyFone VoIP, you can choose your phone number. Other providers even let you choose area codes. Check with your provider first and know their policies. Don't forget to install the accessories and features that come along with your VoIP service. If you want to keep your old phone, you can get a FlyFone router. It is a small device that will be attached to your old phone so that you can enjoy using VoIP. This device figures out datagrams, maintains/controls bandwidth, control traffic, and ensures voice quality to all of your phone calls. With technology always improving things by the second, time will come when routers will not be used. Digital phones are great examples for this; but not all people are welcoming the change with an open hand. So if you want to keep your old phone because it has a sentimental value of some sort, keep your phone and get a router. FlyFone offers different VoIP products. So check with your VoIP provider for these products. Getting this new service may mean shelling out a small amount of money, but after that, you can save a great deal, not to mention calling your loved ones anytime, anywhere. Data VoIP Solutions, Advantages and Disadvantages Every time a new technology is introduced in the market, many people are quite reluctant to try it out unless other people attest to its usefulness in their daily life. This is true to almost every new product brought into the market. The Internet alone offers a lot of software, added features, and the like. The new Internet software that was introduced not so long ago is the VoIP or voice over Internet protocol. In case you haven't heard about if before, VoIP allows any person to make calls through the net to any part of the world. Even VoIP has its advantages, as well as disadvantages; and this is because as a new technology, VoIP still has a small number of kinks. But this should not be much of a concern since standards are now being developed to make VoIP more reliable in order to achieve bigger acceptance. The customers are the first ones to benefit from VoIP because traditional phone companies are now offering cheap rates for long distance phone calls to stay competitive in the market. Many telephone companies are somewhat threatened because of the development of VoIP. As the primary customer, whether residential or commercial, you should be aware of the advantages and disadvantages of using VoIP. Here are the following advantages: 1. Low cost Almost every person wants to cut down on cost; and this is because of the many expenses that one has to pay every day. With a lot of bills to pay every month, any offer that allows a person to save a lot of money is a sure hit. Regular telephone companies charge a bit higher compared to VoIP. In you have an Internet connection (either cable or DSL), you can call anywhere for free if it is a PC to another PC call. For those who want to call from their PC to an ordinary phone, there is usually a fee; but is much lower than the regular fees charged by phone companies. 2. Look for a VoIP provider that charges fees monthly. Some providers allow local calls free and charge a small rate on overseas calls; so make sure that you choose a provider who can meet your calling needs. 3. Portability VoIP is just like your email. You have to sign-in, and as long as there is a broadband connection, you can call or receive a call anywhere and anytime. If you travel a lot, having a VoIP account is very convenient; be sure to have an Internet phone or a headset when you travel. It is portable because you can make a call regardless of your location using the unique number that is assigned to you after plugging into an Internet connection. 3. Added features There are many competitors in the market. Many VoIP providers also offers added features like caller ID, call forwarding, voicemail, call waiting, and many more. Here are some of its disadvantages: 1. Power outage Regular phones operate even during a blackout. And this is one of the biggest problems with VoIP. Without a power source, there is no Internet connection. And if there is a major blackout, the VoIP can't be used. People who use VoIP should at least have power generators or battery backups in order to receive or make a call. 2. Emergency calls By using your regular phone, your call can be traced whenever you make an emergency call. But with VoIP, it's quite difficult for operators to pinpoint your location, so it is not advisable to use VoIP for emergency calls. Providers are still attempting to address this big problem. 3. Sound reliability and quality This is a problem with using VoIP. If you don't have a fast connection, the digital data is sent in scrambled order. Some of the data are even dropped. Distance and connection speed have something to do with this problem. So if you want on-time calls, it is better to have a broadband connection. Providers are creating data paths to avoid traffic and ensure high quality connections. VoIP providers are welcoming consumer complaints regarding their service to further improve their quality of service. Their target year is 2007; by this time, all kinks of the system will be wiped out and addressed properly to gain global acceptance. Compare and Select a VoIP Provider Through Reviews When you see a new product or service that interests you, what do you usually do? Are you the type of person who buys on impulse? Sometimes, it's better to take a second look on the other options you have. In purchasing products, you need to compare among several brands/models. And when it comes to rendering service, you have to look among different providers. There is always a new technology introduced into the market every now and then. And if you want to get the best out of them, you should know their advantages, as well as disadvantages. Voice internet IP or VoIP is a new way to call your friends and families through the internet. At present, there are now many VoIP providers. Choosing among them can be difficult; one way to make the process easy is to compare the different VoIP providers. Comparing