What is VoIP Phone Service?

VoIP stands for "Voice Over Internet Protocol", which is a technology that allows you to make phone calls using your broadband Internet connection instead of your regular phone service. It is also referred to as Voice over IP, broadband phone and Internet phone service.

You still simply pick up your regular phone, dial a number and talk. VoIP is simple and is for everyone. It doesn't matter if the person you are calling has VoIP or not, this is all taken care of by your VoIP service provider.

The only requirement for this technology is a high speed Internet connection, such as DSL or cable, as the service is based on broadband Internet communication. VoIP requires a speed of up to 90Kbps depending on the voice compression algorithm chosen by the service provider. This is a higher speed than dial-up Internet so a broadband connection is a basic requirement.

What are the benefits of VoIP?
There are many benefits to having a VoIP solution, for example:

One low monthly fee covers all of your phone calls. This is where we can help you. Click on our easy-to-use VoIP Service Provider Plan Search page to get started.

There are no unexplained taxes or regulatory fees. You know the ones on your current bill that nobody understands and your local phone provider can't explain. No taxes are charged for Internet based phone calls which is one reason why the service is so cheap.

Long distance and international calling are much cheaper. The Internet does not care whether you're calling someone who lives a block away or your cousin in Australia. This is why the VoIP service providers can give you such great rates for long distance and international calls.

What features can VoIP give me?
The features available with a broadband phone service are incredible.

Your voice, which is an analog signal, is converted into small packets of digital data and sent over your broadband connection to your VoIP service provider. This digital data is perfect for the Internet and it means your service provider can do many things with it such as:

Store incoming calls to voice mail if you do not want to be disturbed by the telephone.

Send a voice mail to you as an e-mail attachment so you can listen to it on any computer.

3-way calling. Many plans allow up to three people in one conference call, allowing you to talk to your entire family at once.

Offer caller ID and call waiting. These features are often thrown in for free. You would normally need to pay for the privilege with a local phone provider.

There are many other cool features that VoIP offers and it should be remembered that this technology is growing fast so the possibilities are endless.

Check out our VoIP Service Provider Plan Search page to see the plan features of all the different service providers on our website and get the information you need to choose a VoIP solution today.

Also check out our guide to many of the VoIP Features available from the service providers covered on our site.

Are there any disadvantages with a VoIP solution?
Although most VoIP service providers have Emergency 911 there are still a few that do not. To be sure, check out our VoIP Service Provider Plan Search page to see which service providers have this capability.

The biggest disadvantage that skeptics will throw at you is what happens when your power goes out at home or you lose your broadband connection. You see VoIP relies on having a broadband connection so if that goes down so does your Internet phone service. However, in the days when most of us have a cell phone of some sort, even if it is just "pay as you go", is this really a big issue?

Another option that many people go for is to have a cheap regular local phone service to use just on those rare occasions when you lose your power or broadband connection.

What equipment do I need for VoIP service?
To make a VoIP call the only additional piece of equipment that a typical setup will need is an Analog Telephone Adaptor (or ATA), which is usually supplied by the VoIP service provider when you sign up for service.

This allows you to make phone calls as normal, using your own standard phone. The ATA does the clever conversion of your analog voice to a digital signal that the Internet can understand. It then sends that signal on to your broadband modem, which passes it over the Internet.

A typical residential VoIP solution looks like this:

Why is the computer in the picture - you still want your high speed Internet. You can surf the web while your daughter talks to her friends on the phone.

If you have more than one phone in your home the recommended connection is to use cordless telephones. The base station of the cordless telephone plugs directly into the VoIP ATA. The additional handsets can then be placed anywhere in your home, distributing the VoIP phone service to your required locations. For other options check out "How do I add multiple phones to my VoIP service?" in our FAQ.

For homes with more than one computer simply connect a router to the ATA instead of the PC in the diagram above. Your computers then connect to the router. Note that many other connectivity options exist for this type of setup.