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Would You like to have vastly cheaper phone calls? |
Up to 80% cheaper Or completely Free calls? |
Here's how to do it |
If you have a broadband connection(or DSL as it's sometimes called)and you are just using it for internet browsing or games, you might be missing out on making some savings. By using the internet for making your phones calls you can drastically reduce your phone bill both for your home and in the office as well. In the 10 minutes it will take for you to read this I can give you the 'low down' on this interesting and exicting new technology called Voip which will most likely change the way we use the telephone, in the same way the arrival of the internet did for computers. So, if you have 10 minutes, grab a cuppa, sit down, make yourself comfortable and read on....... |
The truth about Voip |
Only in the last few years has Voip appeared, and since then it continues to grow rapidly in popularity compared to standard telephone communications. What this means for you is that you can make massive savings on all of your phone calls by using Voip instead of your normal telephone. Are you Interested? In the next few paragraphs I am going to tell you, briefly, what it is, the advantages, the disadvantages and how to get it. |
So what is Voip? |
Voip stands for 'Voice Over Internet Protocol'. Basically it is the method used to make voice calls over the internet. You can use Voip to make calls in exactly the same way you do on a normal telephone except that it uses the internet rather than your old phone line. You can still make calls to landlines, mobiles, phones in other countries, other voip hones(which are Free) or to Softphones(software phones that run on your computer)the same as you do using your normal phone. There is an industry standard in place for Voip systems on the internet which is based on SIP(Session Initiation Protocol). Most Voip providers use SIP because it is the industry open standard and thankfully most Voip phones now use SIP which makes equipment more compatible and easier to setup AND with less problems. One thing that must be said here is that Skype phones do not work on this standard, they have their own proprietry standard. |
The Quality |
The first question you might ask is what is the call quality like?. You can be sure of at the very least the same quality as a call to a mobile phone all the way up to better quality than your existing phone. Most of the time the quality is very good to excellent. There are a few things things worth mentioning here about what can effect the call quality which are primarily your broadband speed and the distance to the phone at the other end of the call. Since the internet is used to route your call it is impossible to control every aspect of your speed of connection across the internet. This means that in order to really find out what quality you will get with your particular broadband connection, You will have to test it first. You can easily do this for free with the Voip provider by setting up a trial account and installing free softphone software onto your computer. (you will need working speakers and microphone for this) |
How do I get setup with using Voip? |
In order to start using Voip you must first have broadband as your internet connection. Secondly, you will need to create an account with a Voip provider(these are the companies who will connect your calls). In the beginning you can setup a trial account if you wish. It allows you to test your phone for a week for free. When your account is created(takes 5 minutes)then you need to decide if you want to keep the phone you already have or to buy a new Voip IP Phone. If you stay with your old phone then all you need to buy is an ATA(Analogue Telephone Adapter). This enables you to connect your phone to the internet. Once this is done you are ready to start making & receiving calls using Voip. |
What are the advantages? |
Here are some of the reasons for using Voip listed in no particular order, Voip to Voip calls are Free all of the time. Vastly cheaper calls to local numbers & mobiles(example: Dublin local call is 1.4cents per minute including vat, billed by the second all the time on or off peak) Portability - you can use your voip phone at home or in the office or anywhere, even abroad, just so long as you have a broadband connection. No settings need to be changed, when you change location just plug in your phone to start calling AND your number stays the same! Easy to use, it's just like your old phone, you dial the number and place the call. Very quick to setup, no ordering new lines from your telephone company that takes ages to install. New lines or extra lines can be ordered in minutes. You can have a standard local number instead of the 076xxxx Voip number. For example in Dublin you could have an 01 number assigned to your voip number so people can reach you on either or both numbers. Simultaneous calls on the same voip line. You are only limited by your broadband speed as to the amount of calls you can make at the same time. You can get the same features you have with your old phone like, caller ID, call waiting, call forwarding, voicemail, 3-way calling and all with no extra fees. Being able to see your bill statement online as your calls happen. Billing is easy to follow. Also, being able to configure your call forwarding and voicemail settings through a website control panel. If you have offices in different locations Voip offers Free calls between the offices with seperate numbers for each office or person. No line rental to pay every month - you can make this saving if you happen to have your broadband using the TV cable(NTL) or wireless-ly(clearwire, irish broadband) because you won't need your regular telephone line then. |