one provider from another is easy if you use a helpful tool like VoIP reviews. This is widely available in the internet and you can find them in different websites. If you want to get the best comparison of VoIP providers, make sure that you select unbiased reports. VoIP providers usually have their own websites. If you look at the reviews posted in their site, it would always be to their advantage. It would take a little research before you finally end up on a website that features independent VoIP reviews. In reviews, you can find details of customers' experiences with regards to the VoIP providers they've already tested. From these customer testimonials, you can get a clearer picture of the different providers in the market. This can serve as one of your basis in choosing the right provider. Independent sites that post VoIP reviews let's you choose among many providers. As you visit their site, you will most likely find an introduction to VoIP. You can find explanations on how the system works; and general information about voice over IP. You can't find a single VoIP provider that can meet all your needs. Some may have the features you want, but not necessarily all of them. So you are left with a lot of choices. Your task can be made easy if you know what you want, and you know all your calling needs. If you're not satisfied with your regular phone, VoIP can answer your needs. You have to look at the different features of each provider. Check their pricing, and the different plans that they offer. VoIP offers you the great advantage of lowering your call-costs every month. Compared with traditional telephone companies, you can save a lot on your monthly telephone bills with a VoIP service. If you're aim is to cut down your phone bills, then you can cross out the providers with expensive plans. If you do this, you will be left with a few VoIP providers. If you have only about three providers to choose from, you can now start reading their reviews. Reviews not only contain the good points but also the bad points. So if you have read the bad points, don't rush yourself in making a conclusion. Perhaps that particular provider has ten good points. You must be able to weigh both the good and bad points of each provider that you're left to choose. And after doing so, you can now select the right VoIP provider. You must always remember that one VoIP provider can't please all its customers. And you don't have to worry about terminating their service if you think that it's not good enough. Most VoIP providers accept termination of their service without any cost. Another way to help you in selecting and comparing VoIP providers is through your friends and officemates who have their own VoIP at home or in their office. You can look at the most popular providers first, and in case you are not satisfied with their service and features, you can again go through a list of VoIP providers. The internet is a very helpful tool in comparing VoIP providers. So find a connection and read as many reviews as possible. This way, you're sure to get unbiased testimonials from customers. Invest a little time and effort in your search and you'll soon end up with a good VoIP provider. Cisco Training Courses: All about Asterisk VoIP Hosted PBX In today's world, fast and reliable communication systems are very important. This is why many people are now using the internet and telephone systems in a daily basis and in fact, these tools are even considered as two of the most important communication equipments today. With the telephone, you will be able to communicate with your family, friends and even your business associates. It provides a fast and reliable way to communicate with people wherever you are in the world. This communication tool is so important that companies today can never survive without it. Almost every homes and large companies today have telephones installed in their homes. Another tool for communication that is also considered as one of the most important communication tools is the internet. The internet provides a cheap way to communication with your family, friends and business associates. Through emails and instant messengers, you can instantly send letters and chat for free. Today, the communications industry has made another breakthrough in improving the way you communicate. This system is called Voice over Internet Protocol or VoIP for short, or also known as Internet Voice. This communication system is very much like your conventional landline telephone system but much better. In fact, many people are now considering getting rid of their old conventional landline phones and convert their subscription to VoIP. This is because VoIP offers a lot of services and benefits to their clients that conventional telephone systems cannot. First of all, VoIP uses the internet to transmit and receive data. This means because it uses the internet, your voice is converted to digital data and sent to the other end of the line. Because it uses the internet and uses digital data, communication is much reliable, much faster, and also much clearer than conventional landline telephones. Another great thing about VoIP and its internet usage is that it provides low cost or even free long-distance or overseas calls. Try calling someone overseas for five minutes using a conventional phone and a VoIP phone. You will see that VoIP provides clearer and faster communication. Also, when your monthly bill arrives, you will also observe that the cost of the overseas call made through VoIP is much lower than the same call made with your conventional landline phone. These are only some of the benefits of VoIP. What if you need a PBX for your company? You will notice that it will usually be very expensive to do this with conventional telephone system. However, with VoIP, you will see that it will be much cheaper and more reliable. IP PBX will work just like a conventional PBX. However, this will be based on VoIP systems and will be connected to the internet to communicate instead of phone lines. VoIP