The most inexpensive bluetooth headset kits
For about $90 I found this Motorola PC850 Adapter and Bluetooth H500 Headset. It allows you to be up to 30 feet from your computer during your VoIP( voice over the internet) calls.
It was easy to set up. First you insert the PC850 adapter into the USB port of your PC or laptop.
Connect the H500 headset via Bluetooth to your PC850 adapter and you can start taking to friends across the world for free or almost free,
You can place a VoIP call using a PC based service, such as Skype,Gizmoproject or Yahoo voice messenger. Skype and other VoIP software lets you make free calls over your Internet connection to anyone else who also has similar ’softphones’.
The software is easy to download and use.
So for about $90 you’re get Wire-free, hands-free conversations up to 30 feet from computer.
How VOIP Service Providers Determine Their Billing Rates
Billing systems used by internet telephone providers fall into two main categories.
The first category is very similar to that of wireless phone providers, with a monthly fee based on the amount of usage. The second category is similar to prepaid wireless providers, with credits or minutes of calling time purchased in advanced.
This article will briefly discuss how these billing systems work, and also discuss how billing is handled for optional features such as videophone capability and fax lines. For the purposes of this article, we will refer to the two categories as monthly and prepaid.
One important aspect of VOIP billing is the calling area covered by the plan or prepaid minutes purchased. All of the major providers have plans that allow calling to anywhere in the US or Canada. Most of the providers now offer the ability to choose an area code in another country, with that country then becoming the basic calling area.
Calls outside the plan calling area will be billed at set rates for different countries. All of the providers post lists of available countries on their websites with the per-minute cost listed for each country.
Most of the major providers that offer a complete VOIP solution conduct their billing using the monthly method. Vonage and Sun Rocket are examples of providers that use this type of billing. These providers offer a range of monthly plans.
Usually the lower cost plans have a limited number of calling minutes per month, while the costlier plans will include unlimited calling. Most providers offer features such as call ID capability, voice mail, call waiting and call forwarding even in their most basic plans.
This is one area where internet telephones have a major cost advantage over the traditional phone carriers that charge a premium for these services.
Pricing for basic plans with 500 minutes of calling time from most providers is in the range of $15 per month. Plans with unlimited calling fall in the range of $20 to $25 per month.
VOIP providers, like traditional carriers, make a distinction between personal and business accounts. Business accounts are charged a higher rate based on the assumption that business usage will be higher than personal usage.
The rich feature set of internet telephones allows providers to offer many advanced, optional services at a much lower rate than the traditional carriers. Most of the major providers furnish their customers a free PC softphone as part of their basic package. A second line with choice of area code (virtual phone number) is available from most providers for approximately $5 per month.
Dedicated fax lines can be added for $5-$10 per month, usually with a limited number of minutes per month. A 1-800 number with 100 inbound minutes is available from most providers for approximately $5 per month.
Most VOIP providers do not require a contract, but may offer a low-rate for a period of 1 or 2 years with a relatively low ($20-$30) early cancellation fee. Most VOIP billing plans are also offered on a 30-day free trial with no penalty for cancellation within the 30-day period. Also, most providers charge a setup fee, ranging from $20-$40.
The second category of providers, those that offer prepaid calling time, fall in the general range of .03 to .05 per minute for calls made to locations inside the plan calling area. These minutes can be purchased in quantity on a prepaid basis, with the per minute rate decreasing as the number of minutes purchased increases.
This type of provider will usually offer a free PC softphone as a lead-in to paid services. Usually, with this type of provider, PC to PC calling is free, with the per minute cost coming in to play for calls to and from landline and mobile users. Skype and Firefly are two examples of this type of provider.
Solitaire, IM and Now Phone Calls, All from Your PC
I never thought I would see the day when the telephone became a tried, old thing of the past, but it seems that it has indeed become so. One may think the new technology is the wireless phone, but even cell phones have been one upped by a new technology called voice over Internet protocol, or VOIP. VOIP is used to transmit phone calls over the internet and is the latest way for low cost international communication. This technology routs voice conversations over the internet instead of through a phone line or wireless network. Now you can check your e-mail, be on Instant Messenger and talk to some one on the phone, right from your computer.
