VOIP

glug

Hi guys

Sorry but this is an off music topic but what do i need for a VOIP(voice over ip) line. With my dsl line do i need another line or just a VOIP phone.

NorioDS

Gerald, guys like iBurst offer this with a phone-device. It uses the same line as your internet but, in some cases, you can't use both at the same time. You'd have to disconnect from the internet first.

Essentially, Skype is a VoIP technology, so the above doesn't apply to all cases.

glug

Thank norio. One of my clients needs an VoIP connection to communicate with her clients internationally. I'm going to set up her dsl tonight but i have never used or worked with VoIP.

Heath

If you going to rely on VOIP for business use , then don't .Voip doesn't work in this country very well , not unless you have dedicated leased lines .

NorioDS

Gerald, show her Skype, it works very well for international calls but miserable for SA calls coz it leaves country and then comes all the way back and just generally does lots of rond-loping ?

glug

Thanks guys. I re read the email and VOIP SKYPE Compatible system. so in other words a skype phone will be the one. Thanks guys.

Bane

I agree. Skype rocks!

Manfred-Klose

Me and wessel also use skype, it rocks, and i have friend in florida that i chat to alot, without any interuptions.

glug

thats where her clients are in Florida so i guess its just gonna be a skype phone then

FenderBender

VOIP for SOHO applications is generally effected in 3 ways:

1: Using a standard telephone that connects to a special ADSL modem/router that has embedded VOIP hardware/firmware.
*Be careful of using a fax machine in this configuration. I have been told that SIP does not encode the high frequency tones well and is unreliable for this purpose. Rather email your docs!

2: Using a PC, connected to your standard ASDL modem/router and a standard headset, mic & speakers or a USB handset
(whichever is most convenient for your client).
*The audio/VOIP gateway is taken care of by the SDP2 and RTP3 handling, that is embedded into Windows from XP onwards and called by the software you use (ie skype, gtalk, jabber).

3: Using a special stand-alone wireless (802.11 b/g) phone that connects to a standard wireless ADSL router.
*From R1200 to R2500 - Not very cheap if you already have a PC.

The critical aspect for VOIP is having a constant available bandwidth to avoid dropouts in any or both of the two audio streams between you and the other call party. The term broadband infers VOIP compatibility and nearly all ADSL networks with a throughput of 1MB/second or more will handle VOIP satisfactorily.

Check out http://www.iburst.co.za/default.aspx?link=account_speedtest for a java app that tests your ADSL connection's speed and VOIP abilities. On the software front, I recently moved from skype to gtalk as I find the google network works better for me at present.

1 Session Information Protocol - the basic standardised comms mechanism of VOIP
2 Session Description Protocol - embedded into XP and successors.
3 Realtime Transfer Protocol - ensures VOIP QOS4.
4 Quality Of Service - A recommended set of minimum performance specs to ensure jitter free comms when using VOIP.