It\’s being advertised as the biggest thing to hit the
telecommunications market since the invention of the cellular
telephone, but what is VOIP, how does it work and is it really
that revolutionary?
VOIP is an acronym for Voice Over Internet Protocol, and it
works by using your broadband internet connection to route your
call more efficiently and cost effectively than conventional
calling. The most common VOIP method works like this. Your
standard telephone is connected to VOIP gateway, usually located
somewhere in your house like a basement or utility closet. This
gateway takes your voice and converts it from an analog signal
to a digital signal. Once it exists in digital format it is
broken down into smaller more manageable units known as
\”packets\” and is transmitted over the internet the same way data
is transmitted to and from your computer. These \”packets\”
contain information about their final destination and have
instructions to enable them to be put back together in the
proper order. Once the packets reach the closest location to
their desired destination they go back through another VOIP
gateway which translates the signal back into an analog format.
The gateway then passes the signal over to a PTSN (Public
Telephone Switch Network) and your call is routed to the number
that you dialed.
As people become more familiar and comfortable with VOIP calling
newer and more advanced methods of communication will occur. In
the very early stages of adoption are IP Based telephones.
Instead of using standard telephone equipment with an RJ45
telephone connection to a VOIP Gateway these phone interfaces
directly with the internet through a standard network
connection. This enable you to use your phone at home unplug it
when you leave and then plug it in at your office and your calls
are automatically routed to the phone wherever it\’s plugged in.
As WIFI networking becomes more prevalent expect to see wifi
compatible cellular phones emerge to make calling even more
portable.
While VOIP is still in the early stages of adoption there are
still some hurdles that need to be overcome. The most important
ones include emergency calling, and the need for uninterruptible
power sources. However as VOIP and other IP based telephony
continues to grow and advance, VOIP service providers will find
ways to solve these problems.
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About the author:
Jessica Liu is a staff writer at
http://www.voiptelephonesystem.org a news and information
website about VOIP and VOIP related technologies.