Lots of different VoIP brands are available. However, no matter how many there are, some of them are the best. VoIP AudioCodes is one of these brands. They provide top of the range and advanced VoIP systems with great features.

Take advantage of VoIP communications with Far South products for Voice over IP.

Businesses that use VoIP service and IP phones gain many advantages. Also, the prices of IP phones greatly differ. A lot of factors need to be considered before buying IP phones. High definition voice is clearer than older VoIP technologies and traditional landline voice because it delivers at least twice the sound range, about 7 kHz. It’s now a standard feature in business-class IP phones, including the affordable Cisco SPA 300 Series and 500 Series IP phones.

HD voice quality is especially important for international, technical, or long conversations; conference calls; and speakerphone use. Most businesses usually need about eight or more lines for the front desk or a group assistant. A single-line phone may be ideal for backroom and warehouse locations; the new Cisco SPA 301 is a basic one-line phone priced under $100. IP phones connect to your data network through Ethernet cabling or Wi-Fi and some also receive power over Ethernet. Wi-Fi support is a must-have for mobile users who need the phone while moving around your site.

Benefits in Using VoIP AudioCodes

IP phones offer features such as speakerphone, caller ID, call forwarding, and conferencing. There are certain models that offer certain features not found on traditional phones. They allow you to operate the IP phone seamlessly between cellular and VoIP services. You can answer calls that started on a Smartphone, connect through Bluetooth, and import your Smartphone address book. Easily unify all your messages; voicemail, email, and faxes, into one inbox so that you can retrieve and respond faster and more easily. Increase the productivity of employees by enabling them to use the web and XML documents directly on their phone.

You can give employees access to information on your data network, such as customer records, order status, and schedules. Some IP phones can monitor video from your IP surveillance cameras, play MP3s, and display digital photos. No IP phone is compatible with all VoIP systems, due primarily to differences in their VoIP protocols. The Session Initiation Protocol (SIP) is the most widespread. Some IP phones support both SIP and the Smart Phone control Protocol (SPCP) to help ensure interoperability in both modes. The VoIP system options include a hosted VoIP or Centrex service that you contract from a service provider and an onsite VoIP system that you own or lease.

There is more, from the encryption of voice to password protection for signalling and configuration data, and Wi-Fi security features protect against unauthorized use. An embedded virtual private network (VPN) client on your remote users’ IP phone allows them to securely connect to your network and make calls over the Internet. IP phones that are designed to interoperate with one another and your VoIP system should be the easiest to set up, move, upgrade, and manage. Review the warranty, and know what free and paid support is provided.

VoIP AudioCodes are one of the best VoIP systems. In order to make VoIP calls you need to be able to connect an IP Phone. It is also known as a VoIP Phone or an Analogue Telephone Adapter (ATA) to your broadband internet connection. When you sign up with a VoIP Service provider they may supply you with IP phones or ATAs as part of the package, otherwise you may have to purchase this equipment separately. Firstly, let’s find out what VoIP phones are.

Take advantage of VoIP communications with Far South products for Voice over IP.

VoIP Phones are different to ATA’s in that they plug directly into your Broadband modem. They already contain the relevant circuitry to convert your voice into digital data. An IP/VoIP phone is more convenient for taking advantage of many of the extra features that are included free with your VoIP account – call display, call waiting, call forwarding, voicemail plus many other others. You may still be able to use these features with an ATA, but you might need to configure your VoIP account at the service provider’s web site. On the other hand, ATA is different to a VoIP Phone in that it allows you to use a traditional analogue phone with VoIP. Instead of plugging your phone into the usual telephone adapter in the wall, you plug it into the ATA. The ATA also connects to a broadband modem. The purpose of an ATA is to convert the analogue signal, your voice, into digital data, ready to be sent over the internet.

Wide Variety Available On the Market

So VoIP brands are available. There is a wide variety of IP Phones currently available on the market. They range from simple handsets for residential use, to much more complex phone systems designed for business use. Most basic models will have an LCD display for configuring the phone, Caller ID, and other display information. More complex phones will have extra features like speakerphones, interfaces for attaching headsets, customisable ring-tones, and programmable buttons. If you want to go wireless with VoIP, you won’t yet get the freedom of a cellular phone, but you can still use wireless phones within an IEEE 802.11b wireless network.