is now widely available today. VoIP service providers are now advertising their services online and are also offering business VoIP. However, if you want to have your own VoIP in your home and you also want to join the company that provides VoIP, you have to learn how to install different kinds of VoIP. Cisco Training Courses are now offering VoIP installation courses. One such course is the Asterisk VoIP Hosted PBX. They provide comprehensive training materials to better teach you how to install VoIP in homes and offices. You can see that VoIP can definitely benefit homes. However, you have to consider that the Asterisk VoIP Hosted PBX is for large companies that needs reliable communication systems. With Cisco, you will learn all about the different VoIP PBX hardware business solutions and its uses. The Asterisk VoIP Hosted PBX networks all your office phones into a single line of communication that is connected through the internet. IP PBX is one of the most useful tools that you can have in your office. With this hardware, all communication systems in your company are controlled. So, if you are planning to install VoIP in companies, you should consider taking Cisco VoIP Training Courses. This will include hands-on training with Asterisk VoIP Hosted PBX. Working with VoIP is definitely one of the best jobs in the world. Consider the fact that VoIP is now getting more and more popular and is fast replacing conventional telephones because of the benefits it offers. Cisco VoIP, Easy Shortcut to an Effective and Unified Communication Technology has a never-ending story. It speaks about change and evolution and not about permanence. From film-making to video game consoles, expect that technology will find a way to change these things into something that will interest the public as well as have it coping up with the drastic change of time and society. From the traditional method of recording films during the pre-war times, there you have modern film-making equipments to help film-makers and producers make their movies very interesting to the viewing public. Fantasy, scientific fiction (sci-fi), and animated movies are now possible with these modern film-making gadgets and equipments. On the other hand, from the 2-dimesional graphics and monotonous audio outputs of Magnavox and Atari video game systems, there you have the seventh generation of video game consoles, such as the newly-released PlayStation 3 and the Xbox 360, which is now the center of attention of the gaming public. Technology changed the way the people look and use such stuff. It is not surprising to see communication tools evolve through the course of history. From the Morse code and telegraph mode of communication during the early times come the modern and sophisticated communication tools, which are produced for a single purpose-to provide individuals an effective, reliable, and convenient communication channel in keeping in touch with their friends and loved ones all over the world. Regular telephone lines started the saga of modern communication system, which allowed individuals to make voice calls anywhere in the world in exchange for a certain fee charge on a per-minute or per-call basis, depending on the telephone service provider. At the later decades of the 20th century, mobile phones were introduced to the market. Such mobile phones allowed a user to make voice calls even if he or she is in a remote area, provided that the mobile phone service reaches such remote area. Satellite phones are also produced to cater individuals who are living outside the coverage area of a regular mobile phone service provider. These are all products of technology to make existing communication systems convenient and reliable for the public to use. At the early years of the 21st century, the communication industry introduced another form of modern communication, which is said to be the most reliable and cost-effective communication tool nowadays-the Voice over Internet Protocol, or commonly known as VoIP. This latest communication offering is now wisely used for business application and now getting popular among residential and other applications as well. VoIP differs from other communication system in one thing-communication medium. Unlike in regular telephone lines that make use of underground telephone cables and mobile phone lines that make use of signal towers, VoIP relies on a high-speed Internet connection to facilitate voice calls. Thus, VoIP routes voice conversations using the Internet or other Internet Protocol (IP)-based networks. VoIP became popular to business applications because it cuts down telephone bills by as much as 60 percent, both in terms of installation costs and monthly bills. You only need to purchase one VoIP infrastructure and upgrade your existing VoIP system if you will need several lines in the future. In addition, VoIP systems are cheaper by about 22 percent in terms of operation compared to circuit-switched networks. That is why the installation cost and monthly billing in VoIP system is cheaper compared to regular telephone lines. Such advantages prompt telecommunication giants to switch from their traditional phone system operations to VoIP system. One of which is Cisco, which provides VoIP-based structures to help business organizations integrate their communication system closely with their business processes as well as to ensure that information and other data reaches the intended recipients by using the most appropriate medium. Cisco's primary VoIP offering, which is the Cisco Unified Communication, is now a recognized product in voice as well as in data communication. It combined the advantageous features of networking security and open application programming interface to facilitate an effective business communication channel within the walls of your business organization, which can lead to simplified network management and lower total cost of business operation. Soon, Cisco will introduce the VoIP system extensively to residential and other essential applications. They are