VoIPSolutionFarm.com

Price : $8.99

Features

• Stereo headset: Flexible mic arm, In-line mute and volume control;
• Sensitivity: -67dBV/microbar, -47dBV/Pascal /- 4dB
• Connector: 2 standard 3.5mm audio jacks (audio in and out).
• Desctop Microphone System frequency response: 100Hz-10kHz;
• Input sensitivity: -56dV/ubar, -36dBV/Pascal /-4dB.

Product Description

CYBER ACOUSTICS AC-644 BEHIND THE NECK STEREO HEADSET WITH BOOM MICROPHONE ABSOLUTELY FREELABTEC VERSE 303 DESKTOP OMNI DIRECTIONAL MICROPHONEThe Cyber Acoustics AC644 Stereo Headphones add to the enjoyment of your computing needs. This headset is ideal for voice-over-IP applications and features rich stereo sound for gaming, music, and chat. Microphone is fitted with a soft foam cover to protect the microphone and to suppress breath sounds that can interfere with voice recognition and chat. The headphones allow for an impressive experience with a comfortable soft foam ear cushion; amplified noise canceling microphone element; comfortable neckband design. HEADSET SPECIFICATIONS: Stereo headset; Flexible mic arm; Additional features: Mute button, Gold-plated plug, Noise canceling circuit; In-line mute and volume control; 7′ sheilded cord; Gold plated plugs; Sensitivity: -67dBV/microbar, -47dBV/Pascal /- 4dB; Mic power source: 1.5 volts; Frequency response - Microphone: 100 to 16,000Hz; Impedance - Microphone: 680 ohms; Connector: 2 standard 3.5mm audio jacks (audio in and out).MICROPHONE FEATURES:Labtec Verse 303 features an omni directional microphone to provide clear voice input for Internet telephony and voice chat, and other multimedia applications. Designed to be mounted on the monitor for space-saving. This is suitable for audio input and voice-over-IP applications, including Internet voice chat, video conferencing, and multiplayer gaming. Space-saving design mounts on top of monitor; For audio input and voice-over-IP applications, including Internet voice chat, video conferencing, and multiplayer gaming; 7-foot shielded cord with color-coded jack (PC ‘99 compliant); System frequency response: 100Hz-10kHz; Input sensitivity: -56dV/ubar, -36dBV/Pascal /-4dB; Microphone power source voltage: 1.5 V DC.

Customer Reviews

Review date : 2008-04-13
This headset is good for basic use and the price is low but the quality not compromised.

The prospects for WiMAX technology as a viable business opportunity are often the subject of debate amidst numerous actual or perceived challenges. Applying these innovative insights can make these arguments and challenges disappear.

Unlike most people’s expectation of rural deployments, you might consider targeting SME’s in urban areas. There are several reasons for this:

? There is a growing demand in business for bandwidth capable of carrying symmetrical traffic, for voice, applications and uploading of larger files.

? There is a small but growing need for separated last mile services. Currently, however many wired service providers you have, they all use the incumbents’ last mile infrastructure based on its nearest telephone exchange location unless you have paid for an expensive dig from the next nearest exchange. This leads to single points of failure and the potential for business communications to be down for days, as can happen say with a cable duct fire somewhere in the spoke.

Your worst case environment would be a very high-density urban area with lots of interfering buildings, has multiple fibre networks, ADSL and SDSL in every exchange, hundreds of competing suppliers, a restrictive property planning regime with many ‘listed’ buildings, and no spare spectrum for FWA except the public 5.8GHz band.

To do this, because of the scale of competition from other service providers, your model needs to be disruptive. It has to offer things that businesses need (like QoS, toll-quality VoIP, high-quality video, symmetric bandwidth, higher capacities and network separation etc) at a lower cost.

This means stripping all unnecessary cost out of the model. You’ll benefit from a quality RF planning tool that gives you a major advantage over other operators - mapping exactly where you can provide service, how to set up the customer antenna, what bandwidth can be achieved etc, based on your base-stations. You need to know exactly how to tune base-stations to avoid blackspots - without needing an RF team.

