VoIP Communication Basics System

VoIP service is simply to digitize the analogue voice and transmit it in real-time on the IP data network in the form of data packets. The biggest advantage of VoIP is the ability to widely adopt the Internet and global IP interconnection environment, providing more and better services than traditional services. VoIP can cheaply transmit voice, fax, video, and data services on IP networks, such as unified messaging, virtual telephony, virtual voice/fax mailboxes, number check services, Internet call centres, Internet call management, video conferencing, e-commerce, fax store and forwarding, and storage and forwarding of various information.

Business VOIP Service 2023 THE COMPLETE ARTICLE

1. What is VOIP?

VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol) is a technology that focuses on IP telephony and introduces corresponding value-added services. The biggest advantage of VoIP is the ability to widely adopt the Internet and global IP interconnection environment, providing more and better services than traditional services. VoIP can cheaply transmit voice, fax, video, and data services on IP networks, such as unified messaging, virtual telephony, virtual voice/fax mailboxes, number check services, Internet call centres, Internet call management, video conferencing, e-commerce, fax store and forwarding, and storage and forwarding of various information.

1. What is a gateway?

Gateways are also known as internet connectors and protocol converters. Gateways, which interconnect networks at the transport layer, are the most complex network interconnect devices and are only used for network interconnections with two different high-level protocols. The structure of the gateway is also similar to that of the router, except for the interconnect layer. Gateways can be used for both WAN and LAN interconnects.

2. What is a gatekeeper?

Gatekeeper: It is a call and management function such as a network terminal (such as a telephone) gateway, which is an important part of the VoIP network system.

3. What is Public Internet?

The public network is an ordinary circuit-switched network, that is, the backbone and branch networks set up by Netcom, telecommunications, and testing.

4. What is Softswitch?

Softswitch is one of the core devices of network evolution and next-generation packet networks, which is independent of the transmission network, mainly completing the main functions of call control, resource allocation, protocol processing, routing, authentication, billing, etc., while providing users with all the services that existing circuit switches can provide, and providing programmability to third parties.

5. What is Web Fax?

The e-fax series of services is based on PSTN and Internet network, integrating value-added services developed by telephone network, intelligent network and Internet technology. Fax files are stored in a graphical format, and users can send fax information to the Internet fax information storage network through a fax machine and receive faxes through a computer or fax machine.

6. What is H.323?

H.323 is the transmission standard for media on the Packet network developed by the international telecommunication organization ITU-T.

7. What is VoIP Gateway?

VoIP Gateway refers to the device where VoIP interfaces with traditional PSTN networks and translates related protocols.

8. What is VoIP Termianl?

VoIP Terms refer to the terminal devices on VoIP networks (e.g. IP Phone, TA...). ﹞。

9. What is Gatekeeper?

A gatekeeper is a soft switch that is responsible for signal switching and control functions on VoIP networks. It functions like a switch on a traditional PSTN.

10. What is SIP Protocol?

SIP (Session Initiation Protocol) is an application-layer control protocol defined by the IETF and based on IP. Since SIP is a plain text-based signalling protocol, it can manage meetings on different access networks, etc. The meeting can be any type of communication between terminal devices, such as video meetings, just-in-time information processing, or collaborative meetings. The protocol does not define or limit the services that can be used, and issues such as transport, quality of service, billing, and security are handled by the basic core network and other protocols. SIP is strongly supported by Microsoft, AOL, and other vendors, as well as standards-setting bodies such as the IETF and 3GPP. SIP-enabled networks will provide a bridge to extend converged service capabilities to various devices on the Internet and wireless networks. This will allow operators to provide a large number of information processing services for their mobile users, interacting with fixed users and 2G wireless users through SMS interoperability capabilities. SIP is also a signalling protocol used in the R5/R6 version of UMTS3GPP, so it can protect the operator's current investment with technical advantages and business value.

