Top Level Definitions of IP And IP Related Technologies

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There is no question that we are finally heading towards a deeper period of the technology age. As we move forward into the world of IP Telephony, VOIP and Unified Communications, it is time to be clear on what we are getting into. Here are definitions of some of the broad concepts.

What is IP?

IP stands for Internet Protocol. This is the protocol, or method used in which data is transferred from one computer to another via the Internet. Each workstation is referred to as the host. It has its own IP address used to uniquely identify that specific workstation/computer from the rest of the computers running in the Internet.

Facebook Brings VoIP Capabilities to Android Messaging App

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Facebook is the most popular social networking site that recently announced that the its data base of users had crossed the 1 billion mark. The site is so popular that it is used in almost all the countries in the world. Signing up and creating an account is very easy and one just needs and email ID, which serves as the username and a password can be created on the spot and the account is ready to use. It is a great medium to interact with friends and family. You can exchange photos and videos or upload them on your timeline for friends to view. Any new event like an engagement or a wedding, addition of a new member in the family and many other social events are reported on Facebook and can be instantly accessed by the people you are close to, provided they have a Facebook account.

Advantages Of Integrating Hosted VoIP Technology Into Your Email And CRM Systems

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Did you know that it is very easy and beneficial for a company to integrate Hosted VoIP technology into their email and CRM (customer relationship management) systems?

Several companies opt for hosted VoIP technology in order to provide a more cost-effective and efficient solution when communicating with customers. Instead of the premises-based call centre that implies several operating costs on location, team members, software and hardware, the larger companies head towards business VoIP to deliver their message. These structures promote communication with clients in different situations and services, from the support, sales and marketing to the financial and collections’ departments. As soon as this hosted VoIP technology is installed, the telephonist is spared from the nuisances and time-consuming setbacks of wrong numbers, busy signals and answering machines.

With hosted VoIP technology, employees no longer need to manually enter phone numbers ensuring that the operator only works with analogue landlines. It also registers and records incoming and outgoing telephone calls to ensure that all the data is used and that nothing is wasted. This means that there is a better understanding of the clients’ needs and expectations and that therefore a better service is provided, leading to a more pleasant customer experience that makes them want to return to know more about the company’s services. Accuracy and profitability are also heightened as the hosted VoIP application allows you to understand better what type of customer you are dealing with, thus providing you paramount information in regard to the clients’ probable alternative or additional choices and needs, which you can address using cross selling, for example. Moreover, it also offers a solution for mass customisation without filling the time and space that is usually needed to do so, as there will be no longer the need of specific helpdesk software, plenty of different applications and email organisers.

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You personalise your relationship with the customers in the Cloud, and to make it real you only need to have a good internet connection and any sort of phone set, as long as it has an integrated DDI (direct dial numbers) system. Hosted VoIP software service may be installed regardless of the currently used applications and it also supports Microsoft Outlook, Google’s Gmail and Salesforce CRM, amongst others. During this year’s course, the company expects to have around thirty new integrations and expand them all into different systems like iPhone or Android Smart Phones, as well as all major Web Browsers.

By Sarah; a Search Consultant at http://www.fdcstudio.co.uk/ providing Digital Marketing Services throughout the UK

Do You Need to Upgrade Your Telephone System, or Can You Simply Maximise What You've Got?

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There are some people who would argue that the only way to adapt to the modern telecoms requirements that face most businesses today is to completely upgrade and overhaul on-site systems.

This can be a costly process and it might not even be necessary. Many companies are not currently maximising the potential of their existing telephone systems, which means that by tapping into this unused capacity it can be possible to save money and improve your available resources.

In order to achieve this and avoid a costly upgrade it makes sense to look for a provider that is willing to work with your business in order to meet your needs.

Of course, in some cases you will find that picking the right provider will actually let you fully assess the requirements of your business so that an appropriate telephone system and tariff package can be chosen.

While not all providers that encourage you to make a complete upgrade are unscrupulous, you should be suspicious of a company that is overly willing to dismiss the capabilities of your current set-up and recommend making an upgrade before they have taken into account what you have to hand and what you actually need to achieve with it.

If you are looking to upgrade from an older analogue landline service to a new network-based VoIP package, you may already have equipment that is up to the task of handling the changeover. Backwards compatibility and incremental improvements allow businesses to adopt new technologies with ease over time, rather than requiring an outright upgrade that has a high one-off cost.

