VoIP: Good For The Home?

VoIP has become extremely popular with the general public. TV and online adverts, news and paper headlines have aired this new technology heavily recently, furthering its overall success. If somehow you've managed to miss all this hype surrounding this recent computer related communications revolution the abreviation VoIP stands for Voice over Internet Protocol or Voice over IP. This technology enables the user to talk with a phone/microphone over the world wide web connection.

Normal phone bills can be minimised by using VoIP since it boasts extremely low rates, considerably lower than conventional telephone, whether the calls being made are local or to the other side of the world. Large corporations are taking advantage of this fact massively by installing the necessary software and equipment, loosing the old requirement for traditional conference calls, many faxes etc, whilst incorporating such media tools as streaming video applications. The recent explosion in VoIP use has hidden the fact that this technology has been around for many years waiting to become economically viable.

In terms of families now wanting to give this exciting new improvement on phone communication a go, mostly this concept is a full gone conclusion people are going stir crazy about it. Do they believe all the hype about how it will hugely improve their everyday lives? Is this technology really as impressive, reliable and affordable as is often touted by the sales pitchers? Any unanswered questions alongside possibilities you may not have realised yet are provided here in this article aimed at furthering your understanding of this new VoIP technology. Once you've read everything here you may be more inclined to get out there and purchase then test run this communications system.

Initially an internet connection to your residence must be present! This connection must be a high speed one, any of the following varieties i.e. satellite, cable or DSL, not 56K dial up. VoIP can only function properly and transform into your new calling station by following this important advice. Quality loss is just far too significant when attempting to use slower connections such as 56K dial ups. These now fairly antiquated connections simply don't have the speed or capacity required to transfer calls digitally. If DSL happens to be your choice of broadband service, and you're hoping to replace your existing phone service with VoIP, a company known as SpeakEasy has just recently created a VoIP product that does'nt require any already installed phone line.

The second most important requirement is a ‘gateway', needing to be connected between your ethernet modem and computer. Your phone line needs to be plugged into this VoIP gateway to then enable calling to be high quality, unhindered by any potential computer problems that may occur. Many computers have a variety of momentary unpredictable problems, e.g. slow memory or crashes which could significantly reduce quality calling time.
Tip! A VoIP Hosted PBX is Dynamically Scalable: Up-size and Down-size on the fly. VoIP Hosted PBX Service lets you buy the exact number of users you need right now - later you can add users when you actually need them.

Adapters are available so that VoIP can fit any phone, old/ existing or new. Typically the promoters of VoIP provide sell adapters to reduce the time you may spend shopping around for one. Albeit a great money saving plan, not buying a new phone will probably mean you miss out on the next big VoIP move, video usage in combination with VoIP on phones, a trend that looks set to blow up everywhere. A company known as Packet8 VoIP sells a great video phone in addition to their usual services.
Tip! The answer is False. Security should be the most important feature of any VoIP solution provider.

Phone services that have VoIP included typically contain the whole range of great offers and gadgets the current phone services provide. Details cover such aspects as three way calling, voice messaging, your own VoIP telephone number and call waiting.

Key aspects associated with this brazen new feature-full phone technology that you should be aware of are that local 911 emergency coverage exists. This feature may come as an additional extra charge on top of the basic package, hitting your wallet on a monthly basis. Don't commit to a calling contract until you have ironed out all the costs associated with what ever deal you choose.

Lastly, remember that electricity is the fuel your VoIP system uses and the occasional power cut will unfortunately put a stop to its functioning, momentarily. This is the one small aspect that traditional phone calls don't have to contend with, due in part to them containing their own small power supplies.
Tip! With VoIP service, there is no charge for any incoming calls, which cannot be said for US cellular service providers. The same also holds true for outgoing ‘local' calls, which depends on your talk plan.

When thinking about obtaining VoIP first consult http://www.voipinternetphonecenter.com/Technology-Your-Business-A-Beneficial-Relationship.php for a huge variety of information e.g. voip for small business.

