Tag Archive for voice over internet

VoIP Review: Vonage And AT&T

March 18, 2010 VoIP Review, VoIp Review: Vonage No comments

VoIP which stands for Voice over Internet Protocol is a phone service connection that uses the internet in order to connect two calling parties. To use it, a VoIP adapter and internet connection is a must. However, since almost all homes and establishment are already connected to the internet, making use of this wired connection is the backbone why VoIP calls have lower rates when compared to traditional telephones.

In the US today, many telephone and internet providers are competing with each other in getting as many homes equipped with VoIP as possible. Most of these companies offer bundle packages where internet connection and VoIP telephone connection are given for a very small fee. The top two competing companies in the US today are Vonage and AT&T. Let’s talk about the differences and similarities of what these two companies are offering in this VoIP review.

*Monthly Subscription*
Vonage offers a monthly subscription fee of $14.99 for the first 6months of signing up. Then the rate will increase to the regular fee of $25.99 a month. AT&T U-verse Voice offers their service for a monthly fee of $35. This is higher than Vonage but because of the greater service. AT&T U-verse Voice also caters mostly to small business and enterprise VoIP client.

*Minutes of Free Local and International Calls*
Vonage offers unlimited local and long distance calls to over 60 countries. AT&T U-verse Voice offers the same unlimited local and long distance call rates, but limited only to US, Canada and Puerto Rico. If the $35 per month subscription is too much for you, AT&T U-verse Voice also offers a lower rate of $25 for 250minutes long distance call to the countries mentioned above.

*Clarity of lines*
Both Vonage and AT&T U-verse Voice offers clear and quality lines for your local and international calls.

*Added Service*
Added service like call waiting, voice mails and call forwarding are included on subscriptions to either of the two companies.

*Bundle Rates*
Vonage and AT&T U-verse Voice both offer bundle rates, wherein special telephone features can be added to your VoIP line for a very minimal fee. For the complete bundle rates check out Vonage’s site and AT&T U-verse Voice.

*Value for Money*
If you have friends or relatives living in Asia or Europe, it is best to get Vonage VoIP subscription as they offer free calls to these areas. But if most of your calls are within North America and is thinking of putting up a small business, AT&T U-verse Voice is the best for you.

VoIP Review: Pros & Cons

March 17, 2010 VoIP Adapters, VoIP Review No comments

VoIP Service, i.e. Voice over Internet Protocol is a basic term used for the whole family related to the transmission technology, which deals with the voice communication delivery through IP networks. These IP networks can be either Internet or any other Packet switched networks. Session control protocols are often employed to control the set up as well as the calls tear-down or audio codec. This enables the encoding of speech by allowing voice communication and transmission through IP networks. Few examples of various technologies used to implement VoIP are H-323, IP Multimedia Subsystem, Real-Time Transport Protocol and Session Initiation Protocol.

VoIP has been beneficial in terms of reducing cost related to communication as well as infrastructure. The phone calls are routed through the existing data networks, thus avoiding a need for extra or separate data network. Various other facilities like conference calls, call forwarding, automatic redial and even caller ID are made available free of cost as compared to the conventional telecommunication system.

Since VoIP are charged per megabyte, the billing costs are very low as compared to the regular telephone bills. Basically there are many pros and cons of using VoIP service. If you perform a VoIP review you will find a lot of advantages. As mentioned earlier, the reduction in cost is the biggest advantage of VoIP. Even international calls are charged very less as compared to the conventional telecommunication system. This service is indeed really portable, as one can use it anywhere by simply logging into the unique VoIP account. Even the phone -to- phone VoIP service is portable. This makes VoIP service really unique and advantageous.

But it also has cons or disadvantages. Two biggest hurdles of VoIP service are lack in provision of a round the clock service and emergency calling. Traditional phone services continue to provide unobstructed service, even when there is no power supply. But with internet phones, one needs to have power supply. If there is a black out, it may be impossible to avail this service, provided one has some battery backup or a power generator hooked up to your VoIP adapter. VoIP service is not really useful in case of emergencies, like calling 911. Locations can be easily traced in conventional phone calls, but it is just not possible to locate areas in internet phones. The data sent via email often arrives in a scrambled manner in VoIP service. Hence it loses in terms of quality. Two more hurdles that come in the way of VoIP service are distance as well as speed.

