VoIP, or Voice over Internet Protocol, is an increasingly popular telephone system option for many businesses. As with anything tech-related, VoIP terminology is often complex and confusing.
Today we offer an overview of 10 terms you will hear when discussing VoIP.
POTS – Plain Old Telephone System. This is the term applied to traditional or older phone systems that rely on analog (phone line) transmission. Many smaller businesses and most homes still use this system.
ATA – Analog Telephone Adapter. This is a small adapter, usually about the size of a thumb drive, that you plug into a normal phone to allow it to connect to a VoIP network and send calls over the Internet.
PBX – Private Branch Exchange. The PBX is an internal system that allows phone calls to different lines within your company, with an answering service, automated menus, voice mail, and call transfers. Think of it as the system that controls everything related to the phones in your office.
Bandwidth – Is the amount or volume of data that can be transmitted over an Internet or communication line in a given amount of time. It is measured in bits per second (bps) e.g., 100 mbps for Internet speed, and Hertz (Hz) for phone/analog systems. The higher the number, the faster communication will be.
DDI – Direct Dial In. Is a function of VoIP and some POTS, whereby a caller can directly call a specific phone instead of having to go through the PBX and answering system.
CTI – Computer Telephone Integration. This system allows your phones to interact with computers. An example is the ability to make a call directly from Outlook, or send voice mail to your inbox.
SRTP – Secure Real-time Transfer Protocol. This is a security protocol that many businesses and VoIP systems rely on. It creates a unique encryption code for each call and encodes the call without reducing call quality, all while making eavesdropping nearly impossible.
QoS – Quality of Service. This is the ability of a VoIP network to deliver traffic with a minimal amount of downtime and the highest quality.
Find-me/Follow-me – This service can find you wherever you are, and forward calls to that location or the phone closest to you, such as a mobile or home phone.
IP Phone – This is another term applied to VoIP phones. This phone can convert voice into a digital signal called ‘packets’ which can then send the audio over an Internet connection. It can also convert digital packets of back into voice audio.
Thinking about making the change to VoIP? We’re here to help – give us a call today.