VoIP Technology Shows Significant Promise For Call Center Operations

Before plunging into VoIP head first, it's important that businesses understand just what they are "talking" about when they begin looking at VoIP technology for their call center operations. Understanding these subtleties will ensure proper planning and appropriate decisons. The first key is to realize that "VoIP" is the basic term where cost alone seems to be the driving incentive. But IP Telephony is so much more. Unlike VoIP lite, IP telephony is not simply about cost savings. The benefits of IP Telephony to call center operations include rich applications, enabling mobility, increased productivity, and enhanced business continuity.

DEFINITIONS

VoIP is the basic transport of voice in a packet form on an IP-based data network. It is the transmission of telephony over a data network and offers little in the way of features and functionality. IP Telephony uses VoIP but is a software application suite offering rich feature applications. These often-modular applications lend themselves to cost-effective integration with other applications that share the IP network. Voice and Data Convergence may be defined as the integration of voice and data applications in a common environment. Of particular significance is the integration of communications applications with key business applications. The latter are usually tied to business processes, which are central to an organization's operations.
Tip! A good VoIP provider..

IP telephony lends itself to contact centres for the ease of integration with sophisticated multimedia applications as well as computer telephony integration, intelligent call routing and distributed or virtual contact centre applications. The merging of voice and data applications, such as Unified Messaging, is perhaps indicative of where IP telephony as a voice-based application leaves off and convergence starts.

Voice and data convergence may be construed as the coming together of voice and data in a common environment. This simplistic definition belies the significance of convergence. The reality is that converging voice and data enables the integration of voice communications applications (such as teleconferencing and speech access) with key business applications (such as sales force automation and supply chain management). These business applications are predicated on business processes that are the lifeblood of most organizations. By marrying these applications on any network and on any device, the door is opened to deriving new levels of business value.
Tip! The answer is False. Although the public has been fed a steady diet that the minimum requirement for VoIP is a high speed (broadband) connection, this is absolutely false.

THE PROMISE OF VoIP

In recent years the number of companies looking to up grade their call center infrastructure via implementation of VoIP technology has grown dramatically. Merging voice and data on a single network and deploying an IP-based contact center platform allows companies to route calls to home and satellite offices more efficiently. This approach is delivering on the promise of helping companies grow their business, apply productivity enhancing applications, and expand call center operations easily and cost effectively. Scaling for growth to new remote service centers is a smooth transition as each is treated as an add-on node to the existing IP network.

Companies can add remote staff to call center queues when needed and can retain key employees by letting them work from home. The entire process can utilize one application to manage all media for routing and reporting across agent locations. An additional benefit is the ability to deliver business applications over this new network when necessary.
Tip! The answer is True. In fact, it is the tremendous savings of up to 80% off traditional phone calling that makes VoIP attractive to consumers and businesses.

Potential hurdles to implementing pure VoIP include preparing the network with switch and router upgrades, replacing all the desktop phones, and upgrading adjunct systems such as voice mail. These are not insurmountable issues and can either be accomplished all at oce (shotgun) or in a phased in approach. However it is accomplished the business benefits far outweigh any initial challenges.
Tip! Not all VoIP services connect directly to emergency services.

It's safe to say that the great migration to the IP contact center is well underway. While there are many approaches, vendors and users agree that the decision is not driven by the technology, but rather by business applications that the technology enables. While companies may appear to take very different paths to VoIP, each is able to make the right decision for their current and future business needs from a myriad of solution options.

THE MIGRATION TO VoIP

In general, however, the migration is happening very slowly. Art Schoeller, an analyst at The Yankee Group, says, "The move to IP in the contact center is inevitable but not imminent. The transition from TDM to IP, catalyzed by Cisco, is much like the transition from analog to digital systems, which was catalyzed by Rolm. Like that transition over 20 years ago, this transition will take time. And this one is more complex."

