Voice Over Internet Protocol

I was inspired by a post from Luca Filigheddu, a perennial VoIP commentator who always has something to say, who posted about his list of top 30 VoIP thought leaders who used twitter and their twitter accounts. My list is much smaller, but contains a few people I thought deserved to be on the list (and one that isn’t actually on twitter – oops sorry about that!)

For a longer list, I highly recommend reading Luca’s post – it is very insightful.

Frederik Hermann – netzkobold

Frederik Hermann is Director of Global Marketing for JAJAH. A professed marketing communications and social media professional and originally from Germany, Frederik moved to the Silicon Valley to take the role at Jajah.

Jajah, is the world’s most innovative communications company, offers flexible, next-generation telephony solutions for consumers and businesses. JAJAH’s award-winning communication services make it easier for people to stay in touch using any device.

Follow Frederik at: http://twitter.com/netzkobold

Jeff Pulver – jeffpulver

Wow, what can you say about Jeff Pulver that hasn’t already been said?!?! Well, if you are new to VoIP, here is what you need to know: he is a bit of a pioneer and visionary in the world of VoIP, founder of the one time ‘Pulver media empire’ (which went bankrupt in 2008). Most importantly, Pulver is the chief writer of what’s referred to as “the Pulver Order”, which was adopted in 2004 by the Federal Communications Commission as the first FCC ruling regarding internet protocol communications. The order ruled that computer-to-computer VoIP is not a telecommunications service. He coined the term purple minutes to describe value-added IP network traffic. (from Wikipedia). Now he is working in the world of social communications, unified communications and HD Voice.

Follow Jeff at: http://twitter.com/jeffpulver

Mark Spencer – markster

Another guy that hardly needs an introduction, Mark Spencer is the creator’ of Asterisk, the largest and most popular open source VoIP project and currently also the CTO and Founder of Digium, the company that ‘owns’ the open source project.

Follow Mark at: http://twitter.com/markster

Craig Walker – cwalker123

This is a guy, you might start hearing about if you haven’t already, what with the buzz happening around the recently dusted off Google Voice project (that just might one day go beyond its limited US Beta). Why would you hear about Craig? and why should you care what he has to say? Well, he is the former CEO of Dialpad as well as the former CEO of GrandCentral, which was purchased by Google and re-launched as Google Voice

Follow Craig at: http://twitter.com/cwalker123

Om Malik – OM

Om Malik, and the GigaOM network. Not specifically VoIP, but technology and telecommunications with lots of VoIP thrown in. Evangelists and connectors that you wouldn’t want to miss. There are lots more that should be on this list, if you can think of any more let me know and I will update this post.

Follow OM at: http://twitter.com/om

Luca Filigheddu – Filos

Luca Filigheddu is an executive with 10 years of management experience in VoIP, Social Media and Product Marketing as well as a well recognized expert in the VoIP market.

He’s currently CEO at Abbeynet, an italian company which develops technologies and services in the field of IP Communications since 1999. Abbeynet is the company behind services like Chocophone, Abbeyphone,Sitòfono and Hictu!.

Follow Luca at: http://twitter.com/filos

John Chambers, Cisco

OK, well, this is NOT twitter and you can’t follow him, but come on, you have to follow this guy anyway you can because he is the 900lb gorrilla in any room talking about VoIP. You can’t have a top list of anything Internet/telecom and not have John Chambers on it! You can follow what he does on video on youtube – see what he has to say.

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The VoIP World According to Google: VoIP Buzz down 46.5% during 2008 (pulverblog.pulver.com)
2008: The Year that VoIP died (saunderslog.com)

VoIP uses the Internet for sending and retrieving VoIP data. This makes it vulnerable to hackers. For individuals who use VoIP this may not be a problem, but businesses don’t want their information to leak. For this reason VoIP services are dedicated to making their service as secure as possible.

Hackers may ty to tap your call and retrieve all sorts of information. They can retrieve conversations, but also VoIP phone numbers or user identities. When they retrieve this information, they can use your VoIP to make calls themselves. Some hackers may even record your call and use your voice to make calls.

There are a few ways to avoid these security problems. The first is encryption. Encryption works in the same way as when sending credit card information. The data is sent over a safe connection. Another way of averting security issues is by separating VoIP data and other Internet data by using a so-called VLAN (Virtual Local Area Network). The call quality may suffer under these measures. But both methods are an option if calls are to be kept secret.

Viruses sent with VoIP data could also be a risk factor, although this threat hasn’t been seen yet. Viruses don’t only overload the network, but they also reduce the quality of calls.

Another issue is SPIT – Spam over Internet Telephony. Instead of receiving e-mails you receive calls from companies that try to sell you their services and products.

How secure is my VoIP? Certain services maintain security through encryption or the use of a VLAN (Virtual Local Area Network). There are certain things consumers can do themselves.