To use VOIP, a broadband Internet connection is required and it can also work in mobile phones that have high speed networks. VOIP can be transmitted over any IP network, even one that does not have connection to the rest of the internet such as local area networks. This service works well for businesses as it allows for free calling within their network. One of the companies that provides VOIP, Skype, offer the ability to make free phone calls between computers. However, fixed-line phone companies are not happy about VOIP as it has taken a lot of their phone traffics.
Under the VOIP umbrella there are two different types of VOIP services that can be implemented through public switched telephone networks (PSTN). The first of these is DID, which connects a caller to the VOIP user. The second type, access numbers, simply requires the caller to submit the extension number of the VOIP user in order to be connected. In most cases, VOIP used through access numbers are charged to the caller as a local call and are of no cost whatsoever to the VOIP user. DID users pay a monthly fee, but there are also some DID that pose no cost to the VOIP users but charge the caller.
It seems as though the benefits of VOIP are endless. Such a calling systems radically reduces the cost of international calls since calling becomes roughly the same as sending an e-mail. No extra costs are implemented beyond the cost of an internet provider. Another carrier of VOIP, 3 Italia, offers tariffs of $0.05 an hour and allows those subscribed to call fixed telephone lines in countries such as Japan, China, Australia and most of Western Europe.
VOIP is also easy, allowing incoming phone calls to be automatically transmitted to your VOIP phone no matter where you are connected to the VOIP network. If you wish to take your VOIP phone on vacation with you, all you need to do in connect to the Internet in order to receive incoming calls. Such versatility allows for connection anywhere with a fast enough Internet connection.
Also, there is no need to worry about losing all your favorite features by switching to a VOIP phone. Call forwarding, automatic redial, 3-way calling and other traditionally fixed-line features are also available with VOIP. It is also possible to obtain Instant Messenger based VOIP, allowing you to receive calls directly from IM. VOIP can easily integrate with other Internet services as well, such as video conversation, audio conferencing, and managing address books.
The most frequent users of VOIP tend to be travelers and migrant workers usually who do not have a fixed or mobile phone. Using VOIP helps such users cut down on overseas roaming charges. Pre-Paid phone cards are also available to use VOIP from a regular phone or from Internet Cafes with phone services.
However, VOIP is not with out certain disadvantages. Unlike many fixed and mobile phones, VOIP does not provide any quality of service guarantees, meaning that there is no guarantee that data packets will be delivered in the order in which they were transmitted. Also, many VOIP users have slight problems with latency and jitter, especially when satellite circuits become involved. Another problem arises when VOIP encounters firewalls or address translators. The signals can become scrambled or stopped altogether. However, Skype offers the ability to get through such problems.
Congestion can also become a problem, but this can be controlled by traffic engineering provided by most VOIP services. Unlike wireless and fixed-line phones, loss of power will also affect VOIP. Generators or any other means of supplying an uninterruptible power supply can fix this issue. Another issue found with VOIP is the problem of eavesdropping. Most VOIP solutions do not contain the ability to use encryption, making it fairly easy for others to listen in on VOIP supported conversations.
Finally, emergency calling can be a problem when done via VOIP as it is impossible to pin point the location from which the call in coming. A deadline to implement E911 in all VOIP phones is quickly approaching, however many VOIP companies are appealing the implementation.
Full of its benefits and downfalls, it seems as though VOIP may be just as helpful and detrimental as mobile and fixed-line phones, However, that does not stop the masses of people switching over to VOIP use, if only for business. It seems as thought VOIP is the wave of the future and it will only be a matter of time before I too can be chatting in a secluded area with friends overseas while playing solitaire on the PC. I certainly hope VOIP comes around soon, my secluded area solitaire skills need some practice.
All research from http://www.wikipedia.org
VoIP More Basic Than A Basic How To
Have you not even heard the expression VoIP or Voice over internet protocol. It provides the ability to make phone calls over the internet at very low cost or even free. But what is it all about and how do you use it?
VoIP has several different ways in which it can be utilized. The first method is known as a softphone which basically means you download some software from a provider like Skype or VoipStunt, connect up a headset, set up the account and away you go. In other articles I have written I have provided comparisons of several providers including Skype, VoipStunt and Vonage.
The second method of making phone calls over the internet is by having an account with a VoIP provider such as Vonage or Skype (or Engin in Australia) and utilizing a piece of hardware known as an ATA or Analog Telephone Adaptor. This connects to your internet connection through an Ethernet connection to your ADSL or cable modem and allows connection of a standard telephone being normal, cordless or DECT. Often you can also connect a fax.