committed to provide an effective and unified communication not just for businesses but for the world as a whole. VoipBuster, A Company That Will Provide You Free Calls Today, free things are hard to find and everything may seem to be all for sale. From getting your food to making calls, all these things are offered with a price. However, because of the advancement of technology, there is now a way to call your friends and family who lives in different countries for free. It is now possible for you to call your family and friends cost free, even if it is a long distance call. And, the best thing about it is that the calls are unlimited. With this kind of feature, who wouldn't want to get it? Another great thing about this is that it offers great features that will usually be expensive when you get it in a conventional landline phone. If you are wondering what kind of service this is, it is called VoIP. First of all, one company that offers these services is called the VoipBuster. This company offers VoIP and also has great VoIP offers for its subscriber. However, before you subscribe the services offered by VoipBuster, you first need to know all about VoIP first. Since VoIP is relatively a new technology, you need to know about it first in order to know what to expect with VoipBuster. VoIP is very much like your conventional telephone where you make calls and receive calls. However, unlike your conventional landline phones, VoIP doesn't use telephone lines to transmit and receive signals. VoIP uses the internet to transmit and receive data. And, for this reason, VoIP will be able to provide you with better voice quality and faster transmission rate. This is because your voice is converted into digital format, and transmitted in the internet. You will also receive digital signals from the person you are speaking to in digital signal. This is one of the main advantages of VoIP. Another great thing about this technology is that it is able to offer its user's great additional telephone features for free as a standard package where it can tend to be an expensive add on in conventional landline phones. Features such as three-way calling, caller ID, return call, audio conferencing, call waiting, video conferencing and others are offered by VoIP as a standard feature. This means more value for your money. Long distance calls also tend to be cheaper in VoIP than on conventional landline phones. Some companies even offer free calls. However, this only happens when the person on the other end of the line is also subscribed to the same VoIP service provider you are subscribed in. However, VoipBuster offers free VoIP to landline, VoIP to VoIP, and VoIP to mobile phone calls absolutely for free. Here are the countries that you can call for free if you use the VoipBuster: * United States * Taiwan * Switzerland * Spain * South Korea * Singapore * Andorra * Austria * Australia * Canada * Chile * Cyprus * Belgium * Denmark * Finland * Estonia * France * Hong Kong * Ireland * Iceland * Italy * Japan * Liechtenstein * Luxemburg * Monaco * Malaysia * Netherlands * New Zealand * Norway * Panama * Portugal * Puerto Rico Although you need to top up your account to make these calls, it is definitely a great and cheap way to get in touch with your family and friends. By purchasing credits, you will be entitled to 120 Freedays. This means that you can call people in the mentioned countries at no cost at all. If the 120 days expires, the normal rates for calls will apply. However, because it uses the VoIP technology, you can expect that the normal rates will be far lower than the normal rates in conventional landline phones. If you are interested in getting the VoipBuster services, all you need to do is have an active high speed internet connection, download the VoipBuster program in your computer, register and start making free calls. If you need to call other countries besides the mentioned countries, VoipBuster normal rates will apply. With the available 120 days of free calls to the mentioned countries, just imagine how many of your family and friends you can call at an unlimited time. With VoipBuster, you'll never worry about large phone bills when making long distance or overseas calls again. VoIP Michigan, Providing Great Quality Communications Solution The state of Michigan is one of the most preferred locations by most Americans to retire or to raise a family. In this state, you can expect finding the job you want, finding good schools and educational benefits for your children, and it is also a place where everyone can enjoy. Michigan is famous for the Great Lakes. Because the state is situated next to it, you can enjoy great boating experience with your family. This state is also famous for fishing. So, if you enjoy boating and fishing, the State of Michigan is the place you would probably want to live in. In Michigan, VoIP is now readily available. If you live in Michigan, and you already have an active high speed internet connection, you too can avail of the VoIP services. First of all, you need to understand what VoIP is and how you can benefit from it. VoIP stands for Voice over Internet Protocol and is sometimes referred to as Internet Voice. This particular tool is very much like your conventional landline telephone. However, unlike your conventional landline telephone, VoIP will be able to provide better quality and cheaper communication with your family, friends and your business associates. One great feature of VoIP is that long distance and overseas calls are much cheaper than conventional landline phones. In fact, when you compare a 5 minute overseas call from a conventional landline phones to a VoIP phone, you will see that the overall cost in the call made from VoIP is only a fraction of what you will spend on conventional landline phones. Another feature of VoIP is that it offers features, which you would consider as additional features in conventional landline phones, as standard features. Features, such as three-way calling, caller ID, return call, call waiting, audio