10 Ways to Make VoIP Better

VoIP is cool. With these low-cost, and free, widgets and applications, it's even cooler. First VoIP plundered the PTSN subscriber base, sending the baby Bells’ profit margin into a tailspin. Now VoIP applications have tunneled into every communications technology, bringing VoIP to millions of potential users (billions globally) from every available platform. Today, seasoned startups have staked their success on applications designed to bring VoIP to end-users through blogs and Web sites, cell phones and Wi-Fi. Some of these platforms have nearly a half dozen companies fighting for superiority, while others have their market cornered. Here are the top ten ways to make VOIP even better, this list also provides the free and low-cost apps that make it possible: 1. VOIP WEB CONFERENCING WebEx, founded in 1996, has dominated web conferencing by leveraging its pre-established position as a video conferencing provider while capitalizing on rapid innovations into web-based business solutions. But now WebEx has a serious competitor, Yugma, a plucky startup founded in 2003, is hitting WebEx where it hurts. While WebEx has grown fat selling its web conferencing services for $75 per month per host, Yugma has guaranteed that its basic services will be free, forever. With Yugma you can invite up to 10 other people to simultaneously view documents and applications of any format; you can host an unlimited number of sessions (one session at a time) and you can collaborate on both PCs and Macs at the same time on any Web browser (including Safari), any application, and almost any operating platform (Linux coming soon) – with the flexibility to launch “on the fly.” Easy to install, easy to use, highly reliable and platform independent. Does WebEx have a widget its paying clients can post on their product sites, blogs, intranet or student collaboration sites? No. Does Yugma? Of course, and for free. Does WebEx support VoIP technology? Only for its public relation conference calls when it announces the acquisition of a smaller company.: Does Yugma work with VoIP? Yugma is specifically designed to seamlessly interact with all VoIP providers globally. 2. VOIP EMAIL AND FILE SHARING No one in the voice 2.0 world has developed anything quite like what Jubii offers: a fully integrated email, chat, text message, VoIP and file share service bundled in one web-based application with gigabytes of storage space. Jubii automates day-to-day routines and its simple tagging system allows for powerful yet quick managing and searching of emails, documents, pictures and videos. Its easy and powerful trusted contact management eliminates the list management demands of an email address book and ends the need to login to different programs, just to share images and information. Designed for openness with whom you chose and privacy from those you don’t, Jubii’s patented intelligent inbox helps you to ensure that you and your people have the privacy you need for your online life. 3. VOIP MICRO-BLOGGING Call it microblogging or text blasting – Twitter allows you to do it for free. From your phone, an IM client or from Twitter’s web site, you can send a text message to multiple friends’ phones simultaneously or straight to your MySpace page. The only catch: Twitter wants you to keep it short – posts are limited to 140 characters, and the topic is always, "What are you doing?" All your recent twitters are then saved on your profile page along with links to your friends’ Twitter pages, a thumbnail photo, and a short bio. Plus, you can search Twitter’s 100,000 members to see what they are doing. 4. VOIP ON YOUR CELLPHONE VIA WIFI Gizmo Call gives users two options that will make unlimited worldwide calling accessible and cost efficient. Any wi-fi routed call to another Gizmo Project user is free, with no time limits or fees, and calls to landlines and cell phones start at 2 cents per minute. Gizmo has announced an official partnership with Nokia, whose n80i is the ultimate next generation telephone – a mobile that smoothly transitions from cell technology to wi-fi. But the n80i still costs nearly $500, so this plan isn’t for someone looking to lower their total voice costs. To buy tomorrow’s phone today, it’s going to cost some of the money you saved yesterday. But look on the bright side, by buying into the Gizmo-Nokia partnership, you’ll be a year ahead mainstream phone culture. If your personal image depends on having the next best thing, you better get an n80i with Gizmo before your clients do. Truphone Truphone offers a VoIP-over-WiFi service that currently works on four Nokia cell phone models in the U.S. and UK, including the Nokia n80i. Installation on these phones is simple: Sign-up, pick your phone model and latest OS version, and enter your phone number. Truphone sends a text message to your phone that guides you through the simple installation process. Then you select your Wi-Fi settings. Making calls is simple: click on the phone number you wish to dial, then choose from a cellular or a VoIP connection. Not only is Truphone available in a wider selection of Nokia phones, its call quality also surpasses Gizmo, which has trouble with its packets when connected at a low bandwidth. Additionally, the UK-based Truphone understands international calling from mobiles better than Gizmo, giving Truphone an advantage in the global market. 