Long Distance Calling Cards

Most VoIP companies sell all the hardware needed to set up and begin using a VoIP service from a home computer. In the event that you are buying separate components for setting up a home VoIP service there is some installation to be done and a minimum amount of VoIP hardware needed.

The Basics

Depending on the service you are using there may be some small differences, but most hardware will be more similar than different.

* Router and/or phone adapter - This component is the essential part of the VoIp hardware, allowing information to be exchanged between your high-speed internet connection and your phone. There will be a minimum of three plug-in slots in the back of the unit, one for the LAN (computer) hook-up, one for the WAN (DSL or cable modem) hook-up, and at least one slot for the analog phone to plug into.

There will also be a power supply cord. Depending on the phone adapter the number of slots on the back of the unit may differ but there will still be one slot for Ethernet cable and one for phone or fax line. Some VoIp routers also work as a network router to enable up to four computers to share the high-speed broadband internet connection.

* Cables - an Ethernet cable will be need to hook the router or phone adapter to the computer or high speed internet gateway and a phone line will be needed to connect the phone to the router/phone adapter.

* Plug and play - Most of the new devices require minimal set-up by the home user, rather they are plug and play devices for easy set-up and configuration. The devices will come with a simple, easy to follow step-by-step installation and configuration guide.

* Analog phone - A good quality analog phone is essential for good quality sound. The phone may be either standard or cordless and simply plugs into the phone jack located on the back of the VoIP router or phone adapter.

* PC Handsets - These devices are similar to telephones but they connect to the computer through USB or via sound card. Usually, they work with a softphone. If you are using an IP phone, these can also be plugged to allow many users to use the same phone.

* PC Headsets - This headset is a very commonly used to listen to listen to the audio from your PC while allowing you to speak through a microphone.

By: Mike Singh

About the Author:

I owned a small direct sales company for around 8 years that had a reasonable client base. We handled any business that required to expand their sales force by outsourcing all or part of it. 18 months ago a client came through who were an innovative digital post solutions company and my company merged into their sales department releasing our client base to another direct sales company.

I filled a sales consultancy role where I reviewed systems, procedures and training. As part of my recommendation for restructuring I mentioned a seminar I had attended about Voice over Internet Protocol phones, or VoIP phones. My recommendations were taken on board and this article is an account of my experiences of the technology.

I have a limited understanding of the technology however I sourced and implemented the technology so one might say I have life VoIP phones life experience. In basic terms the technology takes standard analogue audio signals that you would hear over the phone and transfers them into digital data that can then be transmitted via the internet.

The main motivation for approval of the VoIP phones system was financial as although the outlay for the phones was much higher, the savings on the calls and network would make the initial investment back over one year. It all seemed great on paper however it was my head on the chopping block as the phones cost approximately 160 per unit.

There are other ways of installing VoIP phones that are more cost effective. There are computer-to-computer calls that can contact anywhere in the world at little or no cost apart from the basic computer costs. There are also Analogue Telephone Adapters or ATA, which connect your phone to the internet converting the analogue to digital. I chose VoIP phones for benefits of using the digital information to create detailed client call records.

In sales, call records and data handling are essential, the management of which is time consuming. Previously we worked from a combination of Excel documents and online marketing assistants. I had the vision of channelling all the call data into our computer system so that it is not our sales executives responsibility. This not only ensured that the call data was accurate but it also freed our sales executives up for doing what they are good at, selling.

In fact, with VoIP phones our mean call productivity increased by 30 percent in the first 6 months. This could be put down to a combination of the accuracy of the data and the execs having more phone time. The other major benefit was the central point of information for client files and record being accurate and current. We even obtained software that allowed us to create transcripts of the telephone conversations for our client records.

Our VoIP phones display can list on the screen client information for incoming and outgoing calls and our call data was much more accurate so the sales productivity could be monitored and effectively compared to revenue. In short the VoIP phones system eliminated the scope for human error that comes with making sales people who are generally not natural administrators input all their call data.

The only real problem was that initially if our server has having difficulty then our phones were interrupted. This was an issue however we outsourced our IT support, they made recommendations that were followed and there has been few major disruptions to call levels since. I am no longer with the company in question as I now work as a freelance sales consultant however I recommend VoIP phones technology on any project I work.

By: Shaun Parker

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VoIP is taking the world by storm with its superb benefits, far flung reach and cost effective solution. More and more individuals as well as organisations are switching to VoIP solutions for smooth and effective communication. VoIP gives an edge in communication with its multiple benefits. And therefore more and more devices are developed to provide hassles free VoIP solution. One such device is WIP330 Wireless-G IP Phone from Linksys.

‘Linksys WIP330 Wireless-G IP Phone’ works through a Wireless-G network and high-speed Internet connection. It is known for its high quality VoIP service and other cool features it offers, like video calls. It is much more than any ordinary VoIP/internet telephony service. Apart from internet telephone calls, it also offers Internet Explorer, which enables you to surf and browse the internet.

Let us a brief look at some of the features Linksys WIP330 Wireless-G IP Phone offers:

Like the Linksys WIP300, WIP330 also supports SIP V2.0 Standards. It is compliant with with IEEE 802.11b/g Wireless Standards and supports Wi-Fi. Powered with Microsoft Windows CD, it also enables users to access Internet Explorer.

Web Calls

With WIP 330, you can enjoy speed dialling, peer to peer dialling, 3- way conferencing, video telephoning etc. There are facilities for Call Wait, Call Transfer and Call Forward. Besides this there are regular features like Call Hold and Resume, Call Mute and Caller ID.