conferencing, and video conferencing are provided as standard features in VoIP. This means that you will never pay a single cent to use these services unlike in conventional landline phones where they will charge extra for each of the features mentioned. As you can see, VoIP can definitely give you a lot of value for your money. In fact, VoIP offers are so affordable that some people consider it as too good to be true. If you want to take advantage of VoIP and have one in your own home, you can consider calling your nearest VoIP service provider in your area and inquire about their services. Today, there are quite a few VoIP service providers existing in Michigan today. If you live in the State of Michigan, you should consider subscribing to one of these service providers in order to use VoIP right in the comforts of your own home or in your business in Michigan. Here are the different VoIP service providers existing in Michigan today: * Packet8 VOIP Michigan * Sunrocket Michigan * Iconnecthere Michigan * MyPhoneCompany Michigan * Vonage Michigan * Verizon VoiceWing VOIP All these companies offer great VoIP services and offer it at a very low monthly fee. Some of these companies offer an IP phone for free or you can purchase one at their company if you need additional IP phones. Michigan also takes advantage of the E911 feature for VoIP. The Enhanced 911 feature is the solution for emergency calls made through VoIP phones. The state of Michigan is now pressuring VoIP service providers to have this feature integrated in their VoIP system. Depending on your DSL connection in Michigan, VoIP will work very effectively and efficiently. So, if you plan on getting VoIP for your home or for your business, you should consider checking your DSL connection first and determine if it is able to provide quality service to avoid low quality transmission and reception of VoIP data signals through the internet. So, if you want a phone that is able to offer great value for your money, or if you want a phone system that offers very low rates for long distance and overseas calls, VoIP will be able to provide you with this service. In Michigan, VoIP is now readily available. All you have to do is call the company that appeals to you most and also the company where a lot of people are subscribed in. A VoIP service provider with a lot of subscriber means free calls and also means that it is trusted by a lot of people. VoIP Now Available in Residential Areas in Michigan The state of Michigan is one of the most beautiful states in the US. It is considered as one of the best states to live in. Michigan is also famous for the Great Lakes and is located at the northern part of the United States. If you like sailing or boating, Michigan is the best place to do it. Some people who love to go boating even considered moving to this State in order to fully enjoy their hobby. Education is also considered as one of the best in Michigan. And, because it is also considered as one of the safest states to live in, this state is an ideal place to raise a family. However, in any place you live in, one of the most important things that you should consider is the method of communication. In Michigan, Internet connection is now highly available in residential areas. Because of this, one of the newest communication technologies available today are now invading the homes in Michigan. You have to consider that telephones are one of the important tools today. Without it, you wouldn't be able to call family and friends, and most important of all, you won't have anything to communicate with in case of emergencies. Because of this fact, you have to get a telephone in your new home in Michigan. However, you also know that phones can be expensive especially if you frequently make long distance calls to relatives and families all across the United States. Because of this, many homes in Michigan are now considering getting one of the latest communication tools available in the market today. This tool is called VoIP or Voice over Internet Protocol or sometimes referred to as Internet Voice. This tool is the newest development in the communications industry and is taking the world by storm. Many people all over the world are now considering replacing their conventional landline phones with VoIP. So, why is it that people are now replacing their conventional landline phones with VoIP? This is because VoIP has so many features to offer its user. One of it is that it is able to provide free calls to any person anywhere around the world provided that they are also subscribed to the same service provider you are subscribed in. Another great thing about VoIP is that long distance and overseas calls are much cheaper than conventional landline phones. Free calls and very cheap long distance calls are just two of the reasons why VoIP is so popular. Another reason is that it provides free additional services that conventional landline phones will charge you extra fees with. Features such as three-way calling, call waiting, caller ID, return call, video conferencing, audio conferencing, text messaging and others are completely free with VoIP and is automatically included as a standard package. With all these features, just imagine what you will be capable of when it comes to communication. In Michigan, VoIP is now widely available for residential purposes. More and more people in Michigan are now considering hooking up with VoIP and getting rid of their conventional landline phones. However, you have to consider that there are disadvantages VoIP carries. Since VoIP transmits digital data over the internet, you have to consider that high speed internet today is still going through some "hiccups" in its services once in a while. These hiccups can result to a garbled communication or delayed transmission and receiving signals. Another disadvantage is the emergency 911 calls. However, there are now solutions being proposed to the Michigan government about this particular problem. Today, E911 or Enhanced 911 is now being researched and is