Those businesses that do decide to upgrade a telephone system should make sure that they are choosing one which will be relatively future proof, allowing for further expansion and technological changes further down the line.

You can get advice on all of these important matters from your provider, although if the firm is unable to guide you adequately, or you find that there is a better deal elsewhere, it may be sensible to switch to a more accommodating rival.

Finding a provider that will be more sensitive to the needs of your business will not only streamline the process of upgrading or maximizing what you have already got, it will also help you to save money, because better cost efficiency should come from enlisting the services of a telecoms provider that knows how to communicate and assess what approach is required in a given situation.

Thanks to the power of digital communications it is now possible to outsource services such as system infrastructure to third parties, which helps to reduce the amount of money that your business needs to spend on the installation and maintenance of complicated in-house set-ups.

If you take the VoIP approach you will be able to add extensions and use computer workstations to host voice calls, with things like call routing, forwarding and answering services hosted externally. This should relieve the financial pressure on your business since the need for a high-end exchange located on site is negated.

Not every business will find this approach appropriate, but it does draw attention to the idea that a communicative telecoms provider will be better able to meet your needs than one which is simply trying to sell you packages that are only beneficial because you will be paying large amounts of money.

The route towards having an optimised telephone system that is operating at the peak of its potential is not easy, unless you choose a provider that will work with you to meet your needs.

Daisy Group can offer a range of bespoke telephony solutions to any sized business or organization. Find out more on their website at www.daisygroupplc.com.

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How VoIP works by SureVoIP

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Voice over IP (VoIP, or Voice over Internet Protocol) commonly refers to the communication protocols, technologies, methodologies, and transmission techniques involved in the delivery of voice communications and multimedia sessions over Internet Protocol (IP) networks, such as the Internet. Other terms commonly associated with VoIP are IP telephony, Internet telephony, voice over broadband (VoBB), broadband telephony, and broadband phone.

Internet telephony refers to communications services —voice, fax, SMS, and/or voice-messaging applications— that are transported via the Internet, rather than the public switched telephone network (PSTN). The steps involved in originating a VoIP telephone call are signaling and media channel setup, digitization of the analog voice signal, encoding, packetization, and transmission as Internet Protocol (IP) packets over a packet-switched network. On the receiving side, similar steps (usually in the reverse order) such as reception of the IP packets, decoding of the packets and digital-to-analog conversion reproduce the original voice stream. Even though IP Telephony and VoIP are terms that are used interchangeably, they are actually different; IP telephony has to do with digital telephony systems that use IP protocols for voice communication, while VoIP is actually a subset of IP Telephony. VoIP is a technology used by IP telephony as a means of transporting phone calls.

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Which kind of home phone service will suit you?

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Telephones are an extremely interesting invention of Alexander Graham Bell. It was perhaps the first invention in the field of communication. After his invention till today with the advancement of technology telephone services are in the path of improvement. Latest telephone models are produced today to draw the attention of the customers. Different types of phone services are available today in the market. 

Various cellular phones from the last decade (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Previously to have a telephone at home was a luxurious affair, but now it is a common affair at any every home. Land phone is one of the traditional phone services. It was in the hike of the market in the olden times. But today these traditional phones are being replaced by newly invented and highly sophisticated phone services. This is the main reason why traditional land line services are declining today. But land phones still exists today because there are some staunch believers that land lines are the most trust worthy services and do not want to give up this service.

Land line phones are mainly replaced after the invention of mobile phones. Land phones are not portable and involve wire connections while mobile phones are small and sleek, wireless and usually run through satellites, for these reasons mobile phones can be carried easily from one place to another. Mobile phones are now common everywhere. It is mainly famous among the youngsters. By taking advantage of their likings the mobile companies in order to promote their business are introducing fashionable, trendy and colorful mobile sets involving many exciting features which automatically become eye catching among the teens. Mobile service companies are seen in hard competition with each other and so they are providing interesting offers and packages for enjoying low call rates both local and long distant calls. Now internet is also possible through mobiles. So it can be seen that when mobile phones are providing such exciting services then why people will stick to land phones.

Digital phone services are another type of phone service. Many traditional TV or video companies are providing voice services over their networks. The main advantage of this type of service is that a single company serves multiple purposes like scheduling maintenance, scheduling installation, paying of monthly bills and many more. You will get this type of phone service you will have to contact your nearest cable operator of your locality. 

