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Unless you’ve been living under a rather large rock, if you’re a regular user of the Internet you’ll probably have heard a thing or two about the voice over Internet protocol (VoIP). VoIP is often referred to as Skype due to the fact Skype is one of the biggest companies involved. You’ve probably also heard that you can save truckloads of cash on telephone calls by using VoIP. Well, in theory you can. Here’s a short guide to what VoIP is and how you can get yourself hooked up.
VoIP can go by a few names: voice over Internet protocol, IP telephony, broadband phone or voice over broadband. VoIP uses the extra bandwidth of broadband Internet to carry voices from computer to computer, just like a telephone call. VOIP differs from a traditional “phone” call in that traditional phone companies are not involved and the calls take place on broadband lines not “phone” lines.
How to get started with VoIP
A few years back, you needed a broadband connection and a headset – a pair of headphones with a microphone attached which you then connected to your computer. Now, however, the giants of the telephone industry have good cause to be worried. Some Internet service providers (ISPs) now offer adaptors for your normal phone, which then plug into your broadband modem.
Your service will depend on which company or programme you use. Skype has been around for some time and is therefore quite popular. It uses peer-to-peer (P2P) technology to make calls from computer to computer. Similar to messaging programmes, such as the ever-popular MSN messenger, users can only call other users with a Skype account who are also online. For this reason, new and more flexible varieties of VoIP are coming through. Some companies place calls over a cable or DSL connection to conventional numbers (whether mobile or landline) via a digital-to-analog converter. Other companies now make separate phones that connect to similar devices elsewhere.
Predictably, the more convenient it is, the more it might cost you. While Skype is free, Vonage provide a service that allows calls any phone in the world using your existing handset with an adaptor. As this is a more flexible VoIP option, there is a fee. Either so, however, VoIP is still a great way to save on your call costs, especially long distance. To find out more about these two companies, visit the www.skype.com or www.vonage.com websites for more information.
VoIP’s drawbacks
There are, of course, some drawbacks, as with any emerging technology. VoIP relies on a separate service – your Internet connection. This means the quality of the phone connection is reliant upon the quality and speed of your Internet connection. Heavy traffic in your area sometimes affects your experience when you are surfing the Net and it can affect calls too. Effects can include starkly reduced call quality and problems such as echoing. There is also sometimes a momentary voice drop-out, where packets of travelling information are delayed at a point on the way. On the upside, these issues are more prevalent in congested networks or where the voice has to travel long distances.
Without doubt, the technology will improve and, unless traditional phone companies come up with something new, some of the biggest corporate brands in the world today may be consigned to history in just a few years.
