|
The article below describes four
different equipment setups that you can use to access a VoIP
solution. Everyone 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 for their VoIP service
To compare the best VoIP providers in the VoIP
industry, go to www.VoIPChoices.com. At VoIPChoices.com we compare the best Analog
Telephone Adaptor Unlimited VoIP calling plans that start at only
$16.58 per month. You can do a side-by-side comparison of all of the
top Analog Telephone Adaptor VoIP providers by price as well as
features. See if a
Analog Telephone Adaptor VoIP solution is right for you and your
family.
Equipment Options For VOIP Communication
by:Ron King
The marriage of computer and telephone
technology goes by the funny name of VOIP (Voice Over Internet
Protocol). But the cost savings are no laughing matter.
The Simplest Solution -- Headphones
Attach a headset to your computer’s sound card
and you can try VOIP for free!
Download any one of the many VOIP software
packages -- Skype, Gizmo, Free World Dialup, and Net2Phone are some
of the big names. Install and invite your buddies to install the
same software. It’s that easy to set up. Special features like call
display, call forwarding, voicemail, and conference calls are also
free as long as both parties are using computers.
It's even easier to use. Just click on a name
to start a call. Most of these so-called "soft phones" allow you to
place and receive calls at no charge to and from anywhere in the
world, so long as you are not connecting to cellular or landline
phones.
Internet Phones
The next step up from headsets is Internet
phones. They plug into the USB port or sound card of your computer.
Because you still need VOIP software installed
on your computer to make and receive calls, these phones are also
considered soft phones. But they seem more like "real" telephones
because they ring, have regular number pads and are used like
conventional phones.
Analog Telephone Adapter (ATA)
Progressing up the VOIP ladder, ATA is next.
It allows you to connect a regular analog telephone to a broadband
modem. It is usually free when you sign up with a provider, similar
to signing up with a telephone company. There is a monthly charge
for this service, and you may have to sign a contract committing you
to that provider for a specified period.
Using an ATA for Internet phone calls is
straightforward. You pick up the phone and dial a number. Anyone
calling you won’t even know that you are using VOIP.
A computer is not needed for this kind of
link. It connects to either a DSL modem linked to your phone line or
cable modem attached to your cable television connection. Any
traditional telephone can also be plugged into an ATA.
You can even take your ATA with you when
you’re traveling and receive phone calls from anywhere by connecting
it to any broadband modem. Calls to your home phone number will be
routed to your ATA (which has a unique identification) at the same
cost as the call to your residence.
IP Phone
The final VOIP option is an IP phone (not the
same as an Internet Phone). IP phones plug directly into the modem;
Internet phones plug into the sound card or USB port of your
computer.
An IP phone is a handset that has all the
hardware and software built into it. You connect an IP phone to a
broadband modem, then make or receive calls the same way that you
would with an ATA.
The advantage of an IP phone over an ATA is
that it is a completely integrated unit. You don’t need an extra
telephone to plug into it. Another IP phone advantage is that your
phone numbers are all stored and the display screen provides
information about incoming calls.
There you have it: 4 choices that will all add
up to substantial telephone savings.
|
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.
|
| 
