What is VoIP and how can it be beneficial to you?
These days, if you are considering moving across to NBN, the National Broadband Network, or another wireless provider like NuSkope or Uniti Wireless, you’ve most likely heard of VoIP.
With NBN being rolled out across Australia, especially NBN services like Fibre to the Node, the traditional landline phone lines are being disconnected, meaning that if you want to have a home phone number, you have no option other than to sign up for a VoIP number with most service providers.
However, what is VoIP?
VoIP stands for Voice Over Internet Protocol, or to put this into simple words for those not familiar with this term, it’s basically an Internet Phone. Through VoIP, your phone calls travel through your internet connection, rather than a traditional landline service which is connected through a local exchange.
How is a VoIP number obtained?
Obtaining a VoIP number is as simple as signing up for a virtual number through an ISP (Internet Service Provider), or a specialised VoIP provider over the phone. Even services like Skype offer virtual numbers these days!
Once you’ve signed up for your number, you simply place your virtual number provided to you and the necessary settings your provider give you into your hardware to register the number through your internet connection. Normally, your provider will provide you with a phone number, server and password to secure your number.
Once this information is placed into your device, the settings will travel through your internet connection to your provider, which will register the number for use.
The good thing about VoIP is that your phone number can go with you as well, wherever you go!
So, if you are moving a few suburbs away, you can take this with you. Or if you are out and about all the time or travelling interstate all the time, you can even answer calls from your mobile and have this number registered on your mobile.
So, what sort of hardware is needed?
The virtual number that you receive from your ISP or VoIP Provider when you sign up for it is able to work in quite a number of different ways.
A lot of the time, for your standard home internet connection, you may receive a VoIP modem/ router from your provider, which will allow you to configure your modem/router with the details your provider give you. Once configured, you can normally just plug any standard phone into the phone port of your router and make/ receive calls on it, like a standard phone.
If your provider hasn’t provided you with a VoIP compatible modem and you don’t have one or know where to start, we can always organise a suitable one for you!
If you are running a business with a complex IT setup, you can use VoIP enabled phones to register your number, like the phones we sell and configure at Forerunner for VoIP, the Yealink phones.
What are the benefits of VoIP and what are the costs like?
Using VoIP apposed to traditional landlines to make your outbound calls, you will definitely cut costs!
Over the last little while, since we have been setting up VoIP phones for our clients, they have noticed a cost difference between running a traditional landline phone and a VoIP phone, with bills dramatically decreasing. For a lot of clients, these bills have decreased more than half of what they used to pay for a traditional landline phone.
These days, some providers charge the same for local and national calls, meaning your interstate calls cost exactly the same as your local calls. Other providers have unlimited call packages for mobiles!
So, is VoIP still an option with ADSL and a traditional landline?
Good News!
You can still sign up for a VoIP service if you have a traditional landline service you’re using along with a current ADSL service.
No matter what your setup is like at home or in your business, as long as you have an internet connection, you can sign up for a VoIP service. If you’re still using a landline service with ADSL and still have a lot of people calling you on your landline service, you can still have your incoming calls coming through on your landline and opt for your outgoing calls to go through your VoIP number to cut costs.
Not sure where to start with VoIP?
That’s fine! At Forerunner Computers, we are able to help you with your VoIP needs, whether you’re running a business or needing assistance at home with this to cut costs down on phone calls.
We have installed quite a number of different VoIP options for our clients. As mentioned above, we commonly have installed Yealink phones with the 3CX software on them to manage VoIP, but we are normally able to configure anything along the lines of VoIP, even if you have your own phones and virtual number you would like assistance configuring.
We will also be able to source you a good provider with a suitable VoIP plan tailored to your needs to guarantee a cost decrease.
So, why not contact us today to cut your phone call costs in half!