being made available in the state of Michigan. In the near future, you can expect that VoIP service providers in Michigan will be able to provide the E911 for you to be able to make emergency calls through VoIP. Here is a list of VoIP service providers available in Michigan: * Packet8 VOIP Michigan * Sunrocket Michigan * Iconnecthere Michigan * MyPhoneCompany Michigan * Vonage Michigan * Verizon VoiceWing VOIP The only thing you need to get a VoIP service is an active high-speed Internet connection. Make sure that the Internet connection is reliable in order to maximize the potential of your VoIP phone in Michigan. VoIP Michigan, Which Service Provider You Should Choose? Communication is considered as one of the most important things in life. In fact, almost every home in the United States has telephones for effective communication. You should consider that telephones are one of the best inventions of all time. Since Alexander Graham Bell invented the telephone, many people have since improved their way of life and many businesses have changed the way they do business with their partners, associates, and clients. Today, another kind of technology has made communication much better and more efficient than ever before. This technology is what many people know as the Internet. With the Internet, people are now able to communicate freely to their family and friends through emails, chat rooms, and instant messengers. However, many people still consider the telephone as the best tool for communicating with their family, friends and business associates. However, one main disadvantage of the telephone is the cost. If you made international calls or long distance calls before, you know how eye popping your next phone bill will be. Sometimes, people really talk fast when they are calling long distance and international calls just to cut on the costs. If you are considering moving to the State of Michigan, you have to consider that this place is one of the best places to live in. With great schools and considered as one of the safest states to live in, Michigan is perfect to start a family and raise kids. In fact, many people who are planning to settle down, Michigan is one of the places that they prefer to live in. Because the Great Lakes can be accessed in Michigan, boating and fishing is one of the primary activities in this state. So, if you are a boating and fishing enthusiast, this place is perfect for you. When you move to Michigan, the first thing you will notice is that many people living in this state have now gotten rid of their conventional landline phones and now uses VoIP as a primary mode of communication with their family and friends. VoIP today is now widely available in Michigan and there are even quite a few VoIP service providers in Michigan today. Here is a list of VoIP service providers available in Michigan and their different rates for their services: * Packet 8 VOIP Michigan -- This particular service provider charges $19.99 a month and offers unlimited calls to the US and Canada. On the first month, no fees will be charged. Calls to other subscribers are unlimited and has a return policy of 30 days * Sunrocket Michigan -- This particular service provider charges $24.99 a month and provides unlimited calls to the US and Canada. They also offer 1 extra free number for their subscribers and have a return policy of 31 days if you are not satisfied with their services. * Iconnecthere Michigan -- This VoIP service provider has $6.99 to $24.99 fees a month. The startup includes a free adapter and $30 bonus. You will spend $4.99 for shipping and $29.99 for activation. Unlimited calls to other subscribers are also available and have a 30-day return policy. * MyPhoneCompany Michigan -- This VoIP service provider is at $24.99 a month and offers unlimited calls to US and Canada. The start up cost will be at $29.99 and virtual phone numbers will cost $1.99 each. The company also offers unlimited calls to other subscribers and offers a 14 day return policy. * Vonage Michigan -- You can get VoIP connected at $24.99 a month and unlimited calls to US and Canada. The first month is free and it also includes a free adapter and free calls to Europe. An additional virtual phone number costs $4.99 each and offers unlimited calls to other subscribers. They have a return policy of 30 days. * Verizon VoiceWing VOIP -- This particular VoIP service provider offers a $24.95 fee a month with unlimited calls to US and Canada. When you order their services online, there will be no start up cost and it also offers unlimited calls to other subscribers. They have a return policy of 30 days if you are not satisfied with their services. As you can see, there are quite a number of VoIP service providers in Michigan. All you have to do is determine which VoIP service provider offers the best services by testing each one first and staying with the one that suits your needs. VoIP Architecture Solution for Your Business in London London is one of the most productive cities in the world where great opportunities are offered for entrepreneurs to start their own business. It is a place where commerce is booming and businesses are continually growing. If you are interested in starting a business in London, then you have made the right choice. This city is the perfect place for businesses and you will surely earn a lot of money from your business in London. In any kind of business, communication is one of the most important factors that you should consider. This is where most of your clients will contact you and this is also where potential clients will inquire about your products and services. For this, you will need a system that will smoothly run and one that will be convenient for your business. If your business is operating internationally, you can take advantage of the Internet as one of the ways that you can communicate with your clients and business partners and associates. The Internet provides a free way for you to send and receive information and it is also very convenient and more efficient