Isabel Baldry asked:


So you've heard the news: a new technology is around that lets you make phone calls, even long-distance phone calls, for free! You'd like to try it, but it sounds rather complicated. What is this VoIP, anyway? Here's a quick question-and-answer guide to VoIP and how you can make free online calls without reading tons of technical jargon.

What is VoIP?

VoIP means Voice over Internet Protocol. In plain English, it means that in exactly the same way you use the Internet to send letters through email, you can now send your voice through VoIP, to make free phone calls to anywhere in the world.

How does it work?

1. You talk through your computer microphone or your VoIP phone.

2. Your voice is turned into computer data.

3. It is sent through the Internet (like email) to your VoIP service provider.

4. They send it to the phone number you are calling so your friend can receive your call.

5. When your friend talks on his phone, his voice reaches you the same way, but in reverse: from his phone, to your service provider, to your Internet, to your phone or computer.

How is the sound quality different from a regular phone?

With good Internet connection, your friend won't know the difference. If your connection is slow, you will sound like you are calling from a cellphone with bad signal. Most companies will not install VoIP for dial-up connections.

What is a VoIP service provider?

A VoIP service provider is like a phone company that connects your VoIP phone to your friend's landline.

What is a VoIP phone?

It looks like a regular phone, but it has a software and modem installed so you can connect to the Internet and make VoIP calls without having to turn on your computer. You dial it like a regular phone, and if somebody calls your VoIP number, it rings like a regular phone.

Are the phone calls really free?

Yes, if you download and install on your computer a VoIP software, like Skype. This will let you make free calls to anyone in the world who has the same software loaded in his or her computer.

You can also use Skype or other VoIP service providers to call a local or long-distance landline number or mobile phone. There will be a small charge, but it is still much cheaper than if you use a regular phone to make your call. In addition, pay features on regular phones-like call waiting, call forwarding, call barring, conference calls, caller ID and voice mail-are usually free on VoIP.

Rates and features vary with different service providers so be sure to ask your company what they offer.

Can I call my friends even if they don't have VoIP?

Yes.

And can my friends call me?

Yes. Your friends can call your VoIP number in the same way they call a regular landline. You won't be charged for incoming calls. Your friends will be charged for their call in the same way that they will be charged for calling a regular landline.

Can I keep my old phone number?

Yes, depending on your VoIP service provider. Sometimes, you can even bring your VoIP phone-along with your phone number – to anywhere that has a high-speed Internet connection.

Some providers also allow you to get a phone number with a different area code. You could be in California but have a New York area code so that your business clients in New York can call you without long-distance charges. (However, if your next-door neighbor calls you, it will be long-distance for her.)

Can I get rid of my regular phone line?

Usually, yes. Again, it depends on your VoIP service provider.

An important note, though: 911 calls made through VoIP are unreliable. Also, they will not be able to track your location automatically, as when you are using a regular phone. If you get rid of your phone line, consider using your cellphone instead of your VoIP to call 911.

So, what do I need to use VoIP? A high-speed Internet connection. This means DSL or cable, NOT dial-up. A regular phone with VoIP adaptor OR a VoIP phone OR a computer with a microphone and earpiece. A VoIP service provider.

Can I use VoIP without an Internet connection?

No.

Can I use my computer while talking on the VoIP phone?

Absolutely, although using the Internet for other purposes while using VoIP may affect the quality of your call.

Can I use VoIP without a computer?

Yes, if you have a VoIP phone and your Internet is active.

Can I use VoIP without a VoIP phone line?

Yes, if you have a computer with a VoIP program, a microphone and earpiece.

Will it work in a power outage?

Unfortunately, no.

How do I know if VoIP is for me?

VoIP is a great money-saving option for people who are always on the Internet, and VoIP is a great money-saving option for people who have a high-speed connection.

VoIP is a great money-saving option for people who often make calls to long-distance, international, or mobile numbers.

VoIP is a great money-saving option for people who move around the country, and VoIP is a great money-saving option for people who would like to take their landline number with them wherever they go.

VoIP is a great money-saving option for people who need to have an area code in another locality.

How do I find a VoIP service provider?

For VoIP calls using your computer, you can simply download a VoIP program like Skype or Vonage from the Internet.

