Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) services utilize the Internet to route voice and fax calls between end points. Here are some Frequently Asked Questions... and Answers.
Alternatively, you can also use a free software phone program (such as X-lite, EyeBeam) on your desktop or laptop computer to make and receive calls using a headset, or use an applet on your smart-phone (Nokia SIP phone, Fring, ...).
VoIP services only work with high speed Internet connections such as DSL, Cable, T1 or Wireless. Dial-up and satellite Internet connections are not sufficient.
We do not provide automated sign up to avoid fraudulent use, and quite frankly to keep a personal touch. We're not your typical 10,000 employee telephone company with hour-long hold times. We welcome your call, and do indeed call back if you leave a message.
We can port all toll free numbers to our service. The turn-around for approval is about 24-48 hours. There are typically no interruptions in service. A one time $15 port fee applies.
Yes. Our control panel gives you access to the following:
VoIP service can (and typically is) as reliable a land line and often sounds better than a land line because most of the transmission path is digital. However, since VoIP utilizes the Internet and requires power to operate, your VoIP service can only be as reliable as your Internet connection and power service. The Internet is a "best effort" network without any guarantees, but as most of us know, it works rather well in practice. If your Internet is always up and running and you are not experiencing congestion (unreachable or slow loading websites), then you should not have any problems with VoIP services. Brief power outages can easily be overcome with an Uninterruptible Power Supply (UPS) on premises that provides power for a few hours during a power outage.
VoIP services only work with high speed Internet connections such as DSL, Cable, T1 or Wireless. Dial-up and satellite Internet connections are not sufficient.
When idle, a VoIP device uses minimal bandwidth to report to our servers where it is located and where your incoming calls should be sent to. A phone call requires about 80 kbps of bandwidth per active call, thus a typically DSL connection (5 Mbps downstream, 768 kbps upstream) is sufficient for a small office with 8 concurrent calls. For low-bandwidth connections, a more highly compressed connection setting (codec) is available that requires only 32 kbps per call at the expense of slightly lower voice quality (equivalent to a cell phone).
The Internet connection can be shared with other Internet devices to access web sites and email. To ensure that large uploads and downloads do not affect voice quality, a QOS capable router is recommended.
Using the Internet connection where you are or plan to use VoIP, click this link in the browser, then click Start Test. Once the test completes, click on the Summary tab and the Graph tab. A good connection will yield a MOS score around 3.9 points, should have low jitter (<10 ms) and no packet loss at all.
Packet loss is equivalent to bad reception on a cell phone -- parts of the phone conversation get lost. High jitter indicates that the network is running at capacity of is congested, thus you will likely experience problems with time critical applications such as VoIP. The Graphs tab shows the jitter over time of the test. For a good connection that should be a fairly smooth line.
Yes, absolutely. Simply take the equipment and connect it to your Internet connection at the new location and you're all set. There is no need to contact or notify us. It's that's simple. Remember to update your E911 address if you subscribe to this service.
VoIP uses the Session Initialization Protocol (SIP) on UDP port 5060 and Realtime Transport Protocol (RTP) on a configurable range of high-numbered UDP ports (typically 10000-11000). Additionally the device must be able to reach our provisioning server via regular HTTP/HTTPS protocols on port 80 and/or 443. Most NAT-capable routers automatically manage the connections without the need to open or forward any ports manually. Most routes also support several devices at the same location using the same Internet connection.
Faxing over VoIP is tricky. In practice faxing does work with high-quality Internet connection that has low delay and very low jitter. A quick "ping" test gives a good indication of the quality of the connection. For best results a T.38 capable adapter (ATA) such as the SPA-2102 is highly recommended.
Alternatively, use our VirtualFax (eFax) solution to send and/or receive faxes. A land line remains most reliable for high-volume faxing.
Most credit card machines have been reported to work with VoIP service. Alarm systems do not work and require a land line.
Yes, we can provide E911 service to customers located in the United States. Please note that VoIP service itself is not location dependent, thus it is the customer's responsibility to keep the E911 address up-to-date. We provide a convenient control panel to make such changes at any time.
We charge a one-time setup fee per number or a number porting fee and mandated taxes. Click here for complete information.