subject: Disadvantages Of Using Voip Phones [print this page] VoIP telephony has improved over the years and is quickly becoming a norm in various offices and homes. However, a number of key issues need to be worked out before it can replace Public Switched Telephone Networks (PSTN). The decisive factor here is reliability. VoIP is economical, straightforward to implement, customize and administer, but it is only as reliable as your internet connection and the electrical supply that runs it.
VoIP - effectiveness versus reliability
VoIP phone systems are no doubt extremely efficient. The phone equipment and supporting software can be personalized to address the needs of personnel to near perfection. But do they assure 100% up time like the albeit conventional but dependable PSTN phone? Unfortunately not. That's because power and internet service breakdowns though rare, cannot be ruled out. Servers that run VoIP applications do sometimes have downtimes. Traditional phone systems may sound dated in the fast evolving digitized world but they are easy to use and rarely go out of order (not counting natural calamities, of course).
It isn't surprising that numerous organizations haven't taken to VoIP yet. Their reluctance is not unjustifiable. No business can risk the breakdown of phone connectivity, for even a few minutes. Let's discuss some of the issues that VoIP engineers must really work on to improve consumer confidence.
Dependence on power grid
The fundamental downside of VoIP is that it works over the internet that is powered by electrical supply. Any outage in grid power will disrupt the phone system too. Therefore, even with a VoIP system, a business will have to keep some backup phone system to cover itself against such occurrences. If not that, it will have to at least purchase a power resource that promises close to 100% up time.
Integration issues with other equipment
There are some issues with VoIP integrating with equipment such as digital video recorders, home security systems, etc. that work on the telephone connection. This deters home users from moving to VoIP as they would have to make a lot of unnecessary changes in current equipment.
VoIP makes 911 call tracking difficult
VoIP works with IP addresses, not geographical locations. This becomes a limitation for 911 emergency calls as it is hard to find out the geographical location of the caller. The automated system is unable to transfer calls to the appropriate call centers and nearest Emergency Medical Service (EMS). This difficulty could be solved if a way could be devised to add the physical location in VoIP transmissions. Progress in this regard has been made in the last few years but the system is still imperfect and prone to errors.
VoIP and the internet have to manage similar problems
All the risks that are associated with digital transmission of information over the internet - jitter, loss of data packets, delayed transmission (latency) - are also pertinent to VoIP. These problems affect the audio quality leading to voice breaking, delayed transmission, etc. These drawbacks are not conducive to a business environment.
VoIP security problems
VoIP needs all the security procedures that are required with a broadband connection to protect users from hacking, virus intrusions, illegal data interception, etc. VoIP developers have come up with encryption strategies to mitigate this danger but more work needs to be put in for businesses to trust VoIP systems completely.
Impact of processor load on VoIP quality
VoIP phones come integrated with computer systems. If you are running a processor intensive application on your server, you will experience an abrupt deterioration in the sound quality of the ongoing call. This is also known as processor drain. Imagine you are on an important business call and the server hangs; you will also lose the call.
All these issues are tricky and VoIP engineers are trying to make breakthroughs that can make VoIP more suitable for business communications. VoIP security and reliability are major factors that may stop some businesses from opting for. Advancing technology can make VoIP more reliable. That will definitely help it become a mainstream communication channel.
