And since PC is not required anymore: which type of phone do you want to choose?

“The number one reason to switch to VoIP technology for telephone service is cost reduction.” –regarding surveys worldwide.

Earlier I wrote that VoIP technology essentially bypasses the traditional telephone company so that business owners and residents are able to make direct, cheaper calls. Not only that, VoIP technology is increasing to a level that will soon be as pervasive as analog phones.

There are three ways that you can connect to VoIP service providers (wikipedia),

1. An Analog Telephone Adapter (ATA) may be connected between an IP network (such as a broadband connection) and an existing telephone jack in order to provide service nearly indistinguishable from PSTN providers on all the other telephone jacks in the residence. This type of service, which is fixed to one location, is generally offered by broadband Internet providers such as cable companies and telephone companies as a cheaper flat-rate traditional phone service.

2. Dedicated VoIP phones are phones that allow VoIP calls without the use of a computer. Instead they connect directly to the IP network (using technologies such as Wi-Fi or Ethernet). In order to connect to the PSTN they usually require service from a VoIP service provider therefore most people also use them in conjunction with a paid service plan.

3. A softphone (also known as an Internet phone or Digital phone) is a piece of software that can be installed on a computer that allows VoIP calling without dedicated hardware.

An advantage of using a softphone with a VoIP service provider is the ability of having a fixed phone number which you can move to any country or location. But unfortunately there a lot of VOIP providers which cannot ‘give away’ any fixed inbound phone numbers any more.

Earlier I also wrote about the possibility here to use your own fixed phone and then call to your VOIP provider and use your account (without PC, for more info see our earlier posting: Is the corporate world ready for VOIP…and are you?).

By the way you can move of course as well with ATAs and VoIP phones, however it requires the physical relocation of the hardware.

If you choose for real ‘hardware’ phones, you will notice that there are a lot of phones to buy.

To name others, have a look at Voipsupply.com. Some of their products:

Product Price Features

Polycom IP 560 corded $288.95 Micro browser for web application, Gigabit Ethernet switch

VTech IA5863 cordless $34.67 Handset, remote message retrieval, call waiting/caller ID

Plantronics .Audio 480 headset $50.79 Works with Windows and Mac, optimized for Skype, Windows Live, and Yahoo Messenger

Motorola H350 Bluetooth headset $42.99 Works up to 10 meters away from Bluetooth enabled phone

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