VoIP in the Home
Mike Bromley
VoIP is set to revolutionise home communications. With VoIP you can make telephone calls over your broadband connection for free! Well in some cases you can, in other cases you might need to pay a monthly subscription to a VoIP service provider. There are a few different ways you can take advantage of VoIP at home.
PC to PC
The simplest and most cost effective way to get into VoIP is by installing some free software on your PC and invest in a telephone headset( you can also use a microphone and your PC speakers). Once you have this set up you can talk to other people using the same software from your PC to their PC.
Sounds good? Well yes and no, you both have to be sat in front of your PC's to communicate, which is not particularly convenient. Though if you are making a lot of international calls this can be a great way to speak to relatives overseas completely free of charge.
PC to Phone
You can take phone calls over broadband a step further by setting up a 'PC to Phone' VoIP system. This is similar to the 'PC to PC' method outlined above. You need to have a headset and download specialist software too, though with this method you can contact any phone you like.
However, via this method the calls are not free and you will need to prepay for your calls. The supplier of your software will require you to add money to your phone account much like the pre-pay system for mobile phones. When you choose your service provider you will need to carefully check the rates they offer. Some have great deals for landline calls, but are expensive if you wish to call a mobile phone - so do your research.
Phone to Phone
This is the most exciting incarnation of VoIP for the home, you can either buy a VoIP ready phone or an adaptor that connects your phone to your broadband line, and from there contact any phone over your broadband connection.
You will need to sign up with a VoIP service provider to accomplish this. Usually you will be charged a monthly fee, and typically get all your UK landline phone calls free. There are additional deals for international calls and contacting mobile phones.
Whatever option you chose to connect to at home, you are sure to take advantage of the future of home telecommunications - VoIP!
© Mike Bromley 2005
About the author:
The author runs a site about UK VoIP Service Providers at www.speakonline.co.uk
The latest information and news on VoIP :
Mobile VoIP company Fring adds a number of advanced features to its Windows Mobile app, including file transferring.
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A U.S. VoIP phone service kept one of the terrorists who carried out deadly attacks in Mumbai, India, in November in touch with his handlers based in Pakistan, according to reports describing a dossier of evidence compiled by Indian officials.
SDK helps developers VoIP-enable Pocket PC applications. (ThomasNet)
VoIP EVO SDK for Pocket PC contains C-API DLL and COM control of VoIP EVO client that can be used from any programming language C++ and .NET Compact Framework. It comes with Windows as well Linux server (running as service), and enables VoIP conferencing with crystal clear sound for both low and high-bandwidth users (Speex Codec). Supported development environments include Visual Basic .NET, ...
FXO Chipset enables backup of VoIP traffic. (ThomasNet)
Comprised of FX1000 system control interface and FX1041 data access arrangement codec, LSI(TM) FX1000 foreign exchange office chipset enables connections between IP applications such as media gateways and VoIP devices and conventional analog lines. Solution provides Internet-based communications services with backup or alternate routing over PSTN, resulting in integrated communications services ...
Motorola Combines WiMax, WiFi, Ethernet, VoIP In One Device (InformationWeek)
The Motorola wi4 WiMa CPEi 775 will be available only to carriers initially and will not be offered for retail markets.
VoIP: Beyond the Status Quo (CircleID)
On New Year's Eve 2008 I felt compelled to respond to the stories being written about the Death of VoIP which lead to my recent blog post: VoIP is NOT Dead!
ESS Technology Announces World?s First VoIP Single-Chip Solution to Embed Two...
ESS Technology, a leading provider of high performance audio/video solutions, today announced the ES9701 as the newest member of its VoIP product line. First in the industry to embed two Subscriber Line Interface Circuits (SLICs) and an Ethernet switch, the ES9701 brings the highest integration and lowest bill of materials to consumer VoIP adapters and IP phone applications.
Truphone adds Skype, Twitter to iPhone client (CNET via Yahoo! News)
The Internet telephony company Truphone has turned its client for the iPhone and iPod Touch into an aggregator for a range of popular VoIP and instant-messaging applications.
ESS Technology Announces Worlds First VoIP Single-Chip Solution to Embed Two ...
FREMONT, Calif.----ESS Technology, a leading provider of high performance audio/video solutions, today announced the ES9701 as the newest member of its VoIP product line. First in the industry to embed two Subscriber Line Interface Circuits and an Ethernet switch, the ES9701 brings the highest integration and lowest bill of materials to consumer VoIP adapters and IP phone applications.
VoIP Phones (PIZZAHEROS)
To avoid confusion, both types of phones send conversations as data packets across the internet connection to the other caller. In other words, unlike the conventional telephone communication, no wire transfer is made use of in the case of VoIP.