To find a service provider for VoIP phones, simply type "VoIP" and the name of your country in the search bar of your favorite Internet search engine.



Protect your VOIP network

Angela Hayden asked:


The changing business environment has lead to a different set of communication needs for the organisations. For instance, now corporates have customers, dealers and suppliers from all parts of the world. Keeping in touch on an everyday basis is the necessity of the business. Not just this but organisations have branches in different countries or states too. Constant communication between these branches is of utmost importance in order to ensue smooth operations of the business.

Business houses till now have been using PBX for inter office communication. However a new turnkey technology has come on the block which has moved past all other modes of communication namely IP PBX. Chances are you might have heard of VoIP previously. Voice over Internet protocol or VoIP has come as a boon for business houses who have been on the look out for a cost efficient telephony solution. Voice over IP by utilising the service of the internet is capable of converging voice, data and video.

IP PBX or virtual PBX is essentially one such service offered by internet telephony. Let us have a look at how this contemporary solution can help to elevate the profit earning capacity of your business.

Not only can you switch your organisations communication structure from PSTN to IP PBX but can also sell this money minting solution to numberless business houses looking to deploy this service. By venturing into the telecommunication field by selling IP-PBX solution you will get the following benefit.

1. Voice over IP PBX allows you to make inter and intra office calls at running costs.

2. This means large savings along with faster decision making ability of the organisation.

3. Better interaction with the internal public leading to higher employee satisfaction in turn leading to a motivated set of efficient employees working as a cohesive unit.

4. Certain service providers can provide you with customised calling reports thereby enabling you to keep a check on per employee usage.

5. With VoIP PBX solution you give your clients fast and professional accessibility thereby capitalising on every call that your clients make to you.



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Scott White asked:


The new technology surrounding Voice over Internet phone plans (VoIP Phones) and all the different ways they can deployed in home and office environments, makes VoIP confusing to a lot of people. For home users and cell phone customers, it is very simple to use and no knowledge of VoIP technology is needed. Yet, VoIP usage is still not at the level many industry experts thought it should be. The VoIP consumer marketplace is competitive with phone companies and VoIP providers battling for the consumer's minds and wallets. As long as consumers are content and don't understand VoIP service and its value, the big phone companies can keep charging excessively high phone call rates and providing fewer services.

Many consumers still lack the information about VoIP phones and Internet phone service plans they need to make a shift to VoIP. Many will wait until there is a critical mass effect. That's when a large number of people will shift to VoIP and when VoIP lingo is a common part of people's vocabulary. Since VoIP operates seamlessly with current phone systems, it's not a technology that jumps out at people.

Not long ago Google was an obscure web search engine that had little consumer usage. But then Google started to make noise, and it did so with the help of students and web marketers who believed it had something to offer. Now, the word Google is used as a verb and people wonder how they ever got along with its info finding magic. VoIP is starting the same way but still hasn't found a way to move into mainstream consumer lifestyles. Rest assured though, that VoIP companies are targeting a variety of consumer demographic groups such as teens with cell phones, migrating people to Europe and North America who want to stay in close contact with their relatives back home, and businesses with multiple distant office locations who need inter-office phone communications. For regular home phone users, the value proposition they're receiving is not as compelling. That will change too as VoIP companies research ways to make that home phone service more valuable to consumers, or to make it unnecessary to keep it.

That critical mass event happens when users believe they have a clear cost savings advantage to make the switch from using their regular telephone service to a VoIP phone service. Being able to dump the home phone would certainly provide a reduction in monthly bills, but consumers aren't dropping their expensive land lines, even though they may have cable television and cell phone bills to boot. In telecommunications, it seems consumers are over-serviced, and a solution is needed. Internet telephony has that potential to eliminate some of the redundant services, but it hasn't matured to the point where it can shape the phone services market by itself.

Phone companies in defending themselves, put a fair amount of effort into discussing the possible downside of VoIP and some have even put restrictions on VoIP transmissions to try to thwart VoIP service providers. Old stories of lost calls, garbled voice quality, non functional 911 assistance, and loss of privacy don't carry much weight anymore though. Quality and technical issues are almost all resolved and the services continue to improve. So, if it's not technical issues that are preventing widespread VoIP adoption, then what is the problem?

