Choosing A Voip Phone

If you're reading this article, it means you've already decided to choose a hardware VoIP phone instead of a software one

. Or if you're a business, you're researching which model is suited for your particular service provider. There are many features that can be incorporated into a VoIP phone, but you need to be aware of a few basics before you proceed any further.

Since VoIP is a relatively new technology, there are different standards on which it operates. These standards or protocols are not always compatible, though the industry has begun to converge around the "Session Initiation Protocol" or SIP. Previously, the H.323 protocol was in vogue. An example of another protocol is the "Skype protocol" which is proprietary. This means that it's not interoperable with other VoIP protocols unless a license fee is paid to Skype. This is just one of the pitfalls to look out for when purchasing a VoIP phone.

Another technical aspect is the use of "codecs." Codecs are simply pieces of software that encode analog signals to digital and vice versa. Some codecs do a better job of keeping the sound quality steady and reducing bandwidth than others. Try and get a VoIP phone that supports a large number of codecs. This will ensure that you have the best possible compatibility with all other phones.

Extended Features

VoIP phones are unique in their customizability. They can have a large number of "soft keys" that take on different functions depending on what's happening at a given moment. This reduces the need for "hard keys" which in turn makes more space on the phone for a nice large LCD screen - giving more information to the user.

Depending on your needs, another thing to look out for is the number of lines you can connect to. This feature allows you to put your callers on hold and use the phone for other activities. The number of lines will determine how many callers you can put on hold at a give time. This is very useful for customer service executives needing to handle dozens of customers in a short period.

It's hardly possible to do justice to even a fraction of the many features of a VoIP phone in just one article, but hopefully you've gotten an idea of the three or four important things to start your search with. In later articles, we'll take a look at more advanced features on VoIP Phones.

by: Andrew Wiggin

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