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VoIP - Hooking It All Up This short article is not intended to be a be-all, end-all of hooking up VoIP in your home. It does provide a particular overview including explains the basic requirements including equipment necessary. With that said let us obtain to it. VoIP, Voice over Internet Protocol, is a method of making including receiving calls using your broadband internet connection. The equipment required using VoIP in your home: 1. Broadband internet connection 2. Router 3. ATA 4. Phone Let's start with #1 above. The broadband internet connection 'does' make a difference depending on your longer-term plans. For example, if your longer-term plan is to use VoIP including cancel your main POTS line including you are using DSL for your broadband service, you need to do a bit more investigating. Naked DSL, or DSL without main phone service, is still relatively rare. If you cancel your phone service, you may loose your broadband connection as well. Check with your local phone company to determine whether or not they provide DSL without phone service. Moving along to #2, a router. Simply put, a router allows your broadband internet connection to be 'routed' or spread between more than 1 device. Your broadband internet comes into your home including plugs into your modem. Your modem then will plug into your router. You computer plugs into your router. Why? Remember, a router splits out your signal, so any devices you need hook into your internet connection needs to go through your router. Broadband connection -> modem -> router Computer -> router ATA -> router As you should see, it is not very complicated. Devices you need connected to the internet do so through the router. You should see above that we've connected a particular ATA to the router. a particular ATA is the 'Analogue Telephone Adapter'. the device converts from analog to digital including back again. the device is what could allow you to make including receive your phone calls through the internet using VoIP. The last thing to connect is the actual phone. Yes there should be 'specific' internet phones, but I for 1 absolutely cannot justify the cost of those including I use my regular cordless phone. (You should search the internet for IP phones if you so choose. Keep in mind that IP phones are NOT a requirement) Now our network looks something like this. Broadband connection -> modem -> router Computer -> router ATA -> router Cordless phone system -> ATA You should see that the cordless phone system plugs into the ATA. That’s it including as you should see it’s not complicated. Enjoy your VoIP including your new home network!
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