Diversified VoIP

VoIP and the idea of VoIP is spreading rapidly worldwide, and consumers are beginning to see all the benefits and varieties there are. The questions to ask yourself as a consumer are, what are the benefits of VoIP, how has it evolved, and how diversified is it compared to the PSTN (Public Switched Telephone Network)?

The benefits of VoIP are astronomical. Residential and business consumers are finding that they can save almost 10-50% off their phone bills. On average, a residential subscriber now pays between $30-$50 to have a plain home telephone line, and an average business subscriber pays between $50-$70 to have a plain business telephone line. The taxes on phone service alone are enough to drive even the most sane person crazy and penniless. In comparison, the cost of VoIP for a residential subscriber ranges from $0-$40 and for a business can range from $30-$50, and the taxes…well, with VoIP, they’re little to none. What a savings!

VoIP has been found to not only be cost effective, but it has been found to be versatile as well. A residential or business consumer is locked down to their home or office with the standard landline from the local telephone company, but with VoIP, consumers can travel the world and still use their service. Whether they take their VoIP equipment with them or turn on features such as Call Forwarding, Remote Office, or even make calls using their voice portals, they have the ability to use their VoIP phone service away from the home or office.

VoIP is evolving to suit the consumer; originally allowing only for voice traffic to be sent from PC to PC, now calls can be made from phone to phone or video phone to video phone, and it is becoming more and more diversified. Consumers are not locked down to a plain old telephone. They can use softphones (software that runs on a PC that allows one to dial from their desktop or laptop computer), headsets, handsets, video phones, toolbars that run at the top of a user’s internet browser of a computer allowing for one click dialing, and much, much more.

Consumers no longer are tied to the one or two options they used to have for a local phone company, they can now surf the web and choose from one of the many thousands of VoIP providers that will offer them exactly what they are looking for; a diversified VoIP for a diversified world.

Lisa Evanock
VoIP Administrator
www.mconnectinc.com

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The Flawless VoIP

So many people using various VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol) services come to me to try and figure out how to install or troubleshoot their new service. I will get questions anywhere from how to connect their VoIP equipment to wireless routers or to their existing home wiring, or for troubleshooting tips on how to get rid of static on lines, one way audio, voice delays, etc. I’ve even seen some try to use dial-up internet rather than broadband and then wonder why their calls sound so bad or can’t connect.

People get VoIP with the expectation that their service should be flawless, and for the most part it is, but what they don’t understand is that there are so many factors involved when using this type of technology. When having a voice call problem, many people will quickly point the finger at the VoIP provider or device manufacturer and say it’s your network or device that is the cause of the problem. But is it?

The very first thing I have someone check when they can’t figure out why the Internet light or phone light on their equipment is not working is how they have their VoIP device connected in their lineup of devices. I know it probably sounds like I am being condescending, but sometimes it can be as simple as an incorrect setup. This brings to my remembrance a story about incorrect setup.

My husband, an upholstery technician, works with wood, upholstery, and leather furniture. He received a call one day from a customer who said they needed him to come out and fix a lighting problem they said they were having with their new entertainment center. When he asked them what seemed to be happening, they said that the light in the entertainment center would only turn on periodically, and they were very quick to point the finger at the furniture store that they purchased this furniture from. My husband, diligent as he is, looks everything over thoroughly before replacing a part, and with this lighting system he couldn’t see anything wrong. He thought he would check the cord running from the system to the outlet and asked the customer where they had plugged the light in. The customer said that they had it plugged into the back of their DVD player rather than the outlet in the wall. My husband turned the DVD player on and…voila, the lighting turned on at the same time. The source of the problem: incorrect setup.

Incorrect setup is only one cause of VoIP related issues, but a problem with voice quality can come from any number of sources. The best thing to do before choosing any VoIP provider is to run a battery of tests to make sure that your network is suitable for that type of service. The three most important tests are a ping test, speedtest, and MOS test. If you get good results, then it’s time to contact a good VoIP provider. When you’ve done your homework, you may very well find that you can have a flawless VoIP service.

Lisa Evanock
VoIP Administrator
http://www.mconnectinc.com/

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Traveling with VoIP

One of the truly remarkable benefits of a VoIP service is its portability. I have taken advantage of this on many occasions, and have stretched portability to the limits!