5. VOIP CLICK-TO-CALL BLOG WIDGETS Living and shopping in an online community has until now been a solitary and silent experience, with 90 percent of the transactions occurring through email, blog posts, or other keyboard functions. Sure, Skype and webcams have stimulated our other senses, but audio/visual elements have until now been in the HOV lane of the information superhighway. The next generation of multimedia convergence is upon us, and it’s unifying voice with web surfing. Long after Google’s click-to-call went belly-up, several new services are filling the void: Jaxtr offers a new widget designed for blogs or e-commerce sites allow users to contact you by phone without giving your phone number away to the entire internet. In over 30 countries in four continents, Jaxtr is catching on, and it’s still only in beta! Direct CallBack Direct CallBack is a direct competitor of Jaxtr. DCB allows a visitor of your webpage to call you directly to your cell phone. All you need is a phone that accepts text messages; you don’t even need a computer. CallWidget Or, if you want visitors to leave their number so you can call them back at your convenience, you can use the CallWidget, which allows anyone to call you for free without them having to register. Designed for e-commerce site owners, CallWidget lets customers get in touch by phone for free, without you having to take a phone call in the middle of the night. Jangl Jangl has created a feature-rich Jaxtr competitor, with all the blogging widget flexibility of Jaxtr plus additional features like voicemail integration and a real-time accept/decline feature. Online, you can post a Jangl Widget on your online profile, blog, or personal page. When readers see your widget, they can simply enter their own phone number, click Go, and instantly get a Jangl phone number to call you. Your number and their number are both safe. This is a great way to connect when dating, expand your friends list, talk with your blog readers or selling products online. Offline, you can give out your Jangl ID just like you would your regular phone number – put it on a business card or a napkin. When site visitors call the first time, they’ll be asked to leave a short message introducing themselves. When you get a Jangl call, you'll hear the caller's introduction and then have the ability to accept or reject it in real time. Jangl works on your mobile, home, work or VoIP phone. 6. VOIP-TO-CELL CALL-BACK APPLICATIONS Several companies are competing over the same cheap telephony turf – using VoIP plumbing to redirect cell phones that allow callers to make long distance and international calls for next to nothing. Chief among them is Jajah. Jajah made a name for itself when it released a Web-based callback system, a sort of long-distance rate run-around. Type in your number and the number you want to call, and Jajah calls you both, connecting the call via VoIP to your existing phone line, which now includes cell phones from any global carrier and Apple’s upcoming iPhone. RebTel RebTel, a Luxembourg company, is hot on Jajah’s heels. With over 36 countries to call for free from the U.S., RebTel offers 10 international calls per month for free without any time restrictions. On the downside, the call procedure is trickier than Jajah’s: the person receiving the call has to call back to the number RebTel transmits through the receiver’s caller ID (also sending it as a text message). The receiver hangs up while the caller stays on the line. The receiver calls back the number sent by RebTel and the two talkers are connected. A little too complicated to become the next Skype, but with the right marketing plan, a company with a name like RebTel could do well in certain rebel-friendly markets like in the southern U.S. or with Star Wars fans. Hullo Hullo combines Jajah-style VoIP calling from cell and landlines with the PC-to-phone capabilities of Skype. Trying to separate itself from the field, Hullo offers a feature-rich environment that powers one of the most flexible calling services ever offered. Currently, Hullo is not accepting new users because its beta test period has ended. So while the design team is working out the kinks, here