Although Wi-Fi and WiMAX often get confused, they are very different from an operators perspective. Wi-Fi is plug and play with no control over the wireless interface. WiMAX is not, it behaves more like a carrier ATM network. Wi-Fi is built into laptops and handsets, whereas FWA WiMAX requires larger standalone receivers (yours should mount on customer rooftops for optimum utilty).

The benefit is that WiMAX is very spectrally efficient, at least 50% more so than 3G networks, so it has much higher data-carrying capabilities in limited spectrum. All Wi-Fi shares the same public spectrum - WiMAX can work across a wide range. Wi-Fi provides service over a range of 100m, your WiMAX needs to provide 10Mbps over a range of 1.3km from a base-station non-line-of sight.

WiMAX can create carrier-class networks, Wi-Fi cannot ? not even with mesh networks. However, Wi-Fi with WiMAX backhaul gets some of the benefits of WiMAX as the backhaul such as VPN?s. A lot of WiMAX customer equipment will come with Wi-Fi built in.

Don?t wait for mobile (802.16e) WiMAX ? your experience with vendors may be that they’re around fourteen months to two years behind on their promised delivery dates, and further delays could occur to key requirements. Don?t expect good enough 802.16e equipment to build a network with until late 2007 at the earliest, and no usable CPE until 2008 ? as it?s mobile battery life is crucial and that will take time to get right.

There are big enough markets for FWA now. The most important thing is to grab the scarce resources first ? spectrum etc ? and make them yours. Except in those undeveloped countries without a mobile operator, mobile WiMAX will be very difficult to establish against incumbent operators with large installed bases because the areas covered are important to customers ? which is not a consideration for FWA.

Michael is the owner of FreedomFire Communications….including DS3-Bandwidth.com and Business-VoIP-Solution.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.

Price : $745.00

Features

• Easy to set up
• Phone freedom. TalkSwitch works with any analog and IP phones.
• Remote and external IP extensions keep you connected anywhere
• Expandable
• Requirements for configuration software: Windows Vista (32 bit) or Windows XP or Windows 2000 and minimum 256MB RAM, 160MB hard disk space and 800×600 screen resolution.

Product Description

244vs - 2 analog lines, 4 ext, 4 VoIP trunks

There?s a lot of hype these days surrounding Internet-based voice communications (VoIP) replacing traditional telephone service. Most of this revolves around companies such as Vonage who coin themselves as the ?Broadband Phone Company?. So what about those of us who don?t have a broadband connection? Just because you don?t have high speed Internet, doesn?t mean that you can?t save a fortune by using VoIP for your long-distance calls. Whilst a broadband connection will usually result in more consistent VoIP call quality, comparable results can be achieved using a dial-up connection provided some simple guidelines are followed.

Shop Around

Not all VoIP service providers support dial-up users. Companies such as Vonage bill themselves as alternatives to traditional telephone service and shy away from the dial-up community (who are tied to those ?traditional? networks to access the Internet). Furthermore, some service providers only support dial-up above a certain speed (e.g., 56Kbp). Two companies whose VoIP softphone applications work well over low speed connections include Callserve and Go2Call.

?Free-up? your System Resources

In order to ensure the highest call quality, close programs that are running in the ?background?. For Windows users, these applications can be seen in the taskbar at the bottom right of your screen. ?Right-click? the icons and close those programs that aren?t critical to system security (e.g., don?t close anti-virus software, firewall applications and the like).

If you?re using Windows XP with user switching enabled, log off all users except the one that will be used to make the call. This will prevent the other user identities from running software and/or using your bandwidth while you?re making calls.

?Free Up? your Internet Connection

Given the limited data capacity of dial-up connections, it?s important that you devote as much of your bandwidth as possible to the VoIP softphone application. To achieve maximum call quality, don?t do anything that uses your bandwidth whilst making calls. This includes instant messaging, checking email, using a webcam, browsing the internet, downloading, etc. In Windows, you can look at the two little computers in the bottom right of your taskbar to see whether your connection is being used prior to calling (the little computers illuminate when data is being uploaded and/or downloaded).

