Ever heard of VoIP  before? Chances are you’ve been introduced to this concept of phone service already and don’t even know it. For those of us who aren’t fluent in speaking telephony (I include myself ) VoIP is an abbreviation for Voice over Internet Protocol .

I started working at Telco Depot with little to no understanding of current communication technologies. It is a lot to take in, but I’ll offer you my perspective in hopes that you’ll be able to better understand or relate.

Like me, you’re probably just beginning your research into an alternative to plain old telephone services lines (or POTS lines) — what kind of hardware you need, can you install/maintain it yourself, and how it all works.

Part 1: An important but brief overview

So how is a VoIP Phone System different from standard phone service? Well, it’s significantly cheaper for one. But it also offers features that are either not available or that are high in cost to a landline plan.

Some of these VoIP features include Call Forwarding, Call Return, Call Block and Do Not Disturb. Ever wanted your voicemail to be forwarded to your email box? With VoIP Phone Systems, you can. Pick and choose the messages you want to hear right from your PC.

Are you all about the environment and going green? For those of you who find saving energy just as important as saving money VoIP is a great alternative.

Now because VoIP Phone Systems use the internet as its platform for service it means that anywhere – I mean anywhere that you can find a stable internet connection you’ll also have access to your VoIP service. I will discuss how this works and what you need in a future post.

These are the basic facts about Voice over Internet Protocol or “VoIP”. In my next post I’ll explain in greater detail the benefits, how it saves on energy as well as the draw backs of VoIP Phone Systems.

Ricky Victome is the graphic designer for Telco Depot.