VoIP Service Provider

There are a few VoIP service providers available. When you sign up with a VoIP Service provider, included in the basic service package are things like call waiting, caller display, and call forwarding. You can take advantage of all of these features with an IP Phone. When your phone rings, the LCD screen will display the caller information. You can choose to accept the call or redirect it to voicemail or to an error message. Calls can also be forwarded to an outside number. If you want to keep your calls anonymous you can block your caller ID. This way, when you are calling somebody who has caller ID display, your name or phone number will not be shown. You can set this feature for all of your calls or just for selected ones. There are lots of great features to enjoy.

VoIP phone systems have been around for a long time, including VoIP AudioCodes. They have become so popular and can easily be able to scale to tens of thousands of units in dozens if not hundreds of locations. There are a lot of advantages in using VoIP phone systems.

Take advantage of VoIP communications with Far South products for Voice over IP.

Why Companies Love Them

Many companies find that SIP is the way to go because they cost far less than traditional phone lines, as well as provide extremely competitive rates for long distance, and some providers have plans which include unlimited long distance. And if you make calls overseas, some of these plans can provide very cheap rates. Lots of people are buying IP phone systems these days and still using traditional phone lines. This is because they either don’t trust the internet or don’t understand SIP Technology that well or don’t have the upload bandwidth it takes to sustain these types of phone lines. However, they like the idea of buying an IP phone system because it gives them the flexibility to use traditional phone lines or VOIP Lines or both. But the appeal of IP systems goes beyond the fact that you can do IP trunking.

There are a few VoIP phones systems available today that are hybrid. This means that they can handle traditional phone lines such as analogue trunks, ISDN, T1, E1 and PRI to Multiple T1 and PRIs as well as VoIP phone lines. So they provide the best of both worlds. VoIP phone lines are also called Session Initiated Protocol (SIP). They are typically provided by an ITSP Internet Telephony Service Provider (ITSP) and these types of phone lines can replace or augment your traditional phone lines. Each phone line needs about 84 Kilobit of uncompressed bandwidth when a conversation is in session. That means that a data T1 can handle about 17 or so conversations simultaneously.

VoIP phone systems are going to be around for a long time. SIP is the only ratified standard of telephony today. IP Phone systems save you money by providing less expensive alternatives for local and long distance lines as well as 0 Toll when using them between each other. It also decreases cost of cabling as well as the need to dispatch a phone guy since they use a graphical user’s interface. This gives each person the flexibility to manage their own end points and the ability to move their system as much as they want without calling a phone guy. Moving an IP phone system is as easy as unplugging 3 connections. No more 66 Blocks and the confusing and unattractive wire closets you sometimes see. They are often a 2 or 3U Rack Mounted appliance that EASILY travel and here again, reduce cost if you ever have to move the system. IP phone systems provide ease of use, flexibility, mobility, compliance, scalability, and a drastic overall reduction of price.

There is way more to benefit from when it comes to VoIP phones. There are also a lot of great features to enjoy from brands like AudioCodes VoIP. Certain phones have a feature rich web based interface which allows the phones to be setup in a matter of minutes. Another great benefit is that the web based interface allows you to dial out on the phone.

Take advantage of VoIP communications with Far South products for Voice over IP.

Other Great Features

You are also able to assign different ring tones to different groups of people. This way you know who is calling so you can choose whether to answer or not. VoIP phones have either analogue clocks or digital clocks. Those with digital clocks are made by well-known manufacturers since this is one feature that is not found in most VoIP phones. Truth is that not all VoIP providers are created equal. Voice over IP offers a great value to the consumers because of the drastically reduced long distance costs as well as inexpensive local phone service with lots of enhanced features. Some providers offer more features than others. Features like Call Waiting, 3 Way Calling, and others are usually included in the VoIP monthly cost. However, the traditional phone companies will charge way more for this feature. Make sure when shopping for a VoIP provider to compare VoIP providers by features as well as by monthly price.