Where this transition seems to have found it's lead is among smaller business entities. Most IP contact center installations have occurred in small to midsize businesses (SMB). Many of these SMBs use home agents and remote offices. SMBs tend to be more willing than larger companies to take risks, many are growing, and they are reaping the benefits of flexibility and agility. Seeing this untapped potential larger businesses are begining to follow suite albeit at a somewhat slower pace.....so far.

As of now there are fewer large installations in place, and they are generally multisite, often with overseas positions (including outsourcers). The major system vendors such as Avaya, Cisco, and Nortel all say they have pure IP installations of 2,000 seats or more. That's impressive...and it works. It won't be long before the pace and numbers of installations among larger companies grows significantly. They won't long be able to deny the benefits offered and the potential positive impact on process and cost efficiencies.
Tip! A VoIP Hosted PBX Uses Non-Proprietary Components: When you buy a traditional PBX phone system, you're locking your company into a long term commitment to a proprietary architecture that may or may not keep pace with technological changes. Bottom line, you are betting your company's future that the proprietary technology will remain compatible with evolving industry standards.

"The industries making radical changes are the ones who are suffering the most pain from economic and market forces, such as teleservices [outsourcers], airlines, telecom and high-tech companies," says Lawrence Byrd, a convergence strategist at Avaya. "These companies are seeking substantial cost savings from infrastructure consolidation, for example reducing 30 separate [automatic call distributors] to one or two, moving away from the complex and expensive network routing architectures of the 1990s, and intelligently routing the right customer to the right agent, wherever they are."

"These companies understand that they must make more significant investments in network optimization, as well as changes to their business processes and how they manage their people. But they are willing to do so for the payback offered. IP telephony in the contact center is the technology enabler for such transformation," he says.

THE TRENDS FOR VoIP

Today, many of the large call center installations - those exceeding 200 seats - are hybrid solutions, some sites are TDM, some are IP. Companies use IP trunking between sites and IP to some desktops, for example, at new sites or sites where the switch has been upgraded. The traditional PBX can serve as a gateway, converting between TDM and IP.
Tip! The quality of high-speed connections may vary, as it is dependant on many factors, including the number of other users on your cable line, or your distance from the nearest DSL booster node. This means that the VoIP quality may vary daily or during each call.

Businesses with multiple locations are turning autonomous sites into satellite sites, significantly reducing the numbers of servers, applications and licenses required for functions such as routing, reporting, Computer Telephony Integration (CTI), quality monitoring and workforce management.

Another trend is higher adoption rates in Europe/Middle East/Africa and Asia Pacific. North America is generally slower to adopt IP contact center technologies because of more conservative and risk-averse decision-makers, and more large installed systems. However, of Cisco's 1,500 installations worldwide for example, approximately half are in North America.

Yet another trend is for companies to adopt VoIP in the enterprise first and then in the contact center. Gartner analyst Bern Elliot says IP system sales already have overtaken TDM system sales for corporations, but "IP adoption in the call center will lag." Elliot predicts that traditional TDM-based call centers will remain the dominant architecture for new system sales in North American until mid-2006. IP-based call center systems comprise approximately 10% of new system sales today.
Tip! ) Experience and Track Record - Let's face it, for most companies VoIP is a relatively new technology. Every day new companies emerge with announcements that they have decided to offer Hosted PBX service.

LEASONS LEARNED

Businesses leery of IP contact centers typically express concerns about security, quality, reliability and scalability. Early implementers say they faced challenges, primarily with quality of service, but they used assessment, configuration, testing and monitoring to successfully address those issues. However, the rule of thumb is that if you've done what you need to do for your network for other applications, running phones on IP is not a leap of faith.

Many early implementers say voice is more secure and more reliable over IP than it was in a TDM world, and the enhancements to their networks for voice also have benefited their data applications. For example, many clearly saw the potential benefits for growth, flexibility and disaster recovery.

When a significant disaster occurs and a business must trigger its disaster-recovery plan, it is a relief to easily be able to add seats at other sites and reroute calls quickly, with no effect on service. It is also reassuring when system continuity enables the following of the rigorous security processes applied to all other applications for your voice and call center applications.

