They say you can skin a cat in more than one way, but never having been concerned with such trivia I cannot confirm that this is true. But I definitely can confirm that there is more than one type of phone you can use to make calls through your internet telephone system, and I'm going to tell you about them.
Voice Over Internet Protocol (VOIP) phones are digital phones able to transmit audio data through the IP layer. Although they provide a similar service to normal analogue phones, the technology behind them couldn't be more different.
Voip phones can be a range of things. They can utilise an IP connection to simply be a dedicated service such as an analogue phone handset, they can be a softphone, or they can be an analogue phone connected to the internet via an Analogue Telephone Adapter. (ATA)
Internet Phones are Voip phones that send audio and voice data over the internet via a standard broadband internet connection. Generally an internet phone uses the Session Initiation Protocol (SIP). A Voip phone based on SIP is known as a SIP phone.
Are you still with me? Good, were nearly there. 'But what are softphones?' I hear you ask. Well, a Softphone is actually software that operates on a standard computer without the need for a dedicated device. Softphones require just a headset or a USB device in order to simulate the experience of a 'normal' phone.
But what of Voip phones? Do you require specialist items or equipment to use them? In a word, yes - although only three things. An internet connection, (preferably broadband) an internet service provider and either an ATA adapter to convert your analogue phone, a new internet phone, or a Softphone.
So all things considered, as scary as the world of Voip phones may look from a distance, it all boils down to pretty basic stuff which, once you can get your head around, opens up a whole world of possibilities and opportunities aside from just saving a lot of money and never having to worry about a bad line again.
And there it is. The world of Voip phones laid bare. A world still in its infancy; looking up at us - the learned consumers - with a glint in its eye, as though it knows something we don't. And given the potential of Voip technology to really take over in a big way, I think it's not a case of if, but most definitely of when.
Voice Over Internet Protocol (VOIP) phones are digital phones able to transmit audio data through the IP layer. Although they provide a similar service to normal analogue phones, the technology behind them couldn't be more different.
Voip phones can be a range of things. They can utilise an IP connection to simply be a dedicated service such as an analogue phone handset, they can be a softphone, or they can be an analogue phone connected to the internet via an Analogue Telephone Adapter. (ATA)
Internet Phones are Voip phones that send audio and voice data over the internet via a standard broadband internet connection. Generally an internet phone uses the Session Initiation Protocol (SIP). A Voip phone based on SIP is known as a SIP phone.
Are you still with me? Good, were nearly there. 'But what are softphones?' I hear you ask. Well, a Softphone is actually software that operates on a standard computer without the need for a dedicated device. Softphones require just a headset or a USB device in order to simulate the experience of a 'normal' phone.
But what of Voip phones? Do you require specialist items or equipment to use them? In a word, yes - although only three things. An internet connection, (preferably broadband) an internet service provider and either an ATA adapter to convert your analogue phone, a new internet phone, or a Softphone.
So all things considered, as scary as the world of Voip phones may look from a distance, it all boils down to pretty basic stuff which, once you can get your head around, opens up a whole world of possibilities and opportunities aside from just saving a lot of money and never having to worry about a bad line again.
And there it is. The world of Voip phones laid bare. A world still in its infancy; looking up at us - the learned consumers - with a glint in its eye, as though it knows something we don't. And given the potential of Voip technology to really take over in a big way, I think it's not a case of if, but most definitely of when.
About the Author:
Saul Saresi researches and writes regular articles regarding the world of Voip hardware and tehcnology business voip pbx more examples of his work can be found on his website internet telephony
No comments:
Post a Comment