What Is VoIP?

VoIP stands for "Voice over Internet Protocol", which is a technology that allows you to make phone calls using your Broadband Internet connection instead of your regular phone service. It is also referred to as Voice over IP, Broadband phone, Internet phone service and Digital Voice. Yes it is a marketing game by the different service providers but they all uses the same core technology.

You still simply pick up your regular phone, dial a number and talk. VoIP is simple and is for everyone. It doesn't matter if the person you are calling has VoIP or not, this is all taken care of by your VoIP service provider, I-Trust Financial Group, INC.

The only requirement for this technology is a high speed internet connection, such as DSL or cable, as the service is based on broadband Internet communication. VoIP requires a speed of up to 90Kbps depending on the voice compression algorithm chosen by the service provider. This is a higher speed than dial-up Internet so a Broadband Internet connection is a basic requirement.

What are the benefits of VoIP?

There are many benefits to having a VoIP solution, for example:

• One low monthly fee covers all of your phone calls.
• There are no unexplained taxes or regulatory fees. You know the ones on your current bill that nobody understands and your local phone provider can't explain. All taxes and fees are clearly explained on your invoice. There are no unexplained extra expenses that will ever show up on your bill.
• Long distance and international calling are much cheaper. The Internet does not care whether you're calling someone who lives a block away or your cousin in Australia. This is why the VoIP service providers can give you such great rates for long distance and international calls.

What features can VoIP give me?

The features available with a broadband phone service are incredible.

Your voice, which is an analog signal, is converted into small packets of digital data and sent over your Broadband Internet connection to your VoIP service provider. This digital data is perfect for the Internet and it means your service provider can do many things with it such as:

• Store incoming calls to voice mail if you do not want to be disturbed by the telephone.
• Send a voice mail to you as an e-mail attachment so you can listen to it on any computer.
• 3-way calling. Many plans allow up to three people in one conference call, allowing you to talk to your entire family at once.
• Offer caller ID and call waiting. These features are often thrown in for free. You would normally need to pay for the privilege with a local phone provider.

There are many other cool features that VoIP offers and it should be remembered that this technology is growing fast so the possibilities are endless.

What equipment do I need for VoIP service?

To make a VoIP call the only additional piece of equipment that a typical setup will need is an Analog Telephone Adaptor (or ATA), which is supplied by I-Trust when you sign up for service.

This allows you to make phone calls as normal, using your own standard phone. The ATA does the clever conversion of your analog voice to a digital signal that the Internet can understand. It then sends that signal on to your Broadband Modem, which passes it over the Internet.

A typical residential VoIP solution looks like this:

Why is the computer in the picture - you still want your high speed Internet. You can surf the web while your daughter talks to her friends on the phone.