You’ve heard of the latest technological miracle and you’re

thinking of having a VoIP phone at your disposal. Great... but

do you actually know what it is or are you just going with the

flow? Either way, this article aims to help you with all the

FAQs that are attached to the VoIP phone phenomenon. And

without further ado...

1. What the heck is a VoIP phone?

Good question but some people wouldn’t even bother asking.

Pride and vanity... such a sin. A VoIP phone (Voice Over

Internet Protocol) is simply a fancy technical term for an

Internet phone. In a nutshell - that's it.

2. How does a VoIP phone work?

Ah, such curiosity. Haven’t you heard of the saying that

curiosity killed the cat? Okay, just kidding but please keep on

reading. A VoIP phone works by converting your analog signals to

data packets and vice versa.

3. What do you need to make a VoIP work?

First and foremost you need an internet connection. If you

currently live in an area that still doesn't have internet

access, although the odds of that is pretty slim then your out

of luck and the VoIP phone is just not for you. In addition,

the type of internet service provider or ISP can affect the

probability of a VoIP phone working in your neighborhood.

Usually, a VoIP phone goes hand in hand with broadband internet

(DSL or cable). And although your VoIP phone may work with other

types of ISPs like prepaid, dial up, satellite or wi-fi, the

quality of voice reception isn't always what it should be if

you don't have a broadband connection.

4. What are the advantages?

Actually, there's really just one but it's a major advantage.

It's really simple, VoIP phone services cost less than

traditional phone services whether it's a cell phone or

traditional phone service from home. And the more long distance

calls you make the more you'll save because the way a VoIP phone

uses the Internet the location of the speaker and receiver are

inconsequential.

5. What are the disadvantages?

A VoIP phone does have some disadvantages but fortunately,

they’re just minor. Poor voice reception quality – similar to

cellphones in poor reception areas, is the biggest disadvantage

but as the technology evolves even that issue is becoming less

and less of an issue.

A Voip phone is vulnerable to power shortages: If the company

providing you with VoIP phone services gets hit by a power

shortage, your call would naturally get cut off.

Higher probability of dropped calls: Similar to cellphones once

again, there’s a higher probability of a call being accidentally

dropped or cut-off because your VoIP phone relies on signals.

Technical Political/Legal Issues: Some companies are

complaining that they aren’t able to bill their clients with

the correct amount or usage due, because it’s hard to

accurately determine because VoIP phone services are provided

by the Internet. Consequently, if you’re planning to use VoIP

phone services for your company, don’t think that your long

distance calls would remain cheap forever. Change is definitely

in the air, my friend.

Phone Number Portability: This is rare because most VoIP phones

support phone number portability but it’s really dependent on

your local phone company. If their services are not VoIP

compatible then chances are, you may have to use another phone

number.

Security: Since VoIP phones work because of the Internet, then

it’s more vulnerable to hackers and wiretapping. Not a high

chance of this happening but something to think if you plan on

using VoIP phone services in a company situation where

classified transactions are done over the phone.

Locking in Broadband Phone Service: If your broadband company

doesn't currently support VoIP phone services, you may have to

wait for your contract to reach its termination date before you

can switch companies. Cancelling your subscription before the

end of the current contract period normally results in high

early termination fees.

Network Design: If you’re going to use VoIP phones for your

company, make sure that you’ve got a smart network design. Hire

a network administrator to oversee the maintenance of the

network. VoIP phone service is still a new technology and prone

to glitches. If you don’t have a well designed network or one

that’s not properly maintained, a power shortage may result in

everything shutting down.