Scan your System for Viruses, Spyware, Adware and Malware

Some of these malicious programs can hijack your browser, tie up your internet connection and slow down your system (not to mention seriously invade your privacy!). I recommend AdAware for free scanning and removal of Spyware/Adware. Once you?ve checked and cleansed your system of these nasty programs, your virus definition files should be updated to minimize the chances of re-infection.

Use a Headset with an Integrated Boom Microphone

Last but not least, using a headset with a boom microphone should eliminate those annoying voice echoes often associated with PC to Phone calls. Echoes are caused by your microphone detecting the voice coming from your computer speakers and re-transmitting that voice signal back to the person you?re talking to. By using a headset, the voice signals are limited in volume (due to the headset being directly adjacent to your ears) and thus the chances of your microphone ?re-transmitting? those voice signals is greatly reduced.

So there you have it. A Lack of high speed Internet needn?t mean a lack of PC to Phone VoIP capability.

Nathan Smith

Nathan is the owner of netphonedirectory.com which deals specifically with PC to Phone and PC to PC VoIP. The site includes a comprehensive directory of PC to Phone service providers as well as information on VoIP and what you need to make inexpensive long-distance telephone calls using your computer

Price : $40.00

Features

• Unlimited calling to the U.S. and Canada only $24.99 per month, other plans as low as $14.99
• All plans include call waiting, caller ID, voicemail, call forwarding, and many more features
• Voicemail can be checked online or by phone or forwarded via email
• Use your current phone; keep your existing phone number or choose a new one
• 2 ports for analog phones or fax, so you could have 2 separate phone numbers

Amazon.com Product Description

With Vonage, you can make calls through the Internet, potentially save on long-distance charges, and access a rich assortment of call features. Plans start as low as $14.99 per month, and the Premium Unlimited plan offers unlimited calling to the U.S. and Canada for only $24.99 per month. And it’s easy to use: For making and receiving calls, Vonage works just like a traditional phone service; no special access codes or account numbers are required.

Easy Hardware Setup
 

All Vonage plans let you enjoy the call features you’ve become accustomed to—call waiting, caller ID, voicemail, call forwarding, three-way calling, call return, repeat dialing, and reliable long distance—plus other features that may be new to you. For example, you can receive your voicemail as an email attachment, and you’ll have a phone number that travels with you. Visit http://www.vonage.com/amazon to see which plan is best suited to your lifestyle and budget. The low monthly rates are quite reasonably priced, in our opinion, and with them you may save considerably compared to traditional phone service. International calls are available for additional low fees, with one economical exception: calls from the U.S. to Canada are treated like domestic long distance calls, rather than international. Vonage also supports short-form emergency 911 services, where available. (Dialing 911 requires activation and operates differently than traditional 911. See Vonage’s website for details.)

This Vonage Internet Phone Service Starter Kit is quick and easy to install in your home or business. All you need is a high-speed Internet connection (cable or DSL modem) and a touchtone phone. Setup is simple: Just connect one end of the included Vonage-certified Linksys PAP2 phone adapter to your Ethernet router or gateway and the other end to your telephone. Then sign up for Vonage phone service. An extra port on the adapter allows you to attach an additional phone or fax machine. You’ll have instant access to both phone lines, each with a separate number, and you can even assign them different area codes (subject to availability). You can still surf the web while talking on the phone or receiving faxes. The phone adapter includes a generous three-year warranty from the manufacturer.

What’s in the Box
Linksys phone adapter, power adapter, user’s guide on CD-ROM, network cable, quick installation card, Vonage Internet Phone Service Starter plan, support information and promotional offers, registration card

Customer Reviews

Review date : 2008-07-23
I rarely write review on products but I do read most of them before I buy and let me just say I never experienced so many problems like the ones I had with this product and Vonage. Vonage is the worst when it comes to customer service, I have been more than fair with them and allowed them time to correct the issue I keep having with everything with their name attached to it. I am in the military overseas and there lack of support has caused me to be disconnected from my family for far to long. bottomline:

1. Don’t buy this device unless your willing to spend hours and weekends online looking up websites on how to get this thing to work. And it involves codes and passwords and hacking and even then its not worth the time.

