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As high-speed and the use of internet connections are becoming more commonplace in homes across the U.S.A, people are asking themselves can Voice Over IP calling save me bucks on my phone bill? To answer this catechism you need to take a deeper look at VOIP calling and the expenses associated with changing to VOIP.

Before we get started, you should get an idea of how voice over IP works. When you make a Voice Over IP call it works by converting the voice signal from your hand set into a digital signal and transferring it back over the internet. This signal is then converted back into a voice signal (or digital /anaglogue voice signal) and comes out of your earpiece or headset on the other end. By transferring the signal over the internet it doesnt matter how far it has to go, a call accross the street costs the same as a call to any other part of the world. For those of us who have telephone bills that are over dollars, Voice Over IP calling may be able to save you money on your phone bill...

When comparing Voice Over IP companies you should have an idea of your monthly calling volume. The best thing to do is investigate your phone bill for the past three months and work out how how much time you've spent on the phone. If you are using less then about 450 minutes a month you will find Voice Over IP calling plans that are going to be heaps less than your montly phone bill. If you use over 16 hours per month you'll probably find you might be better off with unlimited call plans or a voip service. If you make a lot of international calls, check to see if international calls are included in the plans you are evaluating.

Voice Over IP Equipment and deciding on a provider

Some Voice Over IP services will ask that you update your phone and/or modem. Nearly all voip services will require you to purchasea voip router. The router will connect directly to your existing internet/modem and give you access to your new phone system. Some Voip routers only interface more recent Voice Over IP phones, which means you will have to buy new equipment and or a new broadband or ADSL modem. This really becomes an important factor if you have more than one telephone or phone line.

Actually, there are a few different ways you can get started with Voice Over IP. The method above (commonly referred to as ATA) is probably the more popular technique. I use this way myself and a lot of the residential voip providers out there today use this as well. There are few other ways you can connect with Voice Over IP:

Computer to Computer

This is the fastest and possibly the easiest way to get plugged into Voice Over IP. As the name would suggest, instead of using your normal phone or IP phone to make calls through your broad band connection, you use your computer itself! (In theory you could do this over dial-up, but broad band is certainly better). There are a number of services available that offer no cost or low cost service. To chat over you exising internet connection in this way you'll need a microphone to speak into, and speakers and of course your computer and a broad band internet connection. Some voip providers offer this service for free when their software is being used by 2 or more people - yep you can even do voip conference calls in this manner.

IP Phone Internet Protocol Phones

As the heading might suggest, these are special phones. You wouldn't know it just by looking at them. What is different about IP phones is the circuitry, and the fact they don't plug into a regular phone - an RJ-11connection. Instead these phones take an Ethernet cable connection (RJ-45) and also come equipped with the necessary electronics to plug directly into modem/router.

Why not get connected today? - Get searching!

VOIP providers in the USA: 1TouchTone.com, Applied Telephone and Networking Solutions, LLC..

VOIP providers in the UK: Aurora Com Limited, Easy Calls UK.

VOIP providers in Australia: Easy Web Talk, Welcome Telecom.

Get started with Voice Over IP search for providers online: