What Is VoIP?

A plethora of information is available today answering the question what is VoIP. This guide is a general overview of VoIP that explains to you the basic information on how VoIP works. The objective is to provide you with enough information about the technology to help select the best VoIP service provider to meet your needs.

VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol) simply means using your broadband Internet connection -- either cable or DSL -- to speak to anyone in the world over your ordinary home or office telephone. If you've never heard about how VoIP works, you will be glad to know that it lets you make unlimited long distance calls using the Internet, instead of your local landline phone company and the Bell Telephone system circuits.

Using your landline phone service, also know as the plain old telephone system (POTS), the dial tone you hear when you pick up your phone is supplied by your local phone company. When you dial a number and speak with someone, your connection is made through the miles and miles of copper wires that connect your phone to the rest of the world.

When you use VoIP phone service, the dial tone is delivered by the VoIP phone provider instead of the telephone company. And instead of holding your conversation on the phone company's copper wires, your voice is converted to packets of digital information and sent out over your DSL or cable to the Internet. Equipment provided by the VoIP phone provider turns your voice back into normal analog signals and passes it toll-free to the person you have dialed.

A regular phone with an adaptor can function with your computer on or off. This equipment supplied by your VoIP provider on sign-up is called a Analog Telephone Adaptor (ATA).

You simply pick up your regular phone, dial a number and talk just like you would with a traditional phone service. It does not matter if the person you are calling has VoIP or a traditional phone service as this is all taken care of by your VoIP provider.

Below is a diagram that shows how a VoIP call is made.

What Do You Need to Use VoIP?

You will need only three things to use VoIP and begin cutting your phone bill by 50-60%.

1. Broadband Internet Access. If you have cable TV that provides Internet access, you've got broadband service. Companies like Comcast, Time-Warner, Covad and many others provide this type of broadband Internet access. Alternatively, if you have DSL Internet access, you've got broadband service.

   Why do you need broadband? VoIP telephone service needs an Internet connection fast enough to transmit and receive voice that has been converted to digital packets. Dial-up access just is not fast enough. You can check for broadband service in your area through this link broadband service search tool.

2. A VoIP adapter box, also known as a "Analog Telephone Adapter." This inexpensive little box, about the size of a paperback book, does all the work of converting your voice into digital packets and delivering them through your broadband connection to the Internet.

3. A Router. Your ATA, computer and broadband modem is connected to your router. Some VoIP providers do not require a router although most do. You can purchase a good router for under $50 USD. I use the D-Link DI-524 Wireless router which you can purchase for $20 after rebate. It works great! You can view a list of routers and customer reviews at Amazon.com. To view these routers at Amazon.com click here.

So what is VoIP and what is it good for? There are two major reasons to use VOIP

1. You Save Money. What is VoIP Savings?

2. You Receive Many Additional Features.

To look at customer reviews of VoIP providers see VoIP Provider reviews.

To compare VoIP providers features and prices side by side see compare VoIP provider.

To search for VoIP providers in your area see local VoIP provider. To learn more about what is VoIP you can view many books on the subject at Amazon.com click here.

Wikipedia answers the question: What is VoIP?

FAQ What is VoIP?