Is Your Phone Setup Ready For VoIP Integration?

VoIP, or voice over internet protocol, takes analog audio signal and converts it into digital data that can be transmitted over the internet. With this setup, you will not only get to make free calls, you can call long distance without your phone service company. The technology has the potential to greatly change phone systems. You have probably heard of smart phone apps like Viper, Signal, and What’s App to avoid phone providers and long distance charges using WIFI. VoIP is a similar concept, but it enables you to use your analog phone to do so. VoIP will help you avoid these same charges by changing the phone setup of your landline.

For the best possible phone setup, you need to make sure your network is suited for voice analog audio. For the most common and popular to setup VoIP is using an ATA, an analog telephone adapter. The analog to digital converter enables you to connect your landline phone to the internet and create digital data. Some phone providers like Vonage and AT&T have already begun capitalizing on this development. You can even get the ATA from them free with your service. Simply plug your phone into the ATA where it would normally go into the wall and begin making calls.

You should make sure the VoIP is working with adequate cable infrastructure. Segregate your 100BaseT LAN with a cable specially made for voice. Your phone setup will also benefit from using Gigabit Ethernet for the connections from routers to switches, as well as switches to switches.

It is also necessary to use later models of IP phones, with each phone having a switch port integrated switch that will prioritize voice audio over data if it will share a cable with a computer. Checking your router and determine if it has Packet Per Second (PPS). This will help you shape and police web traffic. Determine how many people will be using the VoIP to make phone calls and multiply that number by five or so. This will enable you to see how many Mbps of traffic your router will be able to successfully handle.

You should also upgrade old DSL or cable modems to newer models. Ensuring that your internet service provider has adequate bandwidth to both upload and download will help your VoIP work more quickly and clearly. Test your internet connection for latency and double check your signals. Setting up a virtual LAN, or VLAN, for your ATA will help you make sure you have enough bandwidth you need to make calls. This way you can manage internet traffic.

All of this is dependent upon what kind of calls you are going to make. The phone setup that is best for you depends on the distance of the calls, the duration, the quality of the audio, and more. If you plan to use a VoIP phone set up for your business and many people will be using these capabilities, make sure to use these upgrades to increase your bandwidth.

If you’re looking to integrate VoIP into your office setting, but are unsure about proper setup, contact the professionals at Matthijssen. We’re experts in all VoIP related integration and will stand by your team throughout the entire onboarding process.