You can try out VoIP for free! All you need is a headset attached to the sound card of your computer. Next, download one of the many VoIP software packages. Skype, Gizmo, Free World Dialup, and Net2Phone are some of the big names. With the software installed, invite all your friends to download the same software and when someone is up and running, give them a call!
Most of these "soft phones" (as they are called) allow you to make and receive calls at no charge anywhere in the world as long as you are not connecting to a cellular or landline phone. They are easy to use ?simply click on a contact name to initiate a call. Features such as call display, call forwarding, voicemail, and conference calls are included at no extra charge as long as both parties are using computers.
A step up from headsets is Internet phones. These feel a lot more like "real" telephones -- they ring, they have regular number pads, and you use them like traditional telephones. They plug into the USB port or sound card of your computer. These phones are still considered soft phones because you need VoIP software installed on your computer to make and receive telephone calls.
As we progress up the VoIP ladder the next is an ATA (Analog Telephone Adapter) which allows you to connect a traditional analog telephone to a broadband modem. ATA's are usually provided free of charge when you sign up with a VoIP service provider. This is similar to signing up with a regular phone company -- there is a monthly charge and you may have to sign a contract tying you into the service for a certain period of time.
The ATA is simple to use. It connects to a broadband modem - either a DSL modem connected to your traditional phone line or a cable modem which attaches to your cable TV connection. Any traditional analog telephone can be plugged into an ATA. You do not even need a computer in the house to use this type of VoIP connection.
Using an ATA for Internet phone calls is transparent. You simply pick up the phone and dial a number just as you would with your regular phone service. Anybody calling your phone number will not be aware that you are using VoIP instead of PSTN (Public Switched Telephone Network).
If you are travelling, you can take your ATA with you and receive phone calls anywhere in the world by connecting it to a broadband modem. Any calls to your phone number will be routed to your ATA (which has an identification number making it unique in the world) at the same cost as the call to your residence or business would cost.
The third option for VoIP is to have an IP phone. Don't confuse IP phones and Internet Phones. IP phones plug directly into the modem, but Internet phones plug into the sound card or USB port of your computer. An IP phone is a handset which has all the necessary hardware and software installed in it. You connect an IP phone to a broadband modem and make or receive calls the same way that you would make or receive calls with an ATA. The advantage of an IP phone over an ATA is that you do not need an extra telephone set to plug into the ATA -- it is a completely integrated unit.
IP phones also have the advantage of having all your phone numbers stored in the phone as well as a display screen which gives you information about incoming calls.
