subject: How to choose VoIP Phone Equipment [print this page] All the anacronyms and terminology might be a lot to get your head round but the concept of VoIP is actually quite similar to traditional landline telephony. There are so many options though, it is worth having a guide for choosing equipment and this guide is designed to help you know what you need for your situation whether it be a small business or a large firm.
The first issue you'll want to take note of when in the market for VoIP phone equipment is how much potential vendors are charging you for each phone you purchase. It is not uncommon to find VoIP phone equipment distributors who will be willing to give you a notable discount if you are purchasing a bulk order of phones for your business. In fact, VoIP phone equipment manufacturing has been perfected so much in the past year or so that some VoIP phone equipment vendors will give you price quotes that seem almost too inexpensive to seem realistic. Though some of these vendors may be unscrupulous crooks, the majority of them are legitimate businesses. If you are unsure about the VoIP phone equipment distributor you are working with, simply ask for some referrals and contact those referrals about their business experience with that particular vendor. As mentioned before, though there may be some vendors that are in the business of scamming individuals, there may be some legitimate VoIP phone equipment distributors that are looking for nave individuals that are not very knowledgable about what a reasonable price is for VoIP phone equipment just to increase their margins. A simple price comparison will be enough tp distinguish such vendors and can then be summarily avoided.
Generally, as a cardinal rule, VoIP phone equipment, such as physical handsets, should not be much more expensive than a landline handset that uses your local phone company in lieu of a VoIP phone company. Suspect vendors can then be vetted by comparing their prices for VoIP handsets against the average price for a non-VoIP phone handset of similar functionality or same brand. A prime example of a reasonably-priced VoIP phone equipment vendor is a company called Mitel Phones. Negative customer reviews about Mitel Phones are virtually non-existant on consumer protection sites.
Though VoIP phones have extremely similar features of that of a landline phone, there's one piece of equipment that makes them differ from a landline phone. Most VoIP phones are operated via a USB cord that connects to your computer and transmits data via your internet connection in lieu of your physical phone jack connection. Sometimes due to logistical reasons, you may need to purchase an additional USB cord extender so that your phone may be located within a reasonable distance of your work area.
