Another pro of using a VOIP service is portability. Some companies allow you to use your VOIP provided phone wherever there’s a broadband connection available. That means instead of needing to rely on a cell phone on a business trip, one could use their VOIP phone service instead. The con to this is that there are exceptions. It may not be that easy to take your phone wherever it can be used.

Some of the cons of having a VOIP phone service over a regular land line phone is the sound of call quality. Not in all cases, but not everyone with an internet connection will have perfect call quality. It all depends on bandwidth and the type of equipment you use. Another con is you will not be able to make and receive calls unless your computer is on and running the service. To some people this could be a problem. Also, if there were a power outage, one also could not use the phone.

Another problem that people find with VOIP phone service providers is accessing 911. Calling 911 through VOIP is often difficult since the 911 operators have a hard time finding one’s location and redirecting that person to the nearest 911 operator. All together, there are many pros and cons to consider when deciding if a VOIP service is right for you.

There are many service provides that can be found on the internet for making calls, all you have to do is to fill in the registration form and create a user name and password to log into the application , once you are logged in, you can start making calls to anyone in any country. There are many VoIP service providers available today, the rates may vary from provider to provider and the VoIP rates also depends on the type of plan you select, doing a good search through the internet you can pick up some good service providers and compare the rates , then go for the best one you think is worth for you.

One top provider in the world is Phone Power they have only one unlimited offer but four billing plans. The latest offer doing the rounds from Phone power is a yearly subscription fee of $199.95 and the second year comes absolutely free, this service is on a promotional offer and it comes along with features like Unlimited calling US/Canada, plus 60 min/month free international calls, and all this for $199.95 per year, this is a super offer and nobody should miss.

Another service provider is Skype, they are free to use , easy to download, skype to skype calling is absolutely free, you can call anybody with a skype id and talk for hours, calling a land line or mobile phone with skype is easy, all you have to do is select a proper plan, they have excellent customer service, i just got a three month unlimited calls package (US and Canada) for just $14 for three months, it is easy to use and the service is great.

Vonage is another service provider and can be used for small to large businesses and as well as for a home, they cost $24 per month and you can have your own number and call almost any country unlimited, special rates differ depending on the services asked for by the customer. $24 per month is not too bad because the calls are unlimited, they also provide a caller id so you can keep track of the calls you receive, you can keep a track of the voice mails and much more.

These are a few service providers I use for making VoIP calls, there are many more service providers and can be found on the internet, so take your time to compare and then choose.

The Pro package costs $34.99 a month and includes unlimited local and long distance calling to United States, Canada and Puerto Rico and unlimited land line calling to a few places including France, Italy and Spain. Finally, the world plan, which I chose costs only $24.99 a month with unlimited calling in the United States and unlimited calling in over 60 other countries. For me, this was an absolutely fantastic deal no more worrying about using expensive phone cards all the time when needing to get a hold of one of my relatives.

In order to receive this service, you need three things: a fast internet connection (DSL, cable ..ect), a phone, and a special phone adapter that Vonage gives you. Once you have these three materials, set up is very easy. Just connect the adapter to your internet and then connect your phone to the adapter.

I was very surprised at how easy this process would be. Once I switched over to Vonage I was concerned about keeping my phone number but that was no hassle at all. Vonage let me keep my number for no extra cost.

My first test call went better then I had expected it to be. A lot of people were saying how internet phone services have low quality of sound and have a lot of interference. I was a little skeptical at first but am so glad that I decided to go through with it. Call quality was crystal clear, no different then my old phone service. I was able to call all my relatives in Brazil for no extra cost. I couldn’t believe how much money I was saving by switching over to Vonage. Just on phone cards to call different countries, I’d spend over 20 dollars a month.

Now, with this World Plan, my VoIP rates are only 25 dollars a month. Out of 5 stars I’d rate it a 5. So far no problems and customer service seemed very friendly and helpful.