The process of establishing calls between two regular landline or mobile phones via VoIP (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Next is Internet phone service. If you already have a high speed internet service or if you are ready to purchase a service from an internet service provider then you can enjoy low rates of monthly calls valid for both local and distant calls that are offered by internet phone service providers generally called VoIP then this is the right service. For availing better services contact the service provider of your locality. 

Different types of home phone services are discussed in this article for your better assessment and for your better understanding. But the service providers cannot select a service for you because it is you to select a service. This article can only assist you to select. 

Author’s bio: Jimy Jones’s articles are rich in information about home Phone services. To know more visit homephoneservice.org

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6 Benefits of Uncapped ADSL for Consumers

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If you’re still stuck on your dial-up internet connection then you need to throw it in the trash and sign up for an uncapped ADSL line. It’s making a big impact globally and you need to jump on the band wagon and get connected to a faster way of surfing the web. Not only will you most likely be surfing faster with your new connection but you will be able to continue for as long as you like since it’s uncapped. The reason most people aren’t using uncapped yet is most likely from being uninformed about the advantages, that’s why we’re here to help with a list of advantageous.

Online Shopping

People who aren’t able to go to the store to shop will be able to access online shopping which offers deliveries as well as a gallery with all of their products. It’s convenient and safe, perfect for the parent who can’t get away from the home or the business man/woman who doesn’t have time to go out shopping.

Communication

You will be able to communicate with your friends constantly throughout the day because you’ll be able to stay connected continuously throughout the day. Instead of having to log out and in you can just minimize your window and wait for the emails to be delivered and arrive.

With the easy access of uncapped packages more people are able to connect with each other via different means. Instead of using their phones to call each other they can use VoIP and Skype to call each other at low costs.

Gaming

If you’re an avid gamer then you’ll be happy to know that uncapped ADSL is a great benefit to your gaming experience. Not only will the new upgrade most likely be faster but it will also enhance your gaming experience by giving you unlimited connection time to enjoy your games. You don’t have to worry about the connection bombing out because you forgot to buy more internet bundles for the connection.

Sharing is caring

Social media platforms are a great way to get in contact with friends and family. With uncapped ADSL you will be able to chat with them throughout the whole day and share your life experiences. You don’t have to worry if you connection will be disconnected after uploading a video or 20 images. With uncapped you can upload 3,000 photos and your connection will still stay open, while you’re doing that you can watch videos online, play flash games online and blog.

Instant Knowledge

Sometimes you really need to know something and the dictionary just won’t do it. Your answer is as always, the internet. Nothing is as easy as typing in “How much wood would a woodchuck chuck” and getting the answer you need on Google (Just Google, no other search engines exist in our opinion).

Banking online

Gone are the days when you have to sit for eight hours in a queue to apply for a loan and then be rejected. With online banking you can go online and apply for a loan at the leisure of your own home and you can open new accounts and create payments with the click of a button.

Hopefully this article showed you the great advantages of having uncapped ADSL. If you’re a husband or a teenager who need to convince their parents/wife why they should buy uncapped then this article is it, print and share.

Ruan Smit has been a gamer for years and his love fo rhis hobby has only grown since he bought a better ADSL connection. Nothing beats an uncapped ADSL connecion, especially if you need to make those highscores.

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History of The Telephone Line

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The telephone was famously invented by Alexander Graham Bell in the US during the 19th century, with the first call made over just 100 feet (30.5 metres) on the 14th of February, 1876. In the subsequent years a global industry has developed around this type of technology, with the humble telephone line still going strong to this day despite competition from emerging wireless services.

Here is a quick overview of the history of the telephone line from its early establishment to its modern applications, which should hopefully indicate just why it was such an important technological advance and how it changed the world.

Within two years of the first telephone call being made, Bell's patents were used to set up a company in the UK, backed by the then not insubstantial investment of £100,000. 150 telephone lines were quickly rolled out in London, with each line able to support a maximum of eight users simultaneously.

Further telephone exchanges were developed in the UK until in 1879 there were 200 subscribers in London, with lines leading across the country to Sheffield, Manchester and even Edinburgh. A rival company founded on the patents registered by Thomas Edison was also established in this year, undercutting the price of Bell's service by a significant margin in order to win over British customers.