are some of Hullo’s features that you can look forward to when it relaunches: Hullo Chat: Turn a regular phone call into a conference call, during the call, just by clicking on your buddy list. Hullo Handoff: Move a call from your cell phone to your desk phone when you get into the office, without disconnecting the call. Hullo Blast (coming soon): Send a voicemail to everyone at once by selecting them from your buddy list. Talkster Talkster is the only service that lets you talk to your Instant Messenger buddies on MSN, Google Talk and Gizmo Project – without the need for any software on your phone or PC, special devices, networks or data plans from your carrier. A mobile phone with a browser will work, even a phone without a data plan can work if you set the call up online with a PC. There are only two steps to make a call to your buddies or any telephone number using Talkster. First, choose your friend from a buddy list or a telephone number for one of your contacts. Second, Talkster triggers your phone to call in to one of its local access gateways, or calls you back on your phone. Once your call is connected over the standard cellular voice network to our gateway, your contact's phone or instant messenger client will ring on the other end and you are talking – just like you would in a regular phone call. 7. VOIP ON YOUR CELLPHONE VIA A DATA NETWORK Unlike Jajah and its clones, fring brings VoIP to your cell phone in totally different way – harnessing your mobile data network. fring allows users to make free mobile calls, send instant messages to other fring users, and communicate with PC-based VoIP applications such as Skype and Google Talk. But “free” is a loaded term with this service. It’s free once you pay your mobile carrier’s data network plan. If you’re paying by the kilobyte, fring is far from free. The fring Web site is a basic, text-only page with entry windows for your phone number and email address. You sign up, and download fring onto your phone like a ringtone. 8. FIND THE CHEAPEST VOIP RATES VIA SMS Unlike Jajah and its brood that use your mobile calling minutes, or fring, powered by your provider’s data network plan, YapOn targets another blade in your Swiss Army telephone: SMS text messaging technology. With its ‘Text to Talk’(TM) feature, YapOn can provide mobile subscribers across the globe, regardless of carrier, the ability to access the most competitive long-distance rates directly from their mobile device. Step 1. Register at YapOn’s web site. Step 2. Text YapOn to the number you want to call. Step 3. YapOn calls you back and connects you, charging a low rate plus a 30-day free trial. Great for cheap international calling with your mobile phone. YapOn also offers ‘Quick Connect'’, which enables YapOn subscribers to initiate long-distance calls (landline and mobile) via YapOn’s web interface. 9. USE VOIP AND SKYPE ON YOUR CELLPHONE Run by two Israeli brothers from their Cambridge, Mass. headquarters, iSkoot enables users to make unlimited, superior quality calls via their cell phones’ voice network to other Skype users, or through SkypeOut to nearly any phone number on the planet. In January 2007, Skype confirmed that iSkoot met its usability and quality standards, making iSkoot the first and only third-party mobile client to be Skype-certified. Skype’s approval of iSkoot has left competitors, like Mobivox, out in the cold. Having dominated the Skype-to-cell market, iSkoot is venturing into other social networking sites, seeking to unite cell phone consumers and computer users under a single product. As iSkoot Founder and CEO Jacob Guedalia said, “We would like iSkoot to be known as the company that brought Internet calling to all mobile phones.” 10. GET A VOIP SWITCHBOARD Using VoIP architecture, GrandCentral allows you to control which of your phone numbers ring when you get a call, plus providing you with feature-rich options that will re-invent the role of telecommunications at the office. When a call comes in, the GrandCentral interface will first show who’s calling. Then, you can accept the call or send it to voicemail, like any other phone system – or, you can utilize GrandCentral’s unqiue features. You could accept the call while recording it. Or, using GrandCentral’s trademarked ListenIn feature, you can listen in real time as your caller leaves a voicemail with the ability to take the call at any time. Unrivaled flexibility with no hardware to buy. GrandCentral also allows you to consolidate your voicemail in a Web interface, which lets you to organize your contacts into groups and setup automatic behaviors and filters for each incoming phone number. GrandCentral is not yet available outside the U.S. or even in every area code. But they’re growing, currently in all but 14 of the lower 48 states.