2. Do not use Vonage Like I said they are the worst when it comes to customer service. I have been paying a bill for 4 months on a service I can’t even use and I get no kind of support. If your device works it’s all good but the minute it stops (and it will this is number 2 for me in less than a year) so does the service.apparently I am not the only one having problems with them

Review date : 2008-06-19
Do not accept positive reviews on this product unless they are more than a year old.

I dont care which router you buy from Vonage, you will certainly regret it. I have had Vonage for about 4 years now and once a year no matter what, your router will go bad and you will have to get on the phone with these people. The customer service could no be any worse. My router stopped working again for about the 5th time since i started the service. Today I was on the phone for more than an hour and the rep told me that if I had any more problems that they would not be able to replace my router again. Please keep in mind that they have never replaced a router for free since the very first year. I have never, never been so frustrated in my life with any other customer service. Not to mention the fact that my phone will be down for about 7 days while I wait for my new equipment. The service is so bad, that the last time this happened I didnt even bother calling customer service until I know I had about 1.5 hrs free to deal with them. Trust me, it is not worth it in my opinion. As soon as I get this new eqipment, i will throw it on ebay and go back to my old hardline service. Even if you see good reviews on here, I can assure you that those people are new to the service and have not had to deal with them on the phone yet. Buyer beware, buy at your own risk.

Review date : 2008-03-17
We’ve had this Linksys since Nov 2005 and have traveled quite a bit with it outside of the United States. It’s worked perfectly up until this morning when for whatever reason it stopped working. I’m ordering another to replace it since we had no issues with this one. Would have given 5 stars but then again I am replacing it because it broke that’s the only reason I gave it 4 stars.

Review date : 2008-02-26
Maybe it’s me.. but I have had lousy luck with Linksys and long term reliability. This unit worked well out of the box, but stopped working after only 6 months. I had a similar issue with a Linksys Wirelss Router.. and Linksys tech support was of little help. My recommendation, stay away from Linksys.

Review date : 2008-02-02
When I terminated Vonage service, they charged the disconnection fee of around $30.00; however, they never advertise this anywhere. I was not aware of the hidden fees by vonage. I am outraged by this.

It took me almost 20 minutes to tell them I want to disconnect the service, but the operator would not accept this and wasted lots of my time, and I had to tell them again and again that I just want to disconnect the service, finally they did.

Now that I dont have vongage anymore, they have bombarded my mailbox with specials, and they need to stop this as well.

I am not recommending Vonage to anyone, especially because of bad support.

Previously we explored the history and technology that gave rise to VOIP Telephone service (*see footnotes). Today we will examine some of the benefits and also the drawbacks of this new opportunity.

In previous articles we discovered that traditional Landline type phone service is set up much like a Toll Highway. Billing starts when the Circuit is opened, and continues until it is closed. Just like travelling down a Tollway, the longer you stay on, and the farther you travel, the more Toll Booths you pass through. These toll booths are the phone company’s switches, and you get charged for every one that you pass through.

In contrast, VOIP phones use Packet switching. As the broadband Internet connection is always open, digitized voice signals are sent to the receiver in discrete packets. The result is that no dead air exists on the line, as no traffic is sent when there is a lull or pause in the conversation. This allows several two-way conversations to use the same bandwidth, or space that previously was tied up by ONE call.

This has resulted in great economy for VOIP providers who in turn pass along the savings to the end user. Most top VOIP plans run around 30 dollars a month, and the best include International calls to many countries worldwide within that base fee along with a host of features like Voice Mail, Caller ID, Call Waiting, Three-way Calling, Online Access, Etc.

While most major traditional carriers have an all inclusive plan, none that I know of include International calling, and most of their basic plans are double the cost of VOIP. In my experience, the most coveted features are also charged extra for. Add in the taxes and fees, and all of a sudden you’re talking REAL money!

The other great benefit of VOIP is the ability to take your device anywhere and make calls just like you were at home. The best services are fully find-me, follow-me capable. This means that wherever you happen to be, your phone number will find you and ring at THAT location. I use mine with a Laptop, a cheap cigarette lighter a/c converter, a wireless card, and an old princess phone in my truck parked outside of hotspots all the time. That’s huge. You can have your office in whatever hotel or airport or Starbucks you happen to be in at the moment.

