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There’s a lot of hype these days surrounding Internet-based voice communications (VoIP) replacing traditional telephone service. Most of this revolves around companies such as Vonage who coin themselves as the ‘Broadband Phone Company’. So what about those of us who don’t have a broadband connection? Just because you don’t have high speed Internet, doesn’t mean that you can’t save a fortune by using VoIP for your long-distance calls. Whilst a broadband connection will usually result in more consistent VoIP call quality, comparable results can be achieved using a dial-up connection provided some simple guidelines are followed.

Shop Around

Not all VoIP service providers support dial-up users. Companies such as Vonage bill themselves as alternatives to traditional telephone service and shy away from the dial-up community (who are tied to those ‘traditional’ networks to access the Internet). Furthermore, some service providers only support dial-up above a certain speed (e.g., 56Kbp). Two companies whose VoIP softphone applications work well over low speed connections include Callserve and Go2Call.

‘Free-up’ your System Resources

In order to ensure the highest call quality, close programs that are running in the ‘background’. For Windows users, these applications can be seen in the taskbar at the bottom right of your screen. ‘Right-click’ the icons and close those programs that aren’t critical to system security (e.g., don’t close anti-virus software, firewall applications and the like).

If you’re using Windows XP with user switching enabled, log off all users except the one that will be used to make the call. This will prevent the other user identities from running software and/or using your bandwidth while you’re making calls.

‘Free Up’ your Internet Connection

Given the limited data capacity of dial-up connections, it’s important that you devote as much of your bandwidth as possible to the VoIP softphone application. To achieve maximum call quality, don’t do anything that uses your bandwidth whilst making calls. This includes instant messaging, checking email, using a webcam, browsing the internet, downloading, etc. In Windows, you can look at the two little computers in the bottom right of your taskbar to see whether your connection is being used prior to calling (the little computers illuminate when data is being uploaded and/or downloaded).

Scan your System for Viruses, Spyware, Adware and Malware

Some of these malicious programs can hijack your browser, tie up your internet connection and slow down your system (not to mention seriously invade your privacy!). I recommend AdAware for free scanning and removal of Spyware/Adware. Once you’ve checked and cleansed your system of these nasty programs, your virus definition files should be updated to minimize the chances of re-infection.

Use a Headset with an Integrated Boom Microphone

Last but not least, using a headset with a boom microphone should eliminate those annoying voice echoes often associated with PC to Phone calls. Echoes are caused by your microphone detecting the voice coming from your computer speakers and re-transmitting that voice signal back to the person you’re talking to. By using a headset, the voice signals are limited in volume (due to the headset being directly adjacent to your ears) and thus the chances of your microphone ‘re-transmitting’ those voice signals is greatly reduced.

So there you have it. A Lack of high speed Internet needn’t mean a lack of PC to Phone VoIP capability.

Nathan Smith

Nathan is the owner of netphonedirectory.com which deals specifically with PC to Phone and PC to PC VoIP. The site includes a comprehensive directory of PC to Phone service providers as well as information on VoIP and what you need to make inexpensive long-distance telephone calls using your computer

VoIP is an interesting concept. Lets see - we can make calls pc to pc or phone to pc for free or at a minimal cost. Vontage, Skype, and a host of other carriers are making it simplier and cheaper to impliment with less pain and more gain. So lets make the move, why wait?

1. What about our phone system that we have already purchased and invested money in?

2. How do we integrate exsisting software and technolgy with VoIP?

3. Security issues? Network bandwidth? etc. etc.

There are so many questions, but the risk is minimal.

Why?

Since VoIP transfers information over the network it is easier to integrate with other applications that are based on the network. Plus its cheaper to make phone calls.

How?

Cisco and Avaya have installed hundreds if not thousands of systems in 2005 and industry experts expect huge growth over the next 6 years. So there are many experts on VoIP already, consulting firms, individuals etc, whom can be hired to help you implement VoIP. It is no longer a mystery, the man behind the curtain has been exposed.

The greatest advantage to a small business when converting to VoIP may not be just the price but all the applications that they can pile onto their network for 1/4 of the price: voice recording, crm, even your phone applications can be easily integrated with your voice stream that is produced by incoming calls.

Bruce Kaskey is a founder of OrecX, has 20 years experience in the software and technology sectors. http://www.orecx.com

If you’ve never heard of VoIP, get ready to change the way you think about long-distance phone calls. VoIP, or Voice over Internet Protocol, is a method for taking analog audio signals, like the kind you hear when you talk on the phone, and turning them into digital data that can be transmitted over the Internet.

How is this useful? VoIP can turn a standard Internet connection into a way to place free phone calls. The practical upshot of this is that by using some of the free VoIP software that is available to make Internet phone calls, you are bypassing the phone company (and its charges) entirely.
VoIP is a revolutionary technology that has the potential to completely rework the world’s phone systems.

VoIP providers have already been around for a little while and are growing steadily. Above all else, VoIP is basically a clever “reinvention of the wheel.” In this article, we’ll explore the principles behind VoIP, its applications and the potential of this emerging technology, which will more than likely one day replace the traditional phone system entirely.

Voice and data communications solutions could use customers of all sizes, whether you are a large enterprise, small to medium business, or have residential home-based business needs. VoIP solutions enable customers to grow and adapt their communications portfolio, as their business needs change. Voice and data communications development include using Session Initiation Protocol (SIP) and ITU voice standards, and more, to protect your communications investments as technology changes.

