VoIP stands for Voice over the Internet Protocol. It has always been realized that it was feasible to digitize sound, transmit it and then turn it back into sound, but the Net was not fast enough to make the theory a reality. Nowadays, when most Net users have access to broadband speeds, VoIP can be used worldwide. However, it is still very much dependent on the speed of the Internet connections for its quality.
VoIP goes under various names by different suppliers and so you may know it as IP, broadband or Net telephony. VoIP has a few advantages and a couple of disadvantages over normal telephony. On the plus side, it ought to be a great deal cheaper to telephone anywhere in the world, because it is simply like using the Internet.
While you surf the Net, you are charged either a local call rate or a fixed monthly fee for accessing the Net no matter where the web sites are that you are accessing. They do not charge you more to look at an Australian site than an American one.
The same ought to be true of VoIP: all calls should get classed as local calls. This is not always the case, but some VoIP service providers do allow free worldwide computer to computer calls.
Another plus point is that if you are talking about a subject, say business, which is computer-related, you can access your computer's data and share that when you are speaking. In other words, VoIP is much more flexible than regular telephony.
VoIP also offers video-conferencing. Free video conferencing between computers, if the broadband connection speed is sufficient. This is fantastic if you are working away from home or from a loved one. Most laptops (and other small Net-enabled units) have a built-in camera and a built-in microphone to make video VoIP a doddle.
To connect a desktop computer in the same way you just have to buy a camera and a microphone yet they are not expensive. Anything that connects to the Net can be converted or adapted to make use of free VoIP. Again, vitally, this all depends on your local connection speed and the local connection speed of the person you are talking with.
This is the disadvantage. If the speeds are not both fast enough, the video images will seem very jerky and if they are low then the voice transmission will also become interrupted and you will go through delays like you hear when mission control speaks to its spacemen.
We have already talked about VoIP and computers, yet there are also dedicated VoIP telephones, but they are only computers built into housings that look like telephones so as not to scare those who believe that they cannot operate a computer. They are more user friendly because they look traditional.
As more and more people have computers worldwide and as there are cyber cafes in even the most far-flung towns, so it is becoming easier and easier to use free (video) VoIP with friends and family all around the world which brings the cost of long-distance communication down.
VoIP goes under various names by different suppliers and so you may know it as IP, broadband or Net telephony. VoIP has a few advantages and a couple of disadvantages over normal telephony. On the plus side, it ought to be a great deal cheaper to telephone anywhere in the world, because it is simply like using the Internet.
While you surf the Net, you are charged either a local call rate or a fixed monthly fee for accessing the Net no matter where the web sites are that you are accessing. They do not charge you more to look at an Australian site than an American one.
The same ought to be true of VoIP: all calls should get classed as local calls. This is not always the case, but some VoIP service providers do allow free worldwide computer to computer calls.
Another plus point is that if you are talking about a subject, say business, which is computer-related, you can access your computer's data and share that when you are speaking. In other words, VoIP is much more flexible than regular telephony.
VoIP also offers video-conferencing. Free video conferencing between computers, if the broadband connection speed is sufficient. This is fantastic if you are working away from home or from a loved one. Most laptops (and other small Net-enabled units) have a built-in camera and a built-in microphone to make video VoIP a doddle.
To connect a desktop computer in the same way you just have to buy a camera and a microphone yet they are not expensive. Anything that connects to the Net can be converted or adapted to make use of free VoIP. Again, vitally, this all depends on your local connection speed and the local connection speed of the person you are talking with.
This is the disadvantage. If the speeds are not both fast enough, the video images will seem very jerky and if they are low then the voice transmission will also become interrupted and you will go through delays like you hear when mission control speaks to its spacemen.
We have already talked about VoIP and computers, yet there are also dedicated VoIP telephones, but they are only computers built into housings that look like telephones so as not to scare those who believe that they cannot operate a computer. They are more user friendly because they look traditional.
As more and more people have computers worldwide and as there are cyber cafes in even the most far-flung towns, so it is becoming easier and easier to use free (video) VoIP with friends and family all around the world which brings the cost of long-distance communication down.
About the Author:
Owen Jones, the writer of this article, writes on a number of subjects, but is now concerned with looking for the best cell phone family plans. If you want to know more, please visit our web site at Family Plans For Cell Phones.
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