Voip Hardware: Main Components
VoIP hardware is the key for a good phone service
You need three key pieces of VoIP hardware to make use of a VoIP calling plan. The first is an analog-to-digital phone converter such as the Cisco ATA 186 which is also known as adapter. This device converts analog signal into digital data, which can then be transmitted over the Internet.
The second is the router. The router checks the destination IP address, and routes the digital packets through different paths on the net. The router does this to avoid congestion or buffering, which may lower voice quality.
The third is the phone itself. The subscriber can use his existing analog phone and attach it to the adapter which will convert the analog signals to digital data or else buy integrated IP phones, such as Nortel’s 12004 Internet Telephone, Cisco’s large line of IP phones, or Adtech’s SI-160 IP Phone. These phones can be plugged directly into the broadband cable or DSL lines.
The hardware used at the company end is more complex. The most important is the gateway. VoIP companies have the option to install the gateway devices developed by RADirect, which allows data to move across IP networks; MultiTech’s MultiVOIP gateways, which support both SIP and H.323; or Cisco’s carrier-class VoIP and Voice over ATM (VoATM) MGX 8000 Series Gateways.
Besides this, MultiPath switches are needed to integrate a gateway, gatekeeper and intelligent call routing; to route calls between the IP network, PBX and PSTN lines; and to route calls between different IP networks.
This is a complex range of hardware and is operated by a team of specialist engineers. The hardware has to be constantly upgraded whenever a new device hits the market or when the network reaches saturation point, and has to be scaled upwards.
Some of the VoIP hardware devices also require special software to be installed. A good example of this is Cisco’s VoIP products, which require the Cisco’s Call Manager software to be installed. However, there are also several hardware devices that are compatible with different VoIP services.
Much depends upon the basic architecture. This has to be designed carefully to deliver good returns. Fortunately, there are several hardware options available today and a VoIP phone company can pick and choose its hardware to deliver the best results.
How Does Voip Work
How does VoIP work? This is a question that every new subscriber asks. Little does he realize that VoIP works in exactly the same ways as the e-mail does. The only difference is that e-mail is text-based traffic while VoIP is voice-based traffic.
The first step in transmitting voice traffic is to convert voice data into digital data. This is done by specialized VoIP software installed in your computer or by a phone adaptor which is part of your Internet phone.
Once the voice is digitized it is broken into several small packets. Each packet is placed in a digital envelope and stamped with the IP address. The IP address is a unique address that is allotted to every device that is connected to the Internet.
The router reads the IP address and starts routing the digital packets to their destination. Interestingly, this routing may not happen over a single path. The data packets are instead moved over different paths to avoid congestion. This speeds up data movement, and also makes it possible to move more voice traffic on the same line. The data packets are reassembled at the destination point and routed to an ATA adapter, which reconverts them into voice signals.
The VoIP calls can be made using an IP phone, or from one computer to another using special software. They can also be made through an ATA adaptor, which converts voice signals from a conventional phone into digital form. However, to get good voice quality you need a broadband connection. This connection enables more digital traffic to flow smoothly as compared to a dial up connection which is too narrow and gets choked when the traffic increases.
A major advantage of using Voip is that you can make international calls, STD calls and local calls, at a fraction of what it would have cost you on a conventional phone. Voip technology also offers you many features like call waiting, caller ID, call transfer, return call and repeat dial.
Voip calls can be made from any computer that is connected to the Internet. This means that you can carry your IP phone or adaptor with you and make Voip calls from anywhere, while you are traveling.
Voip technology is still evolving, but most telecom operators predict that Voip will revolutionize the way phone calls are made. Telecom operators only need to get dedicated IP addresses to start routing phone calls over the Internet. They don’t have to make large investments in infrastructure, to start a Voip service. The technology is already available.
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