11. H.248 Protocol Basic Concepts

The H.248 protocol is a media gateway control protocol proposed by ITU-T Working Group 16 in 2000, which is based on the earlier MGCP protocol. H.248/MeGaCo protocol is a gateway control protocol for connecting MGC and MG, which is applied between the media gateway and Softswitch and between Softswitch and H.248/MeGaCo terminals and is an important protocol that Softswitch should support. The connection model defined by the H.248 protocol includes two main concepts: termination and context. A terminal is a logical entity in MG that can send and receive one or more media, and at any time, a terminal belongs to and can only belong to a context, which can represent time slots, analogue lines, and RTP (real-time protocol) streams. Terminal types are mainly semi-permanent terminals (TDM channels or analogue lines, etc.) and temporary terminals (such as RTP streams, which are used to carry voice, data and video signals or various mixed signals). In order to solve the problem of masking terminal diversity, the concept of the package is introduced in the protocol, and the various characteristic parameters of the terminal are combined into a package. A context is a connection between terminals that describes the topological relationships between terminals and the parameters of media mixing/switching. Lucent first proposed the concept of context in the MGCP protocol, making the protocol more flexible and extensible, and the H.248/MeGaCo protocol continues this concept, which can be created with the Add command and deleted with the Subtract or Move commands.

12. What is ×××?

×××:Virtual Private Network is a new network technology that provides us with a way to connect remotely to an enterprise's internal private network through public network security. We know that a network connection typically consists of three parts: the client, the transport medium, and the server. ××× also consists of these three parts, the difference is that the ××× connection uses a tunnel as a transmission channel, and this tunnel is built on top of a public network or a private network, such as the Internet or Intranet. To achieve ××× connection, the internal network of the enterprise must be configured with a Windows NT or Windows 2000 Server-based ××× server, ××× server on the one hand to the enterprise's internal private network, on the other hand, to connect to the Internet, that is, ××× server must have a public IP address. When a client communicates with a computer in a private network over a ××× connection, the ISP (Internet Service Provider) transfers all the data to the ××× server, which××× is then responsible for transferring all the data to the destination computer. ××× uses three aspects of technology to secure communications: tunnelling protocol, authentication, and data encryption. The client makes a request to the ××× server, the ××× server responds to the request and issues an identity challenge to the client, the client sends encrypted response information to the ××× server, ××× server checks the response against the user database, if the account is valid, the ××× server checks whether the user has remote access, and if the user has remote access permissions, ××× server accepts the connection. The client and server public keys generated during the authentication process are used to encrypt the data.

2. Explanation of terms: What is VoIP?

VoIP (Voice over Internet Phone) may sound intimidating if you choose self-taught technology, but you can also choose a trusted technology provider to provide technical support, such as Lauger Technology and SparkleComm. For your day-to-day work to run smoother, you can also learn more about VoIP technology and how it works, which will help optimize your network, improve voice quality, troubleshoot possible failures or upgrade to a better feature plan.

1. What does VoIP stand for?

At a cursory glance, understanding the meaning of VoIP may seem a bit difficult, but when you break it down, you'll find that its concept can be simple. VoIP is the abbreviation of Voice over the Internet Protocol, it is a method of using voice transmission to communicate with others through the Internet connection, and the SparklePhone of the SparkleComm platform is one of the representatives of VOIP technology. Instead of using traditional phone lines, The SparklePhone works with connected online networks and digitizes analogue voice calls and messages in order to receive or send communications with different parties. Individuals or businesses can use SparkleComm, and VoIP phones or software applications can answer calls over this network, whether on a computer or on a mobile device.

2. What is PSTN?

To better understand how VoIP works, it may be necessary to understand the technology that voice communications have relied on for decades. It is an ordinary old-fashioned telephone service, often referred to as POTS (Simple Old-fashioned Telephone Service). Before the introduction of mobile and wireless technologies, every phone had to be transmitted over the PSTN (Public Switched Telephone Network), whether local or long-distance. It's called PSTN because it relies on circuit switches to connect callers at both ends. It's ubiquitous, easy to use, and requires just a phone and a copper wire to get into any building. For a long time, it met the needs of consumers and businesses.