Not long ago outsourcing company Invent-Soft has successfully finished to develop VoIP solution for Unitone Communication System. Our programmers adopted and created SIP stack, RTP and SIP proxy.

Have more questions?

Best regards,
Elena Kostogladova,
Marketing Manager
eak@invent-soft.com

Invent-Soft-
Offshore Software and Web Development Outsourcing
http://www.invent-soft.com

Instant messaging worked its way into the corporate space as employees used products such as AOL’s Instant Messaging service as a convenient way to get round email and voicemail over load and to find out whether the person you want to speak to is actually at their desk. In a similar vein, IT research firm Gartner predicts that by 2007 20% of all companies will have adopted plans that accommodate the fact that employees own the notebook PCs they use at work.

However, there is one exception to this trend, and that is Voice over IP (VoIP) or Internet Protocol Telephony (IPT) as it is also known. Companies such as Skype have done much to demonstrate the potential for VoIP to let people talk with each other across the globe for practically no charge. All the major ISPs and search engine sites (Google, Yahoo, and MSN) are rolling out consumer VoIP services. Yet with few exceptions, there is little sign that these consumer services are being used by people in the workplace.

There are a number of technical reasons for this, most notably the potential for consumer VoIP services to compromise the enterprise’ IP network security. However the primary reason is that the demands on the telephone in the office simply cannot be met by the somewhat cumbersome and restricted, point-to-point service offered by consumer VoIP services. Today’s office voice communication systems feature call forwarding, voice mail, conferencing, hunt groups, hold and divert. These are not widely available in the basic consumer VoIP offerings. Furthermore, the PC-based VoIP offering does not provide the essential and convenient function of simply dialling a 10 to 12-digit number to make a call.

Enterprise VoIP products offer these features, and a whole lot more. With all messages data and real-time communications (such as voice, video and instant messaging) carried over the same IP network, there is opportunity for very rich communications sessions. For example, a colleague sends you an email within which there is an icon that lets you know that the colleague is available to take a call to discuss the content of the message. By clicking that icon, your colleague’s phone rings and you talk; the colleague could be sitting at a desk anywhere in the organisation, or even at home on a broadband “extension” to the enterprise network, and the phone next to him or her would ring because the IP network knows where he or she is.

Cost is another major reason why VoIP cannot be lifted directly from the home to the workplace. To fully deploy VoIP in the office with all the new features of a converged IP platform, a company will be encouraged to spend money on new desk top devices; just as the consumer will have to buy a sufficiently fast PC and a headset to accommodate a consumer VoIP service. Most finance directors will struggle to sign off a business case to simply replace a serviceable piece of equipment (such as the company phone system) with something that for all intents and purposes does the same thing.

However, by implementing a gateway between their existing telephone equipment and the new VoIP services, businesses can realise the potential for external calls being carried over the Internet at vastly reduced costs compared to using the Public Switched Telephone Network. VoIP gateways convert the signals used by existing telephone equipment into those that can be carried and switched over the Internet. Many businesses are using VoIP gateways to connect to the new generation of IP-based phone companies or to carry calls between company sites for free using its existing wide area IP network.

It is only a matter of time before all communications, including telephony and mobile, are carried over IP and we will not be able to tell the difference between consumer and business VoIP – just as we see little difference between a home phone and one in the office today. However, for the time being the two remain distinct propositions and the enterprise must be careful when considering deploying a consumer orientated VoIP service instead of one that is designed for the business need.

Formed in 1998, VegaStream is one of the most experienced players in the industrial VoIP market. The company supplies gateway CPE to both traditional telecommunications carriers and the new generation of Internet telephony service providers. VegaStream also serves the enterprise market through a global network of distributors and resellers supported by regional offices in the UK, USA and Australia. VegaStream is a non-listed UK company. Investors include the management team, Pace Micro Technology PLC and MTI Partners. http://www.vegastream.com

What is an Avaya Media Server?

A Media Server forms the backbone of a flexible communications system
for growing companies. It allows your company to take advantage of the increased
functionality of an IP network without replacing your existing infrastructure.



What does a Media Server do?

Media Servers work in conjunction with Media Gateways to provide a
streamlined voice and data network throughout your entire enterprise. Media
Servers and Gateways provide a network built on an industry- standard operating
system that supports distributed IP networking and centralized call processing.



What is the relationship between Media Servers and Media Gateways?

A Media Server works by controlling the Gateway; the Gateway allows branch
offices to connect to the network, and the Server powers the network.



Can Media Servers power more than one Gateway?

Absolutely. The total number depends on the model, but Media Servers can
support several Gateways, expanding with complete ease. In fact, the S8700 can
support up to 8,000 Media Gateways, offering up to 36,000 stations.



Can any Media Gateway work with any Media Server?

The S8300 Media Server only supports the G700 and G350 Media Gateways,
but both the S8500 and S8700 Media Servers support all Gateways. Both the G700
and G350 Media Gateways are compatible with every Media Server.



What are the benefits of installing a Media Server?

The immediate benefits are increased productivity, efficiency, and savings
across the entire enterprise. The branch office has access to the same features and
applications as the central office, and the Media Server consolidates multiple
systems into a single server, enabling you to manage the entire communications
infrastructure from one location.



What size of businesses can use Media Servers?

One of the hallmarks of Avaya Phone Systems products is scalability; Media
Servers can function as a single unit powering a single office, and Media Servers can
support an entire global enterprise.

Cameron Elliott is an Telephony specialist at avaya voip phone systems where he extols the benefits of Avaya
Phone Systems