Service Providers

There are some providers that allow you to transfer (port) your current phone number to the VoIP service and some providers do not. It is not recommended to switch your home number to the VoIP service immediately. It is recommended that you try out the service and see if you are satisfied before you request that your current number be switched. Keep in mind that if you have DSL service, you must retain a phone number with the service provider of the DSL because the DSL service is provided over that telephone line. If you want to get rid of your current phone company all together, then we suggest you use a Cable Internet Service Provider.

There are also a lot of the VoIP carriers that offer E911 service. It is therefore important to check if the VoIP provider offers E911 because it is not a given. If the VoIP provider does not offer E911, then we suggest that you either have a cell phone or traditional landline to use in case of an emergency. The other important to keep in mind and find out about is international calling. If you make a lot of international calls, you will want to do a lot of research on International Rates as they vary by provider. There are a few carriers that offer unlimited calling to certain countries.

VoIP phones are great and there is a wide variety available on the market. Since there are so many different brands available, this makes it hard for individuals looking to buy these phones for the first time. One brand that is well-known is AudioCodes. They provide advanced technology and high quality VoIP phones for professional or personal use.

Take advantage of VoIP communications with Far South products for Voice over IP.

There are certain VoIP phones that offer excellent SIP implementation and advanced features on all of the phones. These phones are usually very easy to setup and use. These phones display the IP address on the screen when they are plugged in. This IP address is what makes it easier to setup and get started. You will use this address to go into the web based interface and setup the sip server, username and password. After completing all this, you are ready to get started.

There is also support trivial file transfer protocol configuration so if you want to use the phones in a large scale deployment then the phones can be configured through trivial file transfer protocol. They have monochrome LCD Screens but the phones are designed well and the LCD does a perfectly adequate job of displaying necessary information. The larger LCD screen on certain VoIP phones are very useful so they are worth the extra cost as they cost more than the ones with basic LCD screens. Ethernet ports are also available and they are extremely useful if you only have one Ethernet port in your office or cubicle. If you have a phone with dual Ethernet you can plug the phone into the Ethernet jack out of the wall and then plug your computer into the second Ethernet port on the phone.

Features

Some brands of the VoIP phones have a full duplex speaker phone. This means these phones have a fully functional speaker phone. While this may not be surprising to most people it actually is an impressive feature. Most IP phones do not have a speaker phone at all and if they do it is usually half duplex. There are speaker phones for instance that only allow you to listen and not talk. It is for this reason that these VoIP phones that allow you to listen and talk are so impressive and must-haves. The other great feature about some VoIP phones is that they have 12 line appearances which are over double what most phones offer at the same cost. There are also others that have 4 line appearances, and they are also great since they have more line appearances compared to other VoIP phone brands.

Far South Networks is a South African electronics design and development house, which provides network access and telephony solutions within the telecommunications sector. These solutions range from voice telephony, data and Voice over IP (VoIP) networks to consumer electronics devices.

Choose AudioCodes for advanced VoIP products and improve your telecommunications.

Far South is at the forefront of telephony solutions in South Africa. Their products are built to unique South African specifications and therefore have gained extensive interest, from local organisations and individuals, while still holding world-wide appeal.

Voice over internet protocol

VoIP stands for “Voice over Internet Protocol”, which is a technology that allows you to make phone calls using your internet connection instead of your regular telephone service. It is also referred to as Voice over IP, Broadband phone or Internet phone service. With VoIP you still simply use your regular phone, dial a number and speak. VoIP is simple and is for everyone. It makes no difference if the individual you are calling has VoIP or not, your service provider takes care of the process.

The only requirement for this technology is a Broadband High Speed Internet Service, such as ADSL, since VoIP service relies on a High Speed Internet connection to work optimally.

Benefits of VOIP

The principal benefit to VoIP is price. VoIP services have the ability to offer discounted calls, as well as many common phone features at extremely low monthly prices. It is becoming clear that traditional phone companies cannot compete. If you have internet connection, you can make calls and receive calls, making VoIP a portable communication.