The technology powering telephone lines was continually developed over the years, but it was in 1922 that things really got going when electro-mechanical technology designed by Almon B Strowger of the US became widely adopted to help automate the process. For the next seven decades or so, the UK's exchanges used a variant of this hardware in order to route calls.

Example of residential network including VoIP (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

By the mid-1980s, BT had become a private company and it began to look to digital technology to replace the analogue signals which had been carried by telephone lines for so many years. Investments of over £20 billion were made to update the UK's infrastructure. Despite this, it was not until 1995 that the final exchange working on Strowger's original design was closed, indicating the enduring nature of this set-up.

Using metallic cabling for telephone lines with analogue electrical signals transporting the audio information was not the only invention of Bell's which would go on to shape the world. As early as 1880, he was working with Sumner Tainter on something which they called the Photo-phone, which was essentially an early form of fiber-optic communication.

a fiber-optic splitter: 2x(input, 90% out, 10%out) (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Fibre optics would remain impractical and largely unpatented for the transmission of digital data until 1966. The lower attenuation rates in fiber-optic cables compared to metallic equivalents made them desirable for long-distance signal transmission and the UK was home to the first fiber-optic data line during the mid 1980s when a 140Mbps connection was set up between Luton and Milton Keynes. This would pave the way for the proliferation of optical technology which we see today being rapidly rolled out to replace the original metallic infrastructure as data rates are increased.

A TOSLINK fiber optic cable with a clear jacket that has a laser being shone onto one end of the cable. The laser is being shone into the left connector; the light coming out the right connector is from the same laser. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

The emergence of widespread broadband connectivity after the turn of the millennium, delivered either via traditional landlines or fiber-optic connections, eventually allowed more and more businesses and subscribers to access digital voice services. VoIP providers began to emerge in the middle of the 2000s, with companies such as Skype helping to introduce average consumers to the idea of making long-distance, IP-based calls between PCs rather than fixed-line handsets.

Fiber optic distribution frame from Canovate Group (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Today, a single fiber-optic connection or broadband-enabled telephone line can do the work of multiple older lines thanks to VoIP technology and the flexibility of the digital age. In spite of the growth of the mobile market, people still value telephone lines for their reliability and affordability.

Daisy Group plc who specialize in providing communication solutions to UK businesses. Daisy has been providing telephone lines for over a decade and are experts in Voip Technology, and bringing business in to the 21st century

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Technology to Get Internet Service without Phone Lines is Easy to Find and Install

In an economy where spending extra money is a financial burden, we tend to save more by cutting various expenses. In this regard, paying a telephone bill is a household expenditure we want to get rid of. This is mainly because of the fact that its utility has vanished over the years. Now we all have cell phones for making calls.

The trend of installing phone lines is diminishing day by day. Eventually, almost everyone will get rid of it because there are so many advanced options available for connecting to the internet. Regarding this, internet service providers look forward to this technology. They cater internet users from all segments. Availability of different internet packages makes it possible for everyone to go for it.

We needed a traditional telephone line just for the sake of connecting to the internet. But now, new technology has brought convenience for us. You can get internet services through various options. Some most popular options are mentioned below:

Wireless Digital Subscriber Line (DSL)

There are many users who want to get rid of using Internet through a telephone line. These users prefer switching to DSL. Getting a DSL was a difficult task some years ago. This is because it always required the installation of a phone line. However, you can connect to the Internet with having DSL without installing a phone line. DSL is a high speed internet service that is easily available.

Cable

You can also consider cable as a convenient option for selecting a high speed internet service provider. Some internet service providers offer their customers hardware such as cable modems. It is a wired solution. However, it does not require installing a phone line. To give their customers an addition in value, some companies also offer them other services along with internet services. These also include television packages.

For making international calls at relatively cheap rates, using cable can be the best option. For this reason, you can avail the benefits of a new technology called Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP). Due to the fact that different companies offer different plans to their customers, their packages vary a lot according to different areas. 

Satellite

Satellite network service is another good option for you if you do not want to use a phone line. Although Satellite network services are very similar to cable services, they can also be available to people living in rural areas. The cost of having cable services and satellite network services is same. However, you can have reduced costs if you subscribe to its bundled packages.

First of all, you will have to put a satellite dish on your building. Satellite internet service offers high-speed internet connection. However, the main issue with this service is that it is not as resistant to bad weather as other internet services. For instance, if it rains or snows, internet users find themselves unable to feel the consistency in their internet connection. The reason behind it is that the signals cannot be transmitted if there is moisture in the air.

