Because calls are made over the internet, you
must have internet service in order to use VOIP!
Which type of
internet service is best? For most people, cable or T-1 broadband
internet is by far the best way to go. It provides more
consistent bandwidth and is much more stable than the other options.
Below is
information on using VoIP with dialup, DSL and satellite internet:
-
Dialup Internet Service and VOIP
Although you can use VoIP with a dial up
internet connection it is not recommended. You won’t get very
good audio quality. Voice over internet phone service works best
over broadband internet that has good bandwidth in both directions.
Below is a statement from
Packet8 addressing
bandwidth
requirements:
-
Many
factors associated with your broadband connection including delay,
packet loss and bandwidth can affect audio quality. Generally, the
best results are obtained with upstream and downstream bandwidths of
greater that 64 kb/s in both directions. Telephone service can be
obtained below 64 kb/s but audio quality may be adversely affected.
Each active voice line uses approximately 23
kilobits/second of total data throughput, upstream and downstream.
-
DSL Internet Service and VOIP
You can use DSL with VoIP, but you should be
sure you have at least 64 kb of bandwidth in both directions. Using
a dialup or DSL connection really defeats the purpose of saving
money with VOIP, because you still have to pay for local phone
service. To get the most money saving benefit from a voice over
IP
solution, cable broadband is best. With cable internet you can use
internet phone and cancel your local phone service.
-
Satellite Internet Service and VOIP
Although you may be able to use internet phone
service with a satellite internet connection, this is not
recommended because of bandwidth fluctuations. If you have
satellite internet and want to use voice over IP phone service, you
should test for latency (the amount of time it takes for a data
packet to travel from source to destination) before considering it.
Below is some information from Packet8 on satellite use:
The
biggest issues with satellite are
1. Any additional latency on your satellite feed will be
added to your phone calls. Latency is a slowness that has to
do with differences in upstream and downstream data transfer.
2. Jitter if you have rapid variations in latency, our jitter
buffers will not be able to maintain satisfactory quality.
Please try some ping tests on your connection and make sure that
your latency and jitter are within acceptable levels. If nothing
else, we have a 30 day money back guarantee (we only ask that you
pay for the shipping of the equipment back to us, we will refund all
other monies paid) if you do not like the service for any reason.
The ping test (from Windows) is:
Start > Run > Cmd (or command) > ping -t proxy.packet8.net
run for one minute. Time should be less than 300ms and the times
should not vary by more than 100ms. You can cut and paste the
results (after running for one minute) by right-clicking the top
left corner and choosing Edit > Mark.
Note -
consider a broadband booster if you need to improve VoIP performance
over Satellite. The Hawking Technology broadband booster (at
bottom of this page) should greatly improve your internet
connection.
Do You Need Broadband Service?
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