Voice over Internet Protocol or VOIP technology has long since become a mainstay of residential and commercial communications, but how does it work and why is it relevant? To understand whether VOIP is a good choice for you or whether you should choose certain VOIP services, you need to understand how the technology works and what makes the service better from one installation to another. Here are a few telephone and general communications details to help you understand VOIP technology to the point of making major tech investments:

What Is VOIP?

As the acronym suggests, Voice over Internet Protocol technology is used to send audio (voice) over the internet or similar networks. Sound is converted to data that computers can package and transfer, then converted again into sound on the other end.

The technology behind VOIP is actually a large set of techniques, rules, hardware, and software. VOIP codecs are a major difference since they are the rules that decide how conversion and transfer should happen. 

At the basic level, VOIP codec designers must figure out how to achieve the right mix of audio quality versus file size. Although the overarching goal of all codecs is to get the best quality at the smallest size possible, many codecs offer compromises. Some may choose a low, but acceptable and understandable level of quality in the form of small and fast files, while others want to reach the highest possible quality possible.

The codec-converted information is sent across the internet in the same way that any file downloads or website visits are sent and received. Unlike websites that can simply have information resent at a slower loading rate if something is lost or corrupted, a damaged VOIP data packet can't be simply sent again. It will be received as some kind of warped audio, such as robotic voice tones or complete loss of sound.

Network Requirements For VOIP

Like anything else that uses the internet, you need to make sure that your internet speeds are up to par. This means knowing what your service plan includes, and knowing whether your Internet Service Provider (ISP) can support your needs.

Bigger, faster speed packages are best, but you need to worry about consistency as well. Unfortunately, consistency is not accurately listed on ISP sales papers, so you will need to rely on local internet service reviews or your own trial and error.

Your internet needs to both support VOIP traffic and all other internet traffic. You will also need a phone systems professional to make sure that your VOIP traffic has higher priority without completely wasting your available internet capacity.

Contact a business phone systems company like ACC Telecom to discuss configurations and service levels for your new phone systems.