Having covered most of the benefits of VOIP, let’s examine some of the drawbacks. The major one is spotty 911 service availability. As the device is portable, any call to 911 will result in emergency crews being sent to the device’s address of record, which is set up when you activate the VOIP device and service. Obviously this doesn’t do you much good if you are in a hotel in Montana but live in Ohio.

One way around this is to change your address with your provider when you travel, and then change it back when you return home. Of course, this only works with domestic addresses, and you must remember to do it.

A better way is to ignore the issue entirely, and keep a very basic, cheap, no frills service plan with your local phone provider. This will still be cheaper by far than a full blown plan. Also, you avoid the other main issue with VOIP- Power Outages. If power goes out, or you lose your Internet Connection, you lose your phone service. Of course, you run that risk with today’s cordless phones too, so it’s always a good idea to have an old hardwired phone around the house, or at least a cell phone available.

*footnotes: See http://ezinearticles.com/?id=144018

Glenn R. Grundberg is an Active Internet Marketer specializing in Affiliate Products and Programs, including Top, Innovative MLM Opportunities. Mr. Grundberg is also a Contractor, Master Electrician, and Low-Voltage and Communications Expert Certified by BICSI and several Major Hardware Manufacturers. Mr. Grundberg writes on a variety of subjects, and Consults on Major Construction Projects Worldwide. Mr. Grundberg also Sits on several Codes and Standards Commitees Including the NFPA 72 for Fire Alarms.

http://www.theaffiliatebusinessreview.com Honest, Ethical reviews of Top Products and Programs.

Copyright 2006 ? Galacon,Inc. dba/theaffiliatebusinessreview.com All Rights Reserved Worldwide. You have permission to reprint this article at your will provided you post it exactly as written, making no changes to either the title or content, and include the Author’s full bio, signature, or resource box, whichever applies. We ask that upon publication, you notify us at the address located on our website shown above.

Price : $6.99

Features

• Stereo headset: Flexible mic arm, In-line mute and volume control;
• Sensitivity: -67dBV/microbar, -47dBV/Pascal /- 4dB
• Connector: 2 standard 3.5mm audio jacks (audio in and out).
• Desctop Microphone System frequency response: 100Hz-10kHz;
• Input sensitivity: -56dV/ubar, -36dBV/Pascal /-4dB.

Product Description

CYBER ACOUSTICS AC-644 BEHIND THE NECK STEREO HEADSET WITH BOOM MICROPHONE ABSOLUTELY FREELABTEC VERSE 303 DESKTOP OMNI DIRECTIONAL MICROPHONEThe Cyber Acoustics AC644 Stereo Headphones add to the enjoyment of your computing needs. This headset is ideal for voice-over-IP applications and features rich stereo sound for gaming, music, and chat. Microphone is fitted with a soft foam cover to protect the microphone and to suppress breath sounds that can interfere with voice recognition and chat. The headphones allow for an impressive experience with a comfortable soft foam ear cushion; amplified noise canceling microphone element; comfortable neckband design. HEADSET SPECIFICATIONS: Stereo headset; Flexible mic arm; Additional features: Mute button, Gold-plated plug, Noise canceling circuit; In-line mute and volume control; 7′ sheilded cord; Gold plated plugs; Sensitivity: -67dBV/microbar, -47dBV/Pascal /- 4dB; Mic power source: 1.5 volts; Frequency response - Microphone: 100 to 16,000Hz; Impedance - Microphone: 680 ohms; Connector: 2 standard 3.5mm audio jacks (audio in and out).MICROPHONE FEATURES:Labtec Verse 303 features an omni directional microphone to provide clear voice input for Internet telephony and voice chat, and other multimedia applications. Designed to be mounted on the monitor for space-saving. This is suitable for audio input and voice-over-IP applications, including Internet voice chat, video conferencing, and multiplayer gaming. Space-saving design mounts on top of monitor; For audio input and voice-over-IP applications, including Internet voice chat, video conferencing, and multiplayer gaming; 7-foot shielded cord with color-coded jack (PC ‘99 compliant); System frequency response: 100Hz-10kHz; Input sensitivity: -56dV/ubar, -36dBV/Pascal /-4dB; Microphone power source voltage: 1.5 V DC.

