VoIP FAQs
What is VoIP?
VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol) takes analog audio signals from your phone and turns them into digital data, and transfers them over the Internet. VoIP works just like a regular phone, but instead of using the high priced telephone company’s wiring, VoIP routes your phone calls directly to your telephone using your high speed internet connection. What’s changed is that you don’t pay a big bill to use the phone company’s wires.
Will I save money using VoIP phone service for my business?
Absolutely. Many fortune 500 companies are now switching their phone service to VoIP phone service. Whether your company needs a VoIP PBX or VoIP SIP trunks you will save up to 70% on your phone bill. Business VoIP is the hottest technology trend in business communications.
- Less cabling needs to be laid to provide a VoIP system because VoIP travels through your regular internet connection, meaning there isn’t a need to lay telephone cables to provide service.
- A large organization benefits from a VoIP system due to not needing to set up additional telephone jacks, or phone lines to accommodate expansion.
- Phone numbers are not tied to a telephone jack like normal telephony. VoIP allows the number be accessed wherever the user can be connected to the internet.
- VoIP allows additional functionality, features, utilities and management; providing a richer experience.
- Maintenance for a VoIP system is easier than a regular telephony network and can be accomplished remotely by a technician instead of needing to send a physical technician to the incident.
- People who use a regular phone system are still able to receive and make phone calls to people who use a VoIP system, and vice versa.
What kind of internet connection do I need?
Typically, any standard broadband internet connection will be fine for VoIP usage. The faster the connection, the less likely there is to be quality issues or any potential transmission data problems while making and receiving phone calls.
How good is the quality of VoIP?
The voice quality of VoIP is as you would expect with a traditional phone system – and there is no difference using an IP-enabled phone on a VoIP network then there would be with a typical telephony system. Depending on the speed of the internet connection that is available for the VoIP network router, the quality may be interrupted should there not be sufficient bandwidth to sustain the number of calls being sent and received, but advice and further detail can be provided on this depending on the type of business and number of employees that your company has.
What hardware is required?
In order to initially setup a VoIP telephone system, there are three key things that are required:
- An internet connection (broadband or similar)
- A router that has the ability to distribute and manage the internet connection to the necessary people within the business
- An IP-enabled phone – either a physical VoIP/SIP phone, or a soft-phone on a computer, smart phone, or similar internet-enabled communication device
