Monday, September 8, 2008

Mobile VoIP Phones


Mobile VoIP phones are known as VoWiFi. VoIP stands for Voice over Internet Protocol. VoIP is the technology of sending audio as data packets over the Internet. Wi Fi stands for wireless fidelity. This is the technology used to create wireless networks. VoWiFi stands for Voice over Wireless Fidelity. It is the combination of using wireless VoIP networks to communicate on VoWiFi enabled telephones. Wireless devices include laptops, PDAs, and wireless mobile phones. Wireless VoIP phones connect to an Internet connection through various access points or hotspots. The phones operate on radio signals and when they are in the vicinity of the network's access points, they will pick up the signal, access the Internet, and log on.

Because of a lack of overall security with many wireless networks, VoWiFi still has a ways to go before it is convincing people in droves to sign up for its services. In fact, it is frequently known that when someone is using a wireless network, they can easily jump on another Internet network connection simply by visiting another ‚“hotspot”. Before VoWiFi can really become a serious challenge to cellular phone users, the issue of security not only needs to be addressed, but it will also need to be corrected. There are other issues that also need to be addressed. For instance, since a hotspot only has a length of 90 Meters before losing connection, many users do not see VoWiFi immediately replacing their cellular carriers.

Yet, many users are finding it productive to carry Hybrid phones. These phones are both dual VoWiFi and cellular. By using a Hybrid phone, users can take advantage of their cellular phone service, and then they can easily jump onto a network using their VoWiFi and the applicable hotspot, and save fees on roaming charges. For example, a user may be speaking on their cellular phone, then if they get in their car and drive out of the range provided by their telephone provider, they would be charged roaming fees. If however, they can find an access point, they can jump onto a Wireless Network and avoid roaming fees altogether. Currently, there are no taxes or roaming charges associated with any of VoIP services.

There will be many more advances in the future for VoWiFi. There are already many companies embracing VoWiFi, and other companies are addressing the needs for more stringent wireless security. For example, there are higher security networks in place now, that will decrease the chance of others tapping into your access points. For many wireless users, this has been the preferred method of wireless access.

As it is now, a VoWiFi phone is still more expensive than a standard cellular phone, but as the technology advances, price will most likely go down. Everyone is embracing the ability to integrate video, data, audio, and web browsing capabilities with their phones. VoWiFi also integrates wireless VoIP networking to the package. Since this method is extremely cost efficient as well as beneficial, there is no reason to suspect that this service will decrease in the future.

As with the future of all VoIP products and services, the FCC and US government is racing to provide rules and regulations. It truly is a technology that is on the cutting edge of innovation. In the past, all of the nation's telephony needs were Circuit Switched and based on the PSTN network. Today however, VoIP is rewriting the rules of telecommunications. And just when it seems that cellular phone services have worked out all of their issues, along comes mobile VoIP with a whole new set of problems. Besides security issues, there are other problems besetting VoWiFi, such as weak batteries, the inability to sustain a connection outside of a hotspot or 90 meter range, and the cost of a VoWiFi phone is still expensive. Yet the idea of integrating video, digital cameras, web cams, Email, web based applications, and mobile phones is exciting consumers world wide. And the onset of VoIP is even more thrilling for the potential benefits and savings. The conception of the two technologies into one super phone is hardly a surprise. In the next few years, expect to see many new hybrid and VoWiFi phones appearing on the local consumer market for sale.

Sunday, September 7, 2008

Unwired

We live in a world that is slowly unplugging all of the wires that have kept it tightly bound for nearly 100 years. VoIP stands for Voice over Internet Protocol and this technology is taking the world by storm. As American homes develop greater technological advances, people are pulling plugs and opting for wireless, high tech solutions for their needs. For instance, VoIP is changing the way people communicate. No longer are people looking for standard telephone systems (PSTN) but are opting for High Speed Internet connections, speakers, microphones, and Voice enabled phones.