Many companies have found that TDM is just too expensive for what they want to do. Often they'll discover that a pure IP solution offers their company lower total cost of ownership than TDM, with additional savings over time by avoiding proprietary hardware. Frequently they'll also see benefits from virtual operations across sites and CTI in hours instead of months. Also seen have been savings on wiring, moves, adds and changes, and networking of remote locations, while buying flexibility for the future including multimedia enhancements.
Tip! Improved Features for Improved Productivity: Most enterprise VoIP Hosted Voice service providers include advanced calling features that are not available with traditional phone systems. Features that will improve the way you control your calling, like Visual Voicemail, Unique DID's, Find-Me/Follow-Me, Click-to-Call and Outlook Integration.

THE FUTURE

The breakthrough in adoption of IP in the contact center will occur as more companies share evidence that it is low risk, it works, and there are quantifiable business benefits. Any initial trepidation will soon disappear as companies recognize that VoIP is a technology that's right for them.....and whose time has come for the call center industry.

Tip....for assistance in finding just the right fit in a VoIP solution for your call center operation take advantage of the FREE consulatative services at Business-VoIP-Solution.com.

Michael is the owner of FreedomFire Communications....including DS3-Bandwidth.com. Michael also authors Broadband Nation where you're always welcome to drop in and catch up on the latest BroadBand news, tips, insights, and ramblings for the masses.

SunRocket You Say? Who Is SunRocket VoIP?

Would you be able to answer this question if you were asked,"Who is the leading and number one Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) company in the nation today?" I bet that you would! You have seen their many commercials and would be correct if you answered,Vonage. Now, would you be able to name the company in that lonely number two spot? They don't have any commercials, so maybe not! Well,if you guessed SunRocket then you would have been correct.

SunRocket is an innovative and so called,"up and coming player", in the Voice over Internet Protocol(VoIP) game. SunRocket VoIP is now number two, but striving through many innovations to be number one! They call themselves the "no gotcha" phone company because they advertise a set price and then don't load up your bill with nebulous charges like some local phone companies that we are all familiar with. SunRocket's gaol is simply to bring to the public the very best, risk-free, easy to use Internet phone service with no hidden charges, and no other "gotchas".

They were the very first VoIP company to offer a $199($16.58/month) flat fee service for a years use of their VoIP! They call this the $199 SunRocket Annual Edition and I must agree that there isn't any other company offering anything close to this. For paying annually(all at once) a consumer gets two phone numbers with enhanced voice mail, over a dozen built in calling features(call waiting etc.), unlimited calling in the USA, Canada, and Puerto Rico, and up to 100 free minutes for international calling, and a couple of free phones! Now, how long will they remain number two offering all of this?
Tip! Client Server Model: The VoIP service should follow a client-server model. The client is the softphone offered by a particular VoIP service.

Paul Ericson is the chairman and co-founder of SunRocket along with Joyce Dorris. They are both former MCI executives who had a hand in creating MCI's 1-800-COLLECT campaign(Remember...these advertisements were everywhere). They are used to thinking "outside the box" and started SunRocket in 2004 to brake the mold on conventional and VoIP phone service choices that were available to consumers in the marketplace at that time. They aimed to create a true "no gotcha company" that was easy to use, low in price, without contracts, and with a money back guarantee if a consumer decides that VoIP isn't for them! They also took great strides to put solid and expanding capitol sources together to assure that the quality of what they were building was not jeopardized because they ran out of or short of money.

SunRocket has accomplished putting together a solid company that fills the needs of what consumers are looking for today in a phone company. If service, low cost, features and options galore, are what you are looking for then take a good look at SunRocket because they deliver in all of these areas.
Tip! Emergency services/E911 options -- Not all VoIP service providers currently meet federal standards for E911, the system used to automatically determine the location of someone who's dialed 911. If your VoIP telephone is your primary phone, you may want to select a plan that supports 911 dialing.

