How to start with VoIP telephony

After tons of reading about voice over SIP termination servicesIP services you probably will  decide to try it. In this article I will try to describe the main steps on how to get started with VoIP calling services.

The main steps to do are:

1) Make sure about your Internet connection quality; 

2) Select a service type that will fit your needs and will be the best for your budget (optionally ordering a DID number for  incoming calls,);

3) Select the best and convenient VoIP hardware and service provider;

4) Hardware/software setup and configuration;

 

VoIP SIP service Checking if your Internet link will be OK for VoIP

First of all we need to check how much bandwidth is available on your current Internet link and if the current Internet connection will allow you to have good quality voice calls.

“Bandwidth” is commonly used as “connection speed”, but technically they are not equal. Bandwidth describing a “pipe” -  a range of frequencies through which data is transmitted. The same principles apply for radio, TV and data transmissions. A large bandwidth capacity means that more data are transmitted and thus at higher  speed. Bandwidth is measured in Hertz (Hz), or MegaHertz (MHz) because Hertz. One MHz is one million Hz. Connection speed (technically called the bitrate) is measured in Kilobits per second (kbps). It is simply a measure of how many bits are transmitted in one second. Please note that byte consist of 8 bit’s, so 8 Kbit/s = 1 KByte/sec. One Mbit/s is one thousand kbit/s. You can have an idea of how good or bad your connection speed is and whether it is suitable for VoIP by performing online connection tests. or downloading a file from “trusted” site (the site that you are sure not limited with low transfer rate).

For voice communication, the bandwidth requirements are more important, since voice is a real time steady stream of data. Broadband is unlimited connection (24 hours a day) at a speed much higher than old dial-up’s (56 kbps dila up was a dream when I was young). Nowadays with ADSL, FFTB and other technologies 512 kbps connection is “so so”, but in most cases it’s more then enough for VoIP communication. For sure all depends on the codec you are going to use and CIR (committed information rate) available form your ISP.

So how to test your link? Put simply, one or more sample files are downloaded from a certain server to your machine through your Internet connection. The file or files are then uploaded again to the server. This activity then provides an environment to measure speeds and other parameters. Prior to starting most speed tests, you are required to select a server, with which Internet activity will be taken for measurement. Some tests don’t give you the possibility of doing so, and assign a server arbitrarily.

Most online speed tests are not very accurate because they are not sophisticated enough. They can get you only a rough idea of the speeds and other values. There are some online tests that are quite professionally designed and give quite accurate results. The accuracy of a speed test does depend on certain factors.

Given that there are certain parameters that affect the accuracy of online speed tests, here are certain things you can do to get speed test results you can somewhat rely upon:

  • Make several tests
    To get mathematically more accurate results, perform several test and make an average of these. You can make a series of tests (at least two) with difference in:
    time interval – do the same test at different times, thus catching different test conditions
    test server – do the same test with the same engine but with different test servers
    speed test – do tests with different engines
  • Choose a suitable test server
    Prefer one that is close to your physical location. Some test engines propose suitable servers.
  • Stop all other Internet activities on your machine while doing the test.

The other parameters affecting test accuracy are not in your control.

Many think that the the only important thing about a connection’s bandwidth are its download and upload speeds.

While these are primary indication of the quality you can expect, there are other parameters that are important too, and that should be given consideration.

The tests to try with:
It is much enhanced and gives a lot of features, including a very user-friendly choice of servers, comparing and sharing results with others, detailed result parameters etc. What I find most interesting with this engine is the advanced user interface. It gives you a world map, with a rectangle to select your area which, once selected, appears focused on your screen. Then, your location and a number of suitable servers are shown, with ones that are recommended. Once you choose one, your test starts in a way quite pleasing to watch. The engine is not only fancy, but relatively quite accurate. You will need to have Flash installed to run this test.
This one is best for VoIP users. It is my favorite as well, but only when I need minute details. If you want a speed test that is very scientific and rich in details, then go for this test. It has a special test for VoIP, with lots of values to compare and scale. The interface is a Java applet with several tabs for VoIP, speed, graph, summary and advanced results. The interface places your speed on a line figuring typical connection types. The graphs detail the test activity over milliseconds. The summary advises you on where you stand with the connection you have.

Type of VoIP service

Subscription to a VoIP service provider is necessary to be able to place and receive calls.

 

The communication needs of people vary according to their activities, life patterns, habits  and budget. Before choosing and registering for a VoIP service, you need to decide what flavor of VoIP suits you most. Choosing the right type of VoIP service is important in order to make optimal use of the technology, for greater benefits and lower costs.

 

Main types of VoIP services:

  • Subscription/Hardware Based VoIP Services
  • Software Based VoIP Services
  • Mobile VoIP Services
  • Device-Based VoIP Services
  • Business VoIP Services and Solutions

Once you have chosen the type of VoIP service you need, select a VoIP service provider to subscribe with.

VoIP hardware

The equipment you need for VoIP can be very cheap or quite expensive depending on your needs. If you go for PC-to-PC communication, the only thing you will need as equipment besides your computer will be a hearing and speaking device – a headset or microphone and speakers.

For hardware-based VoIP, you will need solid material. And this costs money, but not always, as we will see below. What you will need is an ATA (phone adapter) and a phone set. The phone set can be any of the traditional phones you use with PSTN. Now there are special phones for VoIP with special features, called IP phones. These do not require having an ATA, because they have the functionality included. IP phones are quite expensive and are mostly used by businesses.

Many hardware-based VoIP services provided for free hardware (an ATA) for free for the duration of the service. This helps you not only in saving money, but also on compatibility with the servie used and on allowing you the possibility of trying a service without investing.

DID number for incoming calls

If you want to extend your VoIP to beyond the PC, you will need to have a phone number. This number is given to you once you subscribe with a paid service, whether software or hardware-based. This number will then be used to make or receive calls to and from fixed or mobile phones. A burning issue for most people shifting from PSTN to VoIP is the possibility of keeping their existing number. If your telco don’t have sip forwars feature you may want to install a VoIP gateway that will put your PSTN calls to Internet, (forwarded to your SIP account).

Configuration

Unless you are deploying VoIP in your business, setting it up and getting it running is a breeze. With each service comes the instructions for setting up, of which some are good and some less so.

With software-based VoIP, the setting up is quite generic: download the application, install it on your machine (be it a PC, PDA, mobile phone etc.), register for a new user name or number, add contacts and start communicating. For paid software phone service, buying credit is one step before starting to communicate.

With hardware-based VoIP, you have to plug your ATA to your Internet router and plug your phone to the ATA. Then, there are certain configurations to make, which are commonly achieved using a PC. For some services, it is quite straight forward, while for some others, you will a tweak or two, and maybe a phone call or two to the support service before kicking start.

Voice quality

Setting up VoIP is one stage – using it is yet another stage. That stage is normally very pleasant for most, but causes quite some frustration for some others. Many users complain of bad voice quality, dropped calls, echo etc. These are related mainly to the bandwidth. If you are one of these unlucky users, don’t despair. There is always a way out. The best thing to do is to call the support team of your VoIP service. Also, always bear in mind that in most cases, poor bandwidth is the case of poor quality. Read more:

To be continued and extended with more articles/links soon ….

 

Leave a Reply