What’s the Technology Behind Hosted VoIP Solutions?

What’s the Technology Behind Hosted VoIP Solutions?

Hosted VoIP solutions have quickly become an essential telecommunications technology in the business world. As About.com writes, hosted VoIP solutions are renowned for their ability to increase the number of calls businesses can handle at any given time, while bringing a future-proof, constantly updated technology to business owners. Of course, one of the biggest benefits is being able to gain these advantages at a much lower price than traditional land-line telephone service providers.

You’d think that as an internet-based telephony solution, hosted VoIP services would rely on advanced, extremely complicated technology. However, as you will see, hosted VoIP solutions use exceedingly simple technology to bring the very best communications solutions to their customers.

The Move Away from Dual Circuit Physical Systems
As Tech Target writes, traditional land-line telephones work through two physical circuits. One of these circuits sends a caller’s voice to the other end of the phone. The second circuit receives signals, bringing the other person’s voice to the caller. That’s an over-simplification, but it’s effectively been the way traditional phones have worked since they were invented by Alexander Graham Bell in the mid-19th century.

In essence, hosted VoIP solutions work in the same way. However, unlike land-line phones that rely on a physical dual-circuit system, VoIP works by opening a connection, a “circuit,” when a user wants to make a call. The distinction is that one is physical and permanent, whereas the other is digital and temporary.

The Hardware That Makes Voice over IP Services Work in-House
Of course, the software that sets up VoIP’s digital circuits is only part of the solution. As How Stuff Works points out, your voice first needs to be turned into data before it can be sent across the worldwide web. Depending on your setup, this can be accomplished in a number of ways:

• Analog Telephone Adapters- ATAs are attached to traditional phones in order to turn analog voice data into digital data that can be sent across the web using a VoIP solution.
• VoIP-specific Phones- VoIP phones work just like a normal phone, but instead of being attached to a phone line, they are plugged directly into the web via an ethernet cable.
• Computer to Computer- Undoubtedly, the easiest way to use VoIP is through your computer. You only need a microphone and your VoIP service provider’s software to get started.

As you can see, even though hosted VoIP solutions have taken business communications to a whole new level, they’re remarkably simple. Why over-complicate what already works so well? This is a great source for more.