A firewall will protect your computer from malicious attacks.
All downloads should also be checked for viruses or other threats.

: Image via Wikipedia

VoIP hardware on the other hand can be unstabilized or shut down if it receives certain types of data.
Certain Internet phones are sensitive to data piracy. For individuals these security issues may not be of importance. But businesses have sensitive conversations over the Internet. They have their own gateways and equipment, which makes them an easy prey for DOS attacks (Denial of Service) and other assailments.

NOTE – this article is now dated. I will updated it soon.

If you want to switch over to VoIP instead of PSTN all you need to do is choose a VoIP service provider. Most of these providers are situated in the United States. Some VoIP service providers are: Vonage, BroadVoice, iConnectHere and Lingo.

For a monthly fee of $8-$20 they will provide you with features such as voicemail, call forwarding and unlimited calls in certain areas. For VoIP You need a broadband modem, an ATA ( Analog Telephone Adapter) or IP phone. Both the ATA and the IP phone have a number assigned to it, regardless of your IP ( Internet Protocol ) address. This way, others can contact you wherever you are.

Most people are assigned with a new IP address by their service provider whenever they log on. Others have a permanent IP address which never changes. In both cases you will need a VoIP provider. This way people will be able to contact you through your username instead of your IP address.

As mentioned before VoIP is user-friendly and it’s a low cost service. Most providers offer VoIP for free, they only charge when you make calls to the Public Switched Telephone Network Different VoIP Providers have different protocols. SIP, H.323 and LIAX are only a few of the protocols.

The most popular system for VoIP is Skype. Skype has a proprietary protocol. This makes it hard to connect to the Skype network from another VoIP provider. On the other hand Skype makes up for that with their service SkypeIn. This service allows you to receive calls from standard phone networks.

: Image via Wikipedia

In order to make calls with VoIP, you will need a telephone which can be connected to the World Wide Web. If you wish to use a standard phone with VoIP you can get an Analog Telephone Adapter. This will digitize your voice and enable you to make phonecalls with VoIP. This adapter has an Ethernet connector and a regular connector. Ethernet connectors are the same as regular phone connectors but they are wider.

The ATA will save you money, because you won’t have to buy a new phone. Normally VoIP services will provide you with an ATA. But an IP phone will offer you many perks and extras that come with your VoIP account, such as call display, voicemail and call routing. Also, when you buy your own IP phone you may get a discount on your monthly fee. You can still take advantage of some of these extras with an ATA, but you will have to configure your VoIP account at the service provider’s site.

: Image via Wikipedia

All IP phones have an LCD display for caller ID and phone configuration. Of course the phones differ, ranging from simple phones for personal to complex machines for commercial use. Advanced models have features such as speakerphones and programmable keys. It is also possible to use wireless phones within an IEEE 802.11b wireless network.

IP phones give you the option to route certain calls. You no longer have to do this for each call individually. Anonymous calls for example can be routed to your voicemail or another number. Your IP phone can also be used to store names and phone numbers. Every call that comes in can be added to your phone and edited or deleted.

: Image via Wikipedia

VoIP stands out because of its convenience, quality, but also because of its low cost. Not only is the monthly fee lower than PSTN (Public Switched Telephone Network) but VoIP also offers features without charging for them.

Despite the fact that VoIP is a great service, there are still a few loose bolts. When switching to VoIP from a traditional phone service it may not be possible t o keep your old phone number. The service offers local phone numbers in some areas. Check with VoIP and your current phone company if this service is available in your area.

Certain VoIP services will redirect your 911 calls to emergency call centers close by, if you have registered your address with them in case you need 911. But, once connected to the emergency center the operator will not be able to determine your location if you can’t speak. Especially for elderly people it is advised to either stick to the traditional phone line or to always have a cell phone nearby.

In case of a blackout VoIP comes with a battery backup. Only during long blackouts the batteries will go empty. For these types of situations it is also advised to keep a traditional line or a cell phone.

If you consider these to be minor flaws and you wish to switch over to VoIP, the first thing you need to do is choose a VoIP service provider.

The difference between the many providers out there is their rate for long-distance and overseas calls. So pick a provider that suits your type of calling most. You can also choose to have multiple phone numbers. If you were to have local numbers in different cities, people who call you in those cities will only pay the local tariff. Pick a VoIP service that will keep your costs at a minimum, and ask for a local number.

To use VoIP you need a broadband cable or DSL modem, a router and perhaps an IP phone. You can also get a modem and router in one. To set VoIP up you need to follow two easy steps: Plug the router into the modem and the IP phone into the router. No fuss, no muss.

WireChatter.com

VOIP Security Concerns

VOIP Service Providers

Introduction To VOIP Phones

Switching Over To VOIP

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