VoIP for Business and Residential Users

Broadband and other internet connections can now make and receive phone calls with the use of VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol). Different VoIP business phone service providers often dub this service as a broadband phone, digital voice or internet phone service which cab be used as a marketing technique in order to entice more subscribers.

The VoIP phone service offers businesses and residential users with many benefits over a regular phone service. Among the other advantages, the service offers the lowest phone call cost. With VoIP, all phone calls are covered with a low monthly payment. Taxes and other fees of the regular phone rates are no longer included with the VoIP service which makes it a cheaper alternative. International and long distance calls can now be made regularly since there will be cheaper calling rates.

The VoIP for business or residential services offer vast features that can create a reliable and quality communication system. The Service includes the following:

•    Redirection of phone calls to voice mail
•    Forwarding of voice mail as attachment to emails
•    Call conference with up to 3 or more people
•    Caller ID
•    Call waiting
•    911 or 411 service
•    Internet fax
•    Last number redialing
•    Call blocking
•    Call forwarding
•    Portability

These are just the basic features that are common in most of the VoIP providers. Since this technology is fast growing, other providers are now equipping their service with office phone system advanced features like: toll free numbers, call transfer, DND, distinctive ring, virtual numbers and many more.

How a Caller ID Feature Works?

With a caller ID feature, a user is able to see caller information on the telephone display or on an attached caller ID box. It is usually available on most digital, VoIP and on some analog phone systems. This feature is a telephone service that transmits caller information like name and number to called party’s device.

The process of sending caller ID information to the other end of the line is quite simple. Telecommunication providers use the FSK (Frequency Shift Keying) technique, similar technique used on baud modems, to send ASCII data over a telephone line to the called party’s device display. FSK sends data by changing tone or frequency (that represents data bit 1 or 0). So, when a caller dials a number the data is sent between the first and second telephone ring. On some telephone or caller display box there is an audible half-a-second bleep sound that, when decoded, contains the caller ID information: type and length of message; time and date of the call; the phone number; and a checksum byte for making sure that the data received is complete.

Other caller ID systems, found on some toll free service, use advanced techniques, similar to FSK, but transmit data as an 8-ASCII character preceded by a start bit 0 and then followed by stop bit 1. With a circuit, a ring signal is detected and the bits are decoded using the modem contained on the telephone or caller ID box. The display is then handled by a simple processor. This technique enables the caller ID to display more caller information such as the caller name, number being called, location, date, time, etc.

Caller ID is a very useful telephony feature for tracking down unwanted callers, telemarketers and prank callers.