Internet phone calls? Really? But computers don’t have handsets or dial pads, so how do Internet phone calls work? There are a number of ways you can make Internet phone calls, this article explains some of them.
What Are Internet Phone Calls?
Internet phone calls are not a single thing. They are any type of phone call that uses the Internet, rather than standard phone lines or cell towers to, to connect the calls. Internet phone calls may be placed from a computer to another computer, from a computer to a telephone, from a telephone to a computer, or from one telephone to another, giving them a great deal of versatility. Internet phone calls use the Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP—notice the small o) to make the connections.
Internet Phone Calls via Computer: Softphones
A softphone is a type of software application that is used for making telephone calls through the Internet without any hardware requirement except an Internet-connected standard computer equipped with a microphone and sound card—although an external microphone, headset, or USB phone can be used. Examples of such programs include Skype, Google Talk, AOL Instant Messenger, Asterisk, iChat, and Yahoo! Messenger.
It is not unusual for these services to provide additional capabilities not available with PSTN (Public Switched Telephone Network) phones, such as Instant Messaging, file transfers, desktop sharing, screen sharing, video conferencing, and multi-way conferencing. Some are platform specific (e.g., only Windows or only Mac), while others are designed for multiple platforms (e.g., Linux, Windows, Mac OS X).
With hardware phones, such as the three types that are discussed in subsequent sections of this article, you are likely to find customary services such as voicemail, a battery indicator, Caller ID, call blocking, redial, mute, transfer, and hold.
Internet Phone Calls via ATA and Analog Phones
This approach to Internet telephony turns your analog phone that you’ve used with a landline into an Internet-capable phone. This allows you to avoid having to replace equipment and to keep your current phone number, in most cases. Depending on the service you get, the ATA (Analog Telephone Adapter) that you get may connect to your router or Ethernet modem and be on whether your computer is on or off, or connected to your computer via a USB cable, and require specialized software and an active computer in order to work.
Internet Phone Calls via VoIP-Ready Phones
VoIP ready phones are either digital phones or analog-to-digital phones that use a control protocol (often SIP—Session Initiation Protocol). They may be corded or cordless, and the analog-to-digital phones work with both an analog phone system and—if you provide an ATA—with VoIP.
Internet Phone Calls via Dual-Mode Cell Phones
A dual-mode cell phone, also called a WiFi-enabled mobile phone, handles both calls through cell towers and wireless VoIP calls. The user may use the VoIP approach in the proximity of wireless networks at home, in coffee shops, airports, and other places with wireless, and turn to the cell protocol when making calls outside and other places without good WiFi service.