The VoIP system isn’t able to distinguish how far away the recipient of the call is in relation to the caller, making each phone call standard and affordably priced. There is the option of incorporating extra features into your service easily. The extras, which phone companies charge high monthly fees for, such as caller ID or call waiting, are often standard features with VoIP services

Communications

The latest switchboards have been designed to be incorporated with the latest technology and to work together well with the introduction of virtual switchboard. This allows you to control and manage your calls through a web interface. The technologies of these advanced switchboards make it easier than before to connect people. With a more digital approach to business operations, businesses need to stay abreast with the modern technology, by going Far South.

Many VOIP services also allow one to check your voicemail over the internet or attach messages to an e-mail, which is sent to your computer or PDA. It’s best to check with Far South VOIP system solutions and service operators, exactly what features they offer as products and service prices, vary greatly

Talking on the phone has long been one of the most effective means, by which people around the world communicate. The ability to make calls to a desired contact whenever it’s needed is both a convenience and a necessity. Whether keeping in touch with friends and family or discussing business matters, making phone calls with Far South technology, is a great benefit.

Today, most businesses opt for a VoIP (Voice over IP) system, which uses internet technology to carry and connect calls. VoIP offers many advantages over PBX for smaller businesses, such as their ease of administration, the ability to upgrade, and their low cost compared to traditional PBX systems. So for a growing experience, the small business guy needs to connect with Far South. Far South has brought to the market, a product range, which has real value, with high growth potential.

Choose AudioCodes for advanced VoIP products and improve your telecommunications.

Grow by phone

For small businesses, the key element in ensuring the success of the business is ultimate customer satisfaction, by offering excellent phone systems. Phone systems have grown in sophistication by leaps and bounds in recent years, but for the most part, small businesses have been on the outside looking in.

With VoIP, the gap between the small business needs and what the market is offering, is now approaching, a level playing field. The most advanced small business phone systems today, run on Internet Protocol (IP) networks, the same network many small businesses use to connect employees, devices and information resources

Far South keeps you on the move

VoIP’s versatility allows for the freedom and options demanded by today’s companies. For instance, it allows businesses with multiple locations a cohesive communication system. Even small businesses or freelancers, have the advantage of looking or sounding large to clients and the rest of the outside world. It allows freedom of travel as well, from office to office, coffee shop to coffee shop, or from wherever modern businesses are run. VoIP allows everyone, even the office receptionist, to work from home when needed. Other advantages, such as voicemail through email, allow people to receive their messages from any destination or location.

Road warriors appreciate the flexibility of today’s VoIP services. Employees can connect a remote IP phone into any data connection, such as a hotel room broadband port or a bookstore wireless hot spot. Call forwarding options can automatically transfer calls to cell phones as a last resort, saving small businesses a lot of money on roaming fees

Enable fast customer service

Most VoIP phone companies also provide “find me, follow me” services that allow callers to reach the right contact quickly and transparently. Incoming calls can be routed to alternate personnel when particular contacts are busy or unavailable.

In call centre environments, data from incoming calls can be matched to customer relationship systems, which queue callers, based on the severity of their problems.

On the horizon

As competition between VoIP phone companies encourages them to innovate, small business owners can expect even more timesaving and cost-effective features. In the meantime, most small businesses can start enjoying these benefits right away

The ability for easy upgrades is also appealing to many. Just as companies grow and change, so VoIP systems can change with them. And keeping up with changing technology trends, is a good reason to keep in touch with Far South, for far less expensive systems, but great value solutions.

One of the major benefits of VoIP solutions is that they are operational excellence models, rather than capital expenditure. Far South Networks, a South African telecommunications development company, will provide the professional technology, to achieve this excellence. As a telecommunications equipment vendor, it is crucial that Far South Networks take their product line to market through established distribution networks.

Choose AudioCodes for advanced VoIP products and improve your telecommunications.

A Far South networks product, the first hardware PBX designed and manufactured in South Africa, incorporates lightening protection and hardware echo cancellation, which are specifically developed for African markets.

Affordable calls

For those needing to communicate with contacts in other countries, calling hasn’t always been affordable. When considering the high per minute charges for making a long distance call, the thought of talking for more than a few minutes, becomes a frightening one. Now with the modern technology of Far South Networking, long distance calls and overseas calls are a fraction of the cost.

Instead of travelling across long distance copper wires, voice over internet protocol (VoIP) calls are broken into data packets, which surf across the Internet. Without expensive cables to maintain, VoIP providers can radically reduce the cost of overseas calls, while offering flat rate pricing for most domestic conversations.

