How Does VOIP Work?
VoIP or Voice over Internet Protocol is also called IP telephony, Internet telephony, Broadband Telephony, Broadband Phone and Voce over Broadband. VoIP involves converting analog signals into digital signals, and rerouting voice conversations, and then transmitting this information via the internet or through any IP based network. A few years ago, it was found that signals could be sent to remote destinations via a digital medium. Analog signals when transformed into a digital signal, using an ADC (analog to digital converter), can be transmitted to the destination wherein it is reconverted into an analog signal using a DAC (digital to analog converter) once again. As a result, users at both ends of the conversation can then hear each other like a normal telephone conversation, though the information has been converted from analog to digital and vice versa. This is the way VoIP works. Voice is digitalized into small packets and then sent to the destination and reconverted. It is fairly easy to convert into a digital format as data can be compressed, re-routed, and then one can convert it into a better format. A digital signal is more noise and distortion resistant that an analog signal. TCP/IP networks consists of a header (which governs communication) and a payload which is used to transport data. VoIP uses this to go across the network and to arrive at its destination.
When user uses a standard phone line, he or she pays on the basis of number of minutes used and talk plan under which they fall. The payment then goes to the phone line managing company or service provider. As a result, cost tends to increase with usage where phone lines are concerned. Generally, the more we talk over the phone, the more we pay. Moreover, users cannot generally talk to more than two people simultaneously. When using VoIP, users can talk to as many people as they want at the same time provided everyone is connected to the internet at that time. VOIP has it drawbacks too. Due to the constant conversion that takes place in real-time, and as a result of differences in bandwidth and mismatch between different platforms, there is an inherent lag in the voice. This lag can be greatly reduced if compatible instruments are used along with the right bandwidth requirements, but a lag remains. There is also an echo in the voice sometimes, as well as a bit of voice dropping which takes place for the same reason. However, the huge difference between the cost of a normal phone line and the much lower costs of a conversation using a good VOIP setup offset these minor drawbacks, as the company saves a large sum of money over a period of time. |
