Long-distance and international calls on "traditional" telephone lines are a real luxury for most residents of our country. The high price and low quality of communication make more and more users refuse to communicate with relatives and friends from other regions. Moreover, the insecurity of the telephone line makes it an easy target for attackers - with the proper ability to connect to it and everyone can speak at your expense.
If you don’t want to put yourself at risk of being robbed, but still you can’t refuse “international communication”, you should think about connecting IP-telephony. What are Internet calls, what are the advantages of the system and how to set up a connection - we’ll try to figure it out.
Digital calls
IP-telephony is a combination of old habits and modern technology. This is a set of communication protocols and methods that provide traditional dialing and two-way communication via the Internet and any other IP-based networks.
Unlike ordinary, landline phones, in which the interlocutor's voice is transmitted by an analog signal, IP-telephony encrypts sound in binary code and compresses it. This improves the quality of communication and reduces the load on the network. Other benefits of IP telephony calls are:
- Low cost of international and long distance calls.
- Independence from telephone lines.
- Make calls anywhere.
The last advantage should be the ability to block unwanted incoming calls at your expense by disabling the G8. Using IP-telephony is profitable and convenient, but, like everything new, you need to get used to it.
Types of IP Telephony
Internet calls can be made from a regular landline phone, from special IP equipment and even from a computer.
According to the type of device through which the connection is made, and there is a division of IP-telephony for the home into types:
- "Computer-to-computer" . For communication, subscribers need a PC with installed software and an Internet connection. The call in this case is similar to communication in Skype. This type of connection is the least common.
- Communication through the card. To make a call you need a regular landline telephone with tone dialing and an access card from the provider. To contact a friend, you first call the operator’s number, in tone mode, enter your identifier and PIN code, and then - the number of the called subscriber.
- Communication via IP phone. A dedicated IP phone is already configured for communication. All you need is an Internet connection. When making a call, the phone automatically connects you to the provider, connects to the proxy server and calls the subscriber.
Many probably have a question: what is an IP phone? It is a regular handset with a handset and keyboard, it works independently of a computer and can accept a call at any given time.
Foreign operators in Russia
Choosing a provider is the first step towards communicating via IP telephony. The cost of calls will depend on the choice made, so choose a service company, considering the pros and cons. The largest representatives of IP-telephony in our country are Sipnet and Comtube.
Sipnet is one of the first foreign companies to establish a representative office in Russia. Its services are ideal for making calls within the network, that is, for communicating with intra-city numbers - calls are completely free. For other directions, the tariffs for IP-telephony are as follows:
- international calls - from 1.5 to 6 rubles / min;
- intercity communication - up to 1 rub / min.
Operator reviews are positive. Some are confused by the setup of equipment, which is carried out in English.
Comtube is one of the youngest and most promising providers. It provides its customers with two sets of services - "Start" and "Premium". The first set will provide customers with basic capabilities, and the second, among other things, a number of additional services. The cost of calls depends on the terms of the contract.
It is impossible to give reliable reviews about this operator - too few users are familiar with it. Some are pleased with the quality of communication and a fairly wide range of options in the Start package, while others complain that everything in the service is fixated on VIPs.
Domestic providers
Zebra Telecom is one of the most promising providers in Russia. Provides customers with the ability to make calls using both an access card and a PC and IP phone. Calls from Zebra to Zebra are completely free. Long-distance calls cost from 50 kopecks / min, international - from 1.5 rubles - it all depends on the country of the subscriber.
Among the positive qualities it is worth noting the Russian-language localization of software. According to customer reviews, this is one of the many advantages of a domestic provider.
Rostelecom IP telephony will be a profitable solution for those who need constant communication with subscribers from other countries. Unlike other operators whose calls are charged per minute, with Rostelecom you pay for packages of minutes once a month or as traffic is used up.
So, the cost of a package of 100 "international" minutes will be about 250-300 rubles. It doesn’t matter which country you are calling to. But it will be more prudent for some customers to use per-minute billing, especially if you talk for less than 50 minutes a month.
Necessary equipment
The set of equipment necessary for communication does not depend on the chosen telecom operator, but on the preferred type of IP-telephony. So, for computer-to-computer calls, you will need an Internet access point — an optical fiber cable, a USB modem, and equipment for comfortable communication: a microphone, headphones, and a webcam for video calls.
To call IP-telephony numbers from a landline phone, you will need a SIP adapter and a computer or router with a built-in IP gateway. If you use a hardware IP-phone, then you will not need anything but himself.
Configuring communication through the adapter
When choosing an operator, ask what kind of equipment is needed to connect to a dedicated line, is it easy to buy and expensive.
Some providers offer their customers fully configured adapters for communication with other subscribers. In this case, the entire configuration process is reduced to the sequential execution of several steps:
- Use the instructions to connect the adapter to the network.
- Connect the landline telephone to the LINE1 slot using a standard telephone cable.
- Turn on the adapter by inserting the power supply into an outlet, wait until the download is complete (2-3 minutes).
- Pick up the phone, wait for the dial tone.
As soon as you hear a tone on the other side of the line, you should know that you figured out what IP-telephony is, and you were able to correctly connect the equipment. Now there are no barriers to communication.
Setting up some softphones
Setting up IP phones has some features. In particular, you will need to program your device and enter information about yourself in its database. This is not as difficult as it seems.
Before proceeding with the configuration, make sure that you have an ID (identifier), as well as a passphrase or PIN code. Here is an example of the data that most phones require when connecting to a Sipnet operator.
Other operators should have a similar procedure for setting up IP-telephony. Customer reviews report that dealing with it is easy. In addition, in case of problems you can contact the operator. Helping you with the setup is their responsibility.
Disadvantages of IP Telephony
Now that you have learned the basic principles of connection, the advantages and technology of Internet telephony, you are ready to learn about some of the disadvantages of this method of communication. Such information will help you decide whether you need IP-telephony or not.
The first and one of the most significant drawbacks is the dependence on the power grid. If you will use a PC or a landline phone for communication, then you won’t be able to call you “without light”, as well as make calls yourself. The exception is hardware IP phones.
When making a call for the first time, the person you are talking to will probably not recognize you. It’s all a matter of the caller ID - the number of the gateway you are connected to will be determined on the display of the called party, not your own.
The last and one of the most important disadvantages is the high price of the equipment. Many customers are at a loss that such an IP-phone can cost up to 3-4 thousand rubles, and this is without a monthly fee. However, installing it in your apartment, you can no longer think about prices when communicating with subscribers from other countries.