LCD Screen

This VoIP phone has a high resolution LCD Colour screen which is large and sharp. This is particularly helpful while surfing the internet.

Apart from the above, there are more cool features like superb sound quality, 50 hours’ stand by time, 3 hours’ talk time, Fast Hotspot Authentication and much much more.

All this at a very affordable rate of £299.99 only. However, at some of the leading site of UK, you can get them at even lower prices that can go down as low as £187.23.



By: Dennis Jaylon

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VOIP Service for making and receiving phone calls is probably the most cost effective way to communicate, and is showing the phone companies that their “cash cow” of home telephone service may be coming to an end on the horizon. Still, VOIP service is not for everyone, and here are some things that you need to verify and feel good about before you consider switching to VOIP service.

1. Your High-Speed Internet Connection is critical.

Almost any VOIP service that you choose is not going to include high-speed Internet service. The VOIP provider assumes you already have that, and would have that whether you decided to implement VOIP or not, which is probably true in most cases.

However, what the VOIP service provider does not tell you is that your high-speed Internet connection needs to be fast, stable, and reliable. Depending on where you are and what high-speed Internet provider you have chosen, this may not be a given. The VOIP provider has ZERO control over this – if you have a lousy Internet connection, VOIP will be lousy, it is a one-to-one relationship.

There are various online sites that allow you to do a speed test on your connection so you can get a feel for how fast it is. The problem is that these tests do not tell the whole story – it might have been fast at the moment you did the test, but is slower than molasses an hour later. Do you notice it stopping when you are using it or having significant time delays? This could be a sign that VOIP will not work well on it.

Also, do people in your household also use the computer when you would be talking on your VOIP phone? If so, your connection may not be capable of handling both connections at the same time. Typically this is more of a problem for DSL than for cable, but it can represent a problem with a cable connection as well.

Is your only option a satellite high-speed Internet connection? Forget it. You are not going to be happy with the results of VOIP service on a satellite connection.

2. When your high-speed Internet connection goes out, so does your phone

Despite the fact that they have over-charged us for years, you need to give the telephone company credit, since when you pick up the phone, you almost always can hear the comforting sound of a dial tone, ready to make your call.

With a VOIP phone, you are depending on your Internet connection to make and receive phone calls. If your high-speed service goes down, then your ability to use your VOIP phone also goes down until the internet service comes back up. This again goes back to the reliability of your high-speed Internet connection and provider.

3. Be sure 911 is supported

All VOIP providers are supposed to be setup so that they support 911 (or E-911) services in case of emergency. You see, with a traditional phone line, if you call 911, they can tell where you are calling from. But this same ability does not exist with a VOIP phone, so you need to register your VOIP phone with the service so that if you call 911 from your VOIP phone, the emergency responders will know where to go.

4. Be ready to save money and have tremendous flexibility.

There is no doubt about it, VOIP service is significantly cheaper than traditional phones from the phone company. At no extra charge, you typically get the features you would pay the phone company extra for, like caller ID, call waiting, voice mail, and call blocking. You also typically get unlimited or high-usage local and long distance calling throughout the country at no additional cost with VOIP.

If you travel, you can take your VOIP phone with you. If you are traveling to visit your friends in Denver or cousin in New York, just plug your VOIP phone into their high-speed modem and you can continue to make and receive calls just as if you were at home, using your same phone number. If you are in a hotel in Chicago, again plug your VOIP phone into the high-speed connection in your hotel room, and you are making and receiving phone calls as if you were at home.

By: Jon Arnold

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VoIP phones facilitate organizations to communicate in a better way at lesser costs. VoIP is one of the latest inventions in the field of communication. For making a call to any part of the world, using this technology, an internet connection and appropriate equipment is all that is required.

VoIP phones with several advanced features are manufactured by many leading manufactures. Although these equipments come with a number of next generation features they are efficient, comfortable and easy to use.

With the increasing popularity of VoIP phone systems, organizations of all sizes are getting them installed in the offices because of the cheap communication options which they provide. The different equipments come with different features. An organization can choose an equipment for themselves as per their business requirements.

Most of the VoIP conferencing phone systems come with a wide variety of features like call waiting, call forward, call transfer, call mute, speaker, caller ID etc, in order to facilitate a smooth conferencing. Some of the latest models of VoIP phones also support Wi-Fi technology and Microsoft Windows. These phones have a good sound quality and increased standby time, as well as, talk time.

Polycom VoIP Phones are fully interoperable with leading IP PBX and Softswitch platforms, you can have a variety of end-to-end, fully integrated VoIP solutions to choose from. Check out Polycom’s VoIP Technology Partners. VoIP solutions that feature Polycom VoIP phones provide a high-quality, rich communications experience, deliver productivity-enhancing new applications, and offer significant cost savings through consolidation of network costs for voice and data, and elimination of costs of phone moves, additions, and changes.

Avaya’s range of digital and IP telephones deliver advanced productivity-boosting features, including a large display and up to a 100-entry call log. These cost-effective phones are the choice for any business or contact center using IP Office and bring Avaya state-of-the-art technology directly to your desktop. These telephones deliver efficient service, superior voice quality, along with cutting-edge communications features such as screen labels for call appearance/feature keys to simplify user administration.

A good quality VoIP conferencing phone definitely proves to be a cost effective communication medium for an organization.

By: Zaibatt Zaki

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