How to Choose VoIP Service Without Losing Your Shirt

Voip.

Just mentioning the word to yourself either brings up images of walking in a new city where the grass is greener, or it brings up fear of the unknown. Some will tread carefully around the subject, waiting to hear others opinions about a specific service and some may charge fearlessly into a service that they know little about. Which way is the right way to choose a VoIP service? I say neither.

Is there a safe way to choose a VoIP service? You bet there is, but it does take some work and careful research to make sure that you don't get stuck with something you cannot use or worse yet, be forced into a scenario in which your telephone communications is impaired.

There are 3 general steps to choosing Broadband Phone service. They are:

1.Qualify Yourself
2.Qualify a specific Provider, and
3.Research the provider.

1.Qualify Yourself
Ask yourself "why do I want voip?" Is it because you want to save money? are you attracted to voip by all of the features that it offers? Maybe you're sick of your local telephone company. Whatever the reason, make sure that the benefits are better than what you're already getting now. For instance, you might want to save money on long distance with a voip provider but don't want to give up your old phone number. In this case you would have to ask yourself whether it would be acceptable to lose your old phone number to save a few extra dollars. These days, most providers (but not all) will allow you to keep your old phone number. Do you have a secondary means of communication such as a cell phone?

When your internet connection goes down, so does your voip line. That means that if a large storm knocks out power to your house, then your internet connection will also most likely be down. Another thing to consider when qualifying yourself for voip service is that 911 service is not as robust as a land line service would be. You may have to give the dispatcher your name and address. The good news is that the larger providers are working with the dispatchers to provide 911 service that is just as robust as 911 on a land line.

Last but not least you must make sure that your your internet connection is suitable for voip. Sorry 56k'ers but dialup just isn't gonna cut it for voip. If you do have a broadband connection, head on down to http://www.testyourvoip.com and do a quick test.

2.Qualify a Specific Provider
Your voip provider means everything when it comes to reliability and sound quality. You should choose a provider that has the features that you need (call waiting, 3 way calling, extra lines, distinctive ring, etc.). One thing to definitely look into is the 911 service that's offered and don't be afraid to ask lots of questions to the customer service department of the prospective provider. Number portability (if you need to keep your old number) is something else to be looked into. The rates should be competitive and don't forget to look at international rates if you do any international calling. The most important thing to look for in a voip provider is a money back guarantee. If there is no money back guarantee, then pass on that provider; just about all voip companies have a guarantee.

3.Research the provider
Just because everything looks OK from a customer service angle, the service is cheap , and does what you need it to does not necessarily make it a good service. What does make a service good is if they have happy customers. The best way to do this would be to search the better business bureau for complaints against the company, search google with something like reviews, complaints, opinions, etc. A great place to get real world opinions on voip service is at the forums at http://broadbandreports.com.

Choosing the right voip service can be a bit of work, but it will pay off big time in the end. You'll have service instead of headaches, clear calls instead of garbled gobbledygook.

Jason Stewart is a programmer, Unix Administrator, PBX Administrator and webmaster of http://www.voip-university.com. For more articles like this and for time and money saving voip tips go to http://www.voip-university.com

---

Try VoIP for Free - No Commitment, No Hardware

Try VoIP Before BuyingSo you like the concept of 'cutting'... Read More

Security, Stability, and Interoperability Issues on VoIP Implementation

Now we have accepted that VoIP is no longer just... Read More

How Much Bandwidth is Required for VoIP Phones?

A long-standing question for potential VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol)... Read More

Use your Computer to make Cheap Long-Distance Telephone Calls

What is 'VoIP'?Simply put, VoIP refers to the carriage of... Read More

Voice over IP Offers Your Business an Inexpensive Alternative To Toll Free Numbers

New businesses can now let their customers contact them for... Read More

VOIP

This article contains the excellent information about the Voice Over... Read More

The Calling Card Alternative

For a few years now, the calling cards business is... Read More

How to Choose VoIP Service Without Losing Your Shirt

Voip.Just mentioning the word to yourself either brings up images... Read More

Broadband Phone Technology - Top 5 Reasons You Should Take Notice

For the uninitiated, the term broadband phone is loosely used... Read More

How VoIP Works -- Busting Out of Long Distance Rates

VoIP is the newest advancement in audio communications technology, and... Read More

Will VoIP be a Mass Market Product?

A common thinking among "Marketing people " is that for... Read More

VoIP Phone Home?

The movie Extra Terrestrial (ET) coined the phrase "phone home"... Read More

Telecom Industry Transition: WiFi, VoIP, WiMax - The Wireless Age is Already Here

VoIP on WiMax will make the latest 3G technologies obsolete... Read More

VOIP For Your Business

Many companies are now beginning to look into alternatives to... Read More

How VoIP Will Affect Every Household and Business in the World

Seattle venture capitalist, Greg Gottesman, calls it "?one of the... Read More

Bluetooth Computer Headsets - Enjoy Wireless Freedom

Wireless Computer HeadsetsTill recently, few options were available to people... Read More

What?s Your IQ on Basic PC Phone (VoIP) Knowledge

Short T/F quiz1. T / F You can save a... Read More

The Single Most Important Thing to Know About Computer Phones (VoIP)

Over 90% of computer phones (VoIP) are not secure because... Read More

Will the Bell System Survive? A Massive Transfer of Wealth from Bell to VoIP is Underway

Will the Bell System Survive? A Massive Transfer of Wealth... Read More

VoIP is Less Taxing than Traditional Telephone Service

When it comes to VoIP Broadband Telephone service, there are... Read More

The Lowdown on VoIP

It seems like technology is headed for a massive telephone... Read More

What Is VOIP?

Confused about VOIP? Join the crowd. It's not as difficult... Read More

Instant Menaces or Instant Messengers?

Many vendors offering Instant Messaging (IM) services have added new... Read More

How to Never Pay a Hotel Phone Bill Again

The protocol is increasingly being adopted as the standard means... Read More

Why VoIP is not Going to Fail

VoIP is an almost constant topic in our daily dose... Read More

Voice over Internet Protocal VoIP for Business

VoIP consists of 2 major technologies....Making Calls Over the Internet--ResidentialThis... Read More

Making PC to Phone VoIP Calls over Dial-Up Internet Connections

There's a lot of hype these days surrounding Internet-based voice... Read More

Consumer Review on CallWave Call Alert Service

Missing phone calls while you are online?Are you thinking of... Read More

Voip - Voice Over IP and Business: Is It For You?

VoIP allows users to make phone calls using their high-speed... Read More

Voice Over IP ? Saving Money

I was on a tech support call with a client... Read More

Take Advantage of Internet Phone Calls (VOIP)

Voice Over IP (VOIP) is a relatively new technology. Voice... Read More

Alarm Systems & VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol) Phone Lines

An astounding and unexpected number of people are dropping their... Read More

Needless HIGH RISK Exposure For Business Using Computer Phones

The Facts? Computer phones (VoIP) offer the most optimal means... Read More