A VoIP phone is a hardware- or software-based telephone designed to use voice over IP (VoIP) technology to send and receive phone calls over an IP network. The phone converts analog telephony audio into a digital format that can be transmitted over the internet and converts incoming digital phone signals from the internet to standard telephone audio.
VoIP phones offer organizations several advantages.
Organizations can reduce calling costs by switching to VoIP services. While traditional analog phones can have lower upfront costs, they are more costly to support, upgrade and integrate with communications applications. IP phones also offer cheaper long-distance and international calls, as VoIP phone calls are charged at the local rate of the call's destination.
VoIP phones make and receive calls via the Internet. This means that they can use your office's Internet connection to connect to the telephone network. In other words, if your office is already wired for Ethernet, you do not need to invest in additional copper wiring to use your business phones.
VoIP phones offer greater mobility and scalability than traditional handsets. If an organization moves to a new location, it doesn't need to acquire new phone lines, which it would with a traditional phone system. Adding new phones to a VoIP system is only limited by the available bandwidth on the organization's network. Softphones also provide increased mobility, as the clients are not tied to physical locations like they would be with hard-wired phones.
VoIP phones can also integrate with other communications applications. For example, organizations can integrate their customer relationship management (CRM) software with VoIP phones to enhance caller ID and keep records of call information.
VoIP vs Regular Phones: Similarities and Differences
VoIP phones use the Internet to connect to the phone network, and need to be registered online to a service provider. Other business phones require dedicated copper wiring separate from an Ethernet connection.
VoIP phones are tied to user accounts, not phone numbers. VoIP phones have "toggle buttons" that allow you to switch between simultaneous calls on a given account.
VoIP phones are capable of HD voice, which has twice the audio range of traditional landline calls.
Power over Ethernet (PoE) allows some VoIP phones to receive power from a PoE switch instead of a traditional power adapter.
VoIP phones use the same keypad as other desk phones.
Like other office phones, VoIP phones have dedicated buttons for features such as call hold, call transfer, and caller ID.
VoIP phones are physically similar in design to other business telephones.
The basic deployment of handsets, receivers, speakers, and other structural items are the same for VoIP and landline phones.
The short of it all is this: If you've ever used an office phone before, you won't have much trouble adjusting to a VoIP phone. Switching to VoIP phones won't require you to completely re-learn the way you take and make calls.
To learn more about the benefits of VoIP Phones for businesses of all sizes or to receive a free estimate, please contact me (786) 749-8313 or andre@wire-up.net.
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