3. What is VoIP Telephony?

For businesses using traditional POTS, the service is provided by a telephone operator or carrier. When an organization uses VoIP, its services are provided by third-party vendors, such as if you choose SparkleComm, then LAUG Technology provides technical services for you. When telephony services are delivered to the cloud through devices located in the vendor's office, it is called managed VoIP, which is the most common type of preferred implementation of VoIP telephony services. However, larger organizations may also prefer custom in-house solutions, such as the option of larger technology to customize your personalized software services according to your needs, which will save you more costs.

4. How is VoIP better than PSTN?

The fundamental difference between VoIP technology and previous telephony communication technologies is that the former is based on an Internet protocol, which is the same set of standards used by the Internet around the world. Compared to the old PSTN system, VoIP has two unique aspects that underpin all the different features – interoperability and portability. Since VoIP is based on the same standards used by other enterprise software, it can be easily integrated with other solutions. For example, a company website contains a phone number that customers can use to contact customers directly through a browser without having to make a phone call. VoIP portability has two ways of working, you can make calls from the same device from anywhere, or multiple devices can share the same phone number to make and receive calls, portability is at the heart of the way employees and businesses work in a connected world.

3. Is VoIP secure? How to Protect Your Business Phone System?

Given the increase in the remote workforce, many business owners are concerned about how to protect their data when everyone works in different places.

Even traditional office workers are grappling with new security risks, in large part due to the rise of BYOD (Bring Your Own Device) SparkleCommVoIP communication. Securing office communications is, therefore, a top priority for small and large enterprises.

Are traditional desk phones still more secure than SparkleCommVoIP? How can I improve my VoIP security policy? Most importantly, how do you know that the SparkleComm VoIP phone system you are considering is truly secure?

Read on to learn how the right security strategy can reduce your risk of cyberattacks and protect your customer data.

SparkleCommVoIP vs. Traditional Telephony: Which is More Secure?

The main difference between SparkleComm VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol) phones and traditional landline phones is that SparkleComm VoIP calls are made over the Internet, while traditional phone calls are made over the Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN).

Analogue phone systems (landlines) send voice signals over fibre optic cables and copper wires from the Common Legacy Telephone Service (POTS), using circuit switching to connect telephone call endpoints.

Because landlines require a physical connection to function, anyone who wants to listen to your phone must hack into the POTS line to access your conversations (hence the name "eavesdropping.") ）

SparkleComm VoIP phones convert an analogue voice signal into a large number of independent digital packets, which are then sent over the Internet and rejoined at their destination (the other end of the phone line). SIP (Session Initiation Protocol) is a tool for connecting, maintaining, and terminating VoIP phones, no matter what device you are using.

SparkleCommIP phone calls are sent over a private voice network (unless you use public WiFi to power your PBX VoIP calls, which should be avoided.) ）

Many people mistakenly believe that because VoIP calls are made over the Internet, it is inherently more dangerous than traditional phone systems.

However, this is usually not the case.

While neither option completely avoids the possibility of hacking, eavesdropping, and other security threats, with SparkleComm VoIP, there are more ways to protect your business phone system than with a standard phone. Because VoIP calls are based on an Internet connection, you can use the same security tools that you use to protect your Internet, cloud storage devices, and digital personal data.

This is not possible for traditional mobile phones.

That being said, VoIP is certainly vulnerable to hacking if precautions and ongoing risk assessment are not taken into account. Below, we'll take a look at some of the most common and serious SparkleCommVoIP security vulnerabilities.

Advantages of VoIP Technology

Some consumers can use mobile VoIP applications, but commercial businesses are unlikely to rely on fragmented VoIP services in these places. In countries such as the U.S. or European countries, while vendors are implementing various solutions, the emergency dialling feature cannot be compared to the PSTN. VoIP still does not completely replace the PSTN, so its reliability during an emergency or disaster has not been tested.

Advantages of VoIP technology

VoIP offers many advantages to administrators, business managers, and IT teams, especially from a technical point of view.

