To use Voice over IP (VoIP), you need more than a PSTN phone line – if you’ve used services like Skype or Google Voice, you know you need a computer with a microphone and speakers. Our regular phones are connected to the Plain Old Telephone Service (POTS) network and cannot connect to the Internet on their own. However, there are special VoIP phones for this purpose and this article looks at how they work, the differences, costs, and alternatives.
The difference between VoIP and PSTN telephony
First of all, VoIP phones are designed to be connected to the internet, not to devices or phone jacks like those on the wall. This means that it has a standard Ethernet connection jack, just like a PC. This jack allows you to connect to either a VoIP server or the internet in general, depending on how the VoIP system is configured.
VoIP phones also offer a number of configuration options. This is important because, unlike traditional telephony, VoIP is not standardized. There are different protocols, codecs and, depending on the VoIP service. You may need to enter details such as the VoIP proxy. Your VoIP provider will give you instructions on how to connect your phone.
Because VoIP is a very flexible technology, VoIP phones have many features that normal phones do not. These features vary by model and price. Features such as conference calling, call waiting, voicemail, recording and many others set them apart from regular phones.
However, VoIP phones today are more expensive than regular phones. This is because PSTN phones are more prevalent in the market. But prices have already dropped considerably over the years. And everyone expects them to continue to drop. It’s only a matter of time.
If you don’t want to invest in buying a VoIP phone. You can use your existing phone with VoIP by purchasing a device. That converts analog signals to digital signals for transmission over the network. These devices are called ATA adapters and can “convert” one to three regular phones into VoIP phones, depending on the manufacturer.
There are some more complex differences between VoIP and traditional telephony, but the main ones are
About Author
Cecilia Lyman Robertson is a 44-year-old CEO who enjoys her services for networking and Voice Internet Protocol. She has a post-graduate degree in business studies.