VoIP offers many advantages to those who are brave enough to pull the plug. First, VoIP offers incredible savings for local, long distance, and international calls. It also offers great calling features for free that usually cost a fee when purchased with PSTN telephone services. Not only are people choosing to pull the plug from their telephones, but they are also embracing wireless technology as a whole.

Wi Fi stands for Wireless Fidelity. Now, VoIP and WiFi have met. The result is Wireless Voice over the Internet. As wireless technology continues to advance and develop we are sure to see more Wireless products hit the market. A wireless network operates on radio signals, when a wireless piece of equipment, such as PDAs and Laptops come into the range of a wireless network, a connection is made and your equipment will access the Internet. These are called Access Points or as wireless customers like to say, ‚“hotspots.”

Wireless Fidelity has met VoIP and the result is VoWiFi. VoWiFi stands for voice over Wireless Fidelity and is basically another way of saying Wireless phones using the Internet. The future points to VoWiFi and even Cingular has begun their new VoWiFi service.

There are still many issues to work out with VoWiFi however. Security is the major issue. Many wireless networks have an overall lack of security. But this move by Cingular shows that many telephone companies do recognize the power of wireless VoIP phones.

When someone uses a wireless network, it is very easy to switch from one network to another. In fact, it is frequently known that when someone is using a wireless network, they can easily jump on another Internet network connection simply by visiting another ‚“hotspot”. This presents many issues regarding security. Another area that will have to be worked upon is the issue of worms, viruses, and Trojans operating on the wireless network.

When it comes to VoIP and VoWiFi, it seems the US government and the FCC are racing to regulate this cutting edge technology.

We can also expect to see many new rules and regulations regarding the wireless world in the up and coming future. Even though VoWiFi is still in its infancy, the fact that major telephone companies are embracing this technology points to the fact that they expect this technology will be a major force in the technological future.

Consumers love intelligent and wireless products. They want phones that are cameras, that can play music, record features, store personal information, play games, calculate figures, access the Internet, and most of all, they want it for a great price. Right now, many of the VoWiFi phones are very expensive, yet Vonage is working on a new model that is said will cost about $100.00.

Businesses and residential users want to pull the plugs and have the freedom to communicate, transmit business related information, and have most of their personal information stored in their telephones. As product makers continue to impress us with glimpses of the new technological future, we will also begin to see more networks creating access points within the nation.

It is a very exciting time to live in. This could be called, ‚“The age of Innovation.” Many of the new phones and VoIP products are being put on the market before the government has a chance to regulate it- or even define the categorization of VoIP. While many court cases will ensue, and debates will continue to surface over ‚“who created VoIP” (currently Sprint is suing Vonage and another unnamed VoIP company for ‚“patent infringement”) we can continue to take our unwired devices to various hotspots and communicate for free.

Top 6 VoIP Phones


When it comes to VoIP, everyone wants a great phone to compliment his or her system. Some phones come free when you purchase your service, others you must pay for additionally. Here are the top Ten VoIP phones.

Uniden UIP1868P 5.8 GHz VoIP Phone System

Features include:

  • Corded Base Keypad and Duplex Speakerphone
  • 5.8GHz Digital Expandable (up to 10 handsets) System
  • Extra Caller ID Handset and Charger included
  • Cordless Handset & Base Speakerphone
  • Programmable CID or Memory Locations at handset and base.
  • Do Not Disturb Setting
  • Transfer Memory Locations between Handsets
  • New Message Waiting Indicator with Alert Tone Options
  • 20 Distinctive Ring Options

Zyxel Prestige 2000W 2.4 GHz Cordless Phone

Features include:

  • Headset compatible; 2-year warranty
  • IEEE 802.11b wireless standard; 2.4 GHz signal
  • Site Survey; 64/128-bit WEP encryption
  • Caller ID/call waiting compatible, display and dial
  • Redial, hold; speaker volume control

Uniden expandable phone system Free with Sun Rocket Subscription

Features Include:

  • Two Handsets
  • Speakerphone on each phone
  • Headset compatible
  • Caller Id and Voice Mail Indictor

SOYO G668 VoIP Telephone

Features Include:

  • Standard and Protocol
  • IEEE 802.3 /802.3 u 10 Base T / 100Base TX
  • Major G.7XX and gsm610 audio codec
  • H.323 V4• MGCP RFC2705
  • SIP RFC2543
  • Net2phone private protocol
  • TCP/IP: Internet transfer and control protocol
  • RTP: Real-time Transport Protocol
  • RTCP:Real-time Control Protocol
  • VAD/CNG save band with
  • DHCP:Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol
  • PPPoE:Point to Point Protocol over Ethernet
  • DNS:Domain Name Server
  • Telnet:Internet's remote login protocol
  • FTP:File Transfer protocol
  • HTTP:Hyper Text Transfer protocol
  • Build in H.323 proxy

Grandstream Budgetone 101

Features Include:

  • Support SARP/RARP, ICMP, DNS, DHCP, NTP, TFTP protocols
  • Support NAT traversal via STUN & symmetric RTP
  • Interoperable with various 3rd party SIP end user device, Proxy/Registrar/Server, and gateway products
  • Advanced Digital Signal Processing (DSP) to ensure superb hi-fidelity audio quality
  • Advanced and patent pending adaptive jitter buffer control, packet delay & loss concealment technology
  • Support popular vocoders including G.723.1 (5.3K/6.3K), G.729A/B, G.711 (a-law and u-law), G.726, G.728, and wide-band G.722 (Model 102D). Dynamic negotiation of codec and voice payload length
  • Support standard voice features such as Caller ID Display or Block, Call Waiting, Hold, TransfForward, FLASH, in-band and out-of-band DTMF (RFC2833), Dial Plans, off-hook auto dial, configurable emergency dialing (e.g., 911), early dial, click-to-dial
  • Support 3-way conferencing (Model 102D), full duplex hands-fredomain acoustic echo cancellation (pending), redial, call log, volume control, voice mail with indicator, downloadable ring tone (pending)
  • Support Silence Suppression, VAD (Voice Activity Detection), CNG (Comfort Noise Generation), Line Echo Cancellation (G.168), and AGC (Automatic Gain Control)
  • Support DIGEST authentication and encryption using MD5 and MD5-sess.
  • Provide easy configuration thru manual operation (phone keypad and Web interface) or personalized automated provisioning via central configuration file for mass deployment.
  • Support for Layer 2 (802.1Q VLAN, 802.1p) and Layer 3 QoS (ToS, DiffServ, MPLS)
  • NAT-friendly remote software upgrade capability (via tftp) even from behind firewalls/NATs.
  • Support for fail-over SIP server and DNS server (pending)

Grandstream BudgeTone 102

Features Include:

  • Two RJ45 10Base-T Ethernet ports
  • Support SARP/RARP, ICMP, DNS, DHCP, NTP, TFTP protocols
  • Support NAT traversal via STUN & symmetric RTP
  • Interoperable with various 3rd party SIP end user device, Proxy/Registrar/Server, and gateway products
  • Advanced Digital Signal Processing (DSP) to ensure superb hi-fidelity audio quality
  • Advanced and patent pending adaptive jitter buffer control, packet delay & loss concealment technology
  • Support popular vocoders including G.723.1 (5.3K/6.3K), G.729A/B, G.711 (a-law and u-law), G.726, G.728, and wide-band G.722 (Model 102D). Dynamic negotiation of codec and voice payload length
  • Support standard voice features such as Caller ID Display or Block, Call Waiting, Hold, TransfForward, FLASH, in-band and out-of-band DTMF (RFC2833), Dial Plans, off-hook auto dial, configurable emergency dialing (e.g., 911), early dial, click-to-dial
  • Support 3-way conferencing (Model 102D), full duplex hands-fredomain acoustic echo cancellation (pending), redial, call log, volume control, voice mail with indicator, downloadable ring tone (pending)
  • Support Silence Suppression, VAD (Voice Activity Detection), CNG (Comfort Noise Generation), Line Echo Cancellation (G.168), and AGC (Automatic Gain Control)
  • Support DIGEST authentication and encryption using MD5 and MD5-sess.
  • Provide easy configuration thru manual operation (phone keypad and Web interface) or personalized automated provisioning via central configuration file for mass deployment.
  • Support for Layer 2 (802.1Q VLAN, 802.1p) and Layer 3 QoS (ToS, DiffServ, MPLS)
  • NAT-friendly remote software upgrades capability (via tftp) even from behind firewalls/NATs.
  • Support for fail-over SIP server and DNS server (pending)