For administrators

Enterprises have been using PBX solutions for enterprise communications on PSTN. It has worked reliably for decades without much internal error. Still, SparkleComm offers a number of advantages that are enough for many businesses to upgrade as quickly as possible. As far as administrators are concerned, the SparkleComm system is easier to set up, configure, and deploy than traditional PBX boxes.

Given the trend toward managed services, most businesses don't have to worry about physical devices at all. Administrators can change settings, enable/disable features, add numbers/users/lines or other resources, etc. through a simple web-based dashboard. No more messy commands, outdated interfaces, or tedious programming.

For business managers

The low price of VoIP systems means that business managers need little convincing before upgrading to VoIP. Once the initial wrinkles of deployment and configuration were resolved, businesses began to adopt VoIP at an alarming rate, in part because of the price. In addition to the fact that very little initial investment is required, the call charges for SparkleComm phones are also greatly reduced.

VoIP, on the other hand, can increase productivity in today's mobile and always-connected business environment. The technology allows employees to communicate with each other using any device, no matter where they are. By integrating all collaborative workflows into one network, there are fewer back-and-forths between desk phones, computers, and workers' smartphones.

The basics of different VOIP systems

Many businesses still rely heavily on landlines, which remain one of the primary points of contact for businesses and customers. With the combination of traditional telephony and digital connectivity, a more affordable and reliable option emerged: The Internet Phone (SparkleComm). Is this the best choice for your business? Please read it carefully to find out.

Different phone systems

Today's businesses still use landlines to connect with a variety of stakeholders, including customers, investors, and suppliers, to meet their needs. However, the telephone has come a long way since it first appeared in 1876. For example, Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) phones actually have unlimited coverage, are automated and are cheaper than ever.

VoIP is a telephony solution that uses the Internet instead of wired circuitry to transmit data. VoIP doesn't just transmit audio — it can also send all kinds of data (video, multimedia, SMS, etc.) and perform other tasks.

The hardware (phone unit, cable, CPU, etc.) and software (running one or more applications of the system) for a VoIP system can be hosted locally or in:

Local – The hardware and software are physically installed on the company's premises.

Hosting - Some hardware, such as telephony units and other devices, can be found within the premises. But most, if not all, of the software, is hosted online. Service providers manage managed systems for their customers.

Lifecycle: On-premises vs. hosted

When it comes to hardware, it doesn't matter whether it's on-premises or hosted. Hardware is affected by wear and tear from everyday use. Unless there is an accident or physical damage, the VoIP hardware should be useful for years.

Software, on the other hand, needs to be updated regularly. It's worth noting that updating software hosted in the cloud is faster and less costly than on-premises software. However, the service life of the two is not much different—the software for both VoIP systems can be used for more than 10 years, depending on the reliability of your IT support.

Today's technology compared to the past

In the past, both hardware and software were built to last. Today, with the help of cloud technology, they can adapt and change.

The impact of this shift on hardware and software is enormous:

Most hardware components are very similar, replacing and upgrading every 5-8 years on average.

Cloud software upgrades are faster, easier, and less costly than software for on-premises systems. Critical cloud updates can be released almost continuously, and cloud systems can be overhauled in as little as 2-3 years.

Whichever phone system you choose, it should integrate smoothly with other systems in your business, such as email or customer relationship management software. As your business expands, the phone system you choose should also scale easily.

One step ahead

Downtime leads to a loss of potential sales and is essentially a waste of money. If your phone service is unstable and often unreliable, it may be time to switch to VoIP phones.

Today, what matters is not the longevity of the technology solution, but maintaining a head start to outperform the competition. Call our experts today so you can always take advantage of the best VoIP and other IT solutions available today.

What business phone system features do you need for your financial services?

Benefits of Voice over IP

Historically, business-grade phone systems were expensive. This makes them out of reach for any small business. Now hosted VoIP and IP-PBX make it possible for everyone to compete on a level playing field. Voice over IP will provide you with:

Efficiency and productivity benefits

Imagine the time you can save by automating call-related processes such as routing and forwarding. Your employees don't have to waste time managing phone, email, and voicemail. Let them continue on more important tasks.