Methods of Operation
There are varying methods of operation. You may only wish to make outgoing calls through VoIP which means you will not need a ‘normal’ type phone number. If you wish to receive incoming calls from landline telephones, ie the caller isn’t calling over the internet using VoIP, you will need to have that service ability with your provider and a number to go with it.
It is possible that you can retain your fixed line and have both VoIP and normal PSTN to the ATA which will mean both will ring at the same time. Additionally if there is a blackout or power failure you can still connect to the PSTN.
You will need to review your providers conditions to work out costs of calling outside of the VoIP network. In many cases this can still be free or very low cost indeed, including overseas calls. Often there is a flat rate for local and long distance calls but again this varies from Voip provider to provider. As mentioned earlier, previous articles I have written compare some of the services offered by the larger VoIP players.
There is an issue to consider around emergency calls. Skype and VoipStunt openly include in their terms and conditions that they do not provide access to emergency services calls. For this reason they are realistically utilized as a second phone service. However certainly in Australia, Engin provide access to emergency services through the triple zero 000 emergency number. Many people now have mobile phones so access to emergency services is much more available anyway.
Equipment
From earlier in the article you can see that equipment needed and relevant costs can vary from a headset, to an ATA or analog telephone adaptor. These are not overly expensive and often available for free or cheap when joining a VoIP provider. A google search or visit to eBay will provide ability to get updated on current costs however it does not cost a fortune to commence accessing cheap or free phone calls.
Summary
This article has looks at the absolute basics of VoIP and how to get started. Further articles, information about VoIP products can be accessed by reading previous articles I have written.
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How Skype Works
Skype is a software application that allows you to make free phone calls to more than 75 million people worldwide, and shockingly cheap calls to practically everywhere else on Earth! As a result of that, Skype has become the fastest growing service in the history of the Internet. Recently, the company was acquired by eBay, another step forward towards achieving the final goal of making Skype the world’s largest communication company.
Skype is easy to install and use. It allows its users to make crystal clear calls, regardless of their location, send instant messages, switch seamlessly between text and voice communication, make video calls, conference calls, transfer files, call landlines and cell phones for a fraction of the cost of a traditional call. Skype is truly making a revolution in the way we communicate.
But how does it actually work? This article focuses on describing the Skype network and the technology behind it.
Skype is a type of peer-to-peer Voice-Over-IP client, based on the Kazaa file sharing program. The developers of Skype claim that it provides better voice quality than similar applications like MSN and Yahoo Messenger. It also encrypts calls end-to-end.
There are two types of machines in the Skype network – ordinary host (Skype Client) and Super Node (SN). An ordinary host is the computer of a regular user who has the application installed and connects to the network in order to communicate with other users. The Super Nodes are the end-point of ordinary hosts in the network. In other words, ordinary hosts connect to the Super Nodes. Any computer with a public IP and proper hardware configuration can be a SN. An ordinary host must connect to a super node and must register itself with the Skype login server for a successful login. The Skype login server is the only central unit in the whole network. It stores the usernames and respective passwords of all Skype users. Nslookups have shown that this server is located in Denmark. All Super Nodes connect to the login server in attempt to verify the username password of the client. It stores your Skype Name, your e-mail address, and an encrypted representation of your password.
If you are a regular Skype user, then your computer is considered an ‘ordinary host’ that connects to a Super Node. The Super Nodes are servers, located in different parts of the world. But your Skype client, must know to which SN it has to connect. Therefore, every Skype client (SC) maintains a local table that contains the IPs and corresponding ports of Super Nodes. This is called a host cache and it stored in the Windows Registry of the given SC. So basically, every time you load up Skype, it reads the date from the host cache, takes the first IP and port from there and tries to connect to this SN. If the connection fails for some reason (the SN is offline; it is no longer part of the network, etc) then it reads the next line from the table. In case it fails to connect to any of the IPs listed, the Skype returns a login error upon start-up. Hence, the host cache must contain at least one valid entry in order for the application to connect to the network and work properly. Valid entry means an IP address and port number of an online Super Node. The path to the table in the Windows Registry is HKEY_CURRENT_USER / SOFTWARE / SKYPE / PHONE / LIB / CONNECTION / HOSTCACHE. You can verify that on your computer by opening the Start menu, then click Run and enter ‘regedit’, without the dashes. Of course, the exact path could be different in the next versions of the application.