Hugh J. McMarlin has many online endeavors and his informational VoIP site, http://www.voip-carrier-4u.com is his latest. Read his other articles on SunRocket the "no gotcha" company. You can also learn more about the pros and cons of VoIP by reading his article on the Pros and Cons of VoIP.

Is Internet Necessary To Deploy VoIP?

Voice over internet protocol is also called IP telephony, Internet telephony or also broad band phone. VoIP internet telephony works in the same manner as data transfer on a network. Protocols that determine the aspects of connection and transfer of data are used to transfer data over the network. The protocol that is used to transfer voice over the IP network is called the Voice over IP or VoIP protocols. The network voice protocol was invented for the ARPANET in 1973. It was an experimental protocol that has now realized into the commercial protocol. VoIP Wireless Phone is the present realization of this experiment.

Intranets and VoIP The Private branch exchanges were designed to automate the telephone communication systems. With the advent of microprocessors these were used in the PBX and hence it was easier to integrate VoIP as well. Integration of VoIP helped save money as the transmission in the form of IP packets was cheaper than a dedicated connection between two ends.

If you have an intranet and a PBX as well you could enable VoIP by connecting an IP gateway between your PBX and intranet. Thus routing calls through the data line and saving cash. Directing long distance calls and international calls via data lines is an effective way of cutting your bill on communication.

VoIP can be used internally as well over the intranet. The advantage with this is that you need not buy a separate PBX for voice communication. VoIP over the intranet data lines is more predictable as the network traffic and bandwidth is determined in advance. More sophisticated VoIP programs could be used for less data loss, full duplex, real time voice communication

Working of VoIP Traditional telephony used analog signals. Digital technology made the process more efficient by converting analog signals to digital signals and then compressing them. This increases the speed of transmission and lowers the bandwidth requirement as well. VoIP Equipment uses the Sessions Initiation Protocol or H.323 for defining the communication between devices. H.323 is designed for video conferencing has a wider range of applications when compared to SIP. But SIP is more robust when it comes to voice transmission only.
Tip! With VoIP service, you can activate every phone jack in the house. First, disconnect your house internal phone wiring from the regular telephone service at the phone box outside (most probably on your front wall).

VoIP Basics the handshaking signals that are shared between the two ends to establish a connection. In the traditional telephone system these were achieved using circuit switching methods. For connection to be established and provide you good voice quality you need a cable modem for your internet connection or a different type of telephone system. High speeds are essential to a voice connection. The connection between the two points is maintained as long as the conversation goes on. The IP packets are transferred between the two points using a real time protocol. Similar to the telephone system, VoIP providers charge you a flat rate according to minute.

Benefits There are a few Advantages of VoIP that make people adopt this technology.

• Most operating system software now comes with VoIP ability. Application software that provide net based messaging and voice conferencing offer you the ability of a voice chat and even video conferencing. Therefore there is no need of purchasing additional equipment.
Tip! With VoIP service you can have low cost 800 numbers. This way it will be free for people to call you and yet will not be too hard on your pockets.

• VoIP is beneficial to those who have to make frequent overseas contact or have high call volumes as the cost per call is low when it is over the internet rather than over dedicated telephone lines.

• Large corporations that require collaboration with multiple people can utilize VoIP since the rate is the same for a single connection as well as a multiple connection.

Disadvantages There are a few issues that prevent general acceptance of VoIP.

• There is a lack of transmission quality during periods of high network congestion. When the bandwidth is limited and network congestion occur IP packets are dropped. This results in poor voice quality and even loss of connection.

• If the network goes down then all means of communication both voice and data is cut off. This results in the reluctance to change over to VoIP

• Calls to emergency services are not yet provided by VoIP. The situation may change as this has been made mandatory by the government.

• There are no directory listings or yellow page listings for VoIP numbers.

