No products in the cart.
Blog
The VOIP Definitive Guide
The VOIP Definitive Guide
The VOIP Definitive Guide,“VoIP” simply stands for Voice Over Internet Protocol and means the use of the internet for telephony.
It’s the basis of many modern phone systems and allows voice calls through well-known apps and services.
At dayari technologies, we’ve had almost 7 years of experience in supplying and supporting the technology to over 8,000 customers nationwide and beyond.
What is VoIP?
VoIP telephone services allow you to make low cost calls over the internet; using a multitude of different networks and operators, you can connect with members of staff, clients and customers across the globe both cost-effectively and efficiently.
There’s very little to get to grips with when making a VoIP call – you dial a number, and connect through to the person(s) on the other end – most of the time you won’t even realize the difference!
So what’s the point? Well, VoIP is incredibly cheap (sometimes free!), usually faster, more reliable and, what’s more, affords numerous flexible features.
Back in the early days of VoIP, the unreliability of dial-up connections meant that landline calls were highly superior VoIP was beset by poor audio quality and high drop rate.
However, with modern internet speeds, including Fibre Optic broadband and Leased Lines, VoIP telephony far surpasses landline connectivity in quality and innovation.
If you run a business, you know how beneficial this is: vital sales calls, multi-partner conference calls, being available for your customer or client when they need you the most.
The VOIP Definitive Guide can also be a great addition to your home – in fact, it may become essential, with Open-reach planning to switch off their ISDN network by 2025, migrating nearly all kenyan landlines over to a SIP trunk –based VoIP service.
How Does VoIP Work?
But how does this differentiate from traditional phone calls? First, we’ll need to debunk some jargon:
In terms of landline calls (or ISDN and PSTN, to give the two types their technical names), VoIP bypasses the national landline network’s copper wire by using data packets of information (usually audio) transmitted across a network.
These IP packets are received over the packet-switched network, and ‘de-packetized’ as the voice you hear through your VoIP endpoint – the technical term for a VoIP desktop phone, VoIP mobile phone, soft phone application (VoIP Software), or other receiver.
Mobile phones operate calls through connection to the PSTN, maintained via a terrestrial network of base stations.
When you use VoIP, your voice is converted into digital information which is then transmitted in as data over the internet, unlike the way traditional phone lines work via a local phone provider.
For business phone systems, a Private Branch Exchange (PBX) refers to the main piece of tech that routes all your calls, using Session Initiation Protocol (SIP) in SIP trunks to make those connections.
Your PBX can be a physical bit of hardware, run and maintained by you (or your IT department); however, with modern cloud solutions, your VoIP provider can usually run your PBX via the cloud – essentially a phone system combined with Software as a Service (SaaS).
This allows you to control your system with a personal online control panel, resulting in instant access to your add-ons and personal features, as well as a real-time overview of your business telecoms.
An Inter-Asterisk eXchange (IAX) is an alternative to a PBX that involves a different level of authentication. In basic terms, the two can be compared to petrol and diesel fuel – they do the same job, but in different ways.
What are the benefits of VoIP?
Talk anywhere
With VoIP; you can talk to anyone, anywhere as long as you have an internet connection. This means, with the right provider, you can choose any number and make and receive calls with it from anywhere in the world.
This is particularly common with small businesses who want a global footprint. Remote extensions are usually standard with VoIP; PSTN extensions are expensive when using PSTN, as additional dedicated line installs are needed.
Disaster recovery
VoIP services are perfect for protection from disasters as all data and functionality is provided in the cloud. Dayari technologies hosted VoIP service offers a comprehensive disaster recovery service, including remote access to your system, cloud backup, and rerouting to business mobiles.
Cost savings
Ultimately, the outstanding benefit of VoIP is the price.
Not only is there the capacity to conduct a variety of free calls, but the monthly costs are phenomenally lower.
The average business line rental for PSTN is almost 4x times greater than the The VOIP Definitive Guide equivalent. As bandwidth is utilised efficiently, there is less wastage – one internet connection is all that’s necessary to transmit all voice information.
A VoIP solution provides you with the unique opportunity to take advantage of a wide variety of additional services:
Call recording
Custom hold music
Intelligent call routing
Virtual receptionist
HD audio
Voicemail to email
Custom voicemail
Multi-device access
What equipment do I need?
Hardware
If you opt for a physical (on premise) PBX, you’ll need a location at your business to house the PBX, as well as actually purchasing the PBX.
A VoIP Phone may be the most obvious bit of hardware that you may need; these are phones designed specifically for VoIP networks, and come in a variety of formats. Whether they’re desktop, cordless or conference phones, you can guarantee a stable, high-quality connection.
You may wish to invest in headsets (both wired and wireless), or other accessories, including DECT clips and specific receivers.
Adapters work over an IP network, connecting analogue phones and fax machines to a VoIP network. A great choice for any business with a set of analogue phones already at its disposal.
Software Phones, or Softphones are downloadable applications that live on your computer or mobile device. They usually consist of a keypad for making call, plus numerous other VoIP functions, such as call recording.
Softphones such as Zoiper can be downloaded and utilised for very low cost – a great way to integrate your communication solutions as an alternative to physical VoIP phones. One service in particular called 3CX has a very sophisticated soft-phone, and comes as standard with the solution.
If you choose to go with a hosted PBX service, the provider will house and service the PBX at a monthly fee; many customers opt for this, as maintaining an on-premise PBX can take a lot of time and technical know-how.
A Virtual PBX is a possible third option. While it lacks some of the functions of a full hosted PBX, the costs are substantially lower, and the use of SIP Trunking means that calls can still be routed appropriately. With the advent of cloud systems, a virtual PBX may be a more appropriate solution in the future.
Internet Connection
You’ll need a good-quality internet connection to support a VoIP service, particularly for high quality, reliable calls. FTTP and Ethernet connections, like Leased Lines are well worth looking at.
How do I get started?
Getting set up with VoIP should be easy. We usually set up our new customers in less than a day and can take care of everything from choosing between SIP Trunks to your existing PBX, to our cloud hosted system Wave, to number porting, connectivity and more.
