Advantages of VoIP Over Traditional Telephone Services

Before the technology improved with the Internet that allowed faster data speeds with broadband services, the idea of voice over the Internet was only a dream. Our only option was the regular Plain Old Phone Service (POTS) provided over expensive copper wire.

Regular phone service usually doesn't include many features. Even long distance requires a separate account with a long distance carrier at additional expense.

If you have Internet service from a cable company then you may be able to get phone service from them too. This is known as VoIP. It stands for Voice over Internet Protocol.

The VoIP phone service comes through your cable rather than the old copper wires. The cable company will supply you with a special telephony modem.

A telephony modem includes an Analog Telephony Adapter (ATA) built into it. This Internet modem has one or two phone jacks in addition to the usual Ethernet jack for your computer.

Features Included with VoIP

VoIP services usually include most of the technologically available features at no extra cost. Features such as the following are free with most VoIP services.

• Call-Waiting
• Caller-ID
• Three-Way-Calling
• Call Blocking
• Call Forwarding
• Distinctive Ring for VIP Callers
• Long Distance (Usually to all 50 States in the USA, plus Puerto Rico)
• One Important Disadvantage

If you have a power failure, your modem will not work and therefore your phone service will be knocked out.

You could connect your modem to an Uninterruptable Power Supply (UPS) that provides power for an hour or two if you are in an area that is prone to losing electricity. In addition, your cable provider might even include a feature to forward calls to your cell phone in case of a power outage.

This can be enabled and controlled by you via a web login portal. The features listed above can also be controlled from your web portal.

Additional Line at Low Cost

If you only have one phone line, you use only one jack. However, you can have two numbers. The monthly cost for the additional line is very small compared to two-line service over copper lines.

There are two reasons why the cost is low. There is no need to run additional cables, and the central office support for an additional line does not take up any additional resources.

Internal Wiring

Connecting the phones throughout your home still requires copper wire. However, you probably already have this from your existing phone service. All you need to do is have the wires terminate at the location where your Internet Telephony Modem will reside.

You simply connect this wire to the telephony modem. The connection is made with the standard RJ-11 jack that you use with your phones.

If you have two lines running through one wire, it uses the same looking jack at the end, but this is known as an RJ-14. The inner two pins carry line 1 and the outset two pins carry line 2. In this case one of the jacks in the modem is used. You'll notice that one of the jacks is labeled L1/L2 and the other is labeled just L2.

Final Remarks

The technology has been improved in recent years with the advent of better data compression techniques. It even provides better quality sound due to the use of digital transmission.

Long Distance can be included free, and overseas at low-cost, because the service takes advantage of the Internet satellite infrastructure that's already in place around the world.

VoIP definitely is the wave of the future that is here now.

About the author: Glenn Stok is the founder of Stok Software, Inc., a New York business that designed and supported small business phone systems for over 35 years.

You can find a list of Mr. Stok's related articles under "Business Phone Systems" on his website.

The Benefits of Audio Conference Calls for Business Clients

With the improvements in technology, teleconference, or audio conference, calls are quickly being replaced with video conferencing and meeting with colleagues using internet applications. However, audio conferencing is still an important business tool for many companies and business professionals. Here are five reasons for businesses to use audio conferencing.

What is a Conference Call?

A conference call is a telephone call involving several people at the same time. In some cases, meeting participants may be in different locations around the world. During the call, those who are participating will dial a specific telephone number at a certain time and be connected to the virtual meeting. They can either listen or they may be able to talk with others during the call so they can ask questions or present information.

Reliability

One of the main advantages to an audio conference call is they are more reliable than using video conferencing or web meetings. Due to varying internet speeds, especially during times of peak usage, the video may buffer, which can cause some participants in the video conference to miss part of what is said.

Also, if you're trying to have a video conference between participants in different countries, the time differences and internet access can present their own challenges. Regular telephone service doesn't present the same problems and most audio conferences are easy to connect to, participate in and they are rarely disrupted.

Easy Participation

Audio conference calls do not need to be major productions. While they can be used for departmental meetings for medium to large companies with multiple locations, they can be used on a much smaller scale as well.

If there is a delivery and production issue for a company, the manager in charge of logistics can contact the production floor and the warehouse manager using audio conferencing to try to figure out the problem. The participants in the meeting can be given a number to call into as needed to discuss the problem and come up with a solution.

Less Expense

Audio conferences are more cost efficient for smaller companies and business professionals than video conferencing or some web meeting applications. There isn't any special equipment needed to hold cheap audio conference calls like there is with video or web conferencing.

With video conferencing, a projector and screen is needed for participants to see each other. Web meetings are different because participants pull up a website and enter their scheduled meeting individually, which can increase the expense for companies who may need an entire department to participate in a web meeting.

With audio conferencing, there is a flat rate per minute charge for each participant. Most video conference and web meeting applications require a subscription fee, which is paid each month whether you use the service and there are usually different services available depending on which package you've selected.

Cheap audio conference calls can help your business keep in contact with other locations around the world or hold meetings with clients and other participants on an as needed basis.