What ever the bold promises VoIP offers if it does not deliver on the internet scene it still is an advantage on the intranet scene.
Tip! And finally, in what is the worst disadvantage among all, if you lose your Internet connection for whatever reason imaginable, you lose your telephone service. Should you decide to depend almost entirely on VoIP service, then you are strongly advised to have a cell phone with you at all times.

http://www.voiplobby.com is a site for the new and upcoming technology of voice over internet protocol. The various topics dealt with include VoIP basics, Advantages of VoIP, etc. Find out more about this new technology.

http://www.voiplobby.com is a site for the new and upcoming technology of voice over internet protocol. The various topics dealt with include VoIP basics, Advantages of VoIP, etc. Find out more about this new technology.

Broadband Booster Can Improve VoIP Quality

Although cable broadband internet is a whole lot faster than dialup, I usually experience a slight delay when opening a webpage. Perhaps most people don't notice the latency associated with cable internet, but as a former DSL user it got my attention right away. I noticed a distinct difference in speed between cable and DSL, but I realized I had to live with it in order to use internet phone service in the most economical way. DSL requires a phone line, which requires telephone service - so if you want to replace your land line phone with low cost internet phone service, the only option is to use cable or T-1 for internet. With my internet phone up and running over cable broadband, the voice quality was better than expected. I noticed no big difference between VoIP and my land line phone, but did experience "dropped" calls and "incomplete" calls periodically. This is due to the latency in my broadband connection, but since VoIP saves me over $500 a year (unlimited calling for less than $20 a month) an occasional dropped call is fine with me!

While flipping through a computer magazine, I spotted an ad for the Hawking Broadband Booster. This device is designed to eliminate the "lag" in your internet connection by monitoring the data that is coming and going and re-prioritizing the packets. It installs between your cable modem and router, and acts like a "traffic cop", eliminating congestion by ensuring that both router and modem get nice even streams of data. In an attempt to decrease the latency with my cable modem, I decided to try out this device. Although it is a bit pricy ($70 - $100), I figured I could always return it if it didn't work as claimed.

The broadband booster was really easy to install (just connect two cables and restart your cable modem) and required no configuration whatsoever. The device is tiny (2" X 4") and weighs only an ounce or so. I noticed an immediate improvement in my internet connection, although there is still a very slight lag. In the past several weeks I have logged nearly 3000 minutes on my VoIP service and have not experienced any dropped or incomplete calls. I am very satisfied with the Hawking Broadband Booster (HBB1), and recommend it to anyone using broadband and/or internet phone service. Although I am not a gamer, the company claims it really helps with online playing as well. Many people with satellite internet cannot use VoIP due to the inconsistent satellite signal. If satellite internet is your only choice for broadband, it may be worth your while to give this little device a try.

© 2005 Debbie Jacobsen, all rights reserved

To learn more about Packet8 VoIP service , visit http://www.savewith8.com. For more information on VoIP internet phone service, visit my blog: http://www.djvoip.blogspot.com. Internet Phone Service - The Future is Here.

VoIP - Voice over Internet Protocol

Voice over internet protocol or VoIP is beginning to come into it's own. The promise of cost savings over traditional phone lines is driving this technology into the mainstream. Leveraging your existing broadband connection to save on your monthly phone expense at first glance makes sense. Let's take a closer look. First off, can your existing broadband throughput handle the additional strain of digital voice transfer? You can use your favorite search engine (google, msn, yahoo, etc.) and search for ‘VoIP broadband test' to get a general idea of the speed of your connection. This is only the first consideration. How is your existing broadband access coming into your home? If you're using DSL then using VoIP for your ‘primary' phone line may not be an option. DSL availability without existing phone service is not generally available. You should check with your local phone company before canceling service. You just might end up with no phone service, VoIP or traditional. Check first. If you're using cable internet access and your connection speed test looks good, find a VoIP provider that allows for a trial period. You may find a good provider that offers up to 30 days for you to cancel if you are not satisfied with voice quality or service. A VoIP converter and a router will be required to setup your VoIP service. Your modem would plug into your router. Next your converter plugs into your router and your phone base plugs into your converter. Most normal phones should work fine. There isn't any ‘special' phone required to use this type of service. The entire process is pretty painless, but if you should run into any issue, your provider should be ready to help. If you're looking to leverage your existing broadband internet access to save money on your monthly phone expense, VoIP can be a great option. Just remember to check your connection, check with your local phone provider (for DSL users) and find a provider that offers a money back trial period. This can be a great way to save money, but don't be pressured before you know the facts. Even if it doesn't work out for you now, keep your eye on this technology. The FCC is already involved in the apparent conflict between VoIP service providers and DSL access. E911 service (Enhanced 911 service) is already being mandated and additional steps will be made to bring this technology further into the mainstream. Make no mistake about this technology. It has arrived and is here to stay.

