The buzz surrounding Voice over IP technology has been growing for quite some time Chris Kunitz Womens Jersey , but only recently has the notion of ditching standard telephone service grown so compelling that companies like Skype can claim over 215 million downloads of its product. In this article, we'll explore the current offerings and help you make wise choices while embarking on the VoIP path.
Let's start with vocabulary. The most important and oft-repeated acronym you must learn and understand in regards to Voice over IP is SIP. SIP stands for Session Initiation Protocol, a well-established, open-standard protocol that is the glue to the VoIP world. It allows a vast array of services, software, and hardware to work together to create flexible Tyler Johnson Womens Jersey , feature-rich calling solutions with many attractive benefits. If it doesn't support SIP, you shouldn't support them.
WHAT DO I NEED
At minimum, you need a high-speed Internet connection, a SIP phone number, and a softphone. A softphone is a software version of an IP phone that lets you make calls using your computer.
Some services, like Stanaphone and Gizmo Anton Stralman Womens Jersey , will provide you with a softphone to use with their system. Most of these will only let you configure SIP numbers that belong to their network. If you want to utilize multiple SIPs across different networks, your best option is to use X-Lite, a free softphone from Counterpath (formerly known as Xten Networks). With X-Lite, it appears you can configure up to 9 different SIP numbers. Like Gizmo, X-Lite comes in Mac, Windows Mikhail Sergachev Womens Jersey , and PC versions.
If you want to use your existing phone, rather than a headset or microphone and speakers, you'll need an analog phone adapter. Dedicated, SIP-compatible IP phones are also available. Wi-Fi IP phones can be carried with you and used wherever there's a wireless Internet signal. There are also WiFi mobile phones available.
You should also receive a SIP URL which looks similar to an email address and is a simple way to share your new contact information. You can easily dial a SIP URL in your softphone application or link to it from a web page. If you're using a hardware phone, SIP Broker has a free service that can maps the SIP server names to short numeric codes, allowing you to easily dial users on over 200 different services.
WHAT CAN I DO WITH IT
You can make free calls to other IP phone users worldwide. You can make calls to traditional phone numbers or attach a local phone number that routes to your SIP number Nikita Kucherov Womens Jersey , allowing regular phone users to call you. If you travel, you can carry that same phone number with you wherever there's an Internet connection, and the folks back home won't incur long-distance charges when they call you. Free voice mail, too, and messages are delivered to your e-mail.
In a business situation, you could slash or eliminate your long-distance charges by setting up free calling between remote or international offices. Videoconferencing also becomes possible without dedicated line charges. For the more adventurous Steven Stamkos Womens Jersey , you could also setup a PBX. Asterisk is a powerful, open-source PBX system with a feature list that can give any sized business the advantages of a full-fledged digital phone system.
If you work in a scenario where 2-way radios are utilized, DingoTel offers a product which can turn these in to VoIP walkie-talkies while making use of the radios full reception range, sometimes up to 12 miles depending on the model.
For the budget-conscious, with some services like Gizmo and SIPphone, standard phone users in major cities can dial a free access number Vladislav Namestnikov Jersey , enter your SIP number and speak to you via your IP phone. SIP Broker also maintains a few numbers which allow callers to dial SIP numbers on any of their 220+ supported networks.
It may seem tedious, but programming the entire of sequence of numbers in to a phone's contacts directory is quite straightforward. Just remember to insert pauses to allow for the phone system's menu options to respond. If your friends have free long-distance calling plans, they could reach you via any of the available access numbers mentioned above at no cost to either of you.
IPKall and Stanaphone will give you a free local number as long as you don't mind it being in Washington State or New York City. IPKall will forward your number to any SIP URL, but Stanaphone's will only work with the SIP number provided through them.
Free World Dialup and SIPphone have peering agreements allowing you to SIP dial users on a number of different VoIP networks using a short prefix. SIP Broker can also help you reach anyone on a service that allows incoming SIP calls, which Vonage and CallVantage do not.
There are also SIP-compatible softphones available for the Pocket PC, Palm OS Andrei Vasilevskiy Jersey , Symbian, and Linux handheld markets that can turn your handheld in to a cordless Internet phone.
SERVICE PROVIDERS
You have to pay when you want make calls to regular telephone numbers. If you want a local number that links to your SIP number, that'll usually cost you, too. The good news is that the prices are very reasonable. There are many service providers, plans, and packages out there to suit home and business users. Here are some important questions to ask:
Does the plan include hardware Victor Hedman Jersey , i.e. an analog phone adapter? Will I own the hardware being provided by the service? If I am buying the hardware, is it locked to your service or can I use it with other SIP service providers? Do you offer a "Bring Your Own Device" calling plan? Does the plan include a virtual phone number so anyone can call me? Are all incoming calls free? Can I receive incoming SIP calls by number andor URLs?