Week 10: Clear VoIP

I think that it is amazing how computers are capable of interpreting our voices, converting our speech into terms that computers can understand and transmitting the information to receiving computers.

This process is known as Voice over Internet Protocol, or most commonly referred to as VoIP. Originally designed for data networking, the success of Internet Protocol (IP) has developed an adaption to voice networking.

It is the transmission of voice traffic over IP-based networks aka calls that can be placed across the Internet. One may use VoIP to call other VoIP users or PSTN gateways (Public Switched Telephone Network.) VoIP to VoIP calls are free and require VoIP hardware and/or software at both ends. VoIP to PSTN gateways are free-based but there are costs involved depending on what services/package one desires. These calls are capable through certain services such as Vonage, SkypeOut/SkypeIn.

There are three different methods to a VoIP network:

• VoIP telephone
• Standard telephone with VoIP adapter
• Computer with with attached microphone

The process of placing a VoIP call using a computer attached microphone would takes place as follows:
1. You speak into the microphone attached to the computer
2. Your voice is converted to compressed digital data stream
3. The data is transmitted across the IP network
4. The data is received to whoever you are trying to communicate with, converted to sound and then sent to the audio output device

Here is quite an interesting VoIP tutorial that teaches you what VoIP is, why to use VoIP and how to use VoIP.