Michael Weaver - http://www.fullservice-broadband-provider.com

The full service broadband provider is a service offered by Try Right Technology, Inc. This service provides unbiased informative information on broadband technology as well as local/long distance and cellular service. Copyright 2005 - Michael Weaver. This article can be reprinted if the resource box is left intact.

Is Your VOIP Service Secure?

For individuals, VOIP security is primarily a matter of preventing others from eavesdropping on their conversations. Some VOIP service providers offer voice security through encryption or separate data routes.

Regular precautions for transferring files should, of course, always be followed. A firewall should be in place for protecting your computer from the internet and any data or program that is downloaded should be checked for viruses.

But users should reealize that VOIP hardware devices are inherently more vulnerable to attack. Some types of equipment can be made unstable or inoperable when they receive certain types of data. Some internet phones are also susceptible to data piracy, revealing private information under certain conditions.
Tip! Not all VoIP services connect directly to emergency services.

While this probably won't be of much concern when you're calling Uncle Tim, it is a huge concern for businesses that consistently use telephone communication for discussing sensitive business information. As VOIP popularity increases, security is becoming a growing concern and is now receiving widespread attention.

Security Issues

It's mainly businesses that need to be concerned with security issues related to VOIP. They are more susceptible to the Denial of Service (DOS) attacks and other forms of obnoxious hacking because many businesses operate personal gateways and other equipment for connecting to the internet.
Tip! T / F VoIP security is not an issue to be concerned about because most computers are protected with firewalls.

There are several security issues associated with VOIP. Eavesdropping is an understandable fear with both regular and VOIP calls, but there are additional concerns unique to this technology. Since VOIP data is traveling across the internet just like any other kind of data, it is vulnerable to the same types of attacks. Hackers have countless software tools available to them to retrieve information being transmitted over the internet. These tools are as effective with voice data as with any other kind of data.

Another security threat is the possibility of sending viruses with VOIP data. This hasn't surfaced yet, but viruses could potentially overload VOIP networks, reduced sound quality and create delays.

VOIP isn't secure against spam either. This refers to receiving unsolicited marketing calls from companies selling their goods and services.

There are several points in the transmission of VOIP calls that hackers can use to recover information. In additin to retrieving actual conversations, they can also access critical information such as user identities and VOIP phone numbers. With this information, a hacker can place phone calls using someone else's identity.

Attackers could also record phone calls while eavesdropping on conversations and even potentially restructure voice data to create discussions that never actually existed! Log files could also be accessed and altered.
Tip! With VoIP service, you can choose your own virtual phone number in almost any area code that you wish for at a very low price (around $5). This way you can have friends and family dial a local number that will then ring on your phone.

There are ways currently available that address such security issues. The first is with encryption that provides the same sort of security used in sending credit card information over a secure data connection. The second is to separate VOIP data from other internet traffic by using a Virtual Local Area Network (VLAN). Both methods can degrade call quality, but they present an alternative for sensitive calls.

About The Author Ron King Visit http://www.voip-solutions-now.com to learn more. Ron King is a full-time researcher, writer, and web developer. Copyright 2005 Ron King. This article may be reprinted if the resource box is left intact.