to use than traditional postal mail for communication. Many businesses today, either large or small business, are now taking advantage of the internet for sharing information about their business. The internet is also one of the best ways where you can advertise your products and services. Today, a new form of communication tool is now widely available for everyone. This will provide you free communication methods and other features that you will not usually find in the Internet or in your conventional landline phones. This tool is called VoIP. VoIP or Voice over Internet Protocol is fast gaining popularity in homes and the business world. This particular tool offers great features and incentives for its user. First of all, you need to know what VoIP is and why is it so great that many people are now replacing their conventional telephones with VoIP. VoIP is very much like your conventional landline telephone. Here, you can receive and make calls just like you would in a conventional landline telephone by using a tool called an IP phone. However, unlike conventional landline phones, VoIP uses the Internet to transmit and receive data signals. This means that the data signals is in digital format, which in turn means that it will be far clearer and data will travel much faster than conventional landline phones. Also, because VoIP uses the internet, it will be quite cheaper than conventional landline phones when making long distance calls. It will also provide you with a lot of extra features for free that is usually expensive in conventional landline phones. Features such as three-way calling, audio conferencing, video conferencing, call waiting, return call, caller ID and others is usually included in the VoIP package as standard features. This can be perfect for homes. However, if your business is multinational, you will need an architecture solution to get your VoIP phones running smoothly. Besides, you will be using VoIP inside your office for a lot of purposes. You will need it for customer care services or help desks, for your personal and business calls, and you will also need your employees to have IP phones in their desks. VoIP architecture solution is not an easy task. You will require a professional to do it for you in order to assure the quality of VoIP services. You will need servers and other network components in order to let your business VoIP to run smoothly. In London, there are a lot of qualified individuals who can design your VoIP solutions for your business. A good VoIP architecture solution should be affordable, effective and efficient. A complicated setup means that it will be a disaster for your VoIP in case something bad happens. It is important that you should remember that simplicity and efficiency is the key to making a VoIP network work. Keep all of these in mind and you will be well on your way to running your business in London effeciently. With VoIP, you will be able to have the advantage over your competitors. Besides, think of it this way, if you invest in conventional landline telephone, it will be more expensive to set up and to maintain. Just imagine the phone bills you will receive in your company. With VoIP, you will save a lot more money on set up, maintenance and phone bills. The True Score of VoIP User in China, Internet and Mobility Combined in One Voice over Internet Protocol, or commonly known as VoIP, was first introduced in the North America and European countries and proved to be a "hot item" in the modern communication industry. In addition, the popularity of VoIP system increased further when VoIP system providers introduced the mass-market VoIP services, which allows VoIP subscribers to make and receive voice calls over the traditional PSTN or public switched telephone networks. It resulted to cheaper system maintenance and low monthly subscriptions. In addition, most VoIP system providers are offering unlimited voice calls within domestic applications (areas within the United States, for instance) as well to some other parts of the world, particularly in Canada and selected European and Asian countries for a fixed monthly fee. If you will take a look on the VoIP's continuous saga on the modern communication industry, you will notice that the main reason for such huge popularity of the system is the cheaper maintenance cost and mobile advantage over traditional telephone lines. VoIP service providers offers monthly subscription cost for as low as 60 percent compared to traditional telephone lines, which makes it cost-effective, especially for small businesses. Hence, if you are maintaining 4 telephone lines and you are averaging $300 per line in terms of monthly subscription cost, you will be able to save as much as $180 per line alone if you will use VoIP instead. That would bring down your telephone bills to $120 per line or a total of $480 compared to $1,200 in all of your 4 telephone lines. Another noticeable feature of VoIP over traditional telephone networks is its mobile advantage. VoIP allows you to travel anywhere and could still receive and make voice calls using your VoIP phone. For instance, if you have a Detroit phone number and you are traveling in Great Britain, anyone can still make a phone call to you provided that you are connected to the Internet. In addition, your VoIP phone can integrate with other services provided over the Internet such as data exchange, audio conferencing, and video conversation. Such advantage, within cheaper cost, is possible using the VoIP communication system. The VoIP market is not just expanding on United States, Canada, and European territories alone. In fact, the Asian VoIP market is also making its way as one of the huge-expanding VoIP markets around the world. The revenues of VoIP usage in Asia is projected to reach $10 billion in 2009 from $5.5 billion reported in 2004. Most Asian VoIP users utilize the broadband-based phone system to make international calls, which is said to be a major development in the VoIP market in Asia. Currently, there are approximately 