VoIP or Voice over IP is the transfer of voice, data, and multimedia over an internet connection. It allows communication and transfer over the internet using modern-day devices. These include smartphones, tablets, and computers. The main difference between use of VoIP and telephone is use of internet for communication. It is instead of telephone operator’s wired communication. The basic idea is conversion of different multimedia into digital data which can transmits over the internet.
Some of the features of VoIP can are the use of network creation used in common include:
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audio calls
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video calls
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voicemails
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instant messaging
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mobile and local number portability
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use of web and mobile based applications
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SMS
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emails and
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group chats
In modern world, it has become an all-pervasive medium of connection and communication. Both personal users and businesses use it on a large scale. Other features that we can include are call recording and sending voice messages, etc.
Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) makes use of the internet for communication with help of IP networks to pass data packets. It makes use of codecs which are a hardware or software-based process which compressed and decompresses large amount of data. Other components of VoIP may include IP PBX (Private Branch Exchange). It manages devices, features and clients, as also gateways to connect to networks. It can also include location-tracking databases for Emergency calls and other management platforms. The traditional telephone makes use of circuit switching with connections called as circuits. It is the fundamental on which Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN) builds. But VoIP makes use of packet-switching in which a brief connection for exchange of packets establishes.
The equipment used for VoIP can be either hardware based, or software based. A hardware-based VoIP phone is like the traditional hard-wired or cordless phone. It has hardware support for speaker, mic, and possible digital screen such as a touchpad. A software-based IP phone, also called as the softphone are software clients installed on devices. These devices should in essence have a speaker, screen and mic enabled as per the use.
Even though any device supports VoIP, they are mainly classified into communication as:
- Computer-Phone
- Phone-Phone and
- Computer-Computer
Nextiva, Aircall, Zoiper, Skype, Zoom, and Google Hangouts are some examples of applications, services, and companies that use VoIP. Today, apps like Telegram, Signal, and WhatsApp have replaced phone calls as the main way to communicate.
There are several protocols that come into play as per the application and ways of use and VoIP endpoints. These rely on either International Telecommunication Union (ITU) standard, or codecs developed for that purpose. Some of these are the use of:
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H.323, a complex protocol primarily created for video conferencing
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711, standard for transmitting uncompressed packages
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729, standard for compressed packages
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TCP used to breakdown into smaller packages,
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RTP or Real-Time Transport Protocol used when voice encapsulates into IP and
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Session Initiation Protocol that uses signaling to create, maintain, end calls.
The main advantage of using VoIP is the low-cost. With the large number of apps that provide free usage, the consumption of internet usage incurs far less expenses as compared to phone bills. The uncompressed data with good internet availability allows higher quality of sound and video. The pandemic in recent times have shown the importance and convenience of using VoIP for number of remote workers. This extends to the idea of communication on a global scale with remote communication becoming agnostic of distance and cost.
Despite the number of advantages, the few disadvantages that VoIP faces are as below. The reliability on the internet is subjective and can make emergency calls and communication difficult as times. As internet is dependent on electricity, a power outage may disrupt the usage. In summary, the flexibility and efficiency that VoIP provides may outweigh the disadvantages. Reliability and security yet are still a matter of concern.
