Technological change always comes with advantages and disadvantages. An evaluation of VOIP phone service is no different. A well-informed consumer will weigh the pros and cons of VOIP phone service and then decide if it is right for them.
VOIP phone service’s primary advantage is its low cost relative to traditional cable telephone service. VOIP phone service connects people to people via a high speed Internet connection rather than cable telephone lines. If your computer has a broadband Internet connection, you already know that you can connect to any computer anywhere in the world rapidly. It is this broadband Internet connection that the VOIP phone service utilizes to provide phone service for you to anywhere in the world for no fee. VOIP phone service will also provide the option to call a regular cable phone line via the Internet for a low fixed rate. If you choose VOIP phone service, the provider will give you a list of locations you can call for free.
Unlike cable telephone service, VOIP phone service is portable to any location you travel to as long as you have an Internet connection. You can place calls from wherever you are at the same low rate as long as you have an Internet connection and a VOIP account to sign into. If you are traveling, it is important to remember to bring a headset or your VOIP phone in order to use the VOIP phone service. VOIP phone service can also be used at any Internet hot spot.
In an evaluation of VOIP phone service, it is important to include the features of VOIP phone service as one of its major advantages. With VOIP phone service, you receive voice mail, call forwarding, call waiting, caller ID, three-way calling, as well as the ability to send pictures and documents while you are on the telephone call.
An evaluation of VOIP phone service would not be complete, however, without the disadvantages inherent in the service. Unfortunately, if there is a power failure, you will have no telephone service with VOIP. Because VOIP utilizes the Internet, VOIP phone service is as dependent upon electricity as the Internet. During a power failure, you will need to have a battery back-up system or a separate power generator.
Your cable telephone is connected to the emergency hotline system. With a regular phone, if you call 911 or the police or fire department directly, your address is immediately available to emergency services. With VOIP, the address that is transmitted to emergency services is your IP address. It becomes impossible for emergency services to trace the street address of the phone call.
The quality of VOIP phone service is directly related to the quality of your broadband service. It is possible that you may experience a poor signal, an unclear voice, and loss of data. You must determine how VOIP phone service serves your personal or business needs. You must then determine whether the advantages of portability and low cost outweigh the disadvantages experienced during a power outage or the possible decreased quality of voice and data reception and transmission.
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