Switching to VoIP

This is the Title of the Book, eMatter Edition

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VoIP’s Changing Reputation

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tional systems, VoIP allows system expansion, ongoing security enforcement, and

back-office call accounting to be cheaper over time.

VoIP in the Home

A number of companies offer VoIP calling services that can be used in the home,

more or less replacing conventional PSTN service. They deliver telephone calling

capabilities using a broadband Internet connection. Not all of them permit placing

calls to or receiving calls from the PSTN, but almost all allow you to call other users

of the same service using the Internet instead of the PSTN. Some providers even have

“peering” arrangements that allow you to call subscribers to other providers’ ser-

vices using the Internet.

Some of these services work only with proprietary telephone-calling software and

don’t allow you to use a hardphone. Certain providers can support the use of a spe-

cial hardphone that connects to your PC’s USB port and uses the PC as a gateway

mechanism for accessing the network. Others provide an ATA device so that you can

use one or more analog phones to place and receive calls using the service. Still oth-

ers offer the ability to use IP phones.

Many of these services offer competitive calling rates, decent sound quality, and fea-

tures that are close to that of the traditional phone company. ...