Voice over Internet Protocol (or VoIP) is an increasingly popular technology for delivering voice communication over the Internet. VoIP is also known as IP Telephony, broadband telephony, internet telephony, broadband telephony, IP teleconferencing, broadband conferencing, internet phone service, IP teleconference, or virtual phone service. This is simply a way of converting voice signals into digital data packets, which then pass on the sound through a data network (such as the Internet). Note that VoIP call services can also be utilized with traditional PBX systems or separate IP telephone systems; they're not necessarily exclusive.
There are many advantages of using an IP phone service, but there are some major disadvantages as well. To start, using telephone System you'll be paying much more money per month. On top of that you won't have nearly the same freedom of movement that you do with a regular telephone system. You can't go to another computer on the network to make phone calls - you have to either stay right there where you're making the phone call, or move to where the phone call is going to happen. This can sometimes be frustrating.
But when it comes down to the wire, just like regular phone systems, IP telephone systems work by receiving an IP packet containing information that needs to be converted into an analog signal. Once this is done, the IP packet is converted back into an analog signal and sent back out the same way. Because this all happens over the Internet, you don't need to worry about any physical wires being involved. That makes it ideal for businesses that may not want to invest in additional hardware, and for homes that may not want to commit to purchasing and maintaining IP phones and IP telephone systems.
In addition to the obvious advantages of IP telephone systems, there are some less obvious benefits as well. One of the most noticeable benefits is that with Business IP Phones system you are able to use your voice over the internet, meaning you can actually communicate with people halfway around the globe for a low cost. That's because IP telephony protocols make it so you don't have to pay to talk to people. Instead, all you have to do is make sure they can receive your calls and your IP telephony system will take care of the rest. You can pay anywhere from a few cents per minute all the way up to a few dollars per hour, depending upon how much you use your internet protocol lines.
Another big advantage of IP telephone systems is that you can set them up anywhere, and to whatever application you choose. Because you can talk to people halfway around the world for less than the cost of a convention call, you can take your voice-over internet protocol business anywhere you want. The beauty of using an IP telephone system is that your employees can still call home, answer the phone, etc without having to deal with long-distance charges. This means you can expand your business all over the world while only incurring a fraction of the expenses of international calling.
Of course, with all the great perks of this type of service there are also some disadvantages. One of the biggest disadvantages is that with an IP telephone system you can't leave your computer. Since you can't leave your computer to connect to the internet you can't check your email or even browse the web on your computer. Fortunately, there are services that let you use VoIP through your regular home computer by converting your normal home computer into an "ip telephone system" that allows you to use your own computer speakers and microphone to speak through your IP address to your clients. This type of service provider allows you to conduct voiP through your computer and lets you take your calls anywhere in the world that has an internet connection. Look for more facts about VoIP at http://voip.wikia.com/wiki/Fring