Wi-Fi

Wi-Fi is the best technology for connecting to the internet wherever you are. If you want to use Wi-Fi and avail its advantages of unlimited broadband, then you need to find out how you can have access over a hub. The internet signals are transmitted by this hub. There are various local businesses that help you get access to Wi-Fi. Although it has data security issues, it provides the fastest service.

What to Choose

Due to an increased number of choices in the world of internet, sometimes it is difficult to decide which internet service to choose. Although all the above mentioned services do not require you to take the burden of installing a phone line, you still have to make some considerations. 

In order to make a decision, doing a bit of research is always good. Since different companies charge differently because each one has a different package to offer you, make sure that you know quite well about the latest prices. The strategy of internet service providers is to attract maximum customers. That is why they offer internet services for competitive prices.

If they are offering their services on the basis of any promotion, ensure that the promotion period has not expired yet.

The above article is composed and edited by Eva K. She is associated with many technology and web communities as their freelance writer and adviser. In her free time she writes articles related to broadband deals, technology, mobile applications, etc

Taking a New and Flexible Approach to Communications

Many providers of VoIP services to businesses were able to grow significantly throughout 2011. Mobile VoIP expanded by 113 per cent, according to Allot Communications, which indicates that the availability of high-speed data connections on modern business mobiles is making it easier for companies to eschew traditional voice calls in favor of an IP-based solution across multiple platforms. 2012 is expected to feature even greater growth in the VoIP industry, as more and more businesses become convinced of its benefits.

Reduce Costs

The first thing which makes VoIP an advantage in a business environment is the cost, because it is possible to make significant long-term savings if you invest in this type of technology rather than a traditional telephone system. This is primarily possible because you will no longer need multiple PSTN lines linking your premises to the network, as a single broadband connection will be able to handle multiple simultaneous calls. This means that there will be no additional line-rental charges to pay and you can instantly revise budgets downwards.

Image via Wikipedia

Cost savings also come when you look at the price of making a VoIP call when compared with a standard landline call. Any call made between two on-net users will cost absolutely nothing, so if you have more than one site for your business then it will not cost a penny for staff to stay in touch. In addition, you can call any landline or mobile number using a VoIP service and enjoy average call costs that are lower than their PSTN equivalent.

Because VoIP can be leased efficiently, with little to no upfront investment required and a per-user pricing package, your budget will also be under less strain. In addition, the scalability of VoIP far exceeds that of older business phone systems. You can add new handsets to your set-up as the growth of your business leads to new employees being taken on and the price of doing so will not be a burden.

Increase Productivity

In terms of productivity, VoIP comes into its own when you consider its application in the facilitation of remote working. The virtualised nature of VoIP means that you can allocate a single number to an employee on which clients and colleagues will then be able to reach them, whether they are in the office, at home or out in the field. As long as there is a means to connect to the network, then staff can make VoIP calls when on the move just as easily as if they were at their desk. This is not only more convenient and efficient, but also means that the reduced call costs will lead to much greater savings on calls over time.

Image via Wikipedia

Fully Flexible

The flexible, mobile nature of VoIP is not only useful on an everyday basis, but can also ensure that your business is resilient in the face of disastrous circumstances. If you are unable to get to a phone in the office or elsewhere, then VoIP will be able to automatically re-route calls appropriately, which would be impossible to achieve if you were relying on in-house systems that been damaged in an emergency.

Converged Solutions

Convergence of multiple communications platforms is possible thanks to VoIP because voice calls are not the only feature available from providers. You can also integrate a host of other services, such as fax, SMS texts, voicemail and many more, enabling you to receive everything through a single portal. Along with the cost savings, added flexibility and business resilience which it affords most of its users, this is the icing on the cake of VoIP that should help to make it a great impact on your business.

Hosted VoIP systems from Daisy Group plc allow companies to take advantage of the many advanced features provided by IP Telephony. Unlike traditional telephony suppliers, Daisy has over 12 years experience in cloud, data hosting, networking solutions and voice services enabling us to provide businesses withed-to-end solutions to help maximize the benefits of data (data replication, backup) and voice (IP Telephony (VoIP).

Daisy Group plc are leading providers of business telephone systems including Hosted VoIP and IP telephony phone systems to UK SME, Corporate and public sector customers.