Customer Reviews

Review date : 2008-07-23
Best bang for buck. headphones are not surround sound but good quality. I would have given it five stars but the headset does not adjust for cranium size. Tested microphone with windows movie maker, picked up kids watching a movie about twenty feet away and I heard clearly what they had said. Overall good quality, comfortable, and they look geeky-cool.

VoIP or Voice Over Internet Protocol has been simmering for the past few years. This year the market has heated up. Many large businesses have jumped on the VoIP bandwagon and have realized savings of 50-percent or more off their phone bills. VoIP providers are competing to add to or replace large PBX systems for the corporations and add web conferencing capabilities plus wireless VoIP (wVoIP) over LAN?s as well.

Hospitals and other large, fragmented workforces are discovering the value of using wireless VoIP phones to converse with one another quickly and efficiently while in different wings, floors or buildings of a large facility. This kind of wireless VoIP setup can have huge cost savings over cell phones and is more efficient that using pagers.

While business VoIP has caught on in the corporate landscape, residential VoIP is still trying to take hold. This is largely because of a couple of current disadvantages of VoIP. First, not all current VoIP systems have power backups. When the power goes out in a residence, the landline is still operational. Since VoIP works over a high-speed Internet connection, which requires power, if the power goes down, so does the VoIP connection. This will be of concern to many concerned about emergency situations. The good news is that many VoIP hardware providers are starting to deliver systems with power backup to address just this issue.

The second drawback of residential VoIP is that not all current VoIP service providers offer full, 24-7 emergency 911 service. After hour calls in Florida, may be mistakenly rerouted to Idaho for instance. This is also about to change. The Federal Communications Commission has mandated that all phone service providers offer e911 service as standard. According to the FCC, ?All interconnected VoIP providers must automatically provide E9-1-1 services to all customers as a standard, mandatory feature without customers having to specifically request this service. VoIP providers may not allow their customers the option to ?opt-out? of E9-1-1 service.?

Clearly, though, residential VoIP is heading towards direct competition with the local phone companies? coveted landlines. A couple of years ago at a meeting in SBC?s Publishing division, one of the executive managers cried, ?Landlines, we need to stop losing landlines!? This was in response to cell phone companies taking away market share from the local Baby Bells. Now that VoIP is on the radar, the executive management teams for the local and long-distance phone companies must be huddling in their back offices, trying to figure out how they will stop the bleeding in the years to come.

With VoIP costing far less that traditional local and long-distance phone service and overcoming the last of the residential hurdles, one can be sure that consumers will soon be taking notice. Many will also start wearing t-shirt like ?VoIP VIP? and ?Got VoIP?? to herald in the new era in telecommunications.

Copyright ? 2005 VoIP Service Providers3

VoIP Service Providers - Marvin Bellnick writes for VoIP Service Providers, a company dedicated to publishing the latest happenings in the Voice Over IP industry.

Price : $275.00

Features

• Four soft keys dynamically present calling options to the user. The scroll toggle bar allows easy movement through the displayed information.
• Pixel-based displayA pixel-based display provides intuitive access to calling features.
• The user can display missed calls, outgoing calls that have been placed, and incoming calls that have been received.
• The user can set various preferences such as ring types and display contrast.
• XML Applications can be delivered to the display.