Benefits to companies

With VoIP providers competing for small business accounts, many company owners wonder whether Internet phone service will impact their bottom line. Small business owners that successfully switched to Voice over IP often cite various ways in which the new phone service benefits their companies

Many VoIP providers offer unlimited calling plans for one set fee per month. Many of the bells and whistles, such as call waiting and call forwarding, which cost extra on landline systems, are included in several VoIP plans. Some offer sophisticated business options, which include auto-attendant features and dedicated extensions. During seasonal cycles or unexpected surges in activity, third party call centres, can be seamlessly woven into a service offering, with little to no additional cost.

Early critics of IP phone services were concerned that too many voice calls would burden Internet data lines. In reality, many VoIP phone companies now offer their own broadband data connections, to maintain peak call quality. Consolidating voice and data transmissions into a single line from a single carrier, often results in major savings for small businesses.

Difference in protocols

The IP phone is important, as not all IP phones are compatible with all VoIP systems, due primarily to differences in their VoIP protocols. The Session Initiation Protocol (SIP) is the most widespread. Some IP phones support both SIP and the Smart Phone control Protocol (SPCP) to help ensure interoperability in both modes. Encryption of voice, password protection for signalling and configuration data, and security features, protect against unauthorized use

Many IP phone subscribers have discovered ways to turn calling features into productivity gains. In most cases, incoming voicemail can be routed to e-mail inboxes. Likewise, most VoIP phone companies allow subscribers to quickly send voice memos to each other, bridging the gap between team members who prefer different modes of communication.

South African telecommunications development company, Far South Networks, has introduced a complete telephone solution in a box, called Com.X1, targeted at SMEs.

Choose AudioCodes for advanced VoIP products and improve your telecommunications.

This package is suitable for SMEs in South Africa, being a feature-rich and cost effective telephony solution. Far South Networks offers quality and is definitely a top contender in the rapidly evolving IP PBX market.

Essential communications

Business communications are essential for any company today. Communication with business partners, clients and suppliers, as well as liaising among employees is a necessity. Modern technologies allow real time, online communication and video conferences with people from different corners of the globe.

Gone are the days of expensive international calls as the Internet has changed the way people communicate. Today the World Wide Web unites not only the computers, but also people all over the world. Several decades ago nobody could imagine that individuals living on different continents would see and talk to each other in real time. The sphere of business communications is constantly developing, surprising and impressing people, with new technologies and possibilities.

Effective VoIP

‘Voice over the Internet Protocol’ (VoIP) is one of the latest and the most popular business communications solutions. It differs from landline telephony as the voice is transferred over the world-wide web, rather than regular telephone lines. Due to the high speed of the Internet VoIP telephony has become a serious alternative, to landline phones; more and more people find it convenient, easy and cost-efficient to use VoIP communication systems at home and at work. It’s as secure as a regular landline, but has a greater number of functions, such as conference calls or video calls.

A VoIP phone functions as a regular landline phone, connected to the internet; however, traditional phones are also VoIP compatible if they are connected to the Web via the VoIP adaptor. For VoIP business communications at work, many individuals install soft-phones, which are computer applications, which can be easily installed on any computer. On would require a high speed internet connection, a headset with a microphone and you are ready to make VoIP phone calls

Powerful technology and useful features

VoIP systems are especially beneficial for business communications. Apart from giving a seamless communication solution, business VoIP allows one to access many useful features, including caller ID, call forwarding, call waiting, audio and video call conferencing, fax over VoIP, voicemail and so on. Besides, the maintenance costs are really low as most updates can be downloaded via the internet. VoIP systems save time and money, as business meetings are now possible, even when individuals are not in the conference room.

VoIP discards the need to spend a fortune on landline international calls or the purchase of expensive plane tickets to attend a conference; with the audio and video conferencing capabilities of VoIP, business owners and top managers can participate in the meeting via the internet.

VoIP definitely makes business communications function effectively and efficiently… Multiple benefits, cost saving and expanding technology, entice home users and business managers, to make use of Far South VoIP quality solutions and improve business.