A few months ago my family and I took our annual trip to East Africa to visit family and friends. I took my ATA/Router with me on the off chance that plugging it in to my former employer's broadband connection in their office would bring me some type of connectivity. I didn't hold much hope for this as I knew that they didn't have a huge pipeline to the Internet, and after all, we were going to be 8,000 miles away.

However, once there and plugged-in, I was astonished to hear the familiar dial tone! I tried to make a call to my brother and he was equally astonished when his caller ID revealed that I wasn't in East Africa at all, but at home. He answered the phone by saying, "Hey! What are you doing home so early?" I told him that I wasn't at home, but in an office on the other side of the globe! As a test, I had him call me back and was thrilled when the phone rang loud and clear.

I have been working and traveling to East Africa for most of the past 20 years and have always had to deal with the headache and expense of communication with the States. It's amazing to me that in this day and age I can now communicate with my people stateside at zero expense and little headache, and they can do the same with me.

VoIP has many benefits, and this is just one. If you travel domestically or internationally, and anticipate a broadband connection on the far side, take your ATA or ATA/Router with you! It will save you money and allow you to call just as you do now - people will never know where you are!

Todd Schaffer
Mconnect Customer Service
www.mconnectinc.com

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Who's afraid of the "Big Bad VoIP"?

So many people today are still afraid of the ever elusive VoIP - Voice over Internet Protocol. What makes them afraid? It's new technology; technology that might make them step out of their comfortable little boat called POTS - Plain Old Telephone Service into new uncharted waters. No matter what the fear, new technology can be, and has proven to be, a great thing.

Take a look at the history of cell phones. According to Mike Singh's Ezine article, The History Of Cell Phones - How Did The Cell Phone Come About?, http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Mike_Singh, the concept of cell phones started in 1973, by a scientist named Martin Cooper. People were initially apprehensive about cell phones. What? Use a phone while I travel? Preposterous idea! It couldn't possibly work! But guess what...it does, and now cell phone usage is almost the main source of telephone contact that people use. According to Andrew Clogg, http://www.accuconference.com/blog/PermaLink,guid,8df55cb7-dd64-4349-b56a-ba938cd6f231.aspx, "cell phone usage in the US has increased from 34 million to 203 million in the last ten years." Consumers are now riding the wave of cell phone technology. They can't live without it, and most people feel naked without their cell phones. Even now if you look, you can see consumers in their cars or walking down the street appearing to converse with themselves, but if you look closely, you will see a little device attached to their ear. What is this device? It is new cell phone technology that allows the consumer to have their hands free for other activity.

How does VoIP compare? VoIP has proven to be a new technology that can make lives even more simple, and consumers are catching on. VoIP News, http://www.voip-news.com/blog/20061228/voip-statistics/, has stated, "...NPRG [New Paradigm Resources Group] estimates that there are approximately 6 million VoIP users in the United States. It is expected that this number will climb to 9 million users by the end of 2006 and 24 million by the end of 2008."

VoIP technology was developed in 1973 through ARPANET, the Advanced Research Projects Agency in the Department of Defense. Then, a company called Vocaltec produced the first VoIP phone software that could be used by consumers in 1995 called "Internet Phone." How does this new technology work? Voice packets run over a consumer's high speed internet connection to any phone whether it is a call to a VoIP line, cell phone, or POTS line, anywhere in the world.

Why use VoIP? The real question is why shouldn't you? VoIP is technology that you can take with you anywhere you go and can be used in conjunction with a cell phone or landline. You just plug your VoIP adapter or router into a high speed internet connection, and you're ready to make calls. You can even take your phone number with you wherever you move to. That is something you cannot do with your traditional landline phone service. Other perks: the monthly cost is so much cheaper than a normal landline or cell phone, the features are better, you can forward all your calls from home or the office to your cell phone or any other phone when traveling so that you don't miss any calls, there are little to no per minute long distance charges, there are no exorbitant taxes because the service runs over the internet, international rates are extremely cheap, and the list goes on.

There is no need to fear the "Big Bad VoIP." Just grab hold and enjoy what this new technology can do for you.

Lisa Evanock
VoIP Administrator
http://www.mconnectinc.com/

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Troubleshoot VoIP

Please post any questions or troubleshooting tips for VoIP here!

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VoIP FAQ's

Welcome to Mconnect's new web Blog. If you have any questions regarding VoIP and how it works, please don't hesitate to post them.

Sincerely,

Mconnect Web Team

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