Need to Drop the Land Line

Many consumers won't adopt a VoIP service until they can drop their current phone company land line completely. Despite the desire to do so, many appear to be resisting eliminating their dependence on the old lines. Most don't want to be paying for two phone services at the same time, yet they do. A billion people on the planet have cell phones now, so that means there are a lot of phone lines that aren't necessary, or that are too expensive given the value they offer. As long as phone companies can make customer's land lines indispensable, or encourage them to stay put, they know their customers won't switch to VoIP plans. So that leaves many consumers with more than one phone, a home phone and a mobile phone, and it's costing them a lot of money.

For those who don't make frequent long distance phone calls, the cost savings from VoIP service plans aren't compelling enough. However, when you add the cost of the call and line features that phone companies add onto the monthly phone bill, the scenario changes. Call features such as caller ID, call blocking, call waiting, and voice mail, are free with VoIP plans. If these aren't enough to entice consumers, VoIP companies will certainly look to sweeten the offer. Internet protocol communications are improving all the time and there will be more to offer the consumer such as; services via PDA's, Blackberries, and IP hard phones connected to WiFi and WiMax services.

Internet Phoning Drawbacks

When VoIP users make a call to another VoIP user, the call is essentially free. However, not everyone has a VoIP-based phone to receive VoIP calls. Many only have their land line or in some cases, a cell phone. That means the call has to go from the Internet into the PSTN or public switched phone system in the destination state or country. This is where the cost of a call shows up. Usually the cost is low for terminating the call to the end user. If the caller is making a long distance call however, this nominal cost is a small sacrifice compared to what they'll be paying on their traditional home phone service.

High speed DSL customers must have their basic phone service, so as long as they need the high speed Internet connection, they might not switch to VoIP. For cable subscribers, a land line is not needed and VoIP works very well with Cable Internet service. For cable subscribers, the land-based home phone really isn't needed so the jump to VoIP should be an easy one for cable subscribers. If they aren't making the leap to VoIP, it might indicate a lack of confidence in cable networks. Most people still have trouble comprehending that a voice telephone call can go through the cable company, or that it will be reliable. Cable companies have come a long way with their technology and networks and are more than capable of providing top notch phone services.

With better education of telecommunications consumers and the presentation of a solid value proposition that offers more than a little cost savings, VoIP will grow steadily. For those with international calling needs, VoIP is already the solution they're looking for. For small businesses with lots of long distance calling, the savings are even more pronounced. What's needed is more consumer education. With that, many will finally wean themselves from their dependence on that old analog-based land line telephone and launch into an era of cheap digital phone calls. That day is coming soon as the major phone companies are under increasing pressure to raise the price of local phone service in the face of a major shift to VoIP transmission. Critical mass will occur when price plus features create a force that overcomes consumer's inertia.



You can Get Cheap VOIP DID's too!

Chuck Stone asked:


One of the ways to speed up computer performance is to perform registry sweeps. We are going to discuss exactly what it takes to get the best performance from your current system without having to spend hundreds of dollars. After all the last thing you want to do is have to run out and get a whole new system just to get your things done online.

If you are like me then you most likely get online everyday; and the last thing I want to have to deal with is a slow computer. After all if it takes you forever to get your things done online; then how can you accomplish anything? Therefore we decided to tell you exactly what fixed our computer; you may want to give it a try and see if you can get the molasses out of your PC and get it back on the fast track.

 

The first thing we did was we decided to defrag the system and see if this was what was causing it to run so slow. This can easily be done by going to start then go to accessories then system tools. The system will take it from there; however one thing you want to know is that depending on how long it has been since you have cleaned it; this could take several hours for your system to become clean.

We did notice a difference in the way that the PC worked; however it still was not fast enough for us. So a friend told us about getting a free PC scan to get rid of all the clutter from our system. So we did that and we were told that our system needed a cleaning. We already knew that since it was four years old and had never been cleaned.

We visited http://speed-up-computer-free.hi-tech-reviews.com and were about to get access to one of the best registry cleaners that walked us through the entire process without having to know what we were doing.

In closing if you found this article on "ways to speed up computer" helpful; visit our site below. You can get your PC scanned for free and find out if it is time to clean the registry.



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