Any disadvantages? |
If you have decided to give voip a try I should also tell you some of the disadvantages associated with this technology. There aren't many but the main issues at present are worth mentioning. The first one is that of making emergency calls or '999' calls. Up until recently the ability to make 999 calls with voip wasn't available but it is now, there are some things to bear in mind however. There is no guarantee that when you make that 999 call(hopefully you will never have to!) they may not be able to track your location and so you would have to inform them of that at the time, which may be precious seconds you may not have at the time of an emergency. So, if you think this is of high importance to you then it's maybe best to keep your old line for that and just use voip for general use calls. Power cuts will stop Voip from working simply because you loose your broadband when this happens. The other point was on the subject of call quality which I mentioned earlier. In my experience the quality has been very good, so nothing much to worry about there. The real test however is to begin using voip as a trial to see for yourself what it is like. Everyone's situation is different. Lastly, the ability to send and receive faxes over voip is not that easy and has problems still. I don't see this as a real problem because there is a service available which can do faxing for you without the need for a fax machine at all. It allows you to fax straight from any computer desktop using the internet and to receive directly to your computer as well. It's really a great service and very affordable. You can read about it here or signup if you wish. As you can imagine this cancels out this concern. |
Voip is growing fast |
Having said this, the popularity of Voip is growing fast compared to the standard phone system you are using which means that Voip providers are investing more into solving these issues and so these minor problems will be shortly overcome in the near future. |
Call charges |
You can see the full call rates for all destinations on the call providers website, but here is a brief overview. There are various 'option' packages available to choose from. Find which best suits you; from 'unlimited' accounts where you pay a low monthly fee(and get unlimited local & national calls, and calls to specific destinations)or 'pay as you use' where you just credit your account by a certain amount and get charged by the calls you make AND with no monthly fee. No matter which option you choose calls are charged by the second, sign-up is free,set-up is free and no minimum contract period so you can leave whenever you decide. |
What do I get when I register? |
When you first setup with the Voip provider you are assigned an Irish Voip number which will have an 076 suffix at the start of it and then 7 digits. It would look like this 0761234567. The provider will allow you to choose from a group of numbers which one you prefer most. You also have the option of adding a 'geographic number' to your Voip number. A geographic number means one that reprsents your location like a Dublin number has 01 and then 7 digits. So people can call you using an 01 number in this case for Dublin. If you call someone their caller id will show whichever number you decide for them to see, either 076xxxxxxx or 01xxxxxxx. The Voip provider includes this geographic number for free when you signup for the unlimited accounts(Home Unlimited costs €9.99/month) or if you decide on 'pay as you use' you can add the extra number for €4.99/month. You can also add more seperate Voip lines for €3.99/month. |
Some Voip options |
There are many options offered by the Voip provider and here are some I would recommend.... Home Unlimited - Offers unlimited calls to Landlines in Ireland/UK and Internatonal calls to specified countries. You get an 076 number AND an 01 number included free. Business Unlimited - Offers unlimited calls to Landlines in Ireland/UK and Internatonal calls to specified countries. You get an 076 number AND an 01 number included free. PBX Connect - This is if you have a high volume of outgoing calls.Call rates are cheaper again. There are Pay as You Use options offered with no monthly fees. The 'geographic number' must be bought seperately for a monthly fee.Calls are charged by the second. |
What's the support like if something doesn't work? |
This is an inportant question, I think you need answered. The last thing anyone wants is to have useless support or replies to emails you sent weeks earlier. I am confident to say this is not the case here. Any technical support is handled by email and also the forums, which are a great source of information. Support issues are handled promptly and efficiently and usually fixed within a day or two. I hope that this information has been of benefit to you in making an informed decision on using Voip in Ireland. To read further and for a full list of options & call rates available to you just click on the link below to go to the Voip provider's webpage and start using Voip now... |
Computer Repair Central recommended Voip hardware |
Snom M3 Voip Internet Wireless Phone |
Please Note:: Typically you need 80kbps bandwidth or higher for your voip calls on both upload and download. Obviously the faster speed you have the better for upload and download. Keep in mind that any web downloads or browsing(like streaming videos, online gaming, file downloads) will also use-up some of your bandwidth too and this may effect your voip calls if you are doing them at the same time. 2Mbps Broadband or faster is recommended. |
VOIP |
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using your broadband for making calls |