| VoIP, better known as Voice over Internet Protocol is | | | | may be more difficult to implement or expensive using |
| a protocol optimised for the transmission of voice | | | | the more traditional PSTN. Conventional phones are |
| through the internet or other packet switched | | | | connected directly to telephone company phone lines |
| networks. VoIP is often used abstractly to refer to the | | | | and are kept functioning with the help of back-up |
| actual transmission of voice. It is most commonly | | | | generators or batteries located at the telephone |
| known as IP Telephony, Internet telephony, Broadband | | | | exchange that in the event of power failures. |
| telephony, Broadband Phone and Voice over | | | | Generally, household VoIP hardware uses broadband |
| Broadband. | | | | modems and other equipment powered by household |
| The companies that generally provide VoIP services | | | | electricity that could be subject to interruptions in the |
| are commonly referred to as providers, and protocols | | | | absence of an uninterruptible power supply or |
| which are used to carry voice signals over the IP | | | | generator. |
| network are commonly referred to as Voice over IP | | | | The support of sending faxes over VoIP is still limited. |
| or VoIP protocols. Voice over IP protocols carry | | | | The existing voice codecs are not designed in a |
| telephony signals in the shape of digital audio, typically | | | | suitable way for fax transmission. The efforts to solve |
| reduced in data rate using speech data compression | | | | this are underway by defining an alternate IP-based |
| techniques, encapsulated in a data packet stream over | | | | solution for delivering Fax-over-IP, namely the T.38 |
| IP. There exist two types of PSTN to VoIP services. | | | | protocol. Another possible solution to overcome the |
| Direct Inward Dialing (DID) and access numbers. DID | | | | drawback is to treat the fax system as a message |
| supports in connecting the caller directly to the VoIP | | | | switching system which does not need real time data |
| user while access numbers need the caller to input the | | | | transmission - such as sending a fax as an email |
| extension number of the VoIP user. | | | | attachment or a remote printout. |
| VoIP has succeeded in grabbing the attention with | | | | Raina Kelsey is an expert author, and writes about |
| much facilitated tasks and by providing services that | | | | latest gadgets. |