5 Benefits to Adding VoIP

There are many benefits and advantages to switching from PSTN- Public Switched Telephone Network. VoIP technology is expanding and changing every day. Major corporations are transferring their business needs over to VoIP and households worldwide are making the switch. If you have a high-speed connection in your home, then you can utilize VoIP. You may need to purchase some equipment, such as a VoIP phone adapter. The phone adapter will allow you to use all of your telephones with the VoIP technology. You may also need to purchase a router. VoIP is produced by transferring voice into digital data over the Internet. Because the data is smaller compared to a standard electric unit, VoIP users save on valuable bandwidth as well. Most of your VoIP service providers will supply you with the hardware that you need. You even have the option of purchasing phones designed for VoIP as well as Videophones that will display images while you speak. VoIP is the wave of the future. Many major computer companies have already begun to incorporate VoIP with their Instant Messaging programs. Yahoo has also recently purchased the VoIP Company, Dial Pad. Now, Instant Messaging programs such as Yahoo, MSN, and AOL allow pc-pc phone calls. The world is making the switch to VoIP, but in case you are still unsure if VoIP is right for you, here are five benefits to adding VoIP to your home and business.

VoIP is Cost Efficient

Whether for your residence or business, VoIP is just plain cheaper then other telecommunication applications. You can reduce cost in your home by saving on long distance and local telephone calls. Many VoIP service providers have plans that allow unlimited local and long distance calling. You will have to check with various companies to see how far their unlimited local and long distance calling areas serve. You also save money by using VoIP throughout your house. You won't need to install additional phone jacks and wires, you just add on to your VoIP system.

VoIP will Integrate your Audio, Data, and Video Applications.

VoIP systems can integrate your telephone needs with your computer applications such as E-mail, Fax, Web conferencing, and Video Phone needs. This saves money and energy by combining all of these services into one basic application. You can use your phone and access all of your other programs at the same time, allowing greater freedom and is a simpler way for the home owner to utilize all of these different products.

VoIP Provides Flexibility

VoIP allows users tremendous flexibility. For instance, many VoIP users can take their phone adapter with them, and use their telephone number anywhere they have access to an Internet connection. This includes traveling overseas, while staying in hotels, or even camping. If you have high speed Internet, you will be able to take phone calls on your regular number. This is a much better solution for those with active lifestyles compared to the expense of cell phones as well as being the perfect solution for mobile employees and those whose jobs require much travel.

VoIP Users Can Choose their Own Area Codes

VoIP providers allow users to choose their own area codes. This is a fantastic option for those whose friends and family all live in one particular location, and they are out of state. By choosing your family and friend's area code, you are allowing them to call you, whenever they choose, and they will not have to pay long distance charges. Their calls will be local. Some providers extend the area codes to other countries. This would be extremely beneficial to someone whose friends and family are halfway across the world.

VoIP offers Features for Free

Features that typically cost extra with PSTN phone services are usually bundled with VoIP unlimited calling plans. These features include Voice Mail, Call Forwarding, Caller ID, Call Waiting, Call Return, Call Block, and Do Not Disturb. Because of the integration between VoIP and the Internet, many service providers will allow you to access and control all of your VoIP phone features through the Internet. With VoIP, users have greater access to control all of their phone features as well as save on charges.