VoIP Pros And Cons

March 17, 2010 VoIP Review No comments

As we know, VOIP is the abbreviated form of Voice Over Internet Protocol, which is the latest technology by which an user can make the phone calls via internet instead of using traditional land line based phone calling. Since this is an accepted technology and is being used worldwide, so for sure, it has got its own advantages but at the same time there are some disadvantages also in conjunction with these advantages. So, for sure before completing reverting to this latest technology of telecommunication, which has taken the world by storm, it is advisable for the customer to have a quick glance at the pros and cons with which this latest revolution in telecommunications comes to you. So, let us take a glance at both pros and cons in successive paragraphs.

PROS OF VOIP:
1. The very first and most important advantage of VOIP is that it costs much less in comparison to traditional phone calls as it has a flat rate charge for calling long distances whereas in traditional way, your call cost is always proportional to the distance between the caller and the receiver.
2. With VOIP, you can communicate with multiple people at anytime you want but with traditional way of telecommunication, you are limited to one call one person.
3. As VOIP incorporates both data and voice communication. So, instead of just being able to talk with the other person, you can exchange more ideas with them like sending graphics, videos etc, which again is a limitation with the traditional system of telecommunications.
4. As VoIP is internet-enabled service, so even if you change location, you do not need to change the existing number, which you have to, in case you are using the traditional system.
5. Wherever internet access is available, VOIP services can be utilized but same stand restricted in case of traditional system.

CONS OF VOIP:
1. As VOIP is internet-enabled service, every time the internet connection cuts down, the VOIP system becomes inaccessible. So, if that is the only way of your telecommunication, in that case, it would prove dangerous in case of emergency.
2. VOIP services depends mainly on the quality of internet connection in your area as well as the power availability. So, in case the quality of internet is poor, it will led to poor VoIP conversation.
3. Since the VOIP is portable, so calls cannot be traced properly as to from where they are made.
4. Eavesdropping is another limitation of VOIP as it does not comes with conversational privacy and your calls can be overheard by somebody else.
5. Though caller ID is a built-in feature of VOIP package, but when we make calls using our VOIP connection, our number is not screened on their caller ID and is displayed as “Unknown.” So, the receiver might not be willing to attend our call.

Having said both the pros and cons of this great technology, none of us can undermine its importance in the current scenario where internet has certainly become a part and parcel of our everyday life. Check out several companies and do a thorough VoIP review before signing up. So, let us hope that soon all its disadvantages can be completely removed or at least minimized to an extent that majority of the world population can use this fascinating technological innovation.

VoIP Adapter

February 14, 2010 VoIP Adapters No comments

Voice over Internet Protocol, also know as VoIP for short, is a convenient way to get telephone service if you have a high speed Internet connection available to you in your house. VoiP services are a great option because they are generally very low priced even when making international calls. In order to successfully utilize a VoIP you will need a VoIP adapter in order to get your VoIP service up and running. Thankfully most companies that over VoIP services provide an adapter. It may or may not be at additional cost.

One of the most common types of VoIP adapters are analog telephony adaptors, also known as ATA for short. You will be able to use this device to connect a certain number of phones to a digital telephone system, usually two to four phones. This means they these adaptors are perfect if you use VoIP. Since you are able to connect multiple phones to this adaptor you’ll be able to connect every single phone in your house up to one line. If you’re a business owner you may very well need to purchase multiple adapters in order to connect all your phones to a VoIP service if your business is large. However, for the general user and a small business one adapter is usually sufficient.

It is very common for analog telephony adapters to be the VoIP adapters for many companies that provide VoIP services. These adapters are used in order to allow a user to replace their traditional telephone line with a voice over IP network. Often times when receiving an adapter from any given company they are locked so they you are unable to use it with any other competing VoIP service. Usually the user is able to make miner changes to the adapter, but the amount of control given is extremely limited. In order to find VoIP adapters that are usable with any VoIP service provider you will need to search for adapters that are unlocked.

Some service providers sell these types of adapters, but because it is a competitive market usually you will only be able to purchased locked adapters. The absolute best place to purchase unlocked VoIP adapters is over the Internet. There are many reliable stores online to purchase these adapters. A quick search will probably yield hundreds of results. It is up to you, the consumer, to make the best decision about which adaptors to purchase and from what store. If you are not up for shopping online for them usually you can find adapters in retail stores.

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