Since the birth of the computer network there have always been two networks that exist in every corporation, a data network and a voice network. The data network is digital and the voice network is analog. Internet Voice, also known as Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP), is a new technology that combines voice and data networks in order to make telephone like calls through broadband Internet connection. The integration of voice and data networks is referred to as IP telephony.
Vonage is an all-inclusive phone service that can replace your current phone company. It gives you local and long distance calling anywhere in the US, Puerto Rico and Canada for one low price. They can do this because it uses your existing high-speed Internet connection instead of standard phone lines.
I chose Vonage to do my Web Poster on because I think this is going to be the next big thing in technology. People just needs to fully grasp it and let go of the old fasioned ways of the world.
MIS Theory
There are few areas of IT that are currently generating as much interest as Vonage. The foundation of this technology starts with voice signals being converted into digital signals that are sent over the Internet and then translated back into voice signals instantaneously by the receiving computer. This surfacing technology lays the groundwork for a cheaper and faster platform for people and businesses to make phone calls and communicate.
Although VoIP has been in existence for years, it has only recently begun to take off as a viable alternative to traditional telephone networks. Having separate networks can increase a company�s communications charges by as much as 70% more over having a converged voice and data network. The technologies for VoIP are currently maturing and are readily available for all people who connect via high-speed connections. In a VoIP network, signaling is accomplished through the exchange of IP datagram messages between the VoIP components. The user typically uses a hardware device that connects on one end to a regular analog phone, and on the other end to their Local Area Network. The user's network is connected to the Internet via DSL or cable modem. The VoIP hardware converts the analog signals into a digital signal, which is then transmitted to the Internet telephony service providers then routed over the Internet. The call travels over the Internet being sent in small packets, which are then reassembled when they reach their destination into voice. The majority of companies are still currently using Public Switched Telephone Networks (PSTN).
Circuit switching is a very basic concept that has been used by telephone networks for over 100 years. What happens is that when a call is made between two parties, the connection is maintained for the entire duration of the call. Because you are connecting two points in both directions, the connection is called a circuit. During the time of a call, the circuit is continuously open between the two phones. Telephone conversations over the traditional PSTN are transmitted at a fixed rate of about 64 kilobits per second in each direction. So in a 10-minute conversation, the total transmission is 9600 KB, which is roughly equal to 9.4 megabytes.
Findings
In a typical phone conversation, much of the transmitted data is wasted. While you are talking, the other party is listening, which means that only half of the connection is in use at any given time. Based on that, we can assume that we could cut the file in half. Plus, a significant amount of the time in most conversations is dead air; for seconds at a time, neither party is talking. If we could remove these silent intervals, the file would be even smaller. This is what makes VoIP so attractive. Data networks do not use circuit switching. Your Internet connection would be a lot slower if it maintained a constant connection to the Web page you were looking at. Instead of simply sending and retrieving data as you need it, the two computers involved in the connection would pass data back and forth the whole time, whether the data was useful or not.
That's no way to set up an efficient data network. Data networks use a method called packet switching. While circuit switching keeps the connection open and constant, packet switching opens the connection just long enough to send a small packets, or chunks of data, from one system to another. The sending computer sends small packets, each one having an address telling the network where to route them. When the receiver gets the packets, it restructures them into voice data.
Conclusion
In conclusion, with Vonage you connect your telephone to your high-speed Internet connection using a phone adapter. You pick up the phone, and use it just like you do today. When you pick up the phone, the Vonage phone adapter converts your voice into data and sends it through the Internet like an email. The network sends the call to where you want it and translates it back into voice. When the person you're calling picks up the phone, it sounds just the same as any other call. When someone calls you, they dial your number, your phone rings, and all you have to do is pick up and answer it. The only difference is lower phone bills.
