Voice Over IP
Guest Speaker: John VerbruggeInternet Voice, also known as Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP), is a technology that allows you to make telephone calls using a broadband Internet connection instead of a regular (or analog) phone line.
Some services using VoIP may only allow you to call other people using the same service, but others may allow you to call anyone who has a telephone number - including local, long distance, mobile, and international numbers.
Also, while some services only work over your computer or a special VoIP phone, other services allow you to use a traditional phone through an adaptor.
Concept and Questions
What is VOIP?
Using IP networks to transmit telephone-like calls
Who is providing VIOP services?
- Vonage, iConnectHere, BroadVoice, VoicePulse, Packet8
- AT&T CallVantage, Verizon
- Skype
How much can you save?
- If you call overseas, you can save a bundle
- If you make many US long-distance calls you can still save some
- Potentially, it may cost you more if you are making mostly local calls.
Hasn’t this failed before?
- Previous systems had lousy sound quality and even worse software
Why it will succeed this time?
- Broadband is here, the bandwidth is available
- A standard protocal (SIP) is allowing cross-provider calls
- Big telcos are getting into the game
Requirements
- Broadband connection (DLS, cable or T1)
- PC or VOIP phone
- A service provider
- Power
In traditional phones, the power comes from the phone company. If power goes out your traditional phone will still be on
How it works
- Call initiated using SIP (Session Initiated Protocal)
- Handles negotiation of IP addresses
- Devioce convers analog signal (speech) into internet data packets
- packets transmitted using RTP (Realtime Transport Protocal)
- Think of Internet Messager + streaming media
Phones
Soft Phones
- a phone entirely in software
- PCs: x-lite from www.xten.com
- Linux SJPhone from www.sjlabs.com
- You can buy a normal handset or a headset.
Hardware Phones
- Hardware VOIP phones: a phone with an Ethernet port on it (GrandStream 101)
- Looks just like a phone
Analog Telephone adapeter
- Sipura makes several models: SPA-1000 and SPA-2000
- Cisco ATA-186
- Connect a normal phone in one jack and ethernet in another
Gateways
- Gateway: has an Ethernet port and two telephone jacks
- Can bridge between VOIP and your normal phone service
- Sipura SPA-3000 (about a $120.00)
How about Wireless?
- WiSIP wireless phone is a neat one if you have a WIFI network
- Standard 802.11
Call Types
- IP to IP: One VOIP phone to another
- IP to PSTN (needs a provider): VOIP phone to a “normal” telephone
- PSTN to IP (needs a provider): normal phone to VOIP phone
PSTN = Public Switch Telephone Network
IP to IP
- You call directly to someone else on a network
- FWD is this type
- www.fwd.pulver.com/
- get one today! FREE!
- Many providers allow free calls within their network
IP to PSTN
- You can call from network/internet to someone with a normal phone
- Quite cheap: pennies in the US, 5 cents to call Europe, 7 cents to Asia
PSNT to IP
- You call from a normal phone to your “address”
- You need to buy a phone number for this ($10.00/month)
- You can pick your area code. Want a NY number?
- But not every provider offers Grand Rapids numbers
Possible organization use
- Places where cell phone reception is lousy, but live network connection is available
- Eliminate or reduce the need for some cell phones
- Tech support over the web could save toll-free number costs
Features:
- Voicemail
- Call waiting, caller-id, etc..
- Call forwarding based on caller-id
- Bridging your PSTN line and VOIP line at home
- Routing calls to and from VOIP
Asterisk
- Full featured PBX software
- Voice menus and voice mail
- Runs on linux
- bridge VOIP and phone system
- powerful
- easy to get started
Other Topics
- Difficulties: traversing firewalls
Setting up the phones to work with your personal or corporate firewall can be difficult - Locked vs. Unlocked devices (Vonage)
Vonage locks you out of the device - Quality of Service (QOS)
- Ensures that the VOIP service takes precedence over the other internet activities (such as downloads)
- Can be good and bad
- Quality is ensured by determining where the router appears in the network
Potential Pitfalls
- Regulation, or over-regulation
- Taxes
- Law-enforcement back-doors (line tapping)
- 911
- Fax lines (not all have fax lines)
- No guarantee of service
- May take a long time to port your number over
- VOIP providers who can’t handle the demand
- Inexcusably poor tech support
- VOIP SPAM: Imagine getting a voicemail box full of spoken Viagra ads.
- “Do not call” registry doesn’t apply
- Could potentially destroy the industry
- Power Outages - You must have power
Scenarious - Choosing a Plan
One
- You want to call to a few friends for free
- You are able to configure software
- You don’t mind talking through your computer
- Recommendation: you and your friends get FWD accounts, and all use x-ten softphones
Two
- You want to try VOIP quickly
- You don’t want to configure anything
- You’re willing to spend $20/month
- You don’t care if the vendor owns your equitment
- you want to save a little on phone calls
- Recommendation: sign up for Vonage
Three
- You are a techie type
- you want to experiment with options and features
- Saving money is an end goal, but not immediate
- Recommendation: Get a gateway device such as the Sipura SPA3000, and sign up for Broadvoice or iConnectHere
Four
- You want to call friends or family overseas on the phone
- You don’t mind configuring software
- You want to save money
- Recommendation: Purchase a bundle from BroadVoice that includes a phone.
Resources
Services
- www.freeworlddialup.com
- www.iconnecthere.com
- www.vonage.com
- www.broadvoice.com
Equipment
- www.sipura.com
- www.grandstream.com
- www.pulverinnovations.com
Soft phones
- www.xten.com
- www.sjlabs.com
News and information
- voxilla.com
- voip-info.org
James Rubingh Says:
I have voip working, it’s pretty sweet-ass. the linux Asterisk software rox you