Most employees complain about switching between different tools during the day. This is not only a waste of time but also interrupts their thinking process. Who likes to bother when working on deadlines or key projects? Streamline these workflows with Unified Communications and VoIP through SparkleComm.

Privacy & Security

As a financial services company, you need a security system that protects the privacy of you and your customers. Even if a company thinks it's not a big deal, the government will most likely not agree with you. Any VoIP system sends voice calls over the Internet, which leaves you vulnerable to hackers and malicious entities. Therefore, your phone needs the same protection as any other networked device.

Flexibility and scalability

Ever had to change suppliers, but couldn't they? Adding new production lines due to unusually high demand and vice versa? With a traditional system, you have to pay to do anything. If needed, you can't add a new number in a few hours. If an employee moves from one office to another, they must be given a new number.

Voice over IP is very flexible and can scale your business. Buy the required number of lines and numbers immediately. You can add or remove them at any time later. Configure new rows almost immediately. The best part? The VoIP industry does not sign contracts. Looking for a supplier that better meets your needs? Switch now!

Reliable and feature-rich systems are no longer a luxury for financial services companies. This is a must. With SparkleComm VoIP, it is now available to everyone. Upgrade to Voice over IP and see how it affects your workplace!

The idea of VoIP (Voiceover InternetProtocol)

The most significant advantage of VoIP is the ability to widely adopt the Internet and global IP interconnection environment, providing more and better services than traditional services. VoIP can cheaply transmit voice, fax, video, and data services on IP networks, such as unified messaging services, virtual telephony, virtual voice/fax mailboxes, number check services, Internet call centres, Internet call management, telephone video conferencing, e-commerce, fax storage and forwarding, and storage and forwarding of various information.

How does VoIP work?

Many friends like to use network chat tools for voice chat, which is not transmitted through the traditional telephone network of telecom operators but through the Internet. This technique of converting voice into IP packets, partly or entirely based on IP network transmission, is VoIP (Voiceover IP) technology.

The basic principle of VoIP is to compress the voice data encoding through the compression algorithm of the voice, then package these voice data according to the TCP/IP standard, send the packet to the receiving place through the IP network, and then string these voice packets together, and after decompression, restore it to the original voice signal, to achieve the purpose of transmitting voice by the Internet. The core and critical device of the IP phone is the IP gateway, which maps the regional telephone area code to the corresponding regional gateway IP address. This information is stored in a database, and the data continuity processing software will complete the call processing, digital voice packaging, route management and other functions. When the user makes a long-distance call, the gateway determines the IP address of the corresponding gateway according to the telephone area code database data, adds this IP address to the IP packet, selects the best route to reduce the transmission delay, and the IP packet reaches the destination gateway through the Internet. In some areas where the Internet has not yet been extended or has not yet set up a gateway, you can set up a route and be transferred by the nearest gateway through the long-distance telephone network to achieve communication services.

A method is needed to convert analogue telephone signals into digital signals that can be sent over the Internet. This feature can be included in the phone itself or on a separate voice gateway, such as ATA.

VOIP with ATA: Regular Phone - ATA - Ethernet - Router -

VOIP using IP Phone: IP Phone - Ethernet - Router

VoIP is a technology that focuses on IP telephony and introduces corresponding value-added services.

VoIP mainly has the following three methods:

Internet telephony: a voice call mode that is completely based on Internet transmission, generally a call between a PC and a PC.

IP telephony interconnected with the public telephone network: Voice transmission is achieved through broadband or dedicated IP networks. The terminal can be a PC or a dedicated IP phone.

VoIP service of traditional telecom operators: Voice transmission through the backbone IP network of telecom operators. The service provided is still the traditional telephone service, using traditional telephone terminals. Using an IP calling card, or prefixing the dialled phone number with an IP dial, uses the VoIP service provided by the telecom operator.

VoIP is relatively inexpensive. This is because VoIP telephony is nothing more than an application on the Internet. Essentially, VoIP phones are no different from email, instant messaging, or web pages, and they can be transmitted between internet-connected machines. These machines can be computers, or wireless devices, such as mobile phones or handheld devices.