10 Questions To Ask When Buying A VoIP Gateway

Gateways are a crucial part of a successful VoIP system. Here are the questions to ask before you buy. There's no question that a gateway is a crucial component in any business VoIP system. That's because the gateway handles the fundamental task of transferring voice or fax traffic from a PBX to the IP network while supporting service levels equal to or exceeding the performance of traditional telephone technology. Yet, with vendors offering dozens of VoIP different gateway models--each with a different feature set--finding the appropriate device for your enterprise's VoIP network can be hard work. Selecting a gateway that doesn't meet your VoIP network's needs can lead to all sorts of problems, including poor voice quality, inadequate management tools, difficult or impossible interoperability with other system devices and so on. You can sidestep many of these issues at the outset by closely questioning each vendor about its products and policies. Here's a quick list of the key questions you should ask: 1. How Much Does the Gateway Cost? This should be your first question. You'll need to know the gateway's cost in order to match it against products with similar feature sets. Be sure to factor in any additional support costs. 2. Is the Gateway Hardware- or Software-based? Most businesses buy hardware-based gateways because they're perceived to offer stronger security protection, are more reliable, don't rob computing power and provide better connectivity. The software type, on the other hand, tend to cost less and can be easier to update and modify. The choice is up to you. 3. What is the Chassis Size? If you're considering the purchase of a hardware gateway, the unit's chassis size is crucial since it typically dictates the product's packet processing capacity. Sluggish processing leads to poor VoIP call quality, user complaints and, potentially, lost business. So be sure to purchase a gateway that can accommodate your VoIP's system's current call load as well as planned future growth. Which leads us to the next question... 4. How Many Simultaneous VoIP Calls Can the Gateway Handle? It's important to select a product that can keep pace with the network's call load. A good rule of thumb is to purchase a gateway that can handle a call load that's at least 20 percent greater than existing traffic levels. 5. How Many Foreign Exchange Office (FXO) Ports Are Provided? VoIP gateways convert the PSTN signal to a VoIP signal. For analog lines, an FXO port is needed. Until recently, most reasonably priced ($300 to $500) VoIP gateways had only one or two FXO ports--sufficient for home use, but too few for most small businesses and remote offices. Make sure that any gateway you're planning to buy at has at least four FXO ports. 6. What Type of IP Connectivity is Included? Today, there are two major standards-based protocols available to establish and maintain VoIP connections: the ITU-T H.323 specification and the Session Initiation Protocol (SIP). These protocols provide the functions that allow end users to place and receive VoIP calls. Your new gateway, obviously, needs to handle whatever standards are used on your VoIP network. 7. How Are Voice Digitization and Compression Accomplished? The key task required of any gateway is to convert the analog voice signal into the digital format that allows it to be transferred through a digital network. Usually, digitization results in a 64 kbps data rate. VoIP gateways can further compress voice call data rates to 24 kbps to 5.3 kbps per call. For maximum control over bandwidth usage and quality of service (QoS), you want as must flexibility as possible in compression rates. 8. What Are the Upgrade Options? As your VoIP system grows, you'll probably need additional ports and other features. There's also always the possibility of new VoIP standards appearing over time, meaning your gateway will have to keep pace with the new technology. Some gateways are more or less set in stone, and are virtually impossible to upgrade. Others products offer various levels of upgradeability. It's important to know which type of gateway you're looking at, since an upgradeable system may save you a significant amount of money in the years ahead. 9. Is the Gateway Compatible With My VoIP System Hardware? The VoIP gateway needs to interoperate with a number of existing and future technologies, such as private branch exchange (PBX), automatic call director (ACD) and interactive voice response (IVR) systems. It's most important to find out if the trunk circuit port types on your PBX match those that are available on the gateway. 10 What Type of Support Do You Offer? Beyond the gateway itself, you need to discover the level of support the vendor offers. How long is the basic warranty? Does the vendor provide phone- or e-mail-based troubleshooting? Is on-site support available? What is the cost of such services? These are all key things to know before you make your final purchase decision. Selecting the right gateway for your VoIP system can be a confusing and time consuming process. But asking the right questions will ensure that you get the product and support you need at a price you can afford.

VoIP FAQ's

Q: Why should I use a VoIP Phone System? A: With VoIP you can:

• Avoid buying an expensive phone system
• Have phone extensions in multiple locations
• Make calls between remote offices without cost
• Have inbound numbers in different area codes - be local in yellow pages but a single office
• Have a flexible voicemail system with SMS and Email
• Have unlimited capacity for calls - grow quickly
• Get detailed call statistics
• Ring different phones in your office at different times of day

