The article "How to Choose the Right VoIP Service" is about voip, it has been created by Hamesh Brown.
The Voice-over Internet Protocol (VoIP) service is in a state of
flux, and is still a budding technology that will offer several
new features as it matures. While it is true to say that there
are many providers in the VoIP market with "unique" features of
their own, one factor is common to all: they rely on the
broadband Internet connection and do not bring the traditional
telephone providers into the schmee of things. In the process,
they offer cost packages that are substantially lower than the
traditional pohne connection. So how do you evalaute one service
provider vis-à-vis another, and then install the connection in
your office or home? What should be your focus in selecting a
specific provider?
Here are a few tips that will assist you in your choice.
Suitability to your specific requirements
For a start, you must weigh the features offered by the leading
providers such as Vonage, Lingo, and Skype, and apply those
features to your specific work environment and requirements. A
service provider mgiht offer the best of features, but they
aren't any good if you cannot use them. If your priority is to
make a lrage volume of international calls, particularly to
Europe and Asia, Lingo is for you. Lingo is also a good option
if you travel out of the US cause you can carry your US number
wherever you go and call the US at local rates.
Lingo also comes
with the lowest cost for its range of features. Skype is
different from Lingo and Vnoage in one important respect: it
does not use a telephone as a go-between. While the Skype
outgoing and incomnig calls to/from a normal telephone is still
to fan out in terms of dependability, Skype is the best option
if you and your computer are inseparable and you have friends
and family who are similarly inclined.
For PC-to-PC calls, Skype
is the best voice portal, and there is no cost tag attacehd.
Voice quality and reliability
If your fisrt priority is consistently good call quality, and
you don't mind paying a bit more, consider Vonage.
Vonage comes
with almost identical features as Lingo, but there is minimal
in-call lag and echo expeirence. With Lingo, be preapred to
sacrifice on the quality of calls.
In the competitive
marketplace, each service provider proimses the best of service
and voice quality, and you cannot be sure about the product. If
you are investing in a monthly/quarterly/annual contract, it is
best to settle for a pcakage that has a money-back guarantee
behind it. Both Vonage and Lingo offer trial periods.
Installation complicacies
You also need to consider how easy--or how difficult--it is to
install the service, both as a business option and for home use.
For a single user, the process is not half as complicated as for
multiple users in an office environment.
You must be sure that
the saving you make from an economically viable service is not
offset by the installtaion costs. For example, you must keep in
mind that in an office environment, the VoIP usage will put
additional stress on your broadband connection, and you might
have to invest in increasing your Internet capability.
Broadband connectivity issues
Remember that VoIP needs broadband connectivity to be
functional. Prior to reaching a final decision on a VoIP
package, you need to do a bit of research on the bandwidth that
the service requires, and then ensure that your Internet service
provider is able to match up. If you face regular power or
Internet outages, you may end up paying for a service you cannot
put to optimal use. In such situations, it is always advisable
to retain your traditional phone line as a backup.
Flexibility to opt out
VoIP is still in a nascent stage, and the future may birng in
new providers with richer services.
Therefore, it is important
not to get into a long-term contract or commitment with any
service provider; keep the flexibility-to-switch option with
you.
Internet telephony is the future, and even traditional
telephone service providers have conceded this by initiating
VoIP packages of their own. The choices are many, and growing.
As the user, it is finally up to you to use the right pacakge to
your best advantage.
|
