VoIP FAQ

Question: What is VoIP?

Answer: It is the shortcut for Voice over Internet Protocol and it is utilized to designate advanced technologies that permit the use of the Internet to provide much cheaper voice calls.

Question: What are the other names for VoIP?

Answer: While there may be some slight differences between the actual meaning of the terms, IP Telephony, Internet Telephony, Converged Networks and Packet Telephony can be used interchangeably by the average user.

Question: What are the benefits offered by VoIP when compared to the regular telephone system?

Answer: The primary benefit of VoIP is that calls, particularly long distance phone calls, are much cheaper compared to the cost when using standard phones. Other benefits include caller ID, voice mail, call blocking and filtering, conference calls, music-on-hold and the possibility of receiving your voice mail via email. Another important advantage is that you can have several inbound area codes for your IP phone so that you can provide your acquaintances with local numbers to call.

Question: Isn’t voice quality a problem with VoIP?

Answer: Problems with voice quality, such as distortions and noise, existed in the past because the Internet connections were still relatively slow and the early versions of adopters required special kinds of hardware and software. With the advances in speed and in VoIP technology, voice quality problems have become rare and are often only found in those areas where Internet speed is still slow.

Question: Do I need to purchase a computer just to make use of VoIP?

Answer: ATA devices and physical telephone systems that are geared towards VoIP do not require a computer to operate. All you will need is Internet access. However, if you plan to utilize a softphone, you will need a computer because this is a computer program. You will also require a headset and a microphone as well but this will be used in place of a regular telephone unit.

Question: What equipment would I need if I want a regular phone unit with VoIP technology?

Answer: First of all, you will need a unique type of router that has provisions for both voice and data traffic. These units also contain the Analog Telephone Adaptor (ATA) so that you can plug a standard phone unit into them. Of course, offices will require a more complex system that makes it easy to transfer calls to the various phones linked to the PBX system. These systems may also have Interactive Voice Response technology and other advanced features, including conference calls, call grouping and automated attendants.

Question: Is it possible to replace all of my phones in my home with IP phones?

Answer: This is certainly possible because softphones and ATA devices can be utilized instead of the standard phone units. However, you will need to establish an account with a VoIP provider and it is not advisable to cancel your regular phone service. This is because VoIP phones will not function if there is a power failure and your Internet access is unavailable because of this.