Q: Do I have to have broadband to use it? A: Yes, ISDN and dialup modem users may find the sound quality is much more variable. On an ADSL line with 256k upstream, you can get 3 to 4 concurrent calls. When using our service in a busy office of upto 10 people, customers typically dedicate one broadband service to their phone provision. Q: What about call quality? A: With an ADSL connection, the call quality is usually good If customers have sufficient bandwidth to operate the service correctly, they will experience excellent call quality. A good rule of thumb is that you can have 4 concurrent calls per broadband line. When installing a VoIP system, you should check to see how much bandwidth is available on your Internet service. You should note that, with ADSL, the circuit speed is asymmetric, which means that whilst you may have two megabits (or similar) going down stream (from the Internet to you), you typically get much less going upstream (from you to the Internet). If you have a large office in an area that is served well by broadband services then you might consider a symmetrical Internet service, such as a leased line or SDSL, which can be very cost effective in metropolitan areas. Q: How reliable is the equipment? A: There are a number of factors that affect reliability 1. The service providers server equipment. Typically, VoIP servers are in their first or second generation of development and are not yet as mature as the more traditional telephony infrastructure; therefore, as with all computers, they are liable to develop problems on odd occasions. The service providers are keen to ensure that reliability is a key objective and many have intelligent monitoring and "instant reboot" systems, so that if anything does go wrong, it is automatically detected and fixed within a few seconds, thus helping to ensure the minimum of down time. 2. The telephones themselves. Most VoIP phones have been developed by new manufacturers and the phones themselves can contain problems such as bugs and audio issues. However, as the market matures and VoIP phones are deployed in tens of thousands of units, so the manufacturers who produce good quality VoIP phones are gaining an increasing market share, with the result that these problems are increasingly rare. 3. The Internet connection itself can cause a problem. For example, if it goes down you may lose your VoIP phone connection. As discussed previously, it is important to ensure you have a back-up (e.g. can your service provider divert inbound calls to your mobile phone) and sufficient bandwidth to ensure good quality of service. Q: Can I use my existing numbers? A: Yes, probably if you are within the Greater London area If this doesn't apply to you then you can apply for a new number in your area to which you could redirect your existing number. You can use your existing number as your caller id to be displayed when making outgoing calls. Q: What type of number can I have? A: There is lots of choice here You can have any geographically located number with area code beginning 01 or 02. If you want to choose your own memorable number you might be charged a small premium otherwise you will be provided with a number in your chosen area. You can also have 0845 and 0800 numbers. Q: How many numbers will I need? A: That depends.... ...on how many calls you expect to have at anyone time and whether you want DDI in which case it's one per person. A single number gives you 2 calls, one inbound and one outbound and can have up to 10 internal extentions. Q: Can I redirect to another phone number or Voicemail? A: Yes. You will probably have to pay the cost of diverting (which is usually a standard outgoing call). Q: Will my VoIP phone work if the power fails? A: No Ordinary phones do not need a separate power connection, but as VoIP relies on your internet connection, if your broadband router has no power, your phone won't work either. Q: Are there any phone numbers that VoIP phones can't call? A: You can phone most phone numbers, apart from premium numbers The big exception is the emergency services. You can't call 999 on a VoIP phone at present, so in an emergency you would need to also have a mobile or landline.

Types of VoIP

Consumer VoIP There are various consumer orientated VoIP services which provide free or low cost voice calling, either through a telephone-like program on the computer, or through a special adaptor which connects to a home broadband service. These services include those offered by BT Communicator, Skype, FreeTalk (Dixons Group) and Vonage.Consumer VoIP services are ideal for making low cost calls to the public telephony network and many of them offer consumers excellent deals on calls, including unlimited UK calls and low cost international calling. They will also offer the ability to call other users within the "service" for free. For example, one Skype customer can call another Skype customer at no cost.The downside of such a services is that, whilst typically orientated around a software program on the users computer, they are less intuitive to use than a regular telephone and if the computer process is busy then sound quality can suffer. Additionally, it is important to ensure the software is used with a good quality headset, rather than a microphone and speakers, as otherwise the sound can become distorted with feedback and background noise. Small and medium size business VoIP Many VoIP services fall into the "Centrex" bracket. Centrex is a phone service where the central call control and switching, typically done by the box on the wall in your office, is performed by a central server at a remote Internet hosting centre. It is, simply, a "PBX in the sky". To use the Centrex service, customers will have telephones on their desk which connect out to the PBX server across broadband Internet. This provides a number of benefits, including: Ease of deployment - phones simply need to be plugged into an Internet connection Reduced capital expenditure - no need to purchase expensive phone switches

