VoIP - The Basics

Why turn my PC into a phone?

Although it has been possible to make phone calls via a PC using VoIP for over 10 years, it is only in the last 12 to 18 months that the concept has really taken off. The technology that makes all this possible is called VoIP which stands for Voice over Internet Protocol.

Quite simply, VoIP enables your PC to be used to make phone calls anywhere in the world, either to another PC user or even to a standard PSTN phone (Public Switched Telephone Network) and often referred to as POTS - plain old telephone service. So calls between a PC and your standard household phone or even your mobile phone are now an everyday reality.

But why would you want to make phone calls from your PC, surely it's a lot of hassle? Well, actually it's really very simple and the big benefit from your point of view is cost. Whether you are phoning locally or internationally you will generally pay one low cost rate for calls. But it gets even better because if you and the person you are phoning have access to a software product called Skype the calls are free. That's right, zip, zilch, nada, no cost whether you are talking for two minutes or two hours, other than the cost of your cable or DSL line, but you are paying for that anyway more likely than not.

The other benefit of using your PC to make phone calls is convenience, particularly for international calls. Let's suppose you wanted to phone you loved one in Iraq, they may not have easy access to a standard telephone or mobile. However, provided they have Broadband Internet access then you can make the calls easily and economically.

So, having considered the benefits of making your phone calls electronically let's consider how we go about putting it all in place.

How to make phone calls via your PC

OK, it sounds like a good idea but how do I get it all set up, surely it's very complicated? It's actually a lot easier than you think to make VoIP phone calls through your PC. In its simplest form it's probably best to get started by using a service called Skype. At its most basic level it is possible to make calls using the PC's speaker system however the level of privacy is very poor and for that reason is not a popular choice.

Consequently, you need to buy a VoIP enabled Skype phone and these are available on eBay - see the link at the end of this article if you don't have an account. If you plan to make a lot of calls to the same person whether they are local or based overseas it makes sense for them to buy a Skype phone as well. The reason for this is that Skype to Skype calls are completely free of no matter how long you are on the call.

However, it may not always be possible to make calls to people Skype VoIP phones. For this reason Skype offers a service called SkypeOut that enables you to make VoIP calls to a standard phone. These calls aren't free of charge as they rely on using part of the PSTN phone network, that said they are generally much cheaper than international phone to phone calls.

Let's now consider what you need to do to make it all work.

What do I need to do to make VoIP calls from my PC?

First, you need to begin by purchasing a VoIP enabled phone so you receive calls via Skype. Generally speaking these are quite cheap and connect to your PC via a USB socket which is a fairly universal fitting on all modern computers. Next, you need to download and install the Skype software.
If you plan to make a lot of calls to the same person, particularly if they are abroad then they too need to buy a VoIP enabled phone and install the Skype software.

Once installed, the software is very easy to use and you just need to follow the simple instructions on your PC screen to make your VoIP call. If you are making calls to users who don't have a VoIP enabled phone then you will to sign up for SkypeOut and maybe Skypeln. Basically SkypeOut allows Skype users to dial non-Skype users and pay a cheap rate to have their calls connected to a traditional phone. This works by Skype making arrangements with traditional phone carriers to provide the connection to a PSTN phone.

Skypeln is a subscription service costing about $36 a year. The service allocates you a dedicated phone number that is non-geographic and will operate anywhere in the World. Although Skype is the most popular low cost VoIP service for personal use there are other providers as well. These include Vonage, CallVantage and Boingo. Usually the user pays a monthly subscription for the VoIP service, typically $25 a month. Don't forget that to make VoIP work successfully you will need either a Cable or DSL Broadband connection and if the party you are calling is using basic Skype they will need this level of connection too.