8.7 million existing VoIP lines in use in Asia. The volume of VoIP users in Asia came from China, which is projected to have over 1 billion regular telephone users and 200 million Internet users by 2010. It is also projected that China will have as much as 400 million mobile users within 2010. However, it is believed that the statistics will decline, following the huge popularity of VoIP in the United States and European territories. Once the Chinese are educated with the advantage and benefits of using VoIP communication system both for residential and business application, market analysts believe that the billion telephone users will drop by as much as 40 percent, based on the projection of VoIP market share increase in Asia. Currently, the VoIP market in Asia is projected to have a total revenue of $5.5 billion in 2007. About a quarter of these earnings would be spent on Internet Protocol exchanges to open more VoIP lines for Chinese users. The projected revenues of Chinese VoIP market is expected to hit at $7.8 million in 2010, if the subscription in VoIP usage will increase within the projected percentage increase of 13.5 percent annually. The Asian VoIP market, particularly the Chinese market share, is expected to be as huge as the United States and European VoIP market by 2010. However, the projection will depend on how China and other Asian nations will react on the VoIP communication system. If they learn the benefits of VoIP, the statistics will materialize, and China will go on the VoIP way. Learn about which VoIP provider serves best in the Philippines Voice over Internet Protocol or VoIP is the technology of voice routing through a high speed internet broadband. It is also known by the names broadband telephony, Internet telephony or simply VoIP. VoIP phone functions just like the traditional phones, except that VoIP phone offers added features which are not available with the traditional landlines. VoIP phone offers the following features: * The incoming calls can be received through the VoIP phone or through the computer as long as you are connected to the internet. * There are numerous VoIP phone packages to choose from. Each of these is customized to meet the needs of different individuals with different requirements. * Most VoIP phones feature three-way calling, automatic redial, call forwarding, caller ID and voice mail. These features usually come free with the package although some providers charge for a minimum rate. * VoIP phones can incorporate other internet services such as video conversation, data exchange parallel to the conversations, online management of address books and audio conferencing. Indeed, VoIP phone technology is the revolutionary system which modified the world's phone services. In developed countries, VoIP phone features and advantages had been fully explored. However, in developing countries such as the Philippines, this emerging technology is just starting to rule the communication business. The following companies offer the VoIP services in the Philippines: Ezezcall Philippines provides VoIP service both for residential and business. This provider features Ezezcall long distance service which complements traditional landlines. With this service, the subscriber does not need a new phone number and the features of the traditional landline are preserved. Furthermore, there are added benefits that the Ezezcall long distance service provides such as low cost monthly package plans, no hidden fees, no annual contract and particularly, Ezezcall provides the highest quality in voice communication which even exceeds that of the local phone line. The primary requirement in subscribing with Ezezcall is a broadband or a DSL connection. The softphone software can be downloaded for free from the website of the company. Ezezcall offers free trial for you to test the quality of the service. When you have downloaded the software, you can avail the one-time call for ten to sixteen minutes for only .5$. Sky Internet VoIP is another provider which offers affordable international long distance calls. This will save you up to 85% in costs on the ILD calls. It provides unlimited calls for local numbers, low cost cellphone rates, and low rates for domestic calls. In addition, Ezezcall offers special phone features such as the three-way calling, caller ID, speed dialing, call forwarding, call waiting, and a security PIN for your account protection. Sky Internet VoIP offers the convenience of using your regular phone instead of the PC to PC calling method of the other networks. VIOCCOM is another team of an international marketing company that makes use of VoIP technology to provide communication services around the globe. It helps connect the Filipino families and friends with its featured flat rates on international long distance calls through their independent distributors such as the Philippines. Vodini is a telephone company that also offers phone services through the access to the broadband. With its features, you don't have to be tied up to your local telephone company because Vodini provides the same services with the added features of the high speed internet. Vodini offers free call services to the same network. For a very low monthly fee, you can have access to its added features for free. To use the services of Vodini, you need a broadband internet connection, a credit card like MasterCard or Visa Card as forms of payment and an analog telephone adaptor or a VoIP phone. Takalam is another VoIP provider that offers special phone features for free, namely, caller ID, call waiting, anonymous call blocking, busy number redial, call return, speed dial, three-way conference and E911 dialing. On the business side of VoIP technology, EACOMM Corporation offers high quality communication system for the Philippine market. This provider offers affordable packages which are customized according to individual needs of the clients. With the EACOMM Corporation, your business is accessible to the world.
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