Traditional phone landlines can soon become extinct as the popularity of internet calling services and cell phones continue to rise.
This internet calling service is referred to as Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP).
It allows users to call other people using the computer or their cell phones.
Because of the use of the internet for phone service, long distance calls are cheaper than a calling card.
VoIP is a revolutionary technology that can completely change the world’s phone systems.
Calls with VoIP Using a Computer:
You can make calls from one computer to another computer using VoIP, or any device that run an OS and uses digital data.
This is easy and free way of making VoIP calls. You only need to have a desktop or laptop connected to the internet, with the required hardware to listen and talk.
After you have installed VoIP, you can use different communication software like Viber and Skype and you are ready to make a call.
Obviously, this will work only if the person at the other end is using a computer and the same type of software.
You both must be connected at the same time so that you can talk.
If you are communicating over the internet or LAN, adequate bandwidth is required for a quality VoIP call. 50 kbps can be useful but for a high-quality call, you need 100kbps.
Calls with VoIP Using a Phone:
You can make a VoIP call using an analog phone or a simple cell phone.
Using a cell phone for VoIP call is very beneficial but is more expensive than using a computer.
You can use VoIP and enjoy benefits of its low cost, but you and the other person need to have phones in order to start the communication.
You can make VoIP call using a phone in two ways. You can either use an IP phone or ATA.
IP phones are specialised phones that look just like normal phones with a handset, buttons and cradle.
Instead of operating on the PSTN network, IP phones are connected to a router.
ATA stands for Analog Telephone Adapter. It is the simple and most common way of making a VoIP call using phones.
It allows you to connect your phone to a computer or your internet connection for use with VoIP. It is an analog-to-digital converter.
It takes analog signals from your phone and converts them into digital signals that can be sent over the internet. Some VoIP providers are bundling ATAs free with their service.
Calls with VoIP Using phone and computer:
You can make a VoIP call to a person on his computer using a phone.
You can also use computer to call a person who is using a landline telephone.
When you make a VoIP call from a computer, digital signals are converted into the voice data. Similarly, when you place a call from a phone to a computer, your voice data is converted into digital data.
Find VoIP providers
If you are interested in using VoIP, you can check out some of the free VoIP software available on the internet.
You can easily download and set it up in a few minutes.
