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VoIP for the Family?
Aaron Siegel
There is no doubt that you have heard about VoIP by now. It’s made
headlines and is plastered everywhere both in online and TV
advertisements. Just in case you haven’t caught on to the hype yet, VoIP
is the abbreviated term for Voice over Internet Protocol. Voice over
Internet Protocol is basically the ability to communicate on a phone
over your Internet connection.
With VoIP, the promise is the ability to make local and global long
distance calls at a significantly lower rate than over a plain old
telephone line through your local carrier. The VoIP trend has caught on
and large enterprises all over the globe are adopting this new
technology to reduce their cost of business communications which may
include fax, conference calling, along with streaming video applications.
VoIP has been around for some time, but it has only been until recently
that it has finally matured to the stage worthy of replacing everyday
phone use.
At the household level, it is certain by now that you are compelled to
embrace this technology somewhat, but are not sure how to go about it or
even if this technology has any real benefit for your family. You are
probably wondering, “How much? How difficult? Is it necessary?” This
article hopefully will clear up a few unanswered questions you may have
regarding this technology and maybe even excite you enough to go on out
and get VoIP hooked up in your own home.
First off, you must have an Internet connection. No, not your 56k dial
up connection, but an actual high speed Internet connection. This can be
cable, satellite, or DSL Internet, but you will need high speed Internet
for VoIP to function properly and become your new calling station.
Dialup just doesn’t have the capacity or speed to transfer voice
digitally without significant quality loss. A company named SpeakEasy
has recently come out with a new DSL product that requires no current
phone line for high speed Internet if DSL is your current favorite of
broadband services and if you are planning on replacing your current
phone service with VoIP.
Secondly you will need what is called a gateway. The gateway is
connected between your computer and Ethernet modem. The VoIP gateway is
where your phone line will be plugged into. Gateways enable freedom from
possible computer problems that can shut down calling capabilities or
deteriorate voice quality. Computer crashes, slow memory, and many other
computer problems that plague us in everyday life, you do not want to
plague your ability to make phone calls.
Gateways are specifically designed for VoIP phones but adapters are
available for current phones should you not want to buy a brand new
phone. VoIP providers usually have the adapters available for sale so
you don’t have to shop around for one yourself. Before you write off
buying a new phone however, video phones are the newest product line and
it won’t be long before this trend explodes. You may want to get your
video phone so you aren’t left out of exciting face to face
conversations with friends and relatives when they get theirs. Packet8
VoIP has a good video phone sold separately with their services.
The services included with VoIP usually include all the convenient bells
and whistles your current phone service provides including your own
local VoIP telephone number, call waiting, voice messaging, 3 way
calling, and more.
There are some important things to remember with VoIP before you go
diving in to this feature rich voice technology. You should check with
your VoIP provider for local 911 emergency coverage. Some VoIP providers
charge extra on a monthly basis for both 911 and 411 access so make sure
you know how much it is going to cost you before committing to a calling
contract.
One last important thing to remember is that your gateway is reliant on
electricity to function. This means power outages will put your phone
line out of service, but then isn’t your phone already only functional
with electricity these days?
Contributed by:
Aaron Siegel |
