Are You Ready For VoIP?

Posted on January 13, 2007 
Filed Under VoIP

So does the abbreviation VoIP leave you dumb struck? Don’t
worry; even I was when I heard about it for the first time. The
clouds parted when I discovered what it stands for: Voice over
Internet Protocol.

Have you ever been left hapless at the sight of immensely long
queues outside phonebooks? And that too when you need to
make a call to your aunt in LA and wish her on her 65 th birthday.
And, though you brave the queue for seemingly endless minutes or
hours, the constantly rising bill makes you our or conversation
too short to even cal it conversation. International calls are
still not dirt cheap and now that the world and its brother have
PC’s and Internet connection, even technophobes should have
enough sense to download software that enables you to make
phone calls using the Internet! Yes, you read it right. Make phone
calls using Internet. Just need to catch hold of an IP phone and
a software like Skype and you are ready for a futuristic roller
coaster experience!

Calling anywhere on Earth for three or four rupees a minute - at
most, is a pretty darn good idea, and one that’s catching on big
time. VoIP, in layman’s terms is the use of certain hardware and
software that makes you call up any other person on this planet.
Thereafter, you only need a good headset to have a chat and
assuming of course, that you have a multimedia PC and not a
BBC micro.

In a poll conducted worldwide, as many as a billion people have
abandoned telephone for IP telephony. In fact, you can make a
phone call to the US on dialpad coin for as little as 75 paise a
minute. The internet does not know or care whether the data
that’s rushing through its ‘routers’ began as a phone
conversation or a movie or a search for Pamela Anderson.
As long as it is in digital packets, it can find its’ way to the
Internet Protocol (IP) address it’s meant for. And so what is
happening is more and more phone calls are getting made
through Internet.

You can do it in either of the following of two ways: by going
to a site like dialpad.com or perhaps your own Internet service

provider’s site (if they offer the service), or by just picking
up an IP phone at a broadband Internet call? If you make the call
usingyour computer all you have to do is to go to the website, buy
a prepaid package that suits you using your credit card, and enter
the destination number.

Another way is Skype. Skype is a free software for Internet
phoning. It’s so simple that even technophobia can’t be an
excuse. Check out whether your computer has Windows 2000 or XP,
400 MHz or a more powerful processor, 126 MB or more RAM, a
sound card, speakers and microphones and atleast 33.6 kbps
dial-up-modem connection. A broadband connection is best. Make
sure your hard drive has atleast 15MB space to download Skype.
If the above is Greek to you, just ask any geek to check out
your system parameters.

Now, go to Skype” class=”alinks_links” onclick=”return alinks_click(this);” title=”Home Pge” style=”padding-right: 13px; background: url(http://www.smartgadgetsdepot.com/wp-content/plugins/alinks/images/external.png) center right no-repeat;” rel=”external”>skype.com click on the download link, save the
program on your desktop, open it and double click on the
installation file. Once Skype is installed, take out your
lastmonth’s phone bill and have a good laugh.

With Skype, you can call another Skype-user anywhere in the
world for free (you only pay for the net usage, not calls).
Skype has an option for landline calls that requires payment
charges depend on where you are calling. But rates are still
cheaper than landline costs.

The voice may break or come in snatches if the connection is
slow. But things are likely to get vapidly better in that
matter. My experience has been that if your soundcard,
microphone and headsets are of good quality, Skype gives you
fairly good service.

Also, IP telephony scores over messenger services offered by MSN
or AOL. In the letter, if your net connection speed is different
from your interlocutor’s, its’ hard to talk simultaneously. With
Skype, this makes no difference.

The broadband wagon has started to role, so its’ success seems
assured. In fact, it could even affect mobile telephony. New
Scientist reported earlier this year that cellphones with built
in Wi-fi capability that link to low-cost internet connection
are nearly for launch long-distance call costs can take another
big fall.

The flip side is, if you are calling Skype-to-Skype, the called
party will have to be online and pretty near the computer.
Similarly, if a Skype-contact calls you and you are offline or
online but missing about in the other room, you’ll miss the call.

That’s a disadvantage so do as the experts suggest. Just spread
the word on your online habits among your Skype - contacts or
pre - arrange a chat by email or via a short, normal phone
conversation. But the whole purpose of the technology is
defeated by the cost of Skype - enabled phones still, with IP
telephony, I sometimes wish to give all the phone booth things a
piece of my mind - at little cost and from a safe distance.

Author: Willie Reynolds
http://www. voipactivity.com

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Comments

8 Responses to “Are You Ready For VoIP?”

  1. elly drey UNITED STATES on January 13th, 2007 8:03 pm

    I’m so ready for voip myself, but i find it hard to convince others. Many have bad experiences with voip technology. The problem is with the internet connections people are using to connect online that is giving them poor phone quality. Not the actual Voip packages. But in order to have good stable internet connections where you wont suffer call quality, people need to pay for good internet.I think only business that pay for good internet connections for their network can experience seemingly flawless voip phone advantages with virtual PBX systems instead of pricey pbx boxes that become obsolete within a few years.
    just my opinion on the subject
    Elly Drey
    www.Longdistance-T1.com

  2. SmartGadgets UNITED STATES on January 14th, 2007 1:22 pm

    It’s all about bandwidth. The quality and how stable the broadband connection will have great effect on the voip service. This affects most of the residential consumers using the limited broadband service, a shared cable internet connection, a low speed DSL connection.

    Wait for the next wave of the fiber optics internet connection introduces to the residential consumers. This will bring the residential voip service to the next level.

    Voip service is not without its limitations; consider it is an alternative to the conventional PSTN service or as a supplemental.

    What if there is a power outage, chances are PSTN services are powered by TELCOs, most likely consumers will have their PSTN services working unless the TECO is affected. So a backup power source is to be considered.

    What if there is a network outage, an internet connection outage. The voip service will render itself useless.

    Due to its portability and flexibility, it is hard to pin point where exactly an emergency call is generated so as to direct the call to the proper authority. A third party service is needed to address the issue.

  3. yogesh UNITED STATES on January 15th, 2007 5:53 am

    hi,
    can i call unlimited to india in any plan . do let me know i need to call on cell phone - india.

    yogesh

  4. SmartGadgets UNITED STATES on January 15th, 2007 11:33 am

    You can do that with Skype-to-Skype. But if you want to make call to cellphone you have to use the SkypeOut. Since I don’t know which country that you are going to call, check that yourself:

    http://skype.com/products/skypeout/

    Under international calling, scroll to the country and city that you want to call and find out the minutes cost.

    Good Luck!

  5. Padma Lakshmi UNITED STATES on December 12th, 2007 6:13 pm

    Hi…Man i love reading your blog, interesting posts ! it was a great Wednesday .

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