If you’re not sure if VoIP is something for you, then try it out without any charge. If you have a headset and a sound card you can download VoIP software and call anyone anywhere. Skype, Free World Dialup and Net2Phone are some of the popular names you might want to consider. These ‘soft phones’ are user-friendly and they charge you nothing as long as you don’t call a cell phone or landline.
When choosing for VoIP you have a number of options when it comes down to the type of phone you wish to use. You can use a headset, Internet phone or an ATA. Internet phones resemble real phones. Some have number pads, ring like real phones and they are used in the same way. In order to use these ‘soft phones’ you also need VoIP software. The phones are to be plugged in the USB port or sound card.
The ATA gives you the opportunity to connect your traditional phone to your modem. Most VoIP providers will give you the ATA free of charge when you sign up. It connects to a broadband DSL or cable modem. When using an ATA you don’t need a computer to make phone calls. The ATA isn’t only handy because it’s easy to use – you simply pick up your phone and dial – but you can take it with you anywhere, connect it to a modem and make phone calls wherever you are. Calls will be redirected to your ATA with no extra charge.
You may also choose an IP phone. IP phones are plugged into the modem (Internet phones are plugged into USB ports or sound cards). The IP phone has integrated hardware and software. All your numbers can be stored in the phone and it has features like caller ID.
To use VoIP your voice needs to be converted into digital data. Your voice is sampled – the sound is divided into discrete steps that are assigned a number value. This data is compressed and sent over the Internet, in packets of 1500 bytes. These packets contain information about their origin and destination. They also have a timestamp, which helps them to be reconstructed in the right order. The packets are converted from digital data to sound once they arrive at their destination.
Just like any other data that is sent over the Internet, VoIP data also contains a payload and information that determines where and how the payload will be delivered. In VoIP this payload is voice data. The packet also contains other information that helps fast delivery. This allows real time conversations over the Internet.
The Internet Protocol Suite consists of two physical layers – the data link layer and the physical layer. In VoIP the Ethernet is used as the data link layer. This allows reliable transmission of data by controlling and synchronizing the flow. The purpose of the physical layer is to act as a channel through which information is passed to the data link layer. Twisted pair cables are used as physical layers in VoIP systems. All network cards, routers, modems, Analog Telephone Adaptors (ATAs) and IP phones are linked to each other through these cables.
Sound signals from the user end are converted to voice packets. These packets are generated via sound cards. After the voice has been converted to digital equivalent, the audio stream is compressed by the VoIP software to enable quick and efficient transmission. The compressed data packets contain all the data required to reach the other end. Thus the quantized data intelligently finds its way through your modem and a maze of twisted cables to the other end of the communication channel.
The data packets may have to navigate through variable paths to reach the intended destination. This is due to the transient nature of web traffic. Once the data packets arrive at the listening end they are arranged in the order in which they were sent and the process of demodulation begins. Here they are converted to some analog equivalent which can be perceived by the listener. The delay or ping time between data transmission and reception must be less than half a second irrespective of their locations.
Broadband connection is necessary to communicate over VoIP without noticeable delays. This does not pose any difficulty because increasing number of web surfers are homing in on hi speed connections these days.
The data packets may have to navigate through variable paths to reach the intended destination. This is due to the transient nature of web traffic. Once the data packets arrive at the listening end they are arranged in the order in which they were sent and the process of demodulation begins. Here they are converted to some analog equivalent which can be perceived by the listener. The delay or ping time between data transmission and reception must be less than half a second irrespective of their locations.
Broadband connection is necessary to communicate over VoIP without noticeable delays. This does not pose any difficulty because increasing number of web surfers are homing in on hi speed connections these days.
VoIP is an acronym for ‘Voice over Internet Protocol’, which is an ingenious internet protocol which allows you to make telephone calls over the Internet with any individual in the world who also has a VoIP-enabled system. Because of its ease of usage, low cost, and many other benefits, VoIP has been rapidly gaining popularity in recent years with businesses and individuals all over the world.
Created in 1995, VoIP was the first computer-to-computer voice connection. This technology was later advanced into Internet Phone Software. It was now possible to talk to other computer users, and all you needed was basic computer hardware and a modem.
The software converted sound into digital data and, in data packets, sent the signal over the Internet. The quality however was inferior to normal telephone lines. But in 1998 phone-to-phone connections through Internet were developed. Using a computer to commence the phonecall, people were able to use a standard phone once the connection was established.
Some of the many VoIP services that are available for personal and business use still rely on computer-to-computer connections. However, they may also offer computer-to- phone and phone-to-phone connections. Internet phones can be plugged into a sound card, USB port, or directly to a broadband DSL or cable modem. Made to resemble traditional phones, some internet telephones even have a number pad.
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