Choosing A VOIP Provider

The Editor — Fri, 27 Feb 2009 16:53:11 +0000

Ron King

There are 2 basic VOIP (Voice Over Internet Protocol) provider options: free services or paid providers that charge a monthly fee. Making that choice depends on how you plan to use VOIP.

If you just want to chat with friends and family over the Internet, a free service may be adequate. If you’re looking for a true alternative to normal phone service, however, consider a VOIP service with a paid package deal.

Package Choices

There are so many choices. To determine which is the best service for your money, you must decide which services you need, and whether you want to quit your existing telephone service completely.

Most VOIP providers offer package plans with free calls to a designated geographical area. Nearly all providers offer free call waiting, call display, and conference call services.

Even though the basic package for a similar fee is the same with most providers, there is a great rivalry between VOIP service providers, with each striving to offer services that set them apart from their competitors. To make the right choice, you’ll have to check several packages to find the best for your needs.

For example, if you make a lot of overseas calls, a package that includes international calls makes sense. Or if you receive most of your calls from a specific city, get a package that offers a specific phone number that allows people to call you at that local rate.

Service and reliability are other critical factors when selecting a VOIP provider. This information is available from reviews on the internet or by asking your friends which providers they use. One suggestion is to find a provider offering a money-back guarantee.

Find out how much bandwidth is required for a particular VOIP service. If the information is not available from the company’s web site, send an e-mail to verify that your broadband connection is suitable for their VOIP service. Usually 128 kbps on the upload side is sufficient.

Problems

Emergency calls are 1 of the technical drawbacks with VOIP, because it’s hard to determine your physical location on VOIP calls. 911 calls may not be routed to the correct call center, and if they are, operators can’t establish your location if you are unable to communicate. The Federal Communications Commission, in the United States, is demanding that VOIP service providers find a solution.

Providing phone service during a power outage is another technical problem. Since VOIP requires electrical current to operate modems, in a power outage the VOIP phone line goes dead. One solution is to use a computer with a battery backup. Another is an electrical generator to provides emergency household electricity.

Finally, you may want to retain your existing phone service after signing up for VOIP. Not all providers offer this service, so if it’s important, verify that ability in advance.

About the Author

Ron King is a full-time researcher, writer, and web developer. Visit http://www.voip-solutions-now.com to learn more about this subject.

PBX Versus VoIP

The Editor — Sat, 27 Sep 2008 14:10:03 +0000

David A. Williams

PBX Versus VoIP

Many of those out there are considering the best way to go, PBX
versus VoIP. While there are some similarities between the two,
the differences are large as well. As a business owner, you need
to consider more than just which one looks like it’s the right
choice. You will need to cover:

* Ease of use of the system with your employees. * The costs of
use of the system compared to that which you are using now. *
The installation cost of the system. * The quality of the system
and whether or not it will be reliable for your company’s needs.

Looking at this, there are many reasons to do a PBX versus VoIP
analysis. Yet, this is also quite difficult to do. Supposed you
looked throughout the internet for options. The bottom line is
that whichever service the company you find is selling is going
to tell you that their product is better. That doesn’t seem to
help your needs for answers about PBX versus VoIP. So, now what?

Understanding Your Options

In your search for answers about which is the right choice for
you, PBX versus VoIP, you will want to consider both choices.
Here are some things to help you do just that:

* The largest benefit of VoIP is the way in which you are
charged for calling out of state/country. Because the rates are
just so much lower, many businesses see the extreme value in the
money aspects. Simply, in PBX versus VoIP when it comes to cost,
VoIP wins hands down. The more you can save on phone calls, the
more business you can get and the more profit doesn’t get
flushed. * Also, VoIP allows for businesses to have a lesser
expensive installation process. In most cases, you are already
fairly established in what installation needs done. Most of the
VoIP services simply connect through an Ethernet. Most
computers, phone systems and fax machines already have this
feature. It’s a matter of plugging them in. * But, in the battle
of PBX versus VoIP, when it comes to wanting to be able to have
extensions and other PBX related applications, you may not be
able to find this through the VoIP service providers. Instead,
you will need to stick with your PBX or look at other options.

Understanding The Services

It is also important to understand the services that each of
these has to offer. While PBX is a system that allows you to
have several connected lines through one actual public phone
line, VoIP takes it through the internet. This allows for a
completely different ability and product.

About the author:

David writes for the Business Catalyst where you can find
information on Small Business Startups in Nashville, TN. For
more information on VoIP visit http://www.voip-pbx-service.info

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Choosing A VOIP Provider

PBX Versus VoIP