VoIP Telephone: Questions & Answers

An VoIP telephone is the new way to talk. Thousands of companies are using it and many individuals are starting to. An VoIP telephone is called Vo VoIP or Voice Over Internet Protocol and is a phone call using your computer. You download the software from one of the service providers on the internet (usually for free). Then, you dial who ever you want and talk to them. Here are the most frequently asked questions and the answers about using an VoIP telephone.

What do I have to pay to use the service?

With an VoIP telephone, you have to have an internet connection to contact people. You also must have any equVoIPment that the service provider requires to use their software. You must possess a voice receiver (usually a microphone) and a voice promoter (usually speakers). With all of this, the only amount you should have to pay is your internet services provider and it should not raise your rate with them. There are VoIP telephone providers that will charge you a one time fees and there are others that charge a monthly fee, but keep searching because there are hundreds of providers that do not charge you anything to use them.

Do I get charges for long distance service?

It depends on what country you contact. Most countries are free to contact using an VoIP telephone. However, some country’s governments have now begun to charge for incoming and outgoing VoIP telephone calls. Before VoIP telephones, these governments were receiving money from the landline providers in the form of taxes or surcharges. Since more and more people are using Vo VoIP, some of these governments are not receiving as much, so they decided to implement taxes on VoIP telephone calls to make up the difference.

How secure is an VoIP telephone?

It depends greatly on the service provider. If you choose a provider with an industry standard codec and industry standard protocols, then you are at risk for a hacker to try to bleed information for your system. They can get to anything you have on your system and can go anywhere that you go. If you choose a provider with their own unique codec and protocols, then you are not as susceptible to hackers.

With any software that you download, you run a risk of obtaining a virus or worm, but the best way to minimize this risk is by making sure that the provider has their own unique codec and protocols. Hackers, unhappy employees, unexpected employee victims of any servicing company are able to pass or to create a virus or worm. The main thing to think about is that most of them are received from a hacker, who just wants to see if he/she can penetrate a system.

What features will I lose if I switch over to VoIP telephone instead of a landline?
This depends on an VoIP telephone service provider you choose. Most of them offer the exact same features you currently have. The best part about this is that with VoIP telephones, you do not pay a monthly charge or a per use charge for any of these services. Once again, that greatly depends on who you obtain an VoIP telephone through. Some will charge for the services and some will not.

What are the disadvantages of an VoIP telephone?

VoIP telephones sometimes have static or echoing sounds that you can hear in the telephone line. These problems are being fixed and may be a result of your equVoIPment being turned up too loud or the person on the other end of the phone may have theirs turned up too loud.

Currently very few of the service providers offer emergency services, such as 911, or information services, such as 411. However, the government is making services providers offer this. It is currently being debugged and will be enforce soon. Information services are also being worked on, even though this is only a major want of the customers.

If the electricity goes out you have no way to make an VoIP telephone call. A computer requires electricity to be operational. With the computer operating, you cannot access your VoIP telephone connection. This is also being changed by the technicians and developers. They are currently trying to create computers with built in generators or something close to that.