Product Description

As the market leader in IP telephony, Cisco continues to deliver unsurpassed end-to-end data and true voice-over-IP (VoIP) solutions, offering the most complete, stylish, and fully featured IP phone portfolio to enterprise and small to medium-size customers. Cisco IP phones provide unmatched levels of integrated business functionality and converged communications features beyond today’s conventional voice systems.Cisco IP phone products include pixel-based displays to bring productivity-enhancing applications to the phone, customization options that can be modified as needs change, and inline power support over Ethernet.The Cisco IP Phone 7912G provides core business features and addresses the communication needs of a cubicle worker who conducts low to medium telephone traffic. The Cisco IP Phone 7912G offers four dynamic soft keys that guide a user through call features and functions. The graphic capability of the display provides a rich user experience by providing calling information and intuitive access to features. In addition, XML applications deliver impressive applications and network data to the Cisco IP Phone 7912G display.The Cisco IP Phone 7912G supports an integrated Ethernet switch, providing LAN connectivity to a colocated PC. In addition, the Cisco IP Phone 7912G supports inline power, which allows the phone to receive power over the LAN. This capability gives the network administrator centralized power control, translating into greater network availability. The combination of inline power and Ethernet switch support reduces cabling needs to a single wire to the desktop.

VoIP, or Voice over Internet Protocol, is rapidly becoming a top choice for people wishing to avoid costly telephone service. Why? The system works by allowing you to make phone calls using a computer network, such as your Internet provider. The way it works is similar to email; most providers offer unlimited long-distance calling for a low monthly fee or for a low per-minute rate. Where long-distance fees can run high very quickly through traditional phone providers, Voice over IP can provide the same types of calls for a much lower rate. VoIP is the calling choice of the future, and providers are already scrambling to provide the best service for the best price. For the consumer, this is great news. As companies compete for business, rates and service options continue to improve. Why will you love VoIP? The following are three top reasons.

Huge Savings
Imagine being able to keep your current phone number and make as many long distance calls as you wish (within a certain area) for one low price. No more fluctuating phone bills, outrageous long distance charges, or other surcharges that repeatedly shows up on your bill. Voice over IP offers just that. Just as email changed how people communicate, so too will VoIP.

Depending on the provider you choose, you may be able to combine your Internet service with your phone service into one lower monthly bill. As VoIP becomes more common, it will be available in more areas. However, even for those who are not yet able to change their local number to Voice over IP, there is still the option of switching your long distance. This requires a phone number outside of your area code, but the savings will be well worth it. Further, if you make many phone calls to a particular area code, choose a number from that area and your contacts will be able to call you as if it were a local call. Not a bad way to go while you’re waiting for local service!

Options
Voice over IP comes with many options, including both the ones you are used to as well as some new ones. Imagine checking your phone calls through your computer while you are traveling, or having an email sent to you every time you have a new voice mail message! The technologies that integrate your computer and your phone service are opening up a whole new playing field in communications. VoIP combined with your computer, mobile phone, and other gadgets will keep you more connected than ever. Of course, if you choose not to be connected, that is possible as well. Many Voice over IP providers include features you’re used to, such as caller ID, call waiting, and call forwarding. You may also have the option to block callers, use an away message, or do not disturb options.

Additional features may include three-way calling (again avoiding costly charges), speed dialing, distinctive rings, and many other options. Moreover, if you don’t want to give up some of the benefits to which you’ve become accustomed, many providers offer directory assistance (for a fee, although this could change) and the ability to access 911 emergency personnel, which is a concern for many people.

It’s Not Going Anywhere
VoIP is the future of calling. As the technology evolves, more and more integration options will come available. Depending on the use, you may be ready to switch over now and enjoy the cost savings. For home users, switching to Voice over IP can be a very cost-saving option, particularly for those who make many long-distance calls. Home-based businesses may also benefit from switching. Larger business may do well to wait a bit, or start integrating the technology on a smaller scale. As VoIP evolves, so too will options for larger businesses.

When making the switch to VoIP, do a bit of research to choose the best option. Avoid getting locked-into a long-term contract, as new providers are competing with existing ones, and you’ll want to take advantage of better rates and services if the come along. The basic information to look into includes:

* If local numbers are available in your area.
* If you can call 911 emergency services.
* What the flat rate is for long-distance calling.
* What geographic areas are included in the unlimited long-distance plan.
* The services available and extra costs, such as directory assistance.
* The terms of the contract.

Mike Singh is a webmaster and successful publisher of why-switch-to-voip.com. On his website, he provides more related articles such as disadvantage of VoIP, voice over internet protocol systems and how to choose a voice over ip provider.