What is VOIP?
The first question which comes in our mind is What is VOIP? The acronym VOIP stands for Voice Over IP, also called as Internet Telephony, Broadband Phone and voice over Broadband, it is a technology that provides telephone service over the Internet. VOIP transforms voice signals from a telephone or computer microphone into small data packets, and then sends them over the Internet.Earlier in 1945 VOIP was debuted as a networking channel similar to
chat rooms, with the exceptions of microphone and handsets. The first ever service of this kind was limited to computer to computer communication, people were attracted to this service because by the use of this technology they could easily avoid long distance telephone bill. People could now communicate with each other free even by sitting on the opposite ends of the world by using this service. In the past few years, VOIP service providers have enhanced the technology to include telephone to telephone calling just like a land line (analog) telephone service. To better understand VOIP technology, it helps to describe how analog telephone service works compared to the Internet.
Working of Analog Telephone Service
When an analog telephone call is connected to the other telephone, a circuit on a telephone line is opened and remains open throughout the connection while a stream of voice signals travels over the line. If tens of thousands of circuits are open at the same time over one telephone line it can become crowded and affect the speed and quality of the connection. Similarly a dial-up Internet
connection uses a telephone line to transfer data but it is much slower and less efficient due to low data transfer rate than a high-speed broadband or DSL Internet connection, which in turn allows more data to pass through it in a second.
The Internet in turn uses a line with much more space (bandwidth) available than analog telephone lines. Any thing which transfers through the Internet is done by transferring the data or signals into data packets, which uses less space, it's for this reason cable television and the
Internet can use the same line. When a data packet is sent over the Internet, a circuit is opened, the packet is sent, and then it closes. The other end of the circuit only opens when the packet reaches its destination. This process requires less bandwidth and the line doesn't become crowded, which translates into a more efficient, high-speed transfer of data.
Essential Equipment
VOIP services require a high-speed Internet connection (dial-up connection doesn't work). Most providers will use any Internet service, anyhow, some require their customers to use their Internet service. For computer to computer communication a headset and microphone and computer are required and for telephone to telephone service only a telephone adapter and a telephone are required.
Drawbacks
One drawback is the difficulty in sending faxes due to software and networking constraints in most home systems, another drawback of VoIP service is its reliance upon another separate service - an Internet connection. The quality and overall reliability of the phone connection is entirely reliant upon the quality, reliability, and speed of the Internet connection which it is using, another drawback of VoIP is the likely inability to make phone calls during a power outage, though this problem is shared with some conventional phones which require more power than the landline itself can supply.
Benefit
VOIP service is popular among consumers because of the over-all cost savings compared to analog telephone services. Most VOIP services offer the same (if not more) features as analog telephone services at a lower price and long distance calls between users of the same service are usually free. Technology has improved the reliability and voice quality over time and will continue to improve VoIP performance as time goes on. With hardware VoIP solutions it is possible to connect the VoIP router into the existing central phone box in the house and have VoIP at every phone already connected. Software based VoIP services require the use of a computer, so they are limited to single point of calling, though handsets are now available, allowing them to be used without a PC.
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