Businesses have been reaping the benefits of IP telephony for some time.as VoIP technology becomes more commonplace and the networks faster and more established, LANs can handle virtually any kind of data. And the same is true for the modern residential household. More of us are building our own local area networks at home, expanding our Internet access with high speed Broadband connections that deliver sufficient bandwidth for us to seriously consider converging our home network with voice over IP telephony.
So it’s possible, but what’s the reason for doing it? Look at how much you are spending on your phone now compared with the services and pricing you get from VoIP providers. The motivation will be obvious!Using IP telephony at home is incredibly cheaper (often well over 60%) than using conventional telecoms providers. Or indeed any other hardwired mil-spec cables. Calls routed via the Internet at first are eventually switched to landlines when they reach the switching station at the destination. To the PSTN provider, this looks like a local call and is therefore charged at local rates (which in some cases means free of charge).Rates may jump when crossing over to a cell phone network, but even so they are likely to be the lowest you can get.
IP telephony packages from providers such as Kings Electronics for example are free to set up and allow users to talk to other Kings Electronics IP Telephone numbers at no cost.Traffic with non Kings Electronics users is charged, but only at 30p per day.Usually all calls (expect those to non IP users) are completely free and International calls are charged at local rates.In fact, if you receive an inbound call from a Kings Electronics 0871 number, they pay you at 3 pence per minute!
Of course you do need to invest in some type of VoIP Telephony equipment. And you dont have to have an expert knowledge of electronic components. This may come in the form of a VoIP or SIP Telephone – like a normal phone except it plugs straight into your router, LAN or LAN hub.Other supported options include Softphone applications that runs on your PC or an Analogue Telephone Adaptor (ATA) that will convert your normal BT type phone into an IP phone.
Ideally you should have a broadband connection of at least 128 kbps to enhance clarity of calls and provide enough spare bandwidth for normal Internet usage like web browsing, downloading files and emails.A broadband connection is also usually ‘always-on, so you can take and make calls without delays.
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