VoIP Phone Service Promotions
Here are our top 3 VoIP service provider recommendations:- **TOP PICK** - Vonage VoIP Service from $14.99/month, or get 1 month free
- Verizon VoiceWing - starting at $19.99/month
- AT&T CallVantage - from $19.99/month
VoIP Phone Service Information
From crank phones to rotary and party lines to wireless and cell phones, telephones have changed a lot in the century and a half since their invention. Are you ready for the next phase? Now, with VoIP, you can reach out and touch someone on your own Internet phone using the power of your computer and your broadband connection.
What is VoIP?
VoIP stands for Voice over Internet Protocol. While there are many terms you may have heard that refer to it - broadband phones, Internet voice, Internet phone or digital phone-they all work the same way. This method of communicating is fairly new (and quickly gaining popularity), but the technology has been around for awhile.
How VoIP / IP Phone / Broadband Phone Works
VoIP converts the voice signal from your Internet telephone into a digital signal that travels over the Internet. The Voice over Internet Protocol enables you to make a call directly from a computer. If you are calling a regular phone number, the signal is then converted back at the other end so you can speak to anyone with a regular phone number. If you make a call using a broadband phone with an adaptor, you'll be able to dial just as you always have, and the service provider may also provide a dial tone. If your service assigns you a regular phone number, then a person can call you from his or her regular phone without using special equipment.
Different Flavors of VoIP
There are three ways a VoIP connection can work. Here's a basic breakdown:
ATA: Stands for Analog Telephone Adaptor. This connects your standard telephone to a router and allows you to use your high speed Internet connection to call another standard telephone over the Internet.
IP Phones: IP Phones have an ethernet connector instead of a standard phone connector. These phones are already set up to make calls over your Internet connection-no adaptors necessary. Also look out for WiFi IP phones, which allow you to make calls from hotspots.
Computer to Computer: When you use computer to computer, there are no telephones or adaptors necessary. Since your computer is already hooked up to a high speed Internet connection, all you need is a microphone, speakers and a sound card.
Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) offers a powerful broadband phone alternative or complement to your traditional landline. Whether you want to switch over completely or just use it to save money on long distance calls, VoIP may be your phone of the future.
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