Computer Phone: VoIP
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In our first article, we said that VoIP makes it possible for computer users to use the Internet as a global telephone network. VoIP stands for Voice over IP, where IP in turn stands for "Internet Protocol"; it is also sometimes called Internet telephony and IP telephony.
VoIP allows voice conversations to be carried over the Internet. Because almost any middle-income household has a decent connection to the Internet, VoIP services are turning out to become attractive alternatives to the traditional landline phone networks. In addition, VoIP can be used in local area networks (LANs) that may or may not be connected to the Internet; a good example would be VoIP implemented for an intra-university telephone network.
Broadband Internet access (DSL or cable) is recommended for VoIP, though not required. Dial-up connections may be able to handle VoIP voice calls, but will suffer greatly in quality. However, because these Internet connections use electronic devices, a power failure almost always means VoIP outage, as well. This might prove to be unacceptable for people used to their trusty phone lines, which continue to function in events of power outages.
To make voice calls over the Internet, analog phone signals need to be transformed into digital ones. There are two available ways, which at the same time classify the two types of VoIP. The first type is the telephone adapter based VoIP, wherein regular landline phones are plugged into an analog telephone adapter (ATA). The second type is softphone based VoIP. Here, the "softphone" is no other than a program installed on the computer, whether a desktop machine or a laptop.
VoIP services usually cost less that regular landline phone services. In fact, some services are "free", in the sense that using the service itself does not cost a single cent. Of course, users of these free VoIP services still need to pay for their Internet connections. A popular free service is Skype, whose use is further fueled by the numerous bloggers who display their Skype contact information on their websites.
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