Internet Tips & Tricks
By MARK DAVIS
General Manager, CommSpeed Internet Service
Vice
President, Prescott Computer Society
Visit the Computer Society Website
www.prescottcomputersociety.org
Voice Over Internet Protocol (VoIP)
For those who have never
heard about the potential of VoIP, be prepared to
radically change the way you think about your current
long-distance calling plan. VoIP (Voice over Internet
Protocol) is very simply, a method for making and
receiving phone calls. The calls are sent over the
Internet.
So what? Well, for those
of you who are already paying a monthly fee for an
Internet connection, this means that you can use that
same connection to place free long distance phone calls.
This process essentially circumvents phone companies
and their service charges.
 At
$30 per month, VoIP is comparable in price to
traditional phone service. But, VoIP providers usually
include unlimited long-distance within the U.S. and
Canada. This is great if you make lots of lengthy
long-distance calls. For those who make fewer calls,
most VoIP services have a plan that allows for 500
minutes of calls per month for around $14.95.
You’ll need a broadband
connection to the Internet to be able to use VoIP. Over
50% of the Internet uses in the US now have a broadband
connection.
 You
also need a VoIP adapter that connects a telephone to
your broadband
modem. The adapter digitizes the signal from your
telephone so it can be sent over the Internet.
Carriers generally
provide the adapter at no cost, and will charge about
$10 for shipping. There is usually an activation charge
as well, usually around $30.
The VoIP adapter allows
you to connect one telephone to the broadband modem.
Your phone must be connected to the adapter.
 Traditional
telephone jacks located around your house won't work.
There is a workaround, though. Use an expandable
cordless telephone system. With these, a base unit
plugs into the VoIP adapter. The phone extensions
receive a signal from the base unit. They don't need to
be plugged into the adapter.
Cordless phones can reach
between 200 and 500 feet. They are available at your
local electronics store. You'll pay about $80 for the
base unit and $50 for additional phones.
You also can rewire the
house's telephone jacks so they go through the VoIP
adapter. Instructions can be found online. This isn't a
job for the faint-hearted. For more information, do a
Google search for: “wire home for VoIP.”
A word of caution: Think
twice about plans with limited minutes. You'll have to
keep track of the number of minutes you use. If
you go over your monthly allotment, you'll be charged 3
cents per minute or more for every call. And it doesn't
matter if it is a local or long-distance call.
CommSpeed provides VoIP
services. See
http://commspeed.nuvio.com for more information.
NEXT -- Faxing Using the Internet
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