Why do Some VoIP services charge money and some are free? VoIP services are not only able to communicate with VoIP users, but also to phone users, such as those using traditional fixed-line networks and wireless mobile phone networks. For these calls, VoIP service providers must pay the call charges to the landline network operator and the wireless communication carrier. This portion of the charge will go to the VoIP user. Calls between VoIP users on the web can be free.

What are the requirements to use VoIP? The first thing you need is an Internet connection, which can be the most basic dial-up Internet access or more ideal broadband service. The faster the network connection, the better the call quality of VoIP. For example, a high-speed broadband connection allows you to make phone calls while surfing the Internet. Secondly, VoIP software is required. Users can choose to install VoIP software on a desktop or laptop computer. This allows the computer to make online calls. If a user wants to convert his home phone into a VoIP dial-up system, he needs the help of an adapter. VoIP software can be individually pre-installed in a type called; Analog phone adapter; In the hardware device (analogue telephone adapter), the analogue phone adapter is mainly installed between the home phone and the broadband modem. For more details, see VOIP on Baidu Encyclopedia.

Why use VOIP?

There are two main reasons to use VOIP

Lower cost
Enhancements

In general, the cost of telephone services provided through VOIP is lower than equivalent services from traditional sources. This is largely a function of traditional telephone services, whether monopolies or government entities. Some cost savings have also been made by using a single network to host voice and data. This is especially true when users have underutilized network capacity available for VOIP, at no additional cost.

In the most extreme cases, users treat VOIP phones (or even international calls) as toll-free. Although there are costs to their internet service, using VOIP through this service may not involve any additional costs, so users treat calls as free. There are many services that have emerged to facilitate this type of "free" VOIP call. Examples are: Free World Dialing and Skype to see a more complete list: VOIP Service Providers

Enhancements

VOIP makes some things that are difficult for traditional telephony networks to achieve.
Incoming phones are automatically routed to your VOIP phone when you plug it into the network. Travel with your VOIP phone with you, and you can receive your calls wherever you connect it to the Internet.
A call centre agent using a VOIP phone can easily use a good internet connection from any location.

What to consider when choosing a VoIP service?

When deciding on a business communications solution, it can have a huge impact on your business. VoIP may be the best solution, but it's important to start with an analysis of the current state and needs. You can then determine if Enterprise VoIP is right for you. Here are some tips to help you identify your needs and make an informed choice.

1. Do you want to keep your existing equipment? Does it support your needs?

If you're using a legacy PBX and have a limited budget to completely replace your existing equipment, make sure you choose a VoIP solution that allows you to make a phased transition. Whether the new VoIP system is compatible with your traditional phone system, how to connect them together, how to ensure that the upgrade does not affect business continuity, etc. It is also important to verify that the VoIP service provider you are considering supports the device. At this stage, direct communication with the VoIP provider is key.

2. What unified communications capabilities does it offer?

VoIP phone systems provide a range of telephony features to handle audio calls, but communication with colleagues and customers is not limited to voice. That's why unified communications are being introduced into the business communications space, and why UC should be one of the top priorities when you evaluate your VoIP options.

The simplest unified communication is to consolidate a large number of communication channels and options into a single point of access. In fact, most UC products have VoIP as their core foundation, and many VoIP vendors do offer some UC features in their portfolios to further expand functionality and flexibility.

Common UC features include:

Unified Messaging

Instant messaging (chat)
present
Business Directory
Video conferencing
Teamwork

3. Can it be integrated into other platforms and tools?

In such a rapidly changing world, it is critical for businesses to remain agile and prepared. As more systems, platforms, and software appear in the workplace, managers and employees alike want a unified integrated solution to improve efficiency, which is why the ability of VoIP systems to integrate with other solutions and work seamlessly is more important than ever.

By connecting your phone system to other business enhancement tools, it's easier for you and your team to communicate, collaborate, interact, and streamline the entire workflow. Fortunately, there are Some VoIP providers that can

All rights are reserved to ACSNETWORLD