VoIP Phones - An Introduction

A particular technology that has recently emerged and promises revolutionize telephone usage is known as Voice over Internet Protocol or VoIP. VoIP works by transmitting the data generated by the human voice over an Internet connection. Effectively, internet users now have the option to converse with each other, via the internet, and in real-time. This can happen,regardless of the distance that separates all parties. This means that telephony has taken a huge step forward and now has the potential to integrate the Internet as well as regular communications into a new medium.

The potential business applications are many, and businesses across the country have started to implement VoIP technology. Businesses can improve their productivity by orders of magnitude while cutting back on communications cost. Since this is the heart and sole of growth, businesses have started to use VoIP right and left.

VoIP can be used in three ways for communication. The first is to use a device known as an analogue telephone adapter or ATA. This device converts analogue voice signals into digital data that can be transmitted over the Internet using a router or modem. The second is simply using a computer program known as a softphone to call anyone who has the same program. The third involves using an IP phone to by-pass the conversion process altogether by simply digitizing the user's voice.

IP phones work exactly like regular phones, except that instead of a regular phone connector, they have an Ethernet connector. This enables the IP phone to connect to the internet directly rather than through the VoIP system. These phones have taken the market by storm, and recent models even allows users to communicate by connecting to the Internet wirelessly. Walk into an internet café, turn on the wireless transmitter and that person has a working phone. Since popular softphone programs can be installed directly on regular phones, this means that free softphone programs allow users of wireless IP phones to talk for free virtually anywhere.

The power of VoIP offers businesses a widely available way to reduce their running costs significantly. This results in increaded profitability for the company as their reduced costs translate to more competitive pricing and thus increased popularity. VoIP technology might change the way we conduct our personal and professional lives. With VoIP, people can use their everyday PCs and Macs to communicate with friends and work colleagues. Multiple calls can be made at the same time to increase the chances of being answered. This is the magic of VoIP.