VOIPBy Will Peeden

Voice over Internet Protocol

A way to make phone calls over the internet.

A way to bypass the standard phone company and their charges.

What is VOIP?

Traditional analog signals are converted to digital and sent through the internet to a VoIP service provider.

VoIP uses the packet-switching method to transfer the data which is much more efficient than circuit switching.

How does VoIP work?

Connect your regular phone to an ATA (analog telephone adapter).

Install software on your computer that will let you make calls with your microphone and speakers.

Use a VoIP phone that is basically a telephone with an ATA built in.

Different ways to use VoIP

Typical Analog Telephone Adapter

VoIP is much cheaper than traditional land lines.

No extra charges for long distance calls.

Anywhere you can connect to the internet you can make and receive phone calls.

VoIP can integrate with other internet applications such as video conversation.

Advantages of VoIP

If your power goes out, so does your VoIP service.

Some VoIP service providers don’t offer 911 emergency because it’s hard to determine which 911 center to route a call.

Errors with your internet connection will adversely affect phone calls.

VoIP is susceptible to worms, viruses and hacking.

Disadvantages

Over 90% of VoIP providers use a public known codex and a publicly known protocol to transport voice conversations.

A VoIP service should compress your voice into encryption packets to travel across the internet, and return back to voice at its destination.

Is VoIP secure?

Packets can be lost during transmission, resulting in your voice being fragmented.

Delayed packets can cause your voice to be jittery or echoed.

Any types of “hiccups” in your connection will reduce quality.

Quality of VoIP calls

Features like caller id, call waiting, and call forwarding are usually included in packages.

Voicemail, e-mail alerts to new voicemail, and web access to voicemail.

Online management of your account, features, settings, etc.

Computer Dialing

Convenient Features of VoIP

The H.323 protocol is currently the most widely used.

The ITU recommends H.323 because it provides audio-visual communication sessions on any packet network.

There are other protocols as well, which can cause problems if two different protocols try to communicate.

Uses soft switches to find the correct IP address to route calls.

Some technical details

Questions?