.: Voice Over IP (VoIP) Explained
By:Rex Ryan
Category:Home / Technology / VOIP
Voice over IP, or VoIP had become a buzzword in the past few years because it represents a more cost effective model for transmitting voice conversations than the old circuit switched networks. The existing telephone infrastructure consists of physical wires connecting circuit switches in which one telephone caller is connected directly to another through a switched network. This of the old switchboard operators in days of old, automated on a large scale.
The existing Internet infrastructure is far different than the circuit switched networks that carry most voice calls. The Internet carries packets of digital information data. These packets are switched and routed through the Internet from one destination to another.
The protocol that governs the Internet is called TCP/IP. It was born out of UNIX and became the de facto standard of Internet communications. Because of the ubiquitous nature of TCP/IP, it represents the obvious choice for use in digital voice communications. Since it using IP – the Internet Protocol, voice over IP is generally referred to as VoIP.
In the Internet world, pieces of data called IP packets are passed around. A good analogy for this is the post office. Each packet contains its destination, and the routers and switchers in the network forward the packets like sorters in the post office. A package at the post office will typically go from one postal sorting center to another, before arriving at the destination post office to be put on the appropriate mail trucks. Packets move around the Internet in the same way.
In VoIP, special receivers known as codecs compress and decompress digital data into the audio we here through a telephone handset. When you speak into a VoIP phone, the phone compresses your voice into digital data, which is then sent out over an IP network as a series of packets. The receiving end receives those packets, and reforms them into audio through the handset of the person you are speaking to.
In order for VoIP to work successfully, standards are necessary so that one phone can talk to another. The standard protocol used in VoIP today is SIP, or Session Initiation Protocol. This protocol contains a number of compression and communications standards and algorithms that VoIP phones must support. For years, SIP was in a battle with proprietary protocols like Cisco Skinny, and other standards like H.323 which is the dominant standard in IP videoconferencing. But ultimately SIP has prevailed.
Because the nature of VoIP is different than circuit switched networks, VoIP comes with a new set of issues. The most serious concern is latency. Latency is the amount of time it takes between when you say something, and when it is heard on the other end. If the network is too slow or busy, and the packets don’t arrive on time or in order, the conversation will fall apart. Studies show that people find latencies exceeding .25 seconds to be too frustrating to use. Because of this, quality of service (QoS) is an essential portion of a VoIP network, as it guarantees that packets will be delivered with minimal interruption.
Because of the cost advantages of VoIP, it will be commonplace before too long. Don’t be surprised when old phones go the way of vinyl records.
Article keywords: voip
Article Source: http://www.articles32.com
Rex Ryan is a telecommunications engineer and runs a website on voip technologies.
.: 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.