VoIP is the abbreviation for Voice over Internet Protocol. It has emerged as a substitute for century old telephones. Ordinary telephones send and receive analogue signals but VoIP converts our analogue signals to digital packets. These packets are converted to analogue signals again when they reach their destination.
VoIP technology uses internet lines for communication. Although, VoIP could not win popularity as mobiles did in the previous decade, yet many VoIP supporters think that it will replace all the landline phones. The fact is that many landline service providers are converting their infrastructure to VoIP technology considering it a low cost calling solution.
Basic Components Required for VoIP
Following are the three basic components needed for VoIP Technology.
1. VoIP Gateway.
2. Router
3. High speed internet connection
How Does VoIP Work?
VoIP Gateway: It works as a converter for internet connection and the ordinary telephone set. It receives analogue signals from telephone and converts them into digital signals for internet. Same way it gets digital signals from internet and converts them in to analogue signals for telephone.
Router: This device is attached to the internet connection and the devices that need internet are plugged in to it with ordinary Ethernet port.
Internet Connection: All data is transmitted via internet. For VoIP calls, high speed internet is a must.
How they Work Altogether?
As mentioned above, VoIP gateway gets digital signals from phone set and converts them into analogue signals. While after converting them in to digital signals, these are divided/broken in to small packets before they are given to internet. This is exactly how computer send data to each other on internet. Each packet contains its destination address and instructions on how to bring it back to original form. These packets are transported to their destination via internet. Many protocols are used for VoIP data transmission under VoIP technology. Following is a short list of those protocols.
- Media Gateway Control Protocol (MGCP)
- Session Description Protocol (SDP)
- Session Announcement Protocol (SAPv2)
- Session Initiation Protocol (SIP)
- Skinny Client Control Protocol (SCCP)
- Simple Gateway Control Protocol (SGCP)
At destination VoIP gateway does the reverse process and these digital packets are brought back into analogue form and given to telephone set.
What Happens if Packets Reach Slowly?
Frequent delays in transportation of packets will definitely result into broken voice. This is why VoIP companies recommend high-speed internet connection so that these packets may be transported quickly and you don’t face any voice delays.
Major VoIP Service Providers
Now a day a mushroom growth of VoIP providers is going on. I have selected a few of them. You can find many others in Google. Major VoIP providers include Viatalk, Vonage, Skype, Axvoice, Magicjack etc.
By – This post is by Zach who is working with Axvoice VoIP phone service provider. Zach has been working with Axvoice for the past eight years.
{ 3 comments… read them below or add one }
VoIP is going under constant developments so we can’t say what protocols are being used. As customized solutions are available from different voip vendors so they may leave or add a few protocols for a specific solution.
You are right in customized solutions, a protocol may be left or added but the protocols mentioned above are used by most of the voip service providers.
Vonage and Skype are very famous voip providers but they are not very reliable. Both of them have been a victim of hacker attacks or viruses in the past. Unfortunately, until their focus is on making new applications trying to be in media in one way or the other.