linksys sip voip phone adapter

The following is a brief but effective outline of how VoIP services work. This overview applies with most consumer and small business VoIP providers and plans, because the basic principles and components are generally the same regardless of provider.

VoIP Basics

Very simply, VoIP requires 1) a Broadband Internet connection via Cable or DSL and 2) a piece of hardware that allows the user to send and receive calls over the internet.

The VoIP Adapter

For most people, this hardware will take the form of an ATA (Analog Telephone Adapter) commonly shortened to simply “the adapter”. Most adapters on the market currently are very small, lightweight, and easy to use. They are not much larger than a business card carrying case.

VoIP Phones

Other options for using VoIP would include using a VoIP phone (without adapter) that is SIP compatable. SIP is an application layer control protocol commonly used in IP telephony, and it stands for “Session Initiated Protocol”.

VoIP Softphone

Yet another option would be to use a “Softphone” solution, which is a software interface which allows you to use a desktop or laptop PC as a telephone. In this case, the PC must be accompanied by a head set and microphone, or a VoIP phone.

“MAC Address” - Huh?

For all of these options, the MAC address of the hardware being used will be required at some point during the set-up process, prior to activation of service. MAC stands for Media Access Control, and represents a unique hardware address, and is used in various networking applications including VoIP. This is no big deal. When you sign up for service, there are usually clear instructions for how to locate the MAC address of your hardware, if applicable.

Wrapping Up

There you have it, a quick overview of how voip works. Providing you have a broadband internet connection, getting started with voip service is generally easier than getting service with a traditional phone company, and it definitely costs less.

Doug maintains the voip blog at 5PCom, a VoIP Service provider offering exceptional quality, savings, and pricing for Residential and Small Business VoIP services.

linksys sip voip phone adapter