VoIP
From JumbaWiki
Voice over Internet Protocol (also known as: VoIP, broadband telephony, internet telephony, IP phone, PC phone, etc) is an innovative, low cost alternative to existing landline phone services. VoIP utilises your broadband Internet connection to allow you to make calls at a considerably reduced rate. You can use your VoIP service like a normal telephone service, and can obtain Direct Inward Dialing (DID) numbers which allow people to make calls from traditional phone networks.
Soft Phone Options
A Soft Phone uses software on your computer and a headset or USB phone to make calls via your internet connection, eg Skype.
Hard Phone Options
A Hard Phone allows you to use your existing phone hardware through the use of an VoIP adaptor or gateway which is connected to your internet connection.
You can choose to have VoIP only setup, which simply uses a VoIP analogue telephone adaptor (ATA) to connect your existing phone/s to the VoIP and internet network, and allows you to make outgoing calls on VoIP and receive incoming calls on your VoIP DID, through your internet connection.
Alternatively, you can choose to have a dual PSTN/VoIP setup, which provides a fall-back to traditional phone services in the case of power failures or internet outages. This means you can receive incoming calls on both your traditional landline number and your VoIP DID number, as well as make calls out on VoIP, and you can choose to make outgoing calls on your landline service.
You can also obtain multi-function VoIP devices which can include a combination of: ADSL2+ modem, wireless network features, multi-port switches, QoS services, FXO port (for dual PSTN/VoIP setups). The devices vary in price according to which features each model has. Make sure to double check that it meets your requirements.
