How Do I Set Up a VoIP System?

Voice Over Internet Protocol (VoIP) allows you to make and receive calls over the Internet through a high speed cable or DSL  connection, and offers customers with a diverse range of features from voicemail to call waiting, all for much lower monthly tariffs than traditional analogue telephone services.  It is easy to set up a VoIP system in your home or business and there are only two main steps you need to take to start making and receiving calls online.

Step 1 – Choosing a Provider
VoIP is a very competitive industry at the moment and there are lots of providers all vying for your business, so it pays to spend a bit of time shopping around and researching all of the various deals there are on offer.  You will need to think about how many calls you intend to make a month and to what destinations, as some packages offer unlimited plans for both local and national calls, and this can save you a lot of money if you make a high volume of calls each month.  If you need to make any international calls you will also need to check the individual pricing plans for the countries you intend on phoning, as tariffs will vary for both overseas landlines and mobiles across the different providers and price plans, so if you intend to make a lot of calls overseas you will need to check and see which provider can offer you not only deals on calls in your own country, but international calls as well.

Step 2 – Setting Up The Equipment
You will need some special equipment in addition to your basic broadband set up to use VoIP and this will allow you to connect a regular telephone handset to your modem to make and receive telephone calls.  If you have an up to date modem you will have a spare Ethernet port into which you can plug an adaptor that will allow you to connect your standard telephone handset and convert it for use with an online system.  These adaptors will be provided free of charge in most cases when you sign up to a VoIP account with a provider, and once you have received the adaptor you can literally start making online calls as soon as you have plugged it in.  However some modems will not have a spare Ethernet port available and in these cases you will either have to upgrade your modem, or some providers will be able to offer you a router and adaptor combined for a small additional charge, which you can replace your modem with and plug your telephone handset straight into to start making and receiving VoIP calls.