An Overview – What is VoIP?

The Definition of VoIP Phone Services

VoIP is becoming a common term in telephony. Many people are still uncertain when it comes to what is VoIP and how does Vonage work? This overview will give the basics on VoIP services, what VoIP stands for and specifically, how does Vonage work? Continue reading this article to learn about the basics of VoIP technology, VoIP requirements, including the hardware and software necessary for VoIP, and the advantages of VoIP.

Voice over Internet Protocol, referred to as VoIP, is the technology of using digital Internet signals to send and receive voice communications. Explained even simpler, VoIP is using an Internet connection to make and receive phone calls. With unique hardware and software, VoIP allows users to make and receive phone calls that perform just the same as existing telephone technology - simply pick up the phone and start dialing. VoIP simply uses a different technology but from a user stand point the function is the same as standard telephone service - you make and receive calls just the same.

What is Required for Vonage VoIP?

VoIP is an Internet dependent technology and requires a high-speed connection to the Internet. The minimum connection speed required for VoIP is 90 kilobits per second. Dial-up Internet connection is usually not considered a high-speed connection. Broadband, Cable and DSL technologies are all high-speed and should have no problem providing a suitable connection for VoIP services.

VoIP Hardware and Software

Additionally, VoIP service requires hardware and/or software. There are several ways of using VoIP, some of them include:

• Using a VoIP adapter and a standard telephone
• Using a VoIP hardphone which is a telephone with an internal/built-in VoIP adapter
• Using Vonage Softphone - software that lets a computer with a high-speed Internet connection make and receive phone calls

The basis is that an adapter or software needs to intercede between standard analog phones and the Internet connection to convert analog voice signals into digital Internet signals. Some manufacturers have created VoIP hardphones with built-in adapters. VoIP providers provide VoIP adapters which are small devices that connect to both the Internet connection and to the telephone. The other method is to use software on a computer connected to a high speed Internet connection that will handle the analog-to-digital signal conversion. Vonage phone service has many solutions, including the above mentioned hardware and software.

Advantages of VoIP Phone Services

The immediate and most desirable advantage of Vonage phone service is the savings. VoIP phone services from Vonage are less expansive than traditional phone service. The savings of using Vonage phone service come from the following:

• Lower monthly phone bill
• Long distance charges eliminated - calling long distance is the same as calling across town
• Vonage phone service offers lots of features not found or offered as additional services with standard phone service providers
• Make cheap international phone calls with Vonage because of lower international calling rates than standard phone service providers

Cost savings are realized both on a plan-to-plan comparison but also when comparing feature sets and when making cheap international phone calls. Vonage phone service features include: call waiting, caller ID, voicemail, multi-party calls and more (see all Vonage phone service calling features). In addition, premium calling plans from Vonage phone service include long distance calling, international calling to many world countries and Canada (or 60 countries worldwide) and low rates for making cheap international phone calls to other countries.

Disadvantages of VoIP

There are two major concerns of VoIP services. First, 911 Emergency services may not be available and call quality over VoIP may not be as good as standard telephone service.

Reaching 911 Emergency Services with Vonage Phone Service

There have been some misconceptions about the availability of 911 Emergency services when using VoIP. When calling from a standard analog phone your call is automatically routed to your local 911 dispatch. When using VoIP, your phone is not connected to the standard phone lines, it's connected to the Internet so a 911 emergency call must be routed by Vonage to your local emergency dispatch. Vonage will route your emergency 911 calls to your local dispatch based on the address you have on file. So 911 services are available when using Vonage phone service, there is just an extra step of having to route the call to the proper local authorities of the caller. Read more about how 911 Emergency service and Vonage work together.

Call Quality with VoIP

The call quality of VoIP has been a concern. The real issue is that call quality depends on the connection speed of the user. The high-speed Internet connections of today usually meet the minimum 90 kbps recommended by Vonage phone service and other VoIP providers, however this is also dependant on users ISPs and if the connection drops to a lower speed, call quality can be affected. As technology gets better and faster, call quality issues will not be a concern.

VoIP Service Providers

Choosing a VoIP services provider can be confusing. VoIP is a new technology and there can be some significant differences in providers: some may be brand new and small start-ups while others can be large nationally-recognized brands.

As far as calling plans go, VoIP providers offer plans similar to how cell/mobile phone providers offer plans. VoIP providers usually offer basic calling plans with a limited number of calling minutes and premium calling plans. Other important factors to consider from a VoIP provider include customer service, overall quality of service, reputation, included calling features and long distance/international calling rates and availability.

Vonage Phone Service

Vonage phone service has been offering cheap VoIP services since 2001. Find discount Vonage plans that can save you even more money. There are discount Vonage plans for everyone, plus get great Vonage international rates for making cheap international phone calls. Try Vonage phone service today and start realizing significant savings right away. Vonage, sometimes incorrectly referred to as Vontage (Vonage is correct, Vontage is incorrect), offers long distance and international calls to 5 European countries with the Vonage premium calling plans. Compare cheap VoIP services at Vonage calling plans page.

The Future of VoIP

VoIP is a technology that is growing and expanding in capability, popularity and usability. As the Internet becomes more prevalent, the availability and accessibility of VoIP services has expanded. Government regulations are beginning to recognize the presence of VoIP and will likely in the future regulate VoIP in a similar way to standard analog telephone companies. ISPs may have to change their supporting infrastructure as VoIP and Internet bandwidth based communication increase. This may result in increased costs for ISP services to accommodate a larger, more capable infrastructure. Cheap VoIP services and Vonage phone service will continue to provide money-saving and feature-rich phone service well into the future.

Wondering how does Vonage work? Read more to find out how VoIP works in a more in-depth discussion.