• Reduced operational expenditure - maintenance of the phone service is now typically done via the web
• Reduced "internal" phone costs - particularly for inter-site calls, e.g. between offices and home workers
• Increased flexibility and new ways of working - home working, distributed offices etc

Large business VoIP Perhaps the oldest element of the VoIP market place is the interconnection of the various traditional office phone systems, aka the "PBX" across the different corporate sites.Many corporate customers have phone systems from vendors such as Siemens, Panasonic or Avaya and frequently through the use of a converter or VoIP adaptor these systems can be linked so that calls which route between different company sites can be carried over the corporate VPN or Internet connection, and as such, are carried at no additional cost.Similarly, many new office phone systems are being delivered as "IP enabled" systems. For example, they may have built in multi-site connectivity using an Internet connection, or they may have support for home-worker handsets such that the handset can be connected to the head office PBX, but across the Internet.Whilst the VoIP-enabling of legacy phone systems is not the focus here, it is worth noting that there are a number of vendors offering solutions and that there may be an "easy win" to be had simply by implementing a cost saving through the use of new technology. It is recommended that you discuss this sort of implementation with your current equipment maintainer in the first instance.

How it works

What is it? VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol) is a way to make phone calls using the internet as the transmission method, rather than a landline. You can make and receive calls from other VoIP users, mobile users, and people with ordinary landlines. The integration between any ordinary line and VoIP is complete and undetectable to callers. How does it work? Just like a modem converts digital signals from the PC into analogue (voice) traffic for transmission over a phone line, a VoIP-enabled phone or VoIP adaptor converts your voice into digital packets (using the special SIP protocol) for transmission over the internet. If you make a call to another VoIP phone, the opposite process occurs at the other end, and your voice emerges intact from the ether. If you make a call to a mobile or landline, your VoIP providers gateway decodes the call and sends it on as an ordinary voice call to the telephone exchange (PSTN). Calling another VoIP line See the diagram: user A dials the number for user B. The VoIP adaptor logs onto the routing server, which looks up the destination and sets up the call. Thereafter, the voice traffic passes directly over the internet between A and B. Calling a non-VoIP (standard: landline or mobile) line See the diagram: When A calls C, who has a conventional landline or mobile, the VoIP adaptor logs on as before. The routing server looks up the destination and finds it is a PSTN (standard) number. The call is routed via the providers PSTN gateway into the PSTN network as a normal call. Thereafter, traffic passes directly via the gateway. Why use it and who benefits? Small to medium-sized businesses with several employees, especially those with distributed offices and teleworkers, are likely to get the maximum benefit from VoIP. It cuts your business telephony cost; all calls to other VoIP phone users are free and other calls are usually competitively priced. You can configure your system to give whatever impression you want to customers. For example, if you have associates or employees in other areas of the UK or even abroad, you can give them all extensions on the same number, or their own numbers with the same area code as your head office. No-one need know whether you have city centre offices, or a virtual office! What will you need? 1. A VoIP enabled telephone: This can be an all-in-one handset, or a normal handset plugged into an adaptor, or a softphone: a computer program that uses a microphone and headphones attached to your computer to emulate a real handset. A good solution is an adaptor, which allows you to connect one or two handsets, and has the advantage that you can connect other analogue devices like fax machines. It also has a number of useful inbuilt functions, including call waiting, caller ID, and call back if busy. 2. An internet connection: A leased line or ADSL/cable broadband is ideal; dial-up (ISDN or ordinary telephone line) or a satellite internet connection will likely cause a reduction in sound quality. A standard 256Kb ADSL connection can accommodate 2-3 simultaneous calls; if you expect to need more frequently, you may wish to upgrade to a higher-bandwidth package. 3. An account with a VoIP service provider: This gives you a VoIP external number which is what other people dial to call you. What will it cost? Costs vary from between VoIP service providers. In general there will be a one off set up charge and monthly rental per number (for which you will usually receive one incoming and one outgoing line and a varying number of internal extensions.) VoIP to VoIP call's are free and calls to landlines and mobiles can vary across providers but are usually lower than landline service providers charges. Some VoIP providers offer monthly all inclusive packages combining monthly rental charges and unlimited calls.