What are IP Phones / IP Telephones?
An IP telephone, very broadly speaking, is a telephone designed to work with an IP PBX. Almost all IP phones nowadays are SIP-based phones. This is good news for businesses and end users because it means that PBX vendors can’t force you into locking in with their proprietary software or hardware. Phone...
What is a STUN Server?
A STUN (Session Traversal of User Datagram Protocol [UDP] Through Network Address Translators [NATs]) server allows NAT clients (i.e. IP phones behind a firewall) to setup phone calls to a VoIP provider hosted outside of the local network. The STUN server allows clients to find out their public address, the type of NAT...
What is a VoIP Phone?
VoIP phones are connected to an IP phone system using LAN (Local Area Network) or the Internet. VoIP converts the standard telephone audio into a digital format which can be transmitted over the internet and also converts incoming digital phone signals coming from the internet to standard telephone audio. A VoIP telephone...
What is IP Telephony?
IP telephony (Internet Protocol telephony) is describing technologies that use the IP protocol to exchange voice, fax, and other forms of information, traditionally carried over the Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN). The call travels in the form of packets, over a Local Area Network (LAN), or the Internet, avoiding PSTN tolls. Starting...
What is Voice over IP?
Voice over IP is short for Voice over Internet Protocol, and is better known as VoIP. Voice over IP refers to the transmission of voice traffic over internet-based networks instead of the traditional PSTN (Public Switched Telephone Network) telephone networks. The Internet Protocol (IP) was originally designed for data networking and following its success, the...
VoIP Defined
VoIP is an acronym for Voice Over Internet Protocol, which by itself means voice over the internet. It’s a technology that delivers voice communication and multimedia sessions (such as video) over Internet Protocol (IP) networks. Initial VoIP service providers offer solutions that mirror the architecture of the legacy telephone network whereas second- and third-generation...
Learn About VoIP Gateways
A VoIP gateway (or PSTN Gateway) is a device which converts telephony traffic into IP for transmission over a data network. They are used in two ways: 1. To Convert Incoming PSTN / Telephone Lines to VoIP / SIP: The VoIP gateway allows calls to be received and placed on the regular telephony network. In...
VoIP Definitions
This FAQ lists all the popular VoIP definitions. VoIP – Voice over Internet Protocol (also called IP telephony, internet telephony, and digital phone) is the routing of voice conversations over the Internet or any other IP-based network. SIP – Session Initiation Protocol is a protocol developed by the IETF MMUSIC Working Group and proposed standard for initiating,...
What is ALG?
ALG or Application Layer Gateway is a software component that manages specific application protocols such as SIP (Session Initiation Protocol) and FTP (File Transfer Protocol). An ALG acts as an intermediary between the Internet and an application server that can understand the application protocol. The ALG appears as the end point server...
What is a Good Source of VoIP Information?
3CX has a lot of useful information about VoIP on its website. Check out these VoIP information sources: VoIP FAQ VoIP Articles 3CX Blog Forums Free VoIP PBX Another good starting point is at Wikipedia: Voice Over IP