.: Tell Your Phone Company to VoIP Off!
Category:Home / Technology / VOIP
I don’t know about you, but I am sick and tired of being ripped off by my local phone company. For years, I have been held captive by this monopolizing regime with no hope of moving on to something better. It’s been a financial struggle that has caused me to seek counseling numerous times throughout the years. Why? Because my phone company charges me for everything: I want to add voicemail, they charge me. I call to change my number because I am getting crank calls, they charge me. I want to add call waiting, they charge me. I want to disconnect, they charge me. I’m surprised they don’t charge me when I call into a customer support.
So the question remains. Is there an affordable alternative to local phone service? The answer is yes, and it’s called VoIP, short for Voice over Internet Protocol. VoIP is an emerging technology that allows telephone calls to be transported over an existing Internet connection.
Here is how it works.
First of all, you absolutely have to have a high speed Internet connection, either DSL or Cable. Then you have to subscribe to a monthly service plan offered by a VoIP service provider. Most plans range from $20 and $30 per month, plus applicable taxes and fees.
Once you sign up for a plan, most VoIP service providers will send you a phone adapter. This is a little black box that resembles a modem. There are several connections in the back of the phone adapter. One is for your existing Internet connection, using an Ethernet cable. Another connection is for the power supply. There should also be a connection for a phone line. That’s right. Whatever phone you have at home (unless it’s a rotary phone) will work. Simply plug it into the phone adapter, wait a few seconds and you should have dial tone. Hopefully, whatever VoIP service provider you sign up with will also send installation instructions on how to set up your phone service. It’s really easy and takes about five minutes or less to get set up.
Why Choose VoIP?
This is simple question to answer. Say goodbye to the counseling bills you have accumulated over the years because you were inches away from bankruptcy. Say goodbye to all the additional charges for the features that should have already been included in your service plan. With VoIP, not only do you pay a low monthly fee for unlimited calls to the U.S. and Canada, but you also get all the features included like: voicemail, call waiting, caller ID, and three-way calling. Better yet, you get additional features that the traditional phone companies cannot even offer like voicemail to email (when someone leaves you a voicemail, the system will send you an email with an audio attachment so you can listen to the message from any computer), follow me – find me, call forwarding and the ability to choose your area code. This means that you can live in New York and have a California phone number.
What to look for in a VoIP service provider.
First and foremost, ensure that the company offers true 911 emergency calling (E911). This is vital since the FCC might shut them down if they don’t. Also, find out if they have a trial period. This is always good practice because if you don’t like their VoIP service, you can always cancel without penalty. Other things to keep in mind are the following:
1. Are they a stable company?
2. How long have they been in business?
3. How many customers do they have?
4. What is their customer service like?
You can find out most of these questions by doing some preliminary research in any VoIP forums or blogs.
Hurry up and switch to VoIP!
So what are you waiting for? Make the switch to VoIP so you can start saving on your monthly phone bill and finally tell your phone company to VoIP Off!
Article keywords: voip, voip service, internet phone service
Article Source: http://www.articles32.com
Click here for more in-depth information about voip products and services or visit the voip blog to post your comments and suggestions. Michael Brito is an internet marketing consultant and freelance writer for a variety of consumer related products.
.: New VOIP Articles
1). 6 Voice Over IP Tips
There are many benefits to VoIP. Here are 6 benefits we found to voice over ip. You may be able to think of even more reasons to switch or to include this exciting way to communicate at reduced prices.
2). Top 10 Reasons You Should Switch To VoIP
If you are considering changing to voice over internet protocol or VoIP for short you need to know the arguments for changing. Here are our top 10 reasons to switch to VoIP.
3). 7 Good Reasons Not To Switch To Voice Over IP Technology
For every positive there is a negative when it comes to voice over ip technology. Here are 7 good reasons not to switch in spite of the savings you may realize.
4). How To Choose The Best Voice Over Ip Provider
Choosing the best voice over ip provider may require you to do something that you have never done before. Here are a few tips to help you choose the best voice over ip provider.
5). Residential VoIP: Things to Consider Before Switching
Choosing VoIP over traditional telephone services has its pros and cons just like anything else. It is up to the consumer to weigh the advantages and disadvantages, and to come to a conclusion with eyes wide open.
6). Advantages of IP Telephony for the Residential Consumer
As more of us are building our own local area networks at home to connect our family members to each others data and appliances, broadband connections to the outside world have expanded our pipe to the Internet, giving us plenty of bandwidth to consider converging our home network with voice over IP telephony.
7). VoIP Communication Technology
VoIP... or Voice Over Internet Protocol, is the latest and greatest communications technology.
.: Top VOIP Articles
1). VoIP Problems?
Well of course there's VoIP problems, although I think problems is too strong of a word. Instead I would call this VoIP issues. (Just semantics? maybe, read on!)
Some may be old enough to remember making long distance calls where there was static or crackling on the phone line connection. Maybe you remember having to speak LOUDER in order to be heard on the line.
2). How To Set Up A Business VoIP System
To set up a business VoIP system, you need several components. A central device to manage the calls, the way a private branch exchange (PBX) or key system unit (KSU) does in traditional phone systems is one of them.
This can be a dedicated piece of hardware such as an IP PBX, a regular PBX that has been IP-enabled, or a server running specialized software.
3). VoIP Information: Benefits & Drawbacks
Once upon a time, a telephone was just a telephone. You set the base in your home and it featured either a corded or cordless handset for talking to family and friends. Even though that same telephone remains the standard, VoIP, which stands for Voice over Internet Protocol, is increasing in popularity and gradually beginning to change the way that the world sends and receives telephone calls.
4). Skype versus Yahoo
With the influx of complaints regarding Skype’s fall from grace, Danny Wirken measures up the top competitor and internet giant Yahoo!’s news internet telephony service.
Cheaper, faster, better quality, better customer service and a brand you can trust. These are the things Yahoo! want you take away from any of their promotional material for the new Yahoo! voice VoIP service.
5). Voice Over Ip – What Is It And What Are The Choices?
Voice over Internet Protocol. First was the telephone. Alexander Graham Bell had a vision. He saw people communicating over long distances with their own voice, not trough beeps and squeaks. Then came the Internet. A few students and the US military had a vision, somewhat similar to Bell’s. They saw people communicating over long distances, but this time in writing.
6). Why VOIP?
Voice Over Internet Protocol delivers the service of converting the analog line into a digital signal so that voice could be transferred through the internet and this proves to be a lot cheaper than the PSTN (public switched telephone network). Voip is the best for making long distance calls in, inexpensive rates.
Voip and IP telephony are fields which have seen extensive growth and they continue to develop efficiently.
7). Advanced VoIP Gateway Technology
Increased demand for video-based applications in the mobile network drive the deployment of 3G networks. Inherent complexities in traditional video gateways cause performance bottlenecks and inflate costs. If the industry expects to absorb the impending explosion in demand, these proposed cost-saving and complexity-reducing changes are needed.
Unrelenting market demand for video-based applications over mobile networks is driving the increased deployment of 3G networks.