What is VoIP?

VoIP is the acronym for Voice over Internet Protocol. Most simply put, VoIP is the technology that enables its users to make cheap phone calls over an internet connection. The technology has been in existence for over thirty years, but it has been the last half decade where its usage has gradually become mainstream, as broadband internet connections become ubiquitous.

VoIP basically works by recording your voice, compressing it into data samples and transmitting it as digital information over the internet.

Who uses VoIP?

VoIP is a cheap way of making international phone calls. So anyone who regularly makes overseas phone calls can save a lot of money using VoIP. The technology also enables transmission of videos so VoIP users can also make video calls, something that has proven extremely popular with users of services such as Skype.

VoIP is not used merely by casual users, but businesses can save a ton of money on phone bills. Internet telephony is not just cheap or even free a lot of the times, but some providers, for the payment of a flat monthly fee offer a number of different features that are extremely convenient and save a lot of money.

Added features include the allocation of a land-line number that people can use to call and connect directly to you. This means that it doesn’t matter where you are in the world, people can still phone the same number to reach you. Some providers also let you make unlimited phone calls to certain countries or a number of countries as part of their subscription fee.

How is VoIP Used?

Computer to Computer

Many users use VoIP to make calls from one computer to another. But in actual fact a computer is not necessary, and all that is required is an internet connection.

If you exclude the cost of the internet connection, computer to computer phone calls are in fact free and this is the main way people use VoIP when they are at home. To be able to do this though both users need to use the same service, and all that is required is the purchase of a headset or phone (plus a webcam if you wish to make video calls). Once you have plugged the headset into your computer you are ready to go.

Computer to Phone

VoIP does not exclusively need to be confined to computer to computer calls. It can also be used to call normal land-line or mobile numbers. However using VoIP to do this is certainly not free and in some cases can be quite expensive, and these calls are where VoIP providers make money.

Despite the cost, using VoIP to make calls to landlines and mobiles can often still be a lot cheaper than using a regular phone, and is certainly cheaper when you use it to place an international call.

The beauty is the person you are calling does not have to be connected to the internet, instead your provider routes the call through to the land-line number.

SIP

SIP which stands for Session Initiation Protocol uses exactly the same technology as PC to PC communication. It is far more usual to use a special SIP phone, which plugs straight into your broadband connection to make the calls, and this removes the need to turn your computer on.

SIP is extremely popular with corporations that have offices strewn across the globe. It allows them to simply install the SIP phone, and make unlimited phone calls to one another.

Mobile Phones

The latest trend has been the explosion of growth in consumers buying smartphones, a lot of which come with VoIP capability. This means the owner of the smartphone simply needs to download the software of the provider to their mobile phone, and use it just as if they were on their computer.

You should check your mobile phone service provider, because some are reluctant to allow their subscribers use this feature on their phones because it may stop their users from making more expensive phone calls using their network. Many mobile phone service providers restrict the ability of their subscribers to use VoIP from their 3G network, confining it to Wi-Fi connections only.

Please Note - All Prices Quoted Are Correct at Time of Posting

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