Telephones

In order to make and receive calls over your VOIP digital phone line choose from three main options; Analogue telephone adaptors, Digital VOIP phones or use a softphone on your PC.

Analogue Telephone Adaptor

An Analogue Telephone Adaptor, or ATA for short, is a mobile phone sized device which plugs into your broadband network. You then plug a conventional/analogue telephone into the adaptor and you are ready to start making and receiving calls over VoIP. More recently, manufacturers have started combining ATAs and broadband/ADSL routers. We sell a range of routers with ATAs built in, a nice all-in-one solution.

Pros

• Use your existing phones
• Independent of your PC, works whether its on or off
• Low cost
• Easy to set up
• Portable
• Combined ATA and router devices present a convenient all in one solution

Cons

• Advanced features (e.g. call transfer, hold, etc) are not easily accessible through a conventional handset Softphones (and USB phones)

Softphones

Softphone is short for Software Telephone. A softphone is a program that runs on your computer. You usually dial numbers and manage the phone through your keyboard and mouse and use your PC's speakers and microphone for the audio. A lot of people prefer to use Softphones with a USB phone. A USB phone plugs into your computer's USB port and works just like a normal telephone handset – dialling numbers, hanging up calls, audio, etc is all done through the handset.

Pros

• Very low cost - often completely free
• Easy to set up
• No hardware needed
• Highly portable

Cons

• Your computer needs to be on when you make or receive calls

Digital VOIP Phones

VoIP phones are to VoIP what a conventional phone is to the analogue telephone network. A VoIP phone plugs straight into your network (some wireless phones connect to WiFi networks instead of plugging in). These phones are very well featured and are generally considered to be the best option by business users.

Pros

• Very easy to use
• Independent of your PC
• Easy access to advanced calling features (e.g. hold, call transfer)
• Easy to deploy in office environments

Cons

• More expensive than a softphone or ATA