Phoning Home

Voice Over the Internet Protocol

Why Use It? Equipment Call Costs Questions and Answers Who to Contact for Help
V O I Protocol pronounced voyp is the name given to a newish technology which refers to our ability to make phone calls using internet connections.

The main points for an ordinary, non-technical consumer to note are -

No computer is needed
A broadband connection IS necessary
A normal phone is used
It is MUCH cheaper than landlines, ESPECIALLY for international calls
It is the way of the future

How is the voice carried? - it is carried using the same technology as the world wide web. There are no wires, no plugs in the wall. It is WIRELESS. When you call someone by a VoIP telephone, your voice (analog) signals are converted (by an ATA) into digital signals which travel over the internet. These digital signals are converted back into voice (analog) signals at the other end and heard as normal voice by the person you call.

Why doesn't everyone use it? - More and more people ARE using it. Telecommunications in America have been offering it for the last few years. For example AT&T has CallVantage^®, Time Warner has Time Warner Vantage and you can find many more American companies HERE.

VOIP is suitable for people who

have a high speed internet connection would like to lower my phone bills.
make expensive long distance phone or international calls and want to minimize costs.
like the convenience of taking my number with me as I travel anywhere in the world.

What do I need?

You need a broadband internet connection, a router and an ATA (Analog Telephone Adapter) and a phone.

The cost of the ATA is around $50US. The cost of the router is also around $50US. You may already have a router.

The router plugs into your cable or DSL modem.

And here is our setup

The box in the middle (on top of the yellow unit) is the ATA. It's an older model Sipura - they are smaller now. But it has worked well for four years now, so there's no point in getting a new one. The phone as you can see has a cord. But there's a cordless phone for the ATA as well, and that's in the dining room.
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Call Costs; Perhaps the easiest way for you to get an idea of the cost, is to look at a real life invoice. This is our last month's invoice. It looks cheap, and it is. $ 11.21AUD or approx.9.17USD Not many outgoing calls but plenty of incoming! You can see it HERE

You can see a full list of call prices at our VOIP supplier HERE. We have used and recommend Australian Technology Partnerships, although there are other Australian VOIP service providers around.
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Questions from Readers
Question: I looked at the application form on Australian Technology Partnerships, and couldn't work out some of the questions!
Answer:
Yes it's a bit cryptic. Answer as below
Type of service DID - this means you want an actual phone number, not just the general Australian Technology Partnerships number with an extension.
Connection SIP - don't worry why!
Codec G729 - Don't worry why!

Or look at this application form that ATP filled out for Australians Abroad.

Contact for Help
Email Australians Abroad member .