As a concept, Super Nodes were introduced in the third-generation P2P networks. They allow improved search performance, reduced file-transfer latency, network scalability, and the ability to resume interrupted downloads and simultaneously download segments of one file from multiple peers. Basically, they help ordinary hosts connect to each other and guide efficiently the encrypted network traffic.
Super Nodes are also responsible for the ‘Global Indexing’. This technology enables you to search for other users in the network. The company guarantees that it will find a user if he has registered and has logged in during the last 72 hours.
A very interesting moment about the Skype network is that it ’self-modifiable’. If you have the application installed, your computer may turn into a Super Node, without you even knowing it, because those capabilities don’t have a noticeable impact on a computer’s performance. SNs basically store the addresses of up to several hundred Skype users, without carrying any voice, text or file-transfer data. In that manner, the more Skype users come online, the more supernodes become available to expand the capacity of the network.
Skype routes the traffic intelligently by choosing the optimum data transfer path. Since it uses either TCP or UDP protocol, it breaks the whole data stream into seperate packets, which can take different paths to the end destination. The final arrangement is done at the receiving end.
As far as safety and privacy are concerned, Skype uses Advanced Encryption Standard, known as Rijndel, used also by the U.S. Government organizations to protect sensitive data. Skype uses 256-bit encryption.
The programmers of Skype have implemented wideband codecs which allows it to maintain a good sound quality at a bandwidth of 32kb/s and allow frequencies between 5-8,000Hz to pass trough.
Your list of contacts, the application stores in the Windows Registry. This is called the Buddy list and once again, it is digitally encrypted. So, the list is local for every machine, or in other words, it’s not downloaded from the central server.
Let’s briefly describe the tasks of the Skype client. First it connects to the network. It then listens on particular ports for incoming calls, refreshes the host cache table, uses wideband codecs, maintains the buddy list, encrypts messages and determines if there is a firewall or not.
The login process:
The login process is the most important one and it consists of several phases. As mentioned, SC must connect to a valid SN in order to authenticate the username and password with the Central Server.
Skype gets the fist IP from the host cache, sends it a UDP packet and waits for response. If there is no response after 5 seconds, it sends a TCP packet to the same IP. It tries to establish a TCP connection to the HC IP address and port 80 (HTTP port). If still unsuccessful, it tried to connect to IP address and port 443 (HTTPS port). If this does not work either, it reads the next address in the HC. If Skype is unable to connect to a SN, it will report a login failure.
The application comes with several build-in addresses of different nodes, called bootstrap super nodes.
If the connection attempt is successful, the client must authenticate the user name and password with the Skype login server, which holds all user names and passwords and makes sure they are unique across the whole network. When the application connects to an SN, it receives an up-to-date list of other active SNs, so it has the most current information.
The Media Transfer process:
The video/voice communication through SKype is established through UDP. The trick here is that quite often, one of the users is behind a firewall or a router, hence it doesn’t have a real IP address. But if both Skype clients are on real IPs, then the media traffic flows directly between them over UDP. The size of the voice packet is 67 bytes, which is actually the size of UDP payload. One second conversation results in roughly 140 voice packets being exchanged both ways, or 3-16 kilobytes/s.
If one of the callee or both of them do not have a public IP, then they send voice traffic to another online Skype node over UDP or TCP. The developers of Skype have preferred to use UDP for voice transmission as much as possible.
An interesting fact is that even if both sides are not speaking, voice packets will still be flowing between them. The purpose of these so called ’silent packages’ is to keep the connection alive.
Conclusion:
There are several factors responsible for the success of Skype. First of all, the voice quality is better compared to other applications. It works without a problem on computers with firewall. It is very easy to install and use. Skype’s security is also a big advantage. Everything that is being transferred across the network is being encrypted to ensure privacy. As a result of that, even if hackers intercept the data being transferred, they won’t be able to decode it.
The Skype application does not include any adware or spyware. But, there are cases when third parties have managed to add such functionalities (not only for Skype), so it’s really important that you download it from the right place. Therefore, do it either from the official website, or from respected sites as http://www.freesecuredownloads.com/skype/index.html.
