|
The article below tackles the pros
and cons of why you should try a VoIP telephone solution in your
home if you haven’t done so already. It is easy to set up and almost
all of the VoIP Telephone providers provide a free trial
period.
To compare the best VoIP providers in the VoIP
industry, go to www.VoIPChoices.com. Unlimited VoIP calling plans start at only
$16.58 per month. You can do a side-by-side comparison of all
of the top VoIP providers by price as well as features. See if
a VoIP solution is right for you and your family.
Pros And Cons Of Getting VOIP Right Now
by: Ron King
You have a telephone, right? You have a
computer, right? You want to save money, right? BAM, you are a VOIP
(Voice Over Internet Protocol) candidate.
It is inevitable that VOIP will replace
traditional telephone service at some point. The only question is
when should you jump in?
VOIP is quickly becoming more reliable and
receiving wider acceptance. In fact, phone companies are already
taking advantage of the technology to provide cheaper long distance
rates. Like any emerging technology, however, there are kinks in the
system that are still being worked out.
Advantages
VOIP has many advantages over regular phone
service. One primary advantage is its low cost. If you have a fast
Internet connection (DSL or cable), you can make PC-to-PC phone
calls anywhere in the world FREE. PC-to-phone connections usually
have a charge, but probably still cheaper than regular phone
service.
You can sign up with a VOIP service provider
for a monthly fee and get unlimited calls within a specified
geographic area. For example, some VOIP services in the United
States allow connections anywhere in North America for no extra
charge. International calls are charged at a modest rate.
Another advantage is its portability. You can
make and receive phone calls wherever there is a broadband
connection by simply signing in to your VOIP account. This makes
VOIP as convenient as e-mail. When you're traveling, you simply pack
a headset or Internet phone; then you can talk to family or
colleagues for next to nothing.
Phone-to-phone VOIP is also portable. Internet
phones are small and light enough to take anywhere. When you sign up
with a VOIP service provider, the Internet phone or adaptor used by
that service is assigned a unique number. This 'phone number'
remains valid, even if your VOIP service is in Los Angeles and
you're connected to the Internet in London. When plugged into a
broadband connection, anywhere in the world, you can make and
receive calls as though you were at home .
Features like call forwarding, call waiting,
voicemail, caller ID and 3way-calling, are included with Internet
telephone at no extra charge. While you're talking on the phone, you
can send pictures and documents at the same time.
Disadvantages
There are a few glitches that still interfere
with the technology's broad acceptance by the public. Lack of
continuous service during power outages and emergency calling are
the 2 biggest hurdles.
Conventional phone service continues by the
current supplied through the phone lineduring a blackout. This isn't
possible with Internet phones. When the power goes, there goes VOIP
service. Battery backups and power generators that provide
electricity are the current solutions to this problem.
A major concern involves emergency 911 calls.
For the most part, VOIP services aren't useful in emergencies.
Traditional phone equipment can trace the locations of calls.
Emergency calls are diverted to the nearest call center where the
operator can identify your location, in the event you can't talk.
With VOIP, there is no way currently to determine where Internet
calls are originating. There is an emerging standard called e911
however, which is attempting to solve this limitation.
VOIP also has sound quality and reliability
problems. Data sent across the Internet usually arrives at its
destination scrambled. E-mail and documents can be reassembled in
the correct order when it arrives. Voice data also arrives
scrambled, but it's more complicated because of the real-time nature
of VOIP. Some data packets may have to be dropped when they don't
arrive in time, in order to make voice connections with the least
delay. This can cause brief silences in the audio stream.
Distance and speed of the connection determine
the amount of data lost. Some networks receive more traffic and thus
are more likely to cause audio dropouts. One way to provide high
quality audio connections is to create dedicated data paths.
With the incredible amount of work dedicated
to VOIP, these disadvantages will no doubt be resolved withinin the
next 2 years. It is expected that by then VOIP will have widespread
consumer acceptance.
|
About The Author
Ron King is a full-time researcher,
writer, and web developer. Visit http://www.voip-solutions-now.com to learn more about this
subject. |
| 