Similar to e-mail and instant messaging, since this service is provided through the internet the associated costs are much lower than it would be over the regular telephone network. Monthly calling plans in North America are purchased for around $20 (e.g. 500 minutes of outbound calling anywhere in N.A.) to $30 (unlimited in N.A.) Costs per minute for overseas calling are also much lower than traditional phone services.

This product is similar to Skype, which is another service that is used to transmit audio via the Internet. In Skype, the user is typically interacting while stationed at their computer and has an interface which combines audio and video with instant messaging and other features (e.g. games.) They are also usually contacting other Skype users who are also stationed at their computers, or must pay a small per-minute fee to dial ‘regular’ phone numbers.

However, with Vonage the user is interacting in the traditional methods they are used to, i.e. picking up a phone and dialing the phone number they are trying to connect with, or answering the phone when it rings. The Internet aspect of the conversation takes place ‘behind the scenes’, with the telephone connecting to a router, modem or other device, which is then connected to the internet.

Vonage users are known to experience issues with call quality, particularly when using their internet bandwidth for other purposes (e.g. downloading or uploading music/video) while talking over their Vonage device. The most common incidence of poor call quality is a complete lack of sound, not being able to hear what the other participant in the conversation is saying – or if anything has been said at all. This is a particularly frustrating experience, but can often be remedied by decreasing the bandwidth load, hanging up and calling the person again.

Another common occurrence is very loud static, which again is sometimes remedied by calling the person again. For this reason Vonage is not usually recommended for business or professional uses. Technical support for Vonage is reached by their 800-number, although paradoxically it is often difficult or impossible to receive this help when it is needed (as the phone and/or internet problems may preclude the user from using their phone.) It is also particularly troubling to ‘diagnose’ the problem by telephone, as there are usually steps involved that necessitate re-starting your router / modem, which terminates the support call and makes any inbound/outbound calls impossible for a short period in the best scenario. In a worse scenario, if the troubleshooting methods disrupt the internet connection or Vonage device connection to a greater degree, the user then has no method to re-establish contact with technical support.

As with other VoIP systems it is recommended that it not provide your sole source of telephone contact, for such situations as described above, or more urgent emergency/safety reasons. Vonage stores information in its databases relating your phone number to a physical address in case of such emergencies where 9-1-1 can then be alerted of your address (a service built in to traditional land-line service.)

However, with Vonage this address that 9-1-1 would be alerted to may not be the correct address if it hasn’t been entered accurately, or been updated if the user has moved. The reason people use Vonage in spite of any quality issues and technical difficulties is particularly because of its low price, as well as its large presence / monopoly in the market.

Instead of phone lines that traditionally run over the electrical or phone lines in your home already, VoIP uses your internet connection instead. Your standard phone will plug into the VoIP adapter to be used.
In most cases, you won’t be able to tell the difference in using VoIP over other phone technology. It gives you the same basic results. It sounds easy, right? It really is that simple.

Another option that you may have comes in the form of using the computer in your home to make your long distance calls. For example, if you would like to call your friend, instead of using your telephone to make the call, you could use your computer.

In order to do this, you will need to have a computer that has a microphone located in it. This microphone will serve as your communication tool.

When you move to make a call, you will simply use the software that is installed on your computer to call your friend. When they answer, you can talk to them without any type of handset. Instead, you’ll use the microphone to talk into.
The process is still the same. The computer will take your voice and translate it into a digital signal which is then sent over the internet to your friend’s computer. They can either use the phone or their own computer to talk to you.
The voice once again changes from a digital signal into an actual voice and you hear your friend, just as you would if you had dialed their phone number into your phone.

You can also do this by using a computer that is equipped with a headset that allows you to speak into it for more privacy.

The benefits of using VoIP are easy to spot. It is easy and it saves you money! But, beyond this, there are additional benefits in having the ability to connect to others around the world. If you are ready to pick up your phone and order it, don’t do it just yet. You need to understand a bit more about how it works and why